Zalan Communications

09/06/2016

The Afghan Peace Process

Those keeping an eye on the events taking shape in the region understand that it is not the words of the amir (chief) of the Taliban that matter but the Rahbari Shura (leadership council) really decides on whether to come to the (negotiating) table or go to the battlefield.

The Writer is Executive Director Zcomms

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/126416-The-Afghan-peace-process

The death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour remained a mystery for quite a few days and was finally resolved by the Taliban’s confirmation and ultimate succession of its new chief. Mansour’s...

27/04/2016

The writer is Executive Director Zcomms

The Taliban are on the move. Operation Omari – named after former leader Mullah Muhammad Omar – has dashed all hopes of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table before their spring...

18/02/2016

Babies starving as food runs low in Pakistan's drought-hit Tharparkar district

Pakistan's Tharparkar district is entering its third straight year of drought, with nearly 200 deaths since January — many of them children, writes Ashraf Ali.

Key Points:
* Babies starving in Pakistan's drought-hit Tharparkar district
* At least 185 people have died since the beginning of January
* The region is in its third straight year of drought
* Doctors say health facilities in the region are inadequate

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-18/babies-starving-as-severe-drought-hits-pakistan/7178400

Pakistan's Tharparkar district enters its third straight year of drought, with nearly 200 deaths since January.

20/11/2015

These attacks provide evidence on two major points. First, they demonstrate the potential operational capability of the IS and second, they show the rising number of IS followers and sympathisers in Europe. Intercontinental attacks of this kind could hardly be managed without strong local logistical support, intelligence-sharing, resources and training.
Dr. Ashraf Ali leads Zcomms Islamabad

The series of attacks in Paris that left over 129 dead and more than 300 injured are considered to be the second largest and deadliest incident in France since World War II. It has shaken the very fou ...

02/10/2015

A number of attacks of the same nature – from the one on the GHQ in 2009 to the one on the Kamra airbase and PNS, followed by the militant attack on the Karachi airport on June 8, 2014 to the militant assault of December 16, 2014 that hit APS in Peshawar and now this latest assault on Badaber – were all launched on the same established pattern.

In all these attacks, the attackers came in uniform, stormed the gates to kill the guards and gatekeepers and to try to reach the targets by splitting into groups. Attackers on su***de missions are all killed before the mission is accomplished. The same mechanism was followed in the Bannu and DI Khan jail breaks. But neither the sitting not the previous ministers for interior had the moral courage to confess to a security lapse.

The writer is Executive Director Zalan Communications (Zcomms)

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-342160-Lessons-not-learnt

21/09/2015

One major criticism against this syatem is about the old and outdated syllabi taught at madressahs, which produces only a conservative mindset with a pre-scientific outlook. Such vision is hardly consumed in sectors other than the mosque and madressah. The fact is that the problem doesn’t lie in the curricula. Before embarking on the reforms process we need to understand the areas that need primary interventions.

A comparative content analysis of the various texts and syllabi taught at state-controlled and prestigious educational institutions contains even more hate material than the curricula taught at madressahs. Secondly, the periodicals, journals and magazines associated with various madressahs that carry hate material need to be monitored on a regular basis.

By Dr. Ashraf Ali
Executive Director Zcomms

http://www.zcomms.org/reforming-madressahs/

Media Communication & Reaserch

09/09/2015

By
Dr. Ashraf Ali, Executive Director Zalan Communications

Alienated Fata's Urdu translation in Daily Aaj

http://dailyaaj.com.pk/epaper/epaper-detail.php?image=MTMyMzY3

08/09/2015

With Balochistan taking the lead, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab are all set to hold local bodies elections in November. Ironically, this time too, the war-ravaged Fata region seems to be ignored. No word has come from the Presidency, the PM House or parliament on the issue in question. The silence of mainstream political parties has sent a shocking message across Fata that the slogans of mainstreaming Fata were just part of its political campaigns and had nothing to do with the welfare and prosperity of the people of the region. (Dr. Ashraf Ali, Executive Director, Zcomms)

Media Communication & Reaserch

25/08/2015

The stage was all set for a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Ganda Singh Pak-India border in district Kasur to mark our 68th Independence Day. Madam Noor Jehan’s voice was infusing the spirit of patriotism among the audience who were applauding the enthusiastic and energetic Rangers parading on the ground.

At the same time, relatives of s*xually abused victims were mourning a great human tragedy just a couple of kilometres away at a small farming village, Hussain Khanwala. Visiting both venues, a couple of questions repeatedly came to mind: what do these celebrations mean for the victimised community? Who are the victims and who are the perpetrators? All come from the city of Baba Bulleh Shah

A Tragic Story by
Dr. Ashraf Ali
Executive Director
Zalan Communications

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-336168-Celebrating-independence

The stage was all set for a flag-hoisting ceremony at the Ganda Singh Pak-India border in district Kasur to mark our 68th Independence Day. Madam Noor Jehans voice was infusing the spirit of patrioti ...

18/08/2015

Our national health has continuously been deteriorating, partly due to malnourishment and partly through the lack of sports and recreational activities. Social and economic pressures are adding more to the existing mental stress.

The nation is passing through a mental trauma due to the ongoing war on terror that has claimed over 70,000 people during the last one decade. The worsening law and order situation is another factor. The newer generation, which mostly remains busy with computer and mobile technology, seems to be becoming more aggressive. This added mental stress is clearly manifested in the increasing domestic, social as well as political violence.

By Dr. Ashraf Ali
Executive Director Zalan Communication

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-334255-Killing-terrorism-softly

The crushing defeat of the Pakistan Hockey Team at the World Hockey League qualifying round for the upcoming Olympic games in Brazil to be held in July 2016 prompted the patron in chief – Prime Minist ...

17/08/2015

A shocking story from the farming village of District Kasur by Dr. Ashraf Ali, Executive Director Zcomms. A must read....

On the ground at Hussain Khan Wala, the sense of anger and shock is palpable and unabated.
Hundreds — aged between eight and 15 years — were allegedly s*xually molested and videoed while the abuse was carried out. Often they were drugged.
Muhammad Saleem, has decided to break his silence. His abuse began taking place in 2012 and almost always at night, he said. He was 12 then.
"They covered my face with a handkerchief and I suddenly got unconscious. I found myself in the nearby sugarcane fields, after I recovered consciousness," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-15/pakistan-child-s*x-abuse-scandal-victim-family-speak-of-pain/6699430

Victims and families involved in the largest child abuse scandal in Pakistan's history speak of their anguish and pain.

11/08/2015

Major advantage of posting in Fata is that the Civil Secretariat Fata, its line departments and directorates are off-limits for bodies like National Accountability Bureau, Federal Investigation Agency and provincial Ehtesab Commission tasked with investigating white-collar crimes. (Zulfiqar Ali)

Governance Issues for how long will things continue like this?

Swift rise of Mohammad Ayaz from Grade-5 to Grade-18 raises eyebrows