Restoring the civil rights of Ahmadis

By a Pakistani
The events in Punjab Medical College in Faisalabad recently have brought to the forefront once again a very important and yet neglected issue which continues to blacken our collective conscience as a nation.   The expulsion of 23 students for allegedly preaching their faith underscored the sickness that has crept into the majority in [...]

The struggle for Islam’s soul: Subverting the discourse of exclusion 4

by Shaheryar Ali
Of the three great systems of exclusion governing discourse — prohibited words, the division of madness and the will to truth ———”
“I believe we must resolve ourselves to accept three decisions which our current thinking rather tends to resist, and which belong to the three groups of function I have just mentioned: to [...]

Segregation and Purges: An open Letter to Sherry Rehman

We are publishing this open letter by Shaheryar Ali on the plight of these students who happened to be born in the ‘wrong’ families. As Pakistanis, the Constitution and the laws of the land guarantee equal rights to these students; and there is nothing that can prevent them to attend schools and colleges. If anything, the [...]

Blasphemy and persecution

By Ishtiaq Ahmed
The barbaric murder of Jagdeesh Kumar, accused of blasphemy by some of his workmates at a garment factory in Karachi, brings out in sharp focus once again the exposed and vulnerable situation of non-Muslims in a Pakistan still wedded to the legacy of General Zia-ul-Haq.
When the police finally intervened, the body of the [...]

Protecting Pakistan’s Hindus

This is an engaging piece by Ali Eteraz who writes with much intellectual energy and passion. The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily subscribed by the Pak Tea House.
Hindus in Pakistan have suffered grievously since the founding of the nation in 1947. Recently, in the southern province of Sindh, a Hindu man [...]

Breaking the Cycle

This is a forcefully eloquent piece on the incidence of violence in Karachi. PTH does not necessarily agree with its contents and the arguments - by  Rukhe Zehra Zaidi
It seems that recycling storylines and repeat performances are not solely the prerogative of cinema and theatre. In Pakistan, the plot of politics is often repeated and rehashed [...]

Pakistan: Maha Shivratri festivities at Katas Raj Temple

 Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend this event in Katas, located un the Punjab province of Pakistan. 
“Maha Shivratri falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of ‘Phalgun’ (February-March). The event marks the night when lord Shiva performed the Tandav dance (the dance of destruction).” 
“Maha Shivratri means the night of [...]