Suicide attackers continue battering Pakistan, Indians love the Internet, and more.

09/18/2011Amina Elahi

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Indian Parliament building. Credit: js42/Creative Commons

Life moves fast. News moves faster. Four children and their bus driver were killed Tuesday when a gunman opened fire on their bus in Peshawar, Pakistan. The first weapon, a rocket-fired grenade, missed its target but subsequent use of AK-47 assault rifles killed five and sent another 18, including 15 children, to the hospital. Pakistan’s Taliban militants carried out the attack, perhaps in response to Osama bin Laden’s killing earlier this year.

Another week of disappointing news from the Subcontinent.

09/05/2011Amina Elahi

Baburam Bhattarai, speaking, is Nepal's new Prime Minister. Credit: The Advocacy Group.

Life moves fast. News moves faster. Nepal’s parliament elected Baburam Bhattarai its new Prime Minister on August 28. Bhattarai is a prominent member of the country’s Maoist party; despite Bhattarai’s verbal commitment to a “national unity government,” Nepali Congress and Unified Marxist Leninist party members do not trust him or his party.

As Hazare’s fast comes to an end, it seems pathetic that there wasn’t another way.

08/27/2011Amina Elahi

Life moves fast. News moves faster. The Indian government investigated a mass of unmarked graves in Kashmir where more than 2,000 unidentified bodies lay. Officials and rights groups disagree over whose remains they are, with the former claiming they are militants. Rights groups, however, are postulating that the bodies are some of the 8,000 innocent people who have “disappeared” since 1989.

No news is good news, huh? Well, last week there was news.

08/23/201109/01/2011Amina Elahi

Srinagar, Kashmir. Credit: eenar_6/Creative Commons

Life moves fast. News moves faster. John McCain visited Srinagar, Kashmir, Tuesday as part of a trip where he also met leaders in Pakistan and India. While the US senator met with top Kashmiri officials, he did not speak with any separatists, who say McCain’s visit will not affect the Kashmir issue anyway. Following reports that Pakistan allowed China to view the remains of the Black Hawk helicopter than went down during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the latter nation denies having seen the machinery. Pakistan’s ISI also denied the reports, while a military spokesman said the accusations are part of a smear campaign against the country.

Great plot, awful agenda.

08/16/201108/16/2011Amina Elahi

Credit: Goodreads

During this month, which marks the 64th anniversary of Pakistan’s separation from India, it is important to remember the myriad ways we can define “independence.” Certainly there is the sort celebrated on the 14th and 15th of August. There is also another kind, one that has been witnessed or implemented by nearly every culture the world over — that which arises from the master-slave relationship.

Someone thinks Pakistan may have been sheltering bin Laden after all? Shocker.

08/12/201108/12/2011Amina Elahi

Life moves fast. News moves faster. American security analyst Raelynn Hillhouse believes that Pakistan sheltered Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad in exchange for Saudi Arabian funds. She put forth her theory in her blog where she claimed that an ISI spokesman tried to claim the reward for bin Laden’s head and said the Pakistanis were harboring him at the Saudis’ expense. For the first time in the country’s history, evidence of war crimes will be presented to a court in Bangladesh. About 3 million people were killed in the nine month war that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. If the men in question are convicted, they will likely be executed.

Amina Elahi

Louisville-based journalist

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