A blog about Governance and Democracy in Pakistan
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As the War Prolongs in Gaza, Israel is Losing it By the Day.
Syed Sharfuddin What prompted the terrorist attack of Hamas in Southern Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) on 7 October 2023 resulting in the killing 1200 Israeli soldiers and civilians in a single day, and taking over 200 men, women, senior citizens and children as hostages was the result of the prolonged dehumanisation of […]
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Why The West Suports Israel
Syed Sharfuddin* There are many political and historical reasons for the West’s unconditional support to Israel which has benefited from its unprecedented political, diplomatic, financial, and military assistance throughout the seven decades of its independence. Israel continues to cash this support by building Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinians Territories (OPTs) in flagrant violation of […]
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Double Standards on Israel’s Hate Speech
Syed Sharfuddin* Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised the civilised world on 29 October 2023 justifying the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza by citing the Hebrew Bible and invoking the destruction of Amlak. The Old Testament 1 Samuel 15:30 reads: “Now go and smite Amlak and utterly destroy all that they have and […]
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Israel’s Homegrown Taliban: Rise of the Utra Far-Right in the Apartheid State
Israel’s Homegrown Taliban: Rise of the Ultra Far-right in the Apartheid State Syed Sharfuddin* Israel’s population comprises two races: the Jewish race, and Palestinian Arabs. It is a democracy but a democracy only for the Jews. It is a country where the rules are set for a minority to rule the majority. The Jewish community […]
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The Biggest Lie Ever Told
Syed Sharfuddin Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was once on a judicial trial as part of “his alleged involvement in a massacre in an Arab village in the 1948. The judge asked him: What made you commit such a heinous crime (killing innocent Arabs)? It was the false promise of the state of Israel that made […]
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Fandom and Pakistani Politics
Syed Sharfuddin Fandom is a social identity theory that relies on a set of ideas used by social psychologists and anthropologists to understand how people behave in like-minded groups. Fandom shares many features with tribalism without its harmful effects. It gives people a sense of belonging and space to share their ideas freely without the […]
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Pakistan: Time for a Timeout
Syed Sharfuddin Nations are like human beings. They live, breath and develop. They also have their health scorecards. Sometimes they are low on energy, high on tempers and traumatised by shocking events in their history. At the end of the Ottoman empire a weak and truncated Turkey was known as the sick man of Europe. […]
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Protecting Bilateral Interests versus Attaining Multilateral Objectives: A Foreign Policy Dilemma for Pakistan
This essay analyses the recent visit of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan to India to attend the bilateral meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Goa and the treatment of the host Foreign Minister toward Pakistan.
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The Season of Dark Politics
*Syed Sharfuddin As we enter the season of short daylight hours and long dark nights, it is not the smell of the crisp roasted nuts that is on our mind but the hot political landscape that seems to have transformed a small fireplace into a bonfire that threatens to burn our stables and homes. This […]
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Celebrating Pakistan’s Independence Day 2022
Syed Sharfuddin* Every year on the 14th of August Pakistanis all over the world celebrate their country’s independence with hamd e Baari Taala and riwayati josh o jazbah (thanksgiving and fanfare). This year on 14 August 2022, 225 million people will celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan in many ways, recalling the events of the […]
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