Back on the road, at last. This time it’s off to South Waziristan with Imran Khan. So it’s time for another safari soundtrack. Blitzkrieg Bop, The Ramones – the best opening track to an album ever, not to mention the best opening song of an entire new musical movement ever, so that’s good enough for … More Safari Soundtrack: Fata Beats
Just had a tootle around Islamabad to see what’s what. Basically all quiet. Difficult to reach the Red Zone as many more roads are shut than yesterday. But the view above shows the empty road outside the French Embassy. If that fills with people today then it means the police have lost. An officer told … More Islamabad on Friday
The following email reaches me this morning with devastating news: This is to inform you that transmission of Star World Channel has been suspended on orders of Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA). The reason for suspension is transmission of blasphemous content on the channel. Please note that the channel will remain blocked until further … More Masterchef Australia banned in Pakistan (sort of)
The grass was green and thick. VIPs tucked into thick chicken curry set on white, fluffy rice in their air conditioned boxes. And below my vantage point – on the roof of the stand beside a commentary position – I could see a couple of thousand punters studying the form and cheering on their fancy. … More Postcards from Hell: 12. A day at the races
Important story about what Pakistani journalists are up against: QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — The telephone call to local journalists generally comes in the late evening. The voice on the other end is harsh. He has a statement he wants printed, and he prefaces it with a terse order: “Report our messages without making any changes … More
The world has clearly gone crazy. That a lame movie trailer (does the actual movie even exist?) made in the US by some kind of Coptic Christian can induce people to attack branches of KFC or the German embassy in Khartoum is simply too bizarre for comprehension. So can I just point out the fine … More Pakistan’s Day of Moderate Disapproval
Totally love this picture of a bomb disposal squad in action in Rawalpindi from Dawn yesterday. Now, I don’t know much about the practicalities of defusing an explosive device, and I’m sure these chaps knew what they were doing, but thankfully the box and wires in question was not a bomb.
I suppose you can’t blame the judge for taking his time. Muhammad Azam Khan was handed the hottest of hot potatoes when the case of Rimsha Masih landed on his desk. The 11-year-old girl – or maybe she is 14, no-one is really sure – has been in prison for three weeks accused of blasphemy. … More RTE World Report
Some interesting stories kicking around this morning on attitudes of Nato pilots in Afghanistan. They are behind a paywall, so if you don’t pay for journalism you won’t be able to read them. Anyway, The Times has contrasting quotes from Yank and Brit Apache pilots in a piece on Prince Harry: Offering advice to the … More Attitudes to killing in Afghanistan
You couldn’t really blame the judge in the Rimsha Masih bail hearing for looking nervous. Bad things happen to judges that are thought to be soft on blasphemy. So I hadn’t been surprised that Judge Muhammad Azam Khan had adjourned and adjourned and adjourned this case during the past fortnight or so. He got a … More A brave decision in Pakistan
South of West 