What Next After Karachi’s Carnage? Several other writers have also taken note of the Mullah-Army nexus and it is both a fascinating and vexing issue for anyone interested in the dynamics of civil society and state formation, but especially so for the Pakistani state`s financiers overseas. By promoting Musharraf and the war on the Taliban simultaneously, George Bush has actually managed to bring the army even closer to the mullahs. But the situation is not sustainable and Hoodhboy argues that the army knows this and is planning a crackdown in order to secure long term backing from Washington -- this is a bold assertion and exactly what makes Hoodhboy such an interesting read and an eye opener about Pakistan`s reality.

Last Gasp of the Imperial Misadventure Mr. Gill
Though I agree with your argument, I find the writing here to be quite mediocre. Sorry to say so, but you may want a more fluent English writer to help you a bit with editing, particularly the placement of articles (which are missing in many spots) and quite a few phrases are marred by awkward sentence structures.

Meeting the Pakistani-Swiss I notice that welfare dependency and the comparative fates of the Indian and Pakistani diasporas are popular lines of commentary. Not to be forgotten, however, is the fascinating way in which the native Swiss have molded this Pakistani community culturally. The Swiss-Pakistanis, for instance, all start their spicy-South Asian meals with a salad (an anti-pasta) -- in the local style. They all wear suits and are obsessively fastidious like the other Swiss. They are also much more comfortable in Italian than English.

It would have been interesting to compare the jobs and incomes of the local Indian population with that of the Pakistanis I met, but a neutral comparison may not be possible -- their seem to be hardly any Indian immigrants here, but quite a few Tamils (whom I haven`t met). The Indians that do live here are generally software engineers with ``B-Source`` a formerly Swiss company thats been bought out by a larger Indian concern -- I met one young couple who were working there -- having been `seconded` from Infosys.

One thread seems to hold in my look at the potential for immigrants to assimilate. The better educated and more socially privileged the immigrant was in the home country, the easier it will be for them to blend in, find work, and live successfully in the adopted country. When comparing Pakistanis living in Europe -- often living in some ethnic ghetto -- to the Pakistanis in the U.S. who are often able to buy property and are comparatively prosperous -- the contrast seems to originate in the difference in their social origins and the educational level they achieve prior to their arrival in North America or Europe. The U.S. may absorb its immigrants more effectively because it receives a different type of migrant -- what I don`t understand is precisely why social class and education in one`s country of origin do make such a big difference in cultural assimilation. Any ideas?

Why Developnians Do Not Value Money interesting sociological analysis of India`s upper middle class. I like the way you focus on the pathway between their neurosis and the subcontinent`s collective underdevelopment.

Peace in South Asia This essay is full of self righteous platitudes. I am glad you are a proud Pakistani citizen, but why stick your chest out and trumpet your commanalities with Arundhati Roy? Try taking more risks, leave yourself out of the prose, and please be more original.

Immigrants All I will attend your seminar at the New sCHOOL. You are the most important Pakistani writing today.

wasiq

Tattoo diary: Queens, New York The only people interested in media desis are other media desis like yourself. Perhaps the frustration you speak of is mutual.

Patthar Ka Sheher (City of Stone) If you rest the palm of your hand on a map of Karachi, the edge of your hand, not the palm, marks the coast. Are you deformed?

A 24 Minute Journey Between Paddington and Slough Nice piece. Reminded me of a collage of beatles` songs.

Is Thackeray a Terrorist? Your points are very well taken. Thackeray must answer for his crimes.

Rowing across Lake Austin Two men are on lake Austin

they`ve been in this Texas town for a while now

the boating and the water mix into their

converging diverging thought patterns

nicely done

The Killing Fields of Karachi Dear Mueen: Sorry to hear the madness has hit you so close to home. My condolences to the victim`s family and friends and best wishes for the apprehension and punishment of the criminal responsible for this murder.

Roshanara Begum in Lahore Karachi ISLAAMABAD I`m not sure what all this was about, but saw my own clandestine week in it. I was on PK 303 (from Lahore to Multan). Left Lahore a day before my intended. Talked things over with Malik Sahib at the Holiday Inn and wed in the gloomy downstairs hall five days on. I had much explaining to do.

Desi Aristocrats Poetry is supposed to be subtle with at least a hint of ambiguity. We all know the habits of the old and new desi elite, so what if they hide together and have expensive past times--nothing new here (things look this way all over the world from time immemorial). Sad to say, but there was nothing original or illuminating in this `submission.`

Paki Students in the US: a Female Perspective I also have noted the way some South Asian women women avoid men from their own countries. When the women are Indian or Bangladeshi, however, Pakistani men have a much easier time. A large majority of the South Asian women I`ve talked to tell me that Pakistani men are positively stereotyped as being more attractive and masculine then most men from India or Bangladesh; this is probably why it has been relatively easy for Pakistani men to attract Indian and Bangladeshi women--they don`t seem to mind the equally common stereotype regarding our chauvanism. What Pakistani women prefer I`m unsure of, though, I`ve noticed a tendency among them to drift towards Iranians and Arabs for reasons similar to why Indians and Bangladeshis prefer Pakistani men.

The Making of a Successful Marriage You take a very social scientific approach to marriage by arguing in terms of the probabilities attached to different outcomes (marriage or divorce) depending on differences in various independent variables (cultural background, religion, etc). Unlike many of the others, I don`t have a problem with the way you write. I think you make yourself very clear. The one thing that did surprise me was your description of stable marriages among South Asians.

I have seen the opposite. South Asians have a worse time getting along with one another than almost any other group I`ve encountered. The problem is usually an excess of competitive behavior. This also becomes a major factor in their marriages. Most second generation American-Desis come from families where fighting and arguments were common and where spouses seldom bothered to spend quality romantic time together. Other ethnic groups have their own particular marital syndromes, but it would be innaccurate to say South Asian marriages are any better, perhaps stable due to the lack of divorce, but far from happy.