Dear all,
It is with great consternation and sorrow that I announce the temporary closure of The Emergency Times blog until such time as its services are required and can be fulfilled with the dilegence required, again. Due to a combination of my personal difficulties and the evolving nature of our country's political scenario, The Emergency Times no longer serves the exemplar purpose it did following its birth on the 5th of November, 2007. I find I can no longer maintain the quality and regularity that used to be the cornerstone of our guiding principles.
The days and months following the the 5th of November were, in addition to other things, an unbelievable example of how committed citizen journalism can mould the shape of society in a significant way. Beginning from a merely informative on-campus handout, to this date, The Emergency Times has reached an audience of around 150,000 people in around 100 countries. It served, for a long time, as one of the most reliable and regular sources of information and material on the post-Nov 3 people's struggles against the injustices being perpetrated in our country (though, I will readily and unapologetically admit, with a significant editorial bent :). All of this, of course, was made possible by all of you, our committed contributors and readership.
And of course, my editorial team...Madiha, who started it with me, helping me come up with the idea (though she was unable to continue for very long), Moulvi, my ever-reliable assistant-ed, helping me keep the exhaustive schedules, Omer. G, for his powerful, moving articles and accounts, and Samad Khurram (now a national hero :-), in particular, for contributing and distributing from day one and keeping it alive when I had become encumbered with personal dilemmas..
All the thousands of people who distributed and forwarded our issues on their campuses, the streets, their mailing lists..thank you all..this wouldn't have been possible without you.
I hope (as our disclaimer used to state) that The Emergency Times was truly able to make a difference in these troubled times by 'inspiring and making aware'. If the need shall arise, we will be there to report, inform and inspire once again. But for now, I feel it is time to call it a day.
Our archives and back-issues remain on the site for perusal and records. Our email contact remains theemergencytimes@gmail.com.
May Allah guide our country and its people through these rigorous times unscathed.
As always, In Complete Unity..
Ammar Rashid
Editor-in-Chief
The Emergency Times
