Best in print
A look at some of the best stories and headlines from print.
25.09.2011
Girl accused of blasphemy for spelling error
Muhammad Sadaqat
It was a minor error that led to blasphemy charges, expulsion and the looming threat of death. The story of Faryal, a Christian eighth-grader accused of blasphemy for erroneously writing ‘naat’ as ‘laanat’ encapsulated the madness that defined the issue of the blasphemy laws.
10.11.2011
In the name of ‘honour’: Brazen Shikarpur killings shake Hindu community
Sarfaraz Memon
A tale of a love affair that turned tragic. Three Hindu men were killed for intervening on behalf of two young men of their community who had been apprehended two weeks earlier and charged with criminally assaulting a Muslim girl. The real story, as told by area residents, was that Seema and Sandeep Kumar fell in love and were caught while they were meeting at the house of Sandeep’s friend, Nakash Kumar.
24.10.2011
Agriculture investments: The smart money is betting on the Pakistani farm
Farooq Tirmizi
The headlines may be screaming about violence and extremism but the smart money is betting, very quietly, on Pakistani agriculture, reports Farooq Tirmizi. The story explored a small but growing trend towards investing in the Pakistani agricultural sector, one of the largest in the world in terms of its production of several key commodities.
12.02.2011
Mullah Omar wants you
Rana Tanveer
The story reveals that a wide repertoire of banned Jihadi literature continues to be circulated widely in Punjab. It also highlights an interesting revelation: banned periodicals have actually become more visible during the present democratic government.
09.10.2011
Masked men enter girls’ school, thrash students
Azam Khan
The shocking story of sixty masked men entering a girls’ school in Rawalpindi and thrashing female students and teachers attracted a great deal of feedback from online readers. The article was particularly alarming because the police did not take any action against the miscreants as they manhandled the school’s occupants.
17.03.2012
Back from the Brink
Fazal Khaliq
The story focused on a topic which rarely makes headlines— the Swat telefilm industry. The article discusses that the conflict in the region had a debilitating effect on the region’s culture, arts and films, but now the entertainment industry is picking up and many artists have moved back to Swat. The in-depth piece had quotes from many associated with the industry including actors, DVD shop owners, film-makers and editors and also discussed how many artists felt let down by the government and NGOs.
Headlines
29.09.2011 No Bonn voyage for Pakistan
25.12.2011 Firdous throws in towel, takes it back, wipes tears
04.09.2011 Sentences passed: Teammates to inmates
24.09.2011 Wife proves quite ‘handi’ in kitchen for all the wrong reasons
08.03.2012 Bushra Zaidi, the woman who changed Karachi forever, by dying
20.08.2011 Cycle of violence: Mr Rehman Malik, meet Karachi’s wives and girlfriends
13.01.2012 ‘Djinns killed my children’
27.02.2012 Child sexual abuse: Paedophiles in holy garbs molest kids, betraying parents’ trust
23.06.2011 On the line: ‘Pay us Rs320 if you want your father’s body’
06.12.2011 Advanced learning: The bright-eyed future
20.03.2012 Kohistan massacre: The guardian angels who saved lives
25.02.2011 Newborn twins buried under bondage of brick kiln
30.08.2011 A death, a birth and the family mourns both
30.08.2011 Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2012.
Girl accused of blasphemy for spelling error
Muhammad Sadaqat
It was a minor error that led to blasphemy charges, expulsion and the looming threat of death. The story of Faryal, a Christian eighth-grader accused of blasphemy for erroneously writing ‘naat’ as ‘laanat’ encapsulated the madness that defined the issue of the blasphemy laws.
10.11.2011
In the name of ‘honour’: Brazen Shikarpur killings shake Hindu community
Sarfaraz Memon
A tale of a love affair that turned tragic. Three Hindu men were killed for intervening on behalf of two young men of their community who had been apprehended two weeks earlier and charged with criminally assaulting a Muslim girl. The real story, as told by area residents, was that Seema and Sandeep Kumar fell in love and were caught while they were meeting at the house of Sandeep’s friend, Nakash Kumar.
24.10.2011
Agriculture investments: The smart money is betting on the Pakistani farm
Farooq Tirmizi
The headlines may be screaming about violence and extremism but the smart money is betting, very quietly, on Pakistani agriculture, reports Farooq Tirmizi. The story explored a small but growing trend towards investing in the Pakistani agricultural sector, one of the largest in the world in terms of its production of several key commodities.
12.02.2011
Mullah Omar wants you
Rana Tanveer
The story reveals that a wide repertoire of banned Jihadi literature continues to be circulated widely in Punjab. It also highlights an interesting revelation: banned periodicals have actually become more visible during the present democratic government.
09.10.2011
Masked men enter girls’ school, thrash students
Azam Khan
The shocking story of sixty masked men entering a girls’ school in Rawalpindi and thrashing female students and teachers attracted a great deal of feedback from online readers. The article was particularly alarming because the police did not take any action against the miscreants as they manhandled the school’s occupants.
17.03.2012
Back from the Brink
Fazal Khaliq
The story focused on a topic which rarely makes headlines— the Swat telefilm industry. The article discusses that the conflict in the region had a debilitating effect on the region’s culture, arts and films, but now the entertainment industry is picking up and many artists have moved back to Swat. The in-depth piece had quotes from many associated with the industry including actors, DVD shop owners, film-makers and editors and also discussed how many artists felt let down by the government and NGOs.
Headlines
29.09.2011 No Bonn voyage for Pakistan
25.12.2011 Firdous throws in towel, takes it back, wipes tears
04.09.2011 Sentences passed: Teammates to inmates
24.09.2011 Wife proves quite ‘handi’ in kitchen for all the wrong reasons
08.03.2012 Bushra Zaidi, the woman who changed Karachi forever, by dying
20.08.2011 Cycle of violence: Mr Rehman Malik, meet Karachi’s wives and girlfriends
13.01.2012 ‘Djinns killed my children’
27.02.2012 Child sexual abuse: Paedophiles in holy garbs molest kids, betraying parents’ trust
23.06.2011 On the line: ‘Pay us Rs320 if you want your father’s body’
06.12.2011 Advanced learning: The bright-eyed future
20.03.2012 Kohistan massacre: The guardian angels who saved lives
25.02.2011 Newborn twins buried under bondage of brick kiln
30.08.2011 A death, a birth and the family mourns both
30.08.2011 Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2012.