Living in post-Islamist times

by Dr Husnul Amin

The specter of post-Islamism, both as intellectual narrative and emergent social trend, has asserted itself to the authenticity, applicability and long-term sustainability of the Islamists' narratives, regimes and avenues of social control. This trend initially observed in Iran, Egypt and Turkey has now spread out across the Muslim Middle East. The change waves set in motion by the academic strength, and social momentum of this trend, may no longer be captivated in the frontiers of the Middle East. Thanks to the rapid flow of information, through the medium of newly liberated electronic and social media, Pakistan could no longer be kept in isolation and distant from this rapidly growing trend.

When Pakistan's ideology was on trial

The Hyderabad tribunal

Saturday, June 07, 2008

This June it will be 33 years since the trial of the leadership of the National Awami Party (NAP). Thirty three years ago the NAP was banned and its leader Wali Khan was tried on a number of charges. One of the most serious charges, in the words of the court, "the claim of the NAP and its leaders that the Pakhtoonistan movement was merely seeking renaming of two provinces was held to be totally untenable." The court observed that the NAP leadership was "actually demanding secession in the name of autonomy by carving out a new province and demanding complete self-government with only three subjects left to the centre."

Walwar (Bride Price) And Marriage Among Pashtuns

by Samar Esapzai

What is Walwar?

Originating from the tribal tradition of Afghanistan, specifically from a Pashtun perspective, walwar is the most common Pashto term for bride price. More specifically, walwar is the sum of money paid by the groom or his family to the head of the bride’s household. Out of this sum, the bride’s family may provide the couple with a dowry (or jahez), which usually consists of furniture and jewellery/clothes. Walwar is basically a payment to the bride’s family in consideration of the girl who is given away in marriage, and is not specifically directed to be spent on the provision of a dowry.

Shehla Pucha Shwa

by Imran Khan

https://vimeo.com/62990504

I came across the above clip some time back and if one knows Urdu and Pashto then listening to it invokes instant laughter, as I have carried out this experiment on many of my friends. Yet, the post laughter response to this has often been a “tsk tsk” at the status of education in Pakistan. There have also been those who were saddened by the capacity of this boy to learn.

While there is no doubt that the status of Pakistan's education is appalling and is a reflection of the amount of budget we have set for it every year. Can we also blame this child and assume that he is also deficient when it comes to his learning abilities?

Zari Sarfaraz: Crusader for the Pakhtuns

This profile of Zari Sarfaraz 28 July 1923 – 27 April 2008 was published by the DAWN magazine circa 2002

By Intikhab Amir

There aren't many Pakistani women who can claim to be renowned
politicians as well as astute businesswomen. In fact, one would
assume that the number of such successful ladies would be negligible
in a male dominated society like ours.

Salesman and the woman

two short stories exclusively for QK
 : The Salesman and the woman

Salesman

By: Nasir Ahmad Ahmadi

Translator: Ismat Khan

Aftab Sherpao: The Politics of survival

-a version of this article was originally published 1st of April 2013 by Express Tribune

This 2013 election marks a record for Aftab Khan Sherpao the leader of his own Pashtun nationalist party the Qaumi Watan Party . if he wins his seat again it will be his eighth successive electoral victory since 1977. He also has survived repeated militant attacks against himself against all odds.
While having consistent election winners is common place in many parts of Punjab and Sindh, it is the exception in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where the previous record of successive electoral wins was held by the late Arbab Jehangir. Elections in the province are far more fluid then elsewhere and many local and national leaders have suffered surprise election defeats when they have not been on the right side of the electorate (or other brokers).