May 2015
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Ismaili Shias Massacred in Karachi. Iron Hand Promised
After the massacre of Ismaili Shia passengers on a Karachi shuttle bus, the author describes the community’s quiet prosperity, its well-kept Al-Azhar Gardens housing society and its low profile, and…
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Should Pakistan and India Play Cricket?
On renewed talk of cricket ties between India and Pakistan, the author sets out numbered thoughts, starting with extreme Hindutva and jihadi positions that allow no compromise, and asks where…
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Killing Atheists. A Wedge Issue in Bangladesh
After a third blogger was hacked to death in two months in Bangladesh, the author argues the killings are a systematic campaign, not random fanaticism, and a near-perfect wedge issue…
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The Pakistan China Economic Corridor
The author recommends Ali Minai’s 3 Quarks Daily post on the Pakistan-China economic corridor, adding that economic geography may reassert itself over time but ideological clashes and war can cut…
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An Embarrassment at PEN
Responding to the PEN American Center’s courage award for Charlie Hebdo, the author defends the magazine’s right to satirise every subject, including Islam, despite violent threats and the killings of…
