Pakistan | Reuben Brand

Shot dead: Salman Taseer, Governor of the Punjab

January 4, 2011

I was speaking with friend and fellow writer Danielle Ali Shah, in Pakistan a moment ago when her phone rang – “Just found out that there was firing in Kohsar Market” she relayed to me over Skype. “The Governor of the Punjab… he is dead.” This is yet another set back for...

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“A soldier’s things”

Blog, Pakistan

February 15, 2010

Author, film maker and friend, Benjamin Gilmour, has written the following fantastic article, “Taliban friend’s letters to the enemy.” The piece delves into the personal and psychological aspects of the ongoing war in Pakistan and gives us a unique glimpse into a world we hear very little...

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Musings from Pakistan…

Blog, Pakistan

December 3, 2009

What is daily life like in one of the most dangerous regions in the world? Find out at Cosima Brand’s new blog – written by none other than my lovely little sister. So do yourself a favour – visit Cosima’s website and learn a new perspective on a country that is once again in the...

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Pakistan’s Dirty Laundry

Articles, Blog, Pakistan, Politics

July 4, 2009

My following article, “Pakistan’s dirty laundry” was published in Online Opinion – Australia’s leading journal for social and political debate. It also made an appearance at a lovely little place called Window Dresser’s Arms, Pig & Whistle The ongoing war with the...

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Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba

Blog, Pakistan, Politics

June 22, 2009

LONDON (Reuters): ” If Pakistan’s battle against the Taliban seems difficult, a much tougher challenge lies ahead: deciding what to do about the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group it once nurtured to fight India in Kashmir. Security experts from the United States and India believe the Pakistan Army...

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If I pay you enough, will you listen to me?

Blog, Pakistan

June 13, 2009

Exactly how much does it cost to have your voice heard in Washington? — Mother Jones: In his memo to Afghanistan’s finance minister, Omar Zakhiwal, which is dated April 21 and marked “confidential,” Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad surveys the competition. Pakistan, he writes, employs nine...

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Pakistan: The black gold silk road

Articles, Blog, Politics, USA

May 13, 2009

My following article was published today in Online Opinion, Australia’s leading journal for social and political debate: Whilst the US led war on terror persists with frantic fervour; the Iranian and Trans-Afghan pipelines become the new target in a proxy war for power. Writes Reuben Brand ...

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Can Sufism Counter Extremism?

Blog, Pakistan

March 28, 2009

BBC journalist Barbarra Plett attends a sufi gathering in Lahore and poses the question: “Can sufism counter hardline Islamic extremism?” “It was Sufis who came and spread the religious message of love and harmony and beauty, there were no swords, it was very different from the sharp edged...

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Eyewitness to Pakistan Turmoil

Articles, Blog, Pakistan, Politics

March 24, 2009

My following piece was the lead story in today’s online edition of Eureka Street – it was then re-published in USA TODAY and the Epoch Times, a leading Independent News Organisation with offices in 30 countries across five continents and published in 17 languages. RAWALPINDI,...

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Arrest the opposition

Blog, News, Pakistan, Politics

March 15, 2009

Nawaz Sharrif, leader of the major opposition party (PML-N) has been placed under house arrest today by the Zardari Government. Dozens of political workers have already been arrested in early morning raids and orders have also been given to arrest Imran Khan along with a score of other prominent political...

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