SSP Ibrahim Hamid
As an alumnus of Zahira College, Colombo, I am saddened to learn of the demise of retired SSP Ibrahim Hamid on August 19. It was the dreadful Covid-19 that snatched away the precious life of much-loved Al Haj Ibrahim Hamid. He was a gentleman par excellence and a man with a quiet and an affectionate [...]
Were US war profiteers — the arms industry — the ultimate winners in Afghanistan?
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – As the 20-year-old occupation of Afghanistan came to an inglorious end last week, there were heavy losses suffered by many — including the United States, the Afghan military forces, plus the country’s civilian population. But perhaps there was one undisputed winner in this trillion-dollar extravaganza worthy of a Hollywood block buster: [...]
Lanka’s pre-2015 human rights discourse: A personal narrative
I was requested to read and comment on his latest work by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha at the beginning of this month. Having being involved off and on for close upon four decades with human rights, United Nations mechanisms in Geneva, as the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians as [...]
Whither justice in criminal law?
When two opposing litigants are given the court’s decision, justice may or may not have been served in the decision. Justice is a value that cannot be physically touched, smelt through the nose, or tasted by the tongue. Justice on the ground is felt differently than it may in the higher realms. In criminal law, [...]
Why nation-building failed in Afghanistan
ISTANBUL – The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago with the hope of rebuilding a country that had become a scourge to the world and its own people. As General Stanley McChrystal explained in the run-up to the 2009 surge of US troops, the objective was that the “Government of Afghanistan sufficiently control its [...]
Shuffling the Pack
I was musing this month about this concept of Cabinet Reshuffles. The word ‘Reshuffle’ is defined as the interchange of positions by members of a team, changing WHO does WHAT in an organisation. The word is also used to describe the process of shuffling a pack of playing cards a second time. Reshuffling the Cabinet [...]