Begum Akhtar, Cyril Almeida, Ayaz Amir,

83 Human Rights Groups Tell Congress, “Take Action on Torture!” By Andy Worthington on Guantanamo campaigns - Today, 83 human rights groups and leaders sent the following petition to Congress calling for specific actions to end torture: A Call for US Congress to Take Action on Torture Whereas over seven years have passed since President George W. Bush fraudulently induced the US Congress, the American people, and the world into the illegal war in [...]

Begum Akhtar is celebrated as a great ghazal singer from India. Her 35th death anniversary is being observed this week with musical soirees. However, like it or not there are songs that we must not sing. Javed Naqvi

The army can grimly march from one tribal agency to another for years, give its troops the best counter-insurgency training possible, get all the equipment it needs, but it will never win this war until it recognises the enemy for what it is: deadly, complex, hydra-headed and capable of growing elsewhere even as parts of it are hacked off. Cyril Almeida

The Americans are telling us what to do, which is strange given that they are not doing too well in Afghanistan. They should be listening rather than giving sermons. Being their allies, and taking more hits than they are, it is now time for us to tell them that their occupation can't last much longer. Sooner than they now think possible, it will have to be rolled back and other options examined. When they depart we will still be here. Bolstering Pakistan and its military should not be seen thus as a favour. From America's point of view it should be a strategic necessity. Ayaz Amir