In his latest column, published in The News, Amir Hussain dislodges the myth of development practitioners and poverty alleviation careerists that “grassroots institutions of the poor” have any.transformative role beyond poverty management. He poses a question ‘whether public funds be spent on such initiatives?   We all talk about the importance of strong institutions as drivers of social progress, economic …

High Asia Herald Report LAHORE: A protest was held at Lahore Press Club on Sunday (19 Jan 2020) to demand the release of 14 political prisoners of Gilgit-Baltistan, sentenced to life imprisonment in the Hunza Riots Case of 2011.  The protest will be held every two weeks. The protest was organised by students and youth activists from GB on the …

In this last installment of the three-part article based on correspondence between Hassan Mirza and Professor Noam Chomsky, the internationally-acclaimed linguist and social scientist speaks about the British colonial genocidal role in South Asia and Africa, the future of South Asia, religion, the catastrophic impact of climate change, and the US-Europe imperialist-induced migration crisis.   Religion and spirituality Hassan Mirza …

Herald Report   The US invasion of Iraq was aimed at setting up permanent military bases there and to benefit energy corporations and weapons industry, comments Professor Noam Chomsky, an internationally acclaimed American linguist in a conversation with Hassan Mirza, published in The Express Tribune Blogs section. The conversation is based on correspondence between the two over a period of …

High Asia offers a great prospect for building a safer world for billions of people and needs trans-boundary solutions engaging India, Pakistan, Afghanistan China, Nepal, and the Central Asian States by declaring the region an ecological state and its population as ecology citizens, writes Amir Hussain.  Five hundred years ago, in the days of big empires, one would look like a …

Scholars debunk neoliberal development concept; offer pluriversality and inclusive development concept   by Fayyaz Baqir   We are at a critical juncture at this moment in time facing a growing disillusionment with current economic and political order that has dominated the world for quite some time. Growing concerns about climate change, rising income inequality, polarization, populist nationalism, and unending military …

News Desk The Iraqi parliament on Sunday said it loudly and clearly: “The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason.” Yes, all foreign forces, including the US and Iran, reports Truthout online blog. As we’ve all seen by now, …

  News Desk   From the House of God Every idol will be removed We, the pure, the faithful Who were barred from His house Will be made kings Their crowns will be flung in the air And thrones will be smashed We shall bear witness Ali Madeeh Hashmi, the grandson of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, writes that when these lines …

The region is missing from mainstream policy discourse on Kashmir, says Dr Nosheen Ali   By Anayat Baig & Ehtesham Khan KARACHI: Pakistani rulers govern Gilgit-Baltistan as a security zone with suspicion and repressive tactics. The region’s constitutional issue, people’s aspirations and perspectives are missing from our mainstream policy and political discourse. This was the gist of the speech made …

By Amir Hussain Sadness, trepidation, and agony will stare at you as if you have landed in a broken nation of Sub-Saharan Africa. Even with a modicum of sensibilities, a venture into the interior of Balochistan will be like a voyage of the colonial era into the heart of Africa. Wounds and bruises inflicted upon the body politics of Balochistan …