Pakistan to execute Christian mother who verbally insulted Muhammed

-Someone high up in the military (and ISI) getting killed.

The extremists are a dangerous tool being used by certain elements in the armed forces and parliament to keep Afghanistan unstable and US aid flowing in (as a check on India's growing power) while Pakistan's govt is fighting them at the same time. It's a see-saw that cannot stay balanced longer.

-A major clampdown on the domestic press.

The huge amount of BS and propaganda being spewed by the many of the news outlets keep stoking anti-US/anti-progressive sentiments. When talking to laymen about the violence and hypocrisy of extremists killing other Muslims, they are in denial and are adamant that those attacks are propagated by US interests operating in the region.

-Allowing more Pak textiles and other major exports to be sold to the US market

India and other major trade countries will try to block this measure, but a Pak with a healthy economy is key to turning her ship around. When people are fed and paid, extremists with promises of after-life happiness get less attention and support.

-Increasing collection of income tax, govt revenue. Emphasing and funding non-madrasah education.

Infrastructure is dilapidated: sewage seeps in the streets, trash bags float in the rivers, and smoke covers the roads. Education and literacy is pathetic, and schools are broken shells of a few pieces of chalk and rusty chairs to sit on.

-Assuaging fears of Afghani-Indian collusion.

Place leaders in Afghanistan that don't have an overtly anti-Pakistani agenda. Encourage India to trade and deal with her neighbor. Then, Pakistan will relax and be less meddlesome in Afghanistan, and a growing economy fed off of India in addition to China will allow wages to rise and unemployment to decrease (contingent upon removing parasitic bureaucracies and corruption). Like before, millions will turn away from extremism if they can get a decent living back.

There's so many more things to fix, but these are the ones that spring to my mind.

 

No. Karachi mostly.

 

Thank you. These all sound reasonable - but what about the blasphemy law? Do you think Islam as practiced in Pakistan needs to change?

 

Have never been to Karachi, but will be checking it out next time I'm in the country.

 

Definitely.

The Islam practiced nowadays there is just an offshoot of a political weapon wielded by Zia-ul-Haq and America during the 80s to fight the Soviets.

However, besides major reforms in madrasahs, the public education system there needs to be overhauled extensively. And, any judges or lawyers with extremist views needs to be tossed out of the judicial system.

Here's an excerpt from a June 2010 BBC article about the importance of this issue:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Brookings Institution report says that while religious schools are often cited as a cause of extremism, they "appear not to be a major risk factor".

The report says that fewer than 10% of Pakistani students attended madrassas. Even though this number is much lower than touted normally, 10% is still too high, and I wouldn't shift away from religious education like the author suggests in the article.

It says that the real cause of militancy in the country is the poor public education system.

The study found that the most urgent priority was to increase the supply of schools in Pakistan, where a literacy rate of 56% is among the lowest outside of sub-Saharan Africa.

Furthermore, Pakistan's public school system was "highly corrupt" with teaching positions handed out in return for political favours and teachers paid regardless or whether they turned up for work or not.

"The way the education system is set up is contributing to support militancy," said Ms Winthrop.

She said that the curriculum and teaching methods in public schools promoted the dissemination of intolerant views and did not prepare students in their search for employment. The report said that this turn frustrated youngsters and increased the pool of militant recruits.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10399635

 

Salman Taseer's daughter speaks:

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q6If4KAn3yA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Thanks for posting this. Interesting to hear her talk about this. She seems intelligent, and she is attractive. I hope nothing happens to her.

 

They can kiss that 800 Million goodbye.

 

So first Osama, now this? WHAT'S GOING ON IN PAKISTAN?

 

Basically, religion sucks, and intellect and logic are lacking all over the world.

 

Pretty much, but some places lack a bit more than others, it seems.

 

Ignorance is not bliss.

DD

 

You're evidence of intellect and logic lacking.

Seriously what kind of uneducated, ignorant toad can make the statement that "religion sucks" with a straight face.

It's akin to saying "society sucks" "art sucks" "civilization sucks." This is what happens when you get your morality from South Park.

Religion is the most pacifying and enlightening moral force in human history. People suck. It's not religion that's the problem but the fact that like all social tools it's created and implemented by people. That's where the problem comes in. People fail. Same with governments, science etc. Learn some history.

FWIW, why do Americans have to moralize over everything? There's **** you can't say in every society. That in Pakistan the politically correct thing is to not say bigoted insulting **** about Islam isn't necessarily better/worse than what's PC in this country. It's like the wild west out there, there are political killings, domestic terrorism, kids starving, America dropping drones, people dying from lack of medicine and hygiene and portions of that country living literally like out of the stone age. That one fat stupid American on the Internet looks at all that, at Pakistan and Islam and his only takeaway is that "basically, religion sucks" pretty much sums up American and our moral force in the world atm.

 

The difference is, if you say something in America that is not PC, you are not fined, imprisoned, or executed.

 

Unless you're trying to shed light on government fraud and corruption, AMIRITE

 

I guess this thread is more interesting to most people than that oslo thread now since it has to do with Islam.

You have to admit. Islam is the life of the party. You just can't get enough.

 

I'm sorry, you seem to have confused not politically correct with classified.

 

Which is sad because 99% of people in this thread know zilch about the history of Pakistan yet everyone grandstands like they are experts on the topic since Islam is involved here.

 

pakistan's problems stem from the intense corruption that bankrupting the country and widening the gap between the rich and poor now more than ever.

Most countries have a military, pakistans military has a country. All the money is poured into military spending which would make a little bit of sense if the conflict with india was the biggest threat to them, but millions of dollars are being poured into jets and other weapons, while a large portion is not so secretly being pilfered by those at the top and the beurocracy, which i have to say is even more corrupt.

Read an article citing the price of houses of average ranking individuals in the army and and police and it is sickening. Given the avg for the country, there is no way in hell they could afford things like that on an honest salary.

Islam, India, among others are used as a means to cause confusion among the people and for the top to remain there.

 

You seem to have confused false and slanderous charges with the actual truth, which is that in reality, none of this whole thing was about classified documents, but more about speaking truth to power. Levy 35 years of charges for the only "sticking point" of "passing authorization limits on classified documents"---a misdemeanor! Violate the 8th Amendment and international law for a whistle-blower that has never been convicted of any crimes. Convict more people under the Espionage Act in the past few years than any president COMBINED has done ever.

sure, sure, nobody ever gets jailed for speech, which is why the FBI is tailing and trying to convict political activists.

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/09/24/fbi-launching-mass-raids-of-antiwar-activists-homes/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/us/29surveillance.html?pagewanted=all

Just because in the United States, they're a little better at gussying up the charges and hiding the real intent behind their little scapegoat trials, doesn't mean the same malicious spirit that permeates this atrocious act in Pakistan doesn't live in the "land of the free".