Journeys to Democracy

Articles

• Finding lost heritage: Pakistan’s Sikh legacy

        
  8 August, by beenasarwar
  My Personal Political column in Himal Southasian, Aug 3, 2016, published also in Aman ki Asha and TOI blogs, posted here with additional links and visuals. Finding lost heritage “If you could visit any place in Pakistan, where would you go?” asks Amardeep Singh whenever he gives a talk to (...)

• Lifting the veil: Queer life undercover in South Asia

       
  6 August, by beenasarwar
  The struggle of Muslim homosexuals in Pakistan, South Asia, or as expatriates is not just about LGBTQ rights but part of the larger fight for inclusion and pluralism within Islam. My essay published in The Boston Globe Ideas section (July 31, 2016) on South Asian and Muslim attitudes towards (...)

• Save Nepal’s Edhi, Dr Govinda KC, on hunger strike for pro-poor medical reforms

      
  22 July, by beenasarwar
  UPDATE: Sign the online petition “If South Asia has a viable public health icon after the passing of Edhi in Pakistan, this man is it,” says a Nepali friend. Dr. Govinda KC is a man who is considered a saint in Nepal – a middle-class doctor who on his own expense offers medical help wherever (...)

• Titillate us, entertain us, even educate us, but please, don’t talk about rights

    
  17 July, by beenasarwar
  Pakistani model and social media icon Qandeel Baloch rocked the boat with outrageous antics like offering to strip if Shahid Afridi led the Pakistan cricket team to victory against India in the T20 match a few months ago. Yesterday, her brother in Multan strangled her to death in apparently (...)

• Opposing elected PM Erdogan doesn’t mean supporting a military coup

   
  16 July, by beenasarwar
  The coup in Turkey is a reminder of the dangers of impatiences with flawed democracy. Democracy, like peace, is a process, not an event. In the long run, the worst democracy is better than the best dictatorship. Agree with the Awami Workers Party, Pakistan – “The solution to imperfect democracy (...)

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