Of Lal's Conversion to Iqbal on the Road to Karachi

Advani resigned yestereday from his post of president of the BJP. He said he did not repent anything he said or did in Pakistan. It was a bold stand, and I hope he will stick to it. He has invited a debate over his remarks on Jinnah. Such a debate is crying out to be held. Advani has stirred up exactly the questions that both countries need to ask and answer so they can move on.

Read Unpardonable Acts of Statesmanship by Niranjan Ramakrishnan in today's Counterpunch.

Anarchy in Afghanistan; Ignorance in America

...And other stories

First some brilliant writing by Brian Cloughley -- Read the full article -- a must read.

"Frist is an ignorant, mischievous, parochial dimwit. He has tried to create a picture of normality where none exists. Just as Barno (no longer in Afghanistan, praise be) lives in a world of self-delusion and interferes in matters he knows nothing about, so does Frist MD demonstrate invincible denseness. The problem for civilized America -- the non-Bush US -- is that Frist, Barno and countless others are regarded as important people by many foreigners and when they make silly statements it is not always understood that they are simpletons. They haven't got the wit to be cunningly deceitful: they are merely boneheads. But that doesn't matter, because they are faithfully spreading the word about Bush progress and freedom. That process relies on open mouths and closed brains." Read the full article

Women driving Saudis Crazy
Another interesting article about Saudi Arabia. The Saudi legislator who has introduced a bill to permit women to drive has been receiving threats. Some 500 women who decided to take the wheel in 1990 were arrested and dismissed from their jobs. Read more.

Shades of Nasbandi during the Emergency
The US has been laying out large bounties for suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban. Enterprising Afghans are collecting by handing over innocent foreigners! Bush should rejoice that the spirit of enterprise is not dead. Paul Craig Roberts, ex Wall Street Journal editor and ex-Reagan Administration, writes. Read the entire article here.