Ode to my Peoples! also hamid sahib, since you are such an avid fan of the strip and tell genre, why don't you write a humorous piece from the perspective of the father of padash the stripper...? perhaps such a piece would justify the slobbering adulation of your idiot desi male admirers : )

Ode to my Peoples! Re: # 16

hamid sahib, you like so many pakistani men seem to be afflicted with the desi version of Dorian Gray's disease: while everyone else grows older, the pakistani unkil grows progressively younger until he's calling his nieces "aunty" B)

Ode to my Peoples! oye padash unkil,

quite pleasantly surprised by the strength of this piece. may i attribute your (thanks gods) decision to write of what you actually and legitimately know? good ironies, complexity even!, and very few stereotypical moments unlike those boring stripper exercises. shabash, mashallah, mubarak and alhamdolilah :)

The Creeping Menace: Taliban

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP - NEW REPORT

Pakistan: Countering Militancy in FATA


Islamabad/Brussels, 21 October 2009: The military operation in South Waziristan is unlikely to succeed in curbing the spread of religious militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), unless the Pakistan government implements political reforms in that part of the country.

Pakistan: Countering Militancy in FATA*, the latest policy report from the International Crisis Group, examines the Talibanisation in FATA, and argues that only reforms that encourage political diversity, enhance economic opportunity, and guarantee civil and political rights will address the problem. So far, short-sighted military policies have aggravated the conflict’s impact on inhabitants and fuelled Islamic militancy. The consequences are dramatic: over one million people, i.e. one third of FATA’s population, have been displaced, and the numbers are growing. Militancy and heavy-handed military force have destroyed an already deficient infrastructure and hi ndered business opportunities.

“FATA belies the military’s claims of successfully countering Islamist militant networks”, says Samina Ahmed, Crisis Group’s South Asia Project Director. “The state should rather counter religious extremism by extending constitutional rights and expanding economic opportunity”.

FATA, a tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, has been tenuously governed since independence, due to deliberate policy, rather than Pashtun tribal resistance. The region is ruled by the colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulations. These are laws that allow the federally appointed political agent to arrest individuals or punish entire tribes for crimes committed on their territory, fuelling resentment among locals and hindering the region’s economic growth. Both the administration and judicial system rely on tribal chiefs, many of whom accept the authority of militant leaders. Thus, public sector development tends to be channelled towards local and religious elites. Poorly-trained, underpaid militias further undermine the rule of law.

On 14 August 2009, President Zardari announced a reform package that curtails the political administration’s arbitrary judicial and financial powers. While this is a step forward, further measures are needed to end the region’s ambiguous constitutional status. Pakistan’s government must repeal the Frontier Crimes Regulations, incorporate the region into the provincial and national justice system, and replace tribal militias with the national police. Economic growth needs to be encouraged by developing infrastructures and education opportunities.

The U.S. and the international community should combine aid with a robust dialogue on institutional reform. They may enhance the region’s development by supporting specialised economic zones that tap FATA’s indigenous resources. Finally, the military should be pressured to allow humanitarian access to the conflict zones, and to prevent the region from being used by extremist groups.

“The state’s failure to provide basic services and support economic opportunity is contributing to the growth of the insurgency”, says Robert Templer, Crisis Group’s Asia Program Director. “Only long-term political and legal reforms that extend the law of the land to FATA will reverse this tendency”.

Access Denied this is great! thanks and write more!

The End Of An Affair Re: # 43

clever and not soap opera-y

The End Of An Affair nb, the fact that the protagonist did not confront the antagonist's wife says something about her logic and coolheadedness.

The End Of An Affair Taji,

could you discuss your writerly intent in making all the conversations b/n the female characters straightforward and without pretense, nastiness and manipulation? the contrast of those conversations and the ones with fahad are striking. i've drawn my own conclusions, but am interested in your comments.

The End Of An Affair it seems like Nazia is a clear thinking, clear speaking woman-her confusion and pain are evident in her conversation with her mom and denial that Fahad was a spineless, manipulative narcissistic male. its nice to see a no nonsense heroine, who unlike the bollywood heroines we see, does not fall apart and who's life is not defined by a man. her conversation with the wife (can't remember name right now) seems smart and humanistic with no catfight. i know how disappointing that is for some of the idiots on this website :)

The End Of An Affair tin pot, why do you sound like the character "fahad"...?B)

The End Of An Affair I love how Nadia is so smart and articulate and Fahad is a lying space cadet! Well done! Welcome back Taji! :)

Our Piñata: The Western Culture Hey Taji,

Well done! Hope to read more-you may want focus on each of these examples and develop separate pieces on them. Hope to read more!

Two Tears in a Bucket come on padash unkil, give us an idea of the next story line so that we can make our bets. ramzan is over, let the gaming begin :)

Two Tears in a Bucket Re: # 280

will they be about studying at nyu? can i guess predict the cliches in advance?

Two Tears in a Bucket george eliot, anyone? B)

Two Tears in a Bucket taji, padash unkil:

darling, the moron factor here is so high that when you post something good here, you've got to explain why its good. i mean, i had to put on drag to even get yall to read dagh's piece-that says more about youse than me :)