It's a step in the right direction and one of hope but is it enough! Certainly not. I am not even sure if these cosmetic steps will relieve the fear that pervades amongst the non-Muslim Pakistanis: and when I say non-Muslims it also includes some denominations of Islam that the State has labelled as non-Muslims. Yet, it’s something that is heartening. Here is another set of photos published in the daily Dawn—a day ago—which show the federal minister for minority affairs (a Christian) in the celebrations. http://www.dawn.com/news/1304046/

Thanks for this very informative post, Brig Ali. I view it as a glass half full—both won. The only losers are the naysayers amongst whom Netanyahu tops the list closely followed by a few of the Muslim ME countries who actually offered no viable alternative. If blocking Iran from making a nuclear bomb was the real goal, this deal offered the best choice. As Obama claims rightly, "Don’t judge me on whether this deal transforms Iran, ends Iran’s aggressive behavior toward some of its Arab neighbors or leads to détente between Shiites and Sunnis. Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for the next 10 years." Indeed time will tell if the deal does deliver what it’s supposed to. But even if it survives half its life—just five years—I think it’s still a success. In a changing world, as you suggest, the US may not be able to exercise this kind of leverage ever again. So it was also a good face saving for everyone.

Wafa was exceptional and bold. Here is an excerpt of the interview on her first appointment in the Navy. "The commanding officer sat me down and said I don’t know what to do with you, Dabbagh recalled. “He had called every branch of the forces and no one had a covered Muslim woman in their ranks. I told him, ‘What you see is what you get, sir. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t eat pork, but I can do everything else.’”. And she proved herself to her words. The problem is not the philosophy of hijab but "who" is veiling behind it.