North Western Pakistani city of Peshawar has been hit by a bomb blast killing a minimum of 11 people. The suicide attack occured in Peshawar’s crowded Qissa Khawani Bazaar just before a Muharram procession was to pass through the route.

The dead include CCPO (Additional IG Police) Peshawar, Malik Saad, DSP City Peshawar, Town Mayor (Nazim) and Naib Nazim while more than 30 senior Police officials including SP City Peshawar were injured. The sad incident has been declared as that of a sectarian nature, however, most of the victims were senior police and municipal offcials.

An Injured man being treated at a Peshawar Hospital while Police inspect the blast area
Image Source: BBC News / APP

A policeman, Aziz Khan who was near the scene told AP, “I was shocked by a big explosion. I thought my eardrums had burst. Then there were flames and the people were in panic. I remembered that there was a police contingent, so I went to see what had happened to my colleagues. Many were wounded in a bad way”

This one becomes third in a series of bomb blasts that hit the cities of Islamabad and Quetta earlier yesterday. As rest of the country, especially major cities including Lahore and Karachi, has been put on red-alert, we pray that everyone remains safe and secure during these few important and volatile days.

There are only two days left for the mainly Shia religious event of Ashura. Pakistan has had a history of such incidents during the initial days of Muharram followed by the day of Ashura, the blame for what has been put on many, including terrorists and extemists from other sects and foreign agencies.

Who is responsible for this bloodbath; the Taliban? the Tribals? Sunni Extremists? RAW? the Afghan agencies? our very own Government? Who?

Edit: Photo credit… Maciej Dakowicz

Child Labor is condemned and protested against the world over. However, in societies like ours, there exists a perspective that most people ignore. These children that we find on streets selling newspapers, helping in auto workshops and serving in dhabas, support whole families after them. Some of them even lack any other male earning member, which forces these kids to work for feeding them.

Source: Daily Times

What, in my opinion, we need is Government support for such families and part-time learning programs for such children. That’s because if these children don’t earn, their families cannot survive. And only if we can provide them with food, essential clothes, shelter & financial security, we can get rid of this curse. What do you people say?

If you are living in Lahore, Karachi or any big city of Pakistan, you must have seen the beggar children with a broken arm or amputated legs or a bleeding organ at every traffic Pakistan Povertysignal. During last 3-4 years, the number of such children and adults in every big city has increased alarmingly. They knock at the car windows and people generally give them money immediately just to avoid looking at them because they are in such a bad shape.

I have seen people just lying on a side of roads with both their legs and arms amputated and somehow they drag themselves around and we, the people from passing by cars, throw some coins at them. There are variety of cases, from severe burns to bleeding organs. I have even seen one young guy near Barkat Market, Lahore (near that famous fresh juice shop) with part of his skull fractured and I could actually see some part of his brain.

Sadly, everybody knows that organized gangs are behind these horrific crimes who have successfully established this highly profitable business. Yet we are least bothered about it. The level of indifference that exists in our society today which allows us to ignore this extreme height of human misery, to me, is the most striking aspect. The ease with which we have accepted this as a part of something ‘usual’ is equally shocking. This should have been considered crime against humanity; but it is now seen as ‘sad but routine.’

(more…)

Even though the Punjab University (PU) administration has taken steps to undo the decades-old hegemony of the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) – the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) – on campus, PU hostels are still the centre of IJT activities. Thousands of students coming from all over the province come into contact with IJT and are influenced by it…

more: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20071\17\story_17-1-2007_pg13_1

US Senator and former First Lady, Hilliary Rodham Clinton is in Pakistan with her delegation on an unscheduled one-day trip.

Source: http://clinton.senate.gov

Starting her surprise visit, she’s just arrived in Lahore and then will be leaving for Islamabad before heading towards Kabul on Sunday.

It is still not known who, in addition to the President Pervez Musharraf, will be meeting with her during her stay here. Let’s wait to know why she was in Lahore…

Folks, I know this is not related to Lahore but I thought you should have some fun. Follow the instructions and enjoy :).

1. Open any website. For example: www.yahoo.com

2. Once completely loaded, delete all text in address bar

3. Copy and Paste the text below in the address bar and press enter.

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position=’absolute’; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval(‘A()’,5); void(0);

Lahore is all prepared for the 3rd International Lahore Marathon to be held on 14th of this month.

The highly publicised event is being organized under the umbrella of Chief Minister’s Task Force on Lahore. In addition to the controversy that it brings along for being a mix-gender marathon, citizens must prepare themselves for closed routes and blocked roads on the designated day.

You can check out the marathon routemap, race timings and about how to get registered on its official website; Lahore Marathon.

For every visitor, there is a new story to tell about Lahore; this unique, lively and fun city that we all love.
Here is how backpacker from Islamabad Metblog shares his experience of being in Lahore:

“Lahore and Islamabad are two unique cities and by no means can be compared. I would however hold nothing back from the “Lahoris” on the notion of they being some of the most jolly and out going people I have met in Pakistan. No matter where you go in Lahore, people are very welcoming and quite hospitable. Food is available round the clock in every variety (of course they don’t have much entertainment than to eat) Whatever one might say Lahori’s sure now how to cook and tantalize your taste buds.

They love movies too. Despite the debilitated state of Lollywood and cinema scene, you can always drop into a cinema to enjoy a good movie. However, I think the movie is never the fun part, it’s the crowd that’s there. The diversity in outfits, make up and accent is awesome and hilarious as well.”

Continue reading here…

The Government of Punjab has conditionally lifted the one-year-long ban on kite-flying and the festival of colors; Basant, atleast temporarily. Under the new proposal:

– metal-reinforced and glass-coated strings are banned
– only cotton strings up to a certain thickness are allowed
– kites larger than 2×2 feet, that require a thicker string, are prohibited
– kite strings can only be coated with wheat-flour glue, dye and soft, finely-ground glass.

It was good news for many while for many others, it was not. This decision of the Government of Punjab was soon followed by the announcement of Basant festival on February 25th by the locals. However, all was not rosy when Supreme Court interfered and demanded a report from the Punjab Government over its decision to lift the ban.

What do you guys think; is it the Government that is responsible for not being able to control the lethal trade of manufacturing metal strings in the city or is it the people who have no regard for innocent lives?? And what about Basant? Should it be banned or not?