What really happened in Lahore?

Update: Hi there it’s Shaimaa and as you might have read in this post that I was trying very hard to get someone in the Pakistani interior ministry to come on the program and answer your questions about what happened in Lahore. Well, I spent most of yesterday and this morning trying to get Mr. Rehman Malik ,the Pakistani interior minister, to come on World Have Your Say today but his secretary Mr.Abdelmajid told me this morning he’ll be unavailable. I’m still trying to get someone to take your questions tonight and will be updating you once I get something.

On air: Is the International Criminal Court neutral?

Paul in Zimbabwe subscribes to the WHYS Daily Email and suggested this question in response to the Sudan story. There’s fury in some quarters at the ICC warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. These are some of the questions you want to discuss.

- is the ICC neutral?

- will this contribute to and hinder attempts to bring peace to Darfur?
- can there be peace and justice in Sudan, or does the UN need to choose between the two?

- who exactly is going to arrest President Bashir?

Talking Points 5 March

There’s talk of conspiracy theories in Lahore following Tuesday’s attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Pakistan is not over ruling a foreign hand in the attacks, with fingers being pointed at India. Even Sri Lanka hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Tamil Tiger involvement. There’s anger at the lack of security for the players and whilst arrests have been made and financial rewards for leads offered, some question whether these are tokenistic moves. Is this Pakistan in damage control mode or is there a real possibility of foreign involvement in these attacks?

Pakistan is both victim and protagonist of the conflict in Afghanistan, says this article . And here’s a request to the West asking it not to give up on Pakistan. Either way – can the world afford to let Pakistan fail?

WHYS goes to Africa…

March 10th will be a special programme for me. World Have Your Say will be coming to you from Tanzania.

I have always had a strong connection with East Africa. My great grandfather chose to migrate to Tanzania from India over a hundred years ago. He came from a small town in the west of India where economic opportunities were bleak – the land in his village was completely barren. He moved to East Africa for a better life and I have had family there ever since.

On air: Could women have saved us from the financial crisis?

The vast majority of high ranking politicians and bankers are men, so is testosterone the real culprit here? These issues came up during Friday’s programme with Prof Mohammad Yunus. Over ninety per cent of the borrowers at his Grameen Bank are women. And they payback the money at a rate no main stream bank can match.

Talking Points for 4 March

Mourners lay wreaths at the site

The Sri Lankan cricketers have returned home and the hunt is on for the gunmen. A reward has been offered for more information. If urdu and cricket were what really united a country as diverse as Pakistan, what happens now?

 

William Dalrymple paints a grim picture of the year since the elections.

What would you do with $125?

The Japanese have a fresh approach to tackling the economic crisis, they’re simply going to hand out cash. Every resident will get at least $125 to spend as they wish. We want to know what you’d do with the money? It’s a novel idea, but how will people respond? What would you buy? Would you splash the cash or save it for a rainy day?

On air: The Lahore attack

Most read today is the gun attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. 5  policemen were killed and 8 players injured.

“The players are shocked. They have never gone through anything like this before”

former Sri Lankan player Sanath Jayasuriya

On air: Should lost national treasures be returned?

A Chinese bidder has refused to pay up over 30 million dollars that he successfully bid for two sculptures taken from Beijing in the 19th century. He’s being hailed as a hero in China, and it’s once again raised the issue of who owns items taken during past wars or colonial rule.

Should we help to rebuild Gaza while there’s no peace?

We can expect a meeting today in Cairo to produce millions and millions of dollars to help rebuild Gaza. But is that the right thing to do while Israel and Hamas continue to exchange fire? Should the world be concentrating on the establishing which, if any, of the two carried out war crimes? And do you object to so many countries being so ready to pay to repair the damage caused by Israeli rockets?