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INTERVIEWS POLITICS
Politics of the Oppressed in Pakistan
The formation of the Anjuman-e-Mazareen-e-Punjab (Association of Punjab’s Tenants) in Pakistan signaled the re-carving of political space by Punjab’s peasants.  This interview with Asad Farooq, Professor in the Law Department at LUMS, charts the development of Anjuman-e-Mazareen-e-Punjab from its formation to its recent struggles.  Asad Farooq is interviewed by Qalandar Memon. QM: Professor Farooq, you have…
Uncategorized
A flawed project
yun bhai Nihala, Azaadi tu hai dekhi. Na bhai Prava, ne kha de ne vekhi. Main Jaggu ti sunni assi Ambala ti aaye si. Listen Brother Nihal, have you seen Freedom? No Brother Prava, I haven’t seen it nor eaten it. I heard from Jaggu It has come up to Ambala. —Gurramdas ‘Alam’, A zaadi, 1946.…
POLITICS
A New Humanism
What motivates the desire for Third World solidarity is the shared history of oppression by a common oppressor.In 2009, a few academics, supported by long standing left-wing activists, founded Pakistanis for Palestine, a Lahore based group that aimed to support Palestinians in their struggle for statehood. Critics—which include Pakistanis—of course, wonder why, given Pakistan’s own…
POLITICS
On The Struggle of Farmer of Dera Sehgal
The road which leads to Dera Sehgal offers a stark contrast between its broken muddy self and the Grand Trunk road which runs perpendicular to it. Barely an hour away from Lahore lies a site of resistance where the humble inhabitants of a few  farmlands have taken on a fight to reclaim their lives. The brave…
Philosophy
Aesthetics as First Philosophy: Levinas and the Non-Human
Emmanuel Levinas is usually seen as an ethical and religious philosopher. This reading is understandable to the point of seeming obvious, and certainly matches the philosopher’s own self-interpretation. But on closer scrutiny, the narrowly ethical reception of his thought seems to be one-sided. For Levinas pushes beyond the oppressive totality of beings not just through…
INTERVIEWS POLITICS
Baba Jan: One Year in Jail (an interview)
Interview: Baba Jan Hunzai By: Kiran Nazish. Sub Jail Jutial, Gilgit, G-B. -- BabaJan said he had never imagined torture would bring him so close to death, so many times. And yet not close enough to have him give up on his cause. As he continues to raise voice against the atrocities that the…
POLITICS
Open Letter Demanding the Release of Baba Jan Hunzai
For the past 8 months Baba Jan Hunzai and four fellow activists have languished in various jails of Gilgit. Twice in this period he has been removed from jail and tortured by military and police agents.  He and his colleagues have been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Ordinance.  Baba Jan, however, is not a terrorist.  He is a respected…