Back to the Roots?
Pakistan-born Aisha Mohammed said that when she was in high school, she
never thought of returning to Pakistan.
But when she started peace-and-conflict studies at UC Berkeley, Mohammed
began to study social movements and social justice issues in her South
Asian and ethnic studies classes. She said that during those classes,
she realized her knowledge about those topics was coming mostly from an
American perspective.
It was only then, she said, that she began to feel curious about Pakistan.
The Power of Rhythm: Junoon
The
story of Junoon, the rock band that blends traditional sufi music with
western instruments and melodies, has much more than a musical connotation
in Pakistan.
Three young musicians, with different backgrounds (Salman Ahmad, the lead guitarist a Sunni, singer Ali Azmat a Shi’ite and bass guitarist, Brian O’Connell, an American) have established a band in 1994 and named it Junoon, meaning "obsession" or "passion" in Urdu.
The Kashmir Question
Ever
since Pakistan and India shrugged off the reins of British rule in 1947
the two nations have fought bitterly. At the heart of the tension is the
disputed ownership of Kashmir, a Himalayan state of rugged beauty caught
between the rival nations.While Pakistan makes a pan-Islamic claim to
the state, which is populated mostly by Muslims, India argues its claim
as a matter territorial integrity.
After 2 wars, 35,000 deaths and the recent addition of nuclear weapons to both sides military arsenals the path to peace more elusive than ever. Indeed, the current buildup of troops along is the largest since the conflict’s beginning.
Resources
A look at Pakistan's history through its leaders.
Related links about Pakistan and Kashmir.
Facts at a glance about Pakistan, from the CIA World FactBook.
