Adil Najam

The Taliban onslaught against Pakistan continues relentlessly. The feeling of a polity unraveling before our eyes deepens.

Analyses boggle the mind because just keeping up with the news is hard enough. So, here are excerpts from just a few of recent news reports that are worth a read.

Buner falls into the hands of Swat Taliban
(Dawn, April 23, 2009)

Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district. The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five days. They have robbed government and NGO offices of vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and nutrition packets.

The Taliban have extended their control to almost all tehsils of the district and law-enforcement personnel remained confined to police stations and camps. The Taliban, equipped with advanced weapons, were reported to be advancing towards border areas of Swabi, Malakand and Mardan, the hometown of NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti.

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Adil Najam

The magical voice of Iqbal Bano was silenced by death today.

The magical voice of Iqbal Bano will live on in our hearts forever.

Running this blog on a daily basis is not an easy task in these dark dark days. Having had to write as many obituaries (e.g., here, here, here, here, here, etc.) as we have had to has made the task only more draining to the soul.

Today was already not a good day for Pakistan when it started. It became all the more unbearable with the death of legendary singer Iqbal Bano. May she rest in peace.

Owais Mughal

The photograph shows an abandoned Utility Stores branch in Liaqatabad, Karachi. It is now being utilized to keep domesticated animals by local people.

This photo appeared in Jang in March 2009.