Gilani Succumbs to Opposition Pressure, Reverses Unpopular Fuel Price Rise
06 January 2011
, The New York Times, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Battling to keep his government together, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced Thursday that he would reverse a recent increase in fuel prices that had led to public discontent and was used as a pretext by a major political party to quit the ruling coalition. Mr. Gilani made the announcement during a session of the national assembly in Islamabad and...
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Influx of Migrants Fuels Violent Political Competition in Karachi
06 January 2011
Letter from Karachi: The Violent Fallout of Pakistan's Urban Bulge, Foreign Affairs, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Each year, an estimated one million people from across rural Pakistan migrate to Karachi and move into similar katchi abadis, essentially unplanned slums, which are growing on the city's periphery at a rate of 100,000 plots annually. The influx is fueling violent competition among the city's ethnic political parties, and the criminal...
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Pakistan's Hindu Minority Lives in Mounting Fear
06 January 2011
Pakistan: Hindu Minority Lives in Mounting Fear, IRIN, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Hindus make up about 1.8 percent of Pakistan's predominantly Muslim population of 165 million, according to official figures. The largest number, about 95 percent, is concentrated in the southern province of Sindh. The Hindu population has declined over the years with more and more, according to media reports, opting to leave the country or become Muslim...
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Supporters of Blasphemy Law Reform Silenced
06 January 2011
, The New York Times, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "The emotional funeral of the assassinated governor of Punjab and the cheering of his killer in court Wednesday highlighted the intensifying struggle between secular and religious forces in Pakistan that has grown nastier than ever in the country's history. [...] Government ministers and party officials indicated that they were dropping the campaign...
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