Relative calm is returning to Pakistan’s northwest after the government regained control from Taliban more than two-and-half years ago. But the legacy of Taliban-rule is still being felt, especially by professional musicians. Kamal Hyder reports. Pakistan : Four women and two men have been sentenced to death in northern Pakistan for allegedly singing and dancing together at a wedding.The decree was issued after a mobile phone video emerged of the six at a recent reception in the remote Gada village in the mountainous district of Kohistan, 176 kilometers north of the capital Islamabad. The video appears to show the six celebrating the wedding in defiance of strict tribal customs that…. Read more

Women in India and Pakistan: The Struggle for Independence from British Rule (Women in History) The history of India’s struggle for independence has often focused on nationalist leaders such as Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah. Women have appeared merely as wives, sisters or daughters. Yet women were present at all levels of the struggle: as followers of Gandhi’s great campaigns of civil Disobedience in the 1920s and 1930s; and as vigorous and outspoken campaigners for self-rule. Rozina Visram looks at the role of women in the struggle for independence from the British, as well as in their fight for equal rights and the vote. Largely through the eyes of Indian women, she examines their traditional role; their social and political awakening;…. Read more

Pakistan unlikely to give Musharraf second chance to rule: Editorial Islamabad, Jun.11 : Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s aim of returning to country’s political stage may have received a boost recently with the launch of his newly floated party-the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) in Karachi, but the question is would the people of Pakistan will give him another chance to rule after nearly a decade long autocratic regime. Read more on New…. Read more