ANITA JOSHUA-Frontline

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Indian villagers along with relatives of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian death row prisoner that was killed in Pakistan, carry his coffin during his cremation at Bikhiwind village some 45 kms from Amritsar, on May 3, 2013. Singh, an Indian convicted 16 years ago in Pakistan for spying and deadly bombings, died May 2 after being savagely beaten with a brick in Lahore prison, sparking a furious response from Indian politicians. Singh was cremated with state honours in his native village in northwestern India where hundreds of angry demonstrators shouted 'Down with Pakistan!' as they gathered to pay their tribute. AFP PHOTO / NARINDER NANU

Death and honour

The honours showered on Sarabjit Singh following his murder in a Pakistani prison raise the question whether all this was the Indian state’s reward fo

ANITA JOSHUA in Islamabad

Paramilitary troops stand guard as Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf, center, leaves after appearing in an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, April 20, 2013. The general who ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade before being forced to step down appeared Saturday in front of an anti-terrorism court in connection with charges linked to his 2007 sacking and detention of a number of judges. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

From exile to jail

The arrest of Pervez Musharraf, the first of a former general by a civilian government, and the angry protests against him by lawyers take Pakistan th

ANITA JOSHUA in Islamabad

Milestone of sorts

The PPP-led government becomes the first civilian government to last its full term in Pakistan. But the compromises it had to make take away from t

ANITA JOSHUA in Islamabad

Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit during a protest against the twin bombings in Quetta on January 12, 2013. Shiite families refusing to bury their dead after twin bombings in Pakistan's troubled southwestern city of Quetta vowed to continue their sit-in protest January 12 until the army takes over security. AFP PHOTO/Banaras KHAN

Fear of genocide

The murderous campaign against Shias gains momentum, with outlawed Sunni outfits demanding that they be declared non-Muslims.

ANITA JOSHUA in Islamabad

A cleric’s agenda

DEMOCRACY in Pakistan might just have turned a corner in mid-January. Given how little breathing space the democratic project has ever had in this cou

Anita Joshua in Islamabad

Lost opportunity

The public outrage that the shooting of Malala Yousafzai generated seems to have made even the Taliban uncomfortable. But the lack of courage and the

Storm after the lull

The right-wingers finally got the show of violence they wanted in a country that started out with a restrained reaction. And because it was a matter o

Raja Pervez Ashraf, the new Prime Minister, arrives at the headquarters of the Muttahida Quami Movement, an ally of the PPP, in Karachi on June 25.-RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP

Grim prognosis

The court asks the new Prime Minister to seek the reopening of the graft cases against President Zardari or face disqualification like Yusuf Gilani.

Ignorance rules

The Pakistani street links MFN status to the Kashmir issue despite the fact that both countries gave each other the status until 1965.

Feuding allies

Disengaging with Pakistan is not an option for the U.S., which is trying to find a way out of the Afghan quagmire and the war on terror.

In a cleft stick

The cost of the war on terror' is being primarily borne by the people of Pakistan, who still do not see through politicians' doublespeak.

Under siege

The radicalisation of Pakistani society and institutions is more worrying than the terror attacks.