Neither Here nor There: The Shifting Identities of Raza Rumi
A Pakistani journalist, writer, and public policy practitioner, Raza Rumi’s life exemplifies the intersection of the personal and the political. In 2014, his work…
My interview with Ithaca Times, U.S. (Asylum Writer Wields Pen Against Sword)
Recently I was interviewed by Ithaca Times, USA. Here is the text: The Ithaca Times sat down with Rumi to talk about his work…
‘Blasphemy laws have become an instrument of malicious motives’
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in its new report On Trial: the Implementation of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws, has documented the widespread fair trial violations…
Why fanatics of today would not have spared Kabir
The murders of rationalists and threats to writers, negate what was achieved through centuries of cross-cultural exchange and intellectually robust reformist movements. “Friend You…
Raza Rumi: They Tried to Silence Me Once and For All
I spoke with Clarion about fighting for freedom of speech when the price for failure is death. Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani policy…
The vicious cycle of hate and violence
The recent issue to have riled up a good number of Pakistanis including jihadi networks is the alleged blasphemy against Islam committed by the…
Six ideas for Pakistan to defeat the Taliban
There’s a lot Pakistan could do to root out terrorism. But will it? It is being seen as a watershed moment in Pakistan, the…
The Perils of Reporting in Pakistan
The toll of Taliban attacks is measured in more than bodies. By MARY LOUISE KELLY Stay in the news business long enough, and you…
In Pakistan, ‘Blasphemers’ Like Me Receive Militant Justice
Like so many others, I was recently targeted in a cold-blooded assassination for speaking out against extremism. Pakistan has acquired a strong reputation of…
Freedom to broadcast hate
This report by the BBC is extremely insightful. It talks about how broadcast media are fanning sectarian passions across Middle East – on all…
A welcome shift
Here’s what I wrote for The News about the Pakistan Army’s revised security and threat assessment The Pakistan army has reportedly revised its security…
The Music Doesn’t Stop in Peshawar
A story that I co-authored with Manzoor Ali, published here On June 18, celebrated Pashto singer Ghazala Javed and her father were murdered in…
Lahore’s lost spring
Lahore, a centre for the arts and learning in the early 20th century, has been the custodian of a plural, vibrant culture for decades.…
Social media: Good, bad and the ugly
Despite the threats and risks, the Internet has provided a useful platform for people-to-people contacts. It has also facilitated issue-based engagement among South Asians…
Myth and reality of extremism
Pakistan needs to undertake research on militancy for effective policymaking A recent attempt to understand militancy, “Poverty and Support for Militant Politics: Evidence from…
Pakistan has been playing us all for suckers
Britain is spending millions bolstering Pakistan, but it is a nation in thrall to radical Islam and is using its instability to blackmail the…
Witch hunt grips Pakistan as bloody political assassinations deplete liberal ranks
By Amanda Hodge IT says much about Pakistan’s McCarthyist atmosphere that the television presenter whom many accuse of inciting the political assassinations rocking the…
Andrew Buncombe: Those who dare to speak out become a shooting target
By Andrew Buncombe Rarely have Pakistan’s religious minorities and liberals felt more beleaguered. Less than two months after the killing of Salmaan Taseer, a…
Last chance for Pakistan
Taseer’s brutal murder has exposed every faultline of contemporary Pakistan The brutal assassination of Governor Punjab, Salmaan Taseer by a staff member of Punjab’s…
Raza Rumi Speaks Out on Countering Violent Extremism