The Pakistani Spectator

A Candid Blog


Author Archive

Female garment workers in Pakistan

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Nov 19th, 2009 • Category: Features

A recent survey report on female garment workers in Pakistan suggests that female workers are under represented, discriminated against, have more enlightened attitude and overall show a high level of job satisfaction.
The research report “Current status and prospects of female employment in the apparel industry in Pakistan” by Dr. Ehsan-ul-Haque is sponsored and published by [...]



Textile Policy 2009-14: hard work still ahead

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Aug 16th, 2009 • Category: Politics

The first ever Textile Policy 2009-14 was announced by the Federal Minister of Textile Industry Rana Farooq Saeed Khan on Wednesday. The policy sets an ambitious target of achieving $ 25 billion over the next 5 years as compared to exports of $ 9.6 billion achieved during last fiscal year.
The policy is really a broad [...]



Legislators don’t need education in Pakistan

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Aug 8th, 2009 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look

ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: The federal cabinet decided on Wednesday to do away with the condition of bachelor’s degree for candidates for the Senate and the national and provincial assemblies, in line with the Supreme Court judgment of April 21 last year. Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said Pakistan was [...]



Who let the Dawgs out?

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jul 12th, 2009 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look

“Yesterday I was a dawg. Today I’m a dawg. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dawg. Sigh! There’s so little hope for advancement.” - Snoopy
All is still not lost I say to ye, my fellow dawgs and if you tend to agree with Mr. Snoopy Dawg, you may consider yourself as an enlightened dawg. Every [...]



My beef with spiritualism

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jul 8th, 2009 • Category: Misc, Worth A Second Look

Actually my “beef” is not with spiritualism itself, it has to do with how it is preached and practiced in Pakistan. Some of you may recall my previous essay on this topic under the heading “Lost Sufis of Pakistan” on which I got a lot of flak as usual. But that essay was intended for [...]



Pakistani Textiles: Condition Red!

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jul 4th, 2009 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) recently released the export figures for the month of May. These numbers paint a very grim picture for the largest industrial and employment generating sector of Pakistan and for the economy as a whole.
For the 11 months of the current fiscal year (Jul-May 2009), the textile sectors’ exports [...]



Pakistan: A Secular State??

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jun 28th, 2009 • Category: Politics

My God, you maybe thinking, this guy has really lost it now, what does he wants? What nonsense he keeps on writing? First he was teaching us about our Islam, and then he was spreading rubbish about beards and now, this? This is too much, you must be saying, this guy is a public nuisance [...]



The Quran 101

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jun 23rd, 2009 • Category: Misc, Worth A Second Look

I have often read that the Quran should not be read without the guidance of a learned moulvi. It has also been written that by reading the Quran without such guidance one can become ‘gumrah’ and may forever lose his soul to the devil. So, being an eternal rebel and a reader, I decided to [...]



Sanctity of Beard

By Ibrahim Mahmood • Jun 20th, 2009 • Category: Misc, Worth A Second Look

It pains me when I see very respectable Muslim brothers with long flowing beards, park their huge shining SUV’s right in the middle of the road because they are in a hurry to offer Juma prayers. It pains me when I see such people breaking traffic signals in Ramazan because they are in a hurry [...]