By Inayat Amir The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the state to criminalize torture and make legislations for its prevention. On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the HRCP said that neither a state of war nor an order from a superior authority justified torture which hurts the very foundation of the rule of …

By Zubair Torwali Dardistan is one of the most diverse linguistic regions in the world. In the 1930s, the Norwegian linguist Georg Morgenstierne called it one of the most polyglot parts of Asia. More recently, the Italian anthropologist Augusto Cacopardo has called it ‘Peristan’, an area with an ‘enormous diversity of tongues and cultures’. The region has the large Dardic …

By Ashab Baig The situation is so acute on Pakistan’s economic front that a bailout package from IMF has become integral to provide lifeline to the economy. The situation is alarming because of the USD/PKR exchange rate that is all time high at 212, single digit USD reserves of less than 9 billion barely enough to afford 45-day import bill; …

By Devin Windelspecht More than five billion people have mobile devices today, with studies suggesting that over 70% of internet users will be accessing the internet solely through their smartphones by 2025. The growing population of smartphone users is changing how we see and consume information: from the filming of police violence in the U.S. to using smartphone text chains …

By Naazir Mahmood The National Institute of Pakistan Studies (NIPS) at the Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad is a rare centre of debate and discussion where one can speak freely. When Prof Saeed Rid and Dr Manzoor Veesrio invited me to speak there about the crisis of democracy in Pakistan, I was a bit reluctant. The hesitation evaporated when they assured me …

By News Desk The Awami Workers’ Party (AWP) is committed to becoming a genuine alternative force by uniting all Left-wing, progressive, secular and nationalist parties and groups and launching a country-wide struggle for bringing about change in the existing decadent system and building a socialist society. This was the gist of the speeches made by Federal President Yousuf Mustikhan, General …

Haqooq-e-Khalq Party presents a charter of demand including Rs40,000 minimum wage for labourers; it will field labourers as its candidates in the local government and general elections.

Participants of Ghizer Youth Maraka blast successive governments for their failure and apathy in addressing the issue

by Ali Rehmat Shimshali Have you ever imagined progress of a society, or a nation without women? To answer this question, let us confine it to our homes. What troubles do we face in the absence of our moms and sisters? They are nuclous in every family and society. When the nuclous breaks the entire system collapses. So how can …

For years, suicide cases in Chitral and Gilgit Baltistan have been haunting the mountain communities, but a fresh wave of suicides has left them baffled. Ahmad Faraz sheds light on the issue with a nuanced understanding of the local milieu.

By Shahana Tabassum To ensure wellbeing of women and girls in society, it is important to create awareness about menstrual hygiene management (MHM). Therefore, the stakeholders from public, private, and development sectors should join hands to enhance impact and outreach of their efforts. Global MH Day 2022 event celebrated by Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) in Quetta was a commendable …

Pakistan’s first-ever female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Anita Karim has won her fight against Australia’s Uyen Ha at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok Thailand, putting her supper girl skills at display. She won by unanimous decision under the banner of Fairtex Fight Promotion. Famously known as “the arm collector” for her tradmark lethal armlock, the 25-year-old prodigy made light work …

By News Desk A large number of working class people, katchi abadi residents, students, trade union activists and progressive political workers gathered in Aabpara Chowk to protest the rising costs of living. Organised by Awami Workers Party (AWP) and Progressive Students Federation (PrSF), the ‘Mehangai Mukhalif March’ centred around the core issue of economic justice and how the Pakistani economy, …

By Dr. Naazir Mahmood The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is an area where one would expect much better labour laws and working conditions compared to other parts of the country. Sadly, this is not true. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) keeps an eye on such issues, conducts fact-finding missions across the country and holds dialogues. On June 7, …

By Rozina Parveen When the horrors of life outway the terrors of death a man commits suicide — Albert Camus Suicide cases are on the rise in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. According to media reports in Pakistan 20 people, mostly female, aged between 15 and 35 years, take their lives every day. According to studies and survey reports, there has been …