Monthly Archives: April 2011

Oppression of women workers

5 Comments | Posted on April 28, 2011 by Raza Jaffri

By Zubeida Mustafa

For long, women have been an invisible force in Pakistan as they have sustained the family quietly while keeping a low profile. But the stark reality is now emerging that as workers in the informal sector their role is no less significant even though they continue to remain in the background. Continue reading →

5 Comments | Posted in Economy, Labour, Women |

English as a barrier

2 Comments | Posted on April 22, 2011 by Raza Jaffri

By Zubeida Mustafa

The following video is doing the rounds on the Internet. It is a talk by Patricia Ryan titled ‘Don’t insist on English’. It is one of the TED productions that definitely lives up to its claim of disseminating “ideas worth spreading”.

Ryan is a teacher of English who has worked in the Gulf states for over a decade which has given her a profound understanding of foreign language teaching. The talk is worth listening to, and can easily be located on the Internet.
Continue reading →

2 Comments | Posted in Development and Poverty, Education, Language |

Women and devolution

13 Comments | Posted on April 13, 2011 by Raza Jaffri

By Zubeida Mustafa

HOW will women be affected by the devolution process under way in line with the Eighteenth Amendment? The relative silence from them – compared to the deafening noise from the pro and anti HEC lobbies – suggests that women are not concerned.
Continue reading →

13 Comments | Posted in Constitution, Women |

Who sets the agenda?

12 Comments | Posted on April 6, 2011 by Raza Jaffri

By Zubeida Mustafa SO much has happened between the United States and Pakistan in recent months that it is time for a review of their relationship. It would require the two countries to step back and make a dispassionate and … Continue reading →

12 Comments | Posted in Defence and Disarmament, Foreign Policy of Pakistan, War and Peace |