When Will You Return?

In the beginning of our marriage I considered it a routine question of a typical wife and did not give it much importance. But gradually that question became my emotional problem.

Crimson Gharara

Poem on Rawalpindi bomb blast

Can We Fight Ideas With Guns?

Amid all this mayhem and unstoppable tragic loss of valuable lives, have we for a moment stopped and asked ourselves: “can we fight ideas with guns only?�

Defeating the Taliban in Pakistan

Unless six key challenges of implementing aid in FATA are tackled, we’re wasting our tax dollars. And if we lose FATA, we lose this war.

The MF Husain Controversy: Identity, Intent and the Rise of Militant Fascism

The campaign against the iconic Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain, perhaps the most prominent living symbol of art under attack, is part of the political fight for India’s soul – secular democracy versus a ‘Hindu’ state.

Peace The Final Frontier

The operation in Waziristan is a very temporary solution, and its only aim should be to halt immediate attacks, but ultimately the peace has to be negotiated, whether we like to talk to Talibans or not.

Namal University, Another Landmark by ‘Taliban’ Khan

I don’t always agree with Imran Khan on politics but I have no doubt that his stances and his point of view are sincere and not colored with self-interest.

Half Alive Again: An Evening At Zawia Dahmaani

A piece from Tripoli, where there are tombs of soldiers from the subcontinent. Just as every country has a “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier� every country should have the “Tomb of the Unknown Worker�.

India's Primary Duty

How can we get a society of adults to be accountable for the treatment of its youngest citizens?

Vision21: Waziristan Strategy or Pakistan Strategy?

Pakistan and Waziristan were not always like this. How we have come to this pass is crucial to analyse, but even more urgent is to assess that are we prepared enough to win this battle?

Writ of the State

Some might argue that Pakistan became militarily and strategically more powerful by the policies of that government, but states can become outwardly very strong, but with a very weak and vague paradigm to hold it up.

Zombie Nation - Random Thoughts!

The day begin with the graphics of Peshawar Bombing and Madam Hilary Clinton making a news conference with our foreign minister whose son, works as an intern for Senator Kerry's Office back in Washington D.C.

Reima's Taj Mahal

Reima Ismic was a slim, dark-haired woman in her forties, with thin wrists and bony hands, she always wore a light colored scarf around her head, she was a Bosniak, a Bosnian Muslim

Irrational Patriotism, Liberalism and Nuclear Arsenal

Right now as the army is waging a war in Waziristan, instead of univocal and unconditional support, it is being criticized for being hard on so called “good� Taliban.

Self Rule For Gilgit Baltistan

The enforcement of self rule regulations in Northern Areas and other current Pakistani measures are a visible sign that Kashmir and Kashmiri people are no more in Islamabad’s policies and priorities like the previous decades.

If The Dead Could Talk

Can you hear the crackling of his bones?
Can you hear the sound of his bleak skull?
Can you hear the shriek of his departed soul?
Oh, no! How could you! You are a living one

Brutes and Beasts – Haqiqi

Ever since the formation of the Haqiqi, Karachi and other urban regions of Sindh have been rocked by internecine clashes within the majority Mohajir community.

Serenade to the Sleepless

Hoisting her basket back on her head, Ayesha turned around, and looked over at the other side of the road, to the brick wall, where she’d left her little brother. But he was nowhere in sight. Ayesha’s heart raced.

Driving Through Poetry

The floor was carpeted with fresh fallen leaves of all colors, rustling as I walked over them. Ah! There it is, my tree! The top of the tree was bright yellow the middle was bright orange and the lower part of the tree was rust colored.

Terrorists Have Bombed My Future by Killing My Children

This is a true story of a man who met the young boy who was bombed in Lahore. I miss him. We miss him. He died because we are silent.

Squatters, Scavengers and A Gandhian

Some of these people would stand up holding their pajamas or dhotis to protect their dignity at the sight of the approaching train; most would carry on without paying any attention to those seeing them perform one of their most private functions.

On Reason, Freedom and Democracy

In the absence of a self-educating, self-reflecting public and the resulting movements for social change, what we know as ‘democracy’ is one of form only and not of substance.

Ode to my Peoples!

We will always have in common; a bourgeois Aunty, a ‘Vilayat’ palat, a hijabi conservative and a provocative nonconformist.

The Explosion

Every day I die,
Every day I born
Amidst all this terror and turmoil,
As the blissful peace shatters

The Rex Cinema Fire

The atmosphere in Pakistan seems to be getting ripe for a situation, where, if the government does not regain the full confidence and trust of the people, it would be difficult to stabilize the situation again.

Loss of Ummah - Is Agriculture the culprit?

In different parts of the Islamic world different movements arose in order to re-create similar Ummah that Prophet Muhammad once created in Medina. The question is, is it ideal to go back to the same concept of Ummah that was created 1400 years ago?

Waziristan Operation

If military operation could pacify any country there would have been no Vietnam or Afghanistan or even 50 plus expeditions into Waziristan since 1890s till to date.

Uncles Kerry and Lugar

Given what it is, and not going into the nitty gritty details of the deal, overall considering this business as usual, both sides are, and should, haggle over the price and the services that are to be delivered in return.

The Creeping Menace: Taliban

Who are these fanatics? These mindless zombies always prepared to kill and be killed for their cause? Where did they come from? What motivates them? What is their objective and who supports and nurtures them?

Islam and Modern Times: Is There a Case For Reinterpretation?

For the religion to become functionally effective and progressive rather than static and time trapped, it has to be reinterpreted metaphorically and the mantle of interpretation has to be taken away from the existing ultra conservative clergy/religious sc

Spaghetti Bowl Situation in Pakistan

This series of terrorist attacks has left little options for the Government of Pakistan, but an army offensive against the militants in South Waziristan is an option that needs far more thought and frankly wisdom.

All Boys

While America is grappling with gay marriage, we sat celebrating the second Queer Pride Parade in Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore.

Access Denied

I was fascinated with graveyards as a kid and my grandmother always said that Muslim women should not go to graveyards because dead people can see them naked. I want you to smile when you see through my clothes.

The Reverse Reward of 2009

Why not Mayawati be conferred upon with Bharat Ratna? Of course Barack Obama is in altogether different league. But logic remains the same.

Human Psyche...Soul or Mind?

Since human body was mortal human beings believed in immortal soul and connected that belief with the belief of immortal and eternal God. In the last few centuries there has been a third model that is becoming more popular in the world. It is the secular

GHQ Attack-Serious Questions

The enemy is not in Waziristan or Afghanistan. The enemy is our own damn inefficiency and complacency. It merits serious thinking at all plains , tactical,operational and strategic.

Failing to Make Direct Contact With the People, The US is Further Alienating Pakistan

failure to understand on both sides can only empower conservative religious fundamentalists on both sides who do not want the nurturing of relationships based on trade, business and mutual understanding between the two countries.

This wonderful Doc…

Zakia met Sarwar after moving from Lahore to Karachi in 1961. The unconventional, long-limbed Allahabad-born doctor was known as the ‘hero of the January movement’.

The White Rose

The wedding night came and went. My routine didn’t change. I couldn’t let the boys down. Would I stop loving cars, stop drinking; stop making clever business? No. I will never change.

I Held My Daughter Tight in the Peshawar Carnage

This is a true story of a man and his daughter who witnessed the Peshawar bombardment.

Reboot - In Search For The Land of Oppurtunity

As it goes, we learn a lot more from others’ failure than from their successes. And that makes this book a precious treatise. Something all aspiring entrepreneurs could learn from.

The End Of An Affair

It seemed like the most beautiful day of Nazia’s life. The man who had stolen her heart had finally asked her to marry him. She felt euphoric; it was a miracle she did not burst into a bollywood song routine at her office.

Justice and Just Society

Just is what is right and democracy allows the right to be called wrong if it is said so by maximum majority.

Story of Hindustani

By definition Urdu and Hindi are one language due to their grammatical structure and mutual intelligibility. There is no linguistic reason to divide them into separate languages.

Mr. President, Stop the War!

The destruction of the Twin Towers was a fluke mass murder by a bunch of terrorists led by an evil genius who is now in your custody, and who, like Zarqawi, used to communicate with Osama bin Laden now and then. That's about it, get over it, it's been e

Afghan Widows

Amazed not be at the sex they sell
for their survival,
for more or less, where isn't it sold,
can anyone tell?

Author Nafisa Rizvi Talks About "The Blue Room"

The idea in my book that people who cut themselves off from their roots will bleed is taken from a Pablo Neruda poem which says just this. People in the Diaspora take it literally to mean that they must not blend in with their acquired home.

An Hour at Datta Darbar

There were loud speaker warnings about the pick pockets and jewelery theft. The shrine which reflected the beauty and sacredness of God’s love suddenly became a classical reflection of all our social evils.

Book Review: The Shadow of the Great Game – The Untold Story of India’s Partition

Well-researched, demolishes many myths and presents an intriguing perspective on India Pakistan Partition

Review: The Conscience of Nhem En

This was a powerful film with a thought-provoking subject. The director sets up the scale and the ugliness of the genocide carried out under the reign of Khmer Rouge and then introduces us to Nhem En’s foil.

Cheap is Cool

Yeah, us South Asians are a cheap bunch. There was a report on NPR this morning about how we’re rated at the bottom of the barrel when we travel.

Hey America, Come Join The Civilized World!

The US has the least efficient healthcare system which spends most for getting the least results. So, America, come join the civilized world and save some money.

Tree of Life

During those days the paint of the left wall was blistered. If you scratched it a bit, you could smell saline walls with odor of monsoon rain. The front veranda had a yellow paint and walls were filled with lizards.

Cartoon

“Papa, please help me. Look how worried I am. What has happened to me? What kind of a disease is this? No doctor has a cure for it! When I try to tell people about it, they start laughing..."

Uncomfortably Numb

I see with my eyes wide open
Yet I don’t see your suffering
I hear your cry of agony
It’s just another sound to me

Aliens in Karachi

What if extra-terrestrials with superior intellectual faculties stumbled across our seaside metropolis? Would they get mugged, hugged or asked to tea?

Turkey – Glorious and Surprising

Turkey has always been at the crossroads between the east and west, but today it stands at the intersection between modern and traditional as well as secular and religious.

False Consciousness and Foreign Policy

How do countries think? How do they react? We often delude ourselves when we claim to know the behavior of states. So we ascribe motives to them and make predictions that are way off the mark.

Who are the Power Elite

The Power Elite does not refer to people conspiring together in a coordinated way rather it is about the dominant positions in the dominant institutional orders (military, political and economic).

Behind Closed Doors: Archives and Archiving in Pakistan

Despite the fact that constitution of Pakistan recognises the access to public information, various laws on the statutory books, such as Official Secret Act of 1923, promote the culture of secrecy.

Evolution of a War

The Untold Story of Jihad in Kashmir is a myth-busting and brutal exposé of Pakistan's secret war against India.

Bring Back Jagannath Azad’s Pakistan Anthem

Jagannath Azad was working in Lahore when Mr Jinnah commissioned him for this task just three days before Independence. He complied, Mr Jinnah approved the lyrics, and the anthem went on air on Radio Pakistan Karachi the day Pakistan was born.

Our Piñata: The Western Culture

Oh the kids have settled very well in their school, he said. The only problem is this Western culture; we don’t want our children to get influenced by this decadent lifestyle so we are hammering in the notion that all these are Kaafirs.

Tariq Ahsan: A Forgotten Foot-soldier of Democracy

This kind of interrogation ought to be banned everywhere, since although it leaves no marks or injuries on the body, thus making it difficult to recognize it as a form of torture, it does irreparable damage to the mind.

Eid Mubarak!

I bought myself the usual white colored Qameez-Shalwar, with a full collar, no embroidery Qameez. Embroidery wasn’t my thing and the thought of having to pay extra to look less of a man was beyond me.

Driving Me Crazy

There is the levitation of first love; then there are the thirty years of marriage. There is the pleasure of a long walk along the beach; then there is the agony of driving a car in Karachi.

Gilgit-Baltistan : A Deprived and Subjugated Region

The PPP led government of Pakistan has, through the enactment of the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2009 of August 29, opened yet another Pandora’s Box in the already complicated dispute over the status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian Technical Recession

Over last decade or so, engineering institutions have produced mostly bankers, some managers but very few engineers. Even if some opted for technical career, it was for teaching in some US university.

Women and the Process of Decolonization

Colonizers came to these lands for resources, cheap labor, and new markets. What they left behind were mutated societies trying to redefine themselves by shedding away colonialism.

The Four Year Itch

The chief minister of Punjab recently announced that 32 universities in Punjab adopt the four years honors system. The rationale being to meet international standards of education.

How Can Zia Die?

Two decades have gone by, and the kids who lived through that day have all grown older. Pakistan has survived through another dictatorship.

An Indian Abroad

While not being jingoistic, I realized that it is only in a foreign land does one realize the worth of one's identity.

The Flour Deaths

Do we need?
The question on their lips
The hatred in their hearts
As they died in the stampede
Of our failures and demise!

Two Tears in a Bucket

Call it a need for closure or an innate obstinacy, but this column my dear friends, is going to be about Rosa as well.

The Whole Business of Compulsive Eating

In spite of widespread dissemination of information about healthy nutrition over the past decade, it seems that eating habits of most people have become increasingly unbalanced.

Age of Obama: Beginning of the End of Racism

Followers of U.S. Politics have been scratching their heads over recent phenomena like the 'birther' movement, the silly 'tea parties', and the riveting signs and antics of right-wing demonstrators in the United States.

MQM, Mainstream Politics and AJK

After winning two seats in AJKLA the MQM has entered into wide-ranging politics of Pakistan. The AJK case could be a base for its political rise or downfall simultaneously.

That Peculiar Feeling Of Falling Out Of Love

Many will try to find imaginary faults in the partner; saner individuals will introspect into their own minds. It is scary and confusing, but the at the back of the mind they know it is happening.

National Educational Policy - A Change On The Way?

The present take by the government, if carried out as put in the writing, would be a grand influence in changing the trends of academia.

What Will Happen if the USA Withdraws From Afghanistan

Any US withdrawal from Afghanistan would create another delusion. A false conclusion that Islam has won and USA lost. It would boost morale in the Islamists and would lead to far greater chaos.

How Can We Forget?

In remembering the victims of 9/11 we should also strengthen our solidarity with victims of other forms of terrorism and violence around the world.

Secular Spirituality

I have read the descriptions of spiritual experiences in the religious and holy books but this is the first time I read a biological, neurological and secular description of spirituality (Dr Jill Taylor’s book, My Stroke of Insight)

Rain

I Walked on water
Shards of broken glass rained from the sky
I walked through puddles of blood

Open Letter to Gen. Aslam Baig

General Beg – the world remembers you and since the recent revelations of your own cronies and partner of crime , it’s high time you should come clean too.

Time to Say Good Bye Uncle Sam

Majority of Americans see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country.

Pushing the Press

Most headlines and news articles in the mainstream Indian press paint a highly distorted view of Pakistan. It is a Pakistan of trigger-happy mullahs trying to come to power, and gain control of Pakistan’s seventy-odd N-bombs.

Why Do Pakistani Women Have the Highest Rates of Breast Cancer in Asia?

Early detection saves lives. Get you and your loved ones to do annual mammograms and ultrasounds! Pay for poor women's screenings and treatments.

Indo-Pak Menu

The other day I visited a glittering shopping mall in Noida, a suburb neighboring New Delhi, where I saw this restaurant with a unique name: Indo-Pak Kebabs & Tikkas.

Who Was the Afghan Elections For?

It was not to elect a president of Afghanistan, but to put in a place a ruler for the United States to rule through.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement: The Lost Promise

There is a tendency in the media to brand MQM as a liberal party, frankly it is not. Yes it has secular credentials but it’s also a party with very firm roots in ethnicity.

Student Politics

While government does away with the ban on student unions, can that alone suffice to address the campus realities?

India’s Nuclear Fizzle

Suspicion has now turned into confirmed fact: India’s hydrogen bomb test of May 1998 was not the fantastic success it was claimed to be.

It is Time: The Women’s Right Movement in Pakistan

It should not take a gang rape or burning alive of a woman to make our media take notice and our bigwigs to make pronouncements about women’s welfare.

I Listen to Chori ka Music

The showbiz industry in Pakistan, especially the music industry is plagued with many challenging issues ranging from piracy, to royalties and the artistes’ mass entrance into the Indian market.

The Innocent Image in a Mirror

Where the looks turned to,
The happiness hid its face from;
And the blood and the soul,
With each tear came out;

The Winter Goodbyes

The night's blanket prevailed pregnant with unsaid things and ripe of the unspeakable syllables of his gloom.

History On Hold

The region of the world recently christened as 'Afpak' is in a shell much like a driver who finds a sheriff on his tail. A shell which it can break out of only when the sheriff leaves town.

Did Pakistan Modify Harpoon Missile?

The timing of this article is rather curious; the story was leaked by anonymous sources on the same day that Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani left for a three-day visit to Libya.

An Open Letter to Mian Nawaz Sharif

Khawaja revealed that Osama gave Nawaz just a minuscule of the Rs 500 million cash that he wanted, but more importantly, for the Pakistani, what he received in kind proved to a virtual windfall.

Of Mausoleums, Tombs and Gardens

These man-made wonders, passed on to us by luck of draw, are at the verge of extinction, thanks to our deliberate neglect and lack of respect for our heritage.

If Youth is the Future of Our Nation, Should We Be Worried?

Youngsters of the 21st century seem to be in a hurry; they want success but they don't have much time. Persistence and steadfastness are two words completely unknown to them.

Bubble of a Believer

Spirituality is mystification of feeling, a subtle peg of believers’ subjectivism and just another name for unknown. There is nothing wrong about it as long as believers keep their piety to themselves and do not heap their spirituality on to others.

Rolling Back By 42 Years

He was standing near the policed barrier that is zero point for reaching Ram Janam Bhoomi Garbh Sthal- the idyllic piece of land where Lord Ram was born.

Bala’s Hair

Bala was forty and still single. He had never seen a woman with eyes that were bound to make him fall in love. Love seemed a burden because in his view love usually ended in marriage and marriage was something he evaded at any cost.

When India Banned Thought

While Singh has shifted ground from supporting a nationalist right-wing party to intellectual liberalism, Jinnah moved from pursuing secular, liberal policies to rallying the masses with hard, communal appeals.

An Unsustainable Future

With energy shortages peaking this summer all around Pakistan, there could have been a serious opportunity to drastically change the way Pakistan produces energy.

From Cat's Cradle to Video Games

They reflect the social, economic, religious and artistic life of the culture from which they develop and have, themselves, become an intrinsic part of human existence.

My Fair, Goon? “By Jove: He Nearly Did it….�

Here lies Rehman – Day Job: local Godfather; often mistaken for the Fairy Godfather. Primary residence: the Hood – Lyari. Forwarding address (had he lived): the Senate?

The Sacred and the Profane

Ms. L had been a challenge for me to treat for 3 years. She was from Lahore, my native city and the first time I had seen her, she had appeared extremely ill, fitting the layman description of ‘madness’.

So What Gives?

Even the fallout of the publication of the Jaswant Singh’s book, and his expulsion from BJP, should be seen as an essential temporary setback, in Jaswant’s quest to become Prime Minister.

Torrential Fecundity and Pangs of a Voracious Reader

Just like a pretty damsel blooms at the prospectus of being the object of desire of eyes that enunciate its love with an affectionate smile a book too yearns to caress the face of its reader through the palms of words and eyes of thoughts.

Jaswant Speaks Out

The controversy over the book written by Jaswant Singh, Jinnah: India–Partition–Independence, in which he has painted Quaid-i-Azam in a positive light, does not seem to be dying down.

A Letter to God

Light of my heart, help me speak so that hearts can talk. Those hearts that wear a shield of iron around them, those hearts who dare not speak their truth, hearts who believe that there is no love for them...

Obama's Ramadan Message to The Muslims

The Muslims around the world must have been elated and inspired by this address, a sermon from the president of a nation that not in the distant past was talking of re-launching the crusades.

Prosthesis

Theirs was a usual relationship. At least they both thought that they were usual. They had a small dream, the dream all lover’s dream when they are in love.

Minorities and Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan: A Legal Perspective

In Pakistan, the blasphemy law dates back to original 1860 Indian Penal Code in which Articles 295 and 298 inserted keeping in view the religious sensitivities of the inhabitants of the sub-continent. But then blasphemy was not an offense punishable with

Shake What Yo Amma Gave You

And now without further a due, here are a few tips I like to share as the scholarly confessions of a former Paki stripper.

Qasba Aligarh Massacre – A Forgotten Story

I didn’t knew the extent of this massacre until recently when I met some of the survivors to realize what really happened to the residents of a remote place named, Qasba Aligarh in Karachi.

Aids Sutra: Untold Stories from India

In this groundbreaking anthology, sixteen renowned writers tell the hidden story of the AIDS crisis, illuminating the complex nature of one of the major problems facing the developing world.

My Midnight Companion

Our dear lives won’t stay till then.
Greet and meet
Have a seat.
We are all but mortal men.

Shrinking Shadows

One charmer turned politician is panicking for want of accomplices to his confusion. He is increasingly terrified of wilderness he has wrought himself into.

How To Improve ISI's Image

Every state apparatus requires intelligence agencies, and Pakistan is no different. There are 26 intelligence agencies in the US. Somehow, the ISI and the CIA are the two that are most demonized.

The Spirit of Indus Valley

All the major conflicts in Punjab revolve around the three words -- Zan Zar Zameen, people kill, have century old feuds because of these reasons.

Independence Day

Ramanand Tiwari rounded the corner at a brisk pace – the achhoot well was now visible. He made a long peripheral detour around it.

A Freedom Of Pain And Hope

Sixty two years of suffering compounded by dismemberment and defeat, plagued by debilitating extremism and war speak for the courage of Pakistanis who still strive for peace and prosperity with hope and vigor.

The Day I Became Free

The day I became free
From sacrifices of the past
Of my own and millions
To wear this smile

Rang De Basanti

“We’re zinda dil people.� She said, “Amidst whatever mix of worries we live in, we make it at the end of the day.�

A Tale of Two Pakistanis

This is my version of an attempt to “defend reason� in a useless war of words that seems to have erupted between Nadeem Farooq Paracha and Zaid Hamid.

Anomalies of Economic Liberalization

When viewed against economic liberalization, the consumption and saving decisions of middle and low income countries help secure the status of developed countries.

An Eyewitness account from Gojra

This was not the work of a foreign funded militant group or a separatist movement. It was actually the result of propagating religious chauvinism, intolerance of diverse communities, distorting history, glorifying the use of force.

Pakistan Crisis - Seven Problem, Seven Solutions

Pakistan is experiencing a major existential crisis. But crises are mixed blessings which can lead to regression or progression. They can cause a breakdown or become a fertile ground for a breakthrough.

Gojra Incident ... Shame

I have no regret to mention that I am ashamed what had happened in Gojra with the minorities living in Pakistan. I am ashamed of those who did this criminal act for whatever the reason. Shame! Shame on all of us.

Dubai Incorporated - Part 2

Compared to Dubai, everyone else seems dull and boring. Yet dull they are not (Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia).

My Boy, Jonaid

If a nation is only as strong as its army and any constitution’s basis is undoubtedly on a strong and equipped army then the question arises: Is the government effectively focusing on winning this war in Swat with minimal loss of men?

Jinnah to Jihad

Author Arvin Bahl attempts to analyze this conflict (Kashmir) in the context of international relations theory, drawing on a variety of sources, including interviews with leading figures of the Indian and Pakistani establishments.

The Arrival

He felt that the poison in his blood had begun to mix at a slower rate, gradually even slower a few moments later. The world around him seemed to begin to fade into grayness.

Messages of Hate, and Sometimes Violence Too

SMS has given the youth a new kind of power to get organised fast, and cheap. So, protests are now organised with mass messaging instead of printing flyers or making phone calls.

Karachi: Transport Mafia vs Green Bus Project

Recently the beloved son of Karachi and Pakistan, Mustafa Kamal introduced the environmental friendly GREEN BUSES Project which is an another gift of Haq Parast Panel to the citizens of Karachi

Culture and Development: The Missing Policy Link

While culture is regarded as the means and instrument of development, the notion of development, following Amartya Sen, is based on substantive expansion of freedom. It is not only the growth of GNP, but the enhancement of freedom and well being of people

Bombay Lefties

You can still find some of the old vanguard sitting in the garden at Horniman circle in the Fort area of Bombay, discussing the murder of the Communist MLA Krishna Desai.

Recalibrating The Moral Compass

As extremism has spread its tentacles across Pakistan, it has manifested itself in a familiar pattern. Barber shops are warned, and then blown up. Businesses selling music CDs are warned and then blown up.

Alyjah's Tree

Our story begins when Alyjah first had that weird dream. In the beginning it was just a voice, a sweet whisper indeed. It called him.

Red Carpet

The scatterer of wounds and fears
speaks in hesitant obscurities
of woe-begone frail days
where nothing in the tornado sleeps
accept a pin, that marks recognition.

The New Face of the Pakistani Discourse on Balochistan

The Baloch and the Pakistani state are at loggerheads more than ever before. Has the state finally decided to negotiate?

Sonia Sotomayor: Justice at Last?

Sonia Sotomayor has waited a long time for her current nomination – and the country has waited much longer to see a Hispanic Judge in the Supreme Court.

Maoist Insurgency Rocks India

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist uprising as ‘the biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country’

Let’s Be Serious

“Pakistan president Asif Zardari bans jokes ridiculing him� – Daily Telegraph, London, 21 July 2009

Bullet

When Shafqat returned from office he found there were guests in the house. They were women who were sitting in the big room. Shafqat’s wife, Aysha was busy entertaining them.

The State And Its' Wars

Pakistan is engaged in a series of debates arguing the role of constitutionalism; of independent judiciary; of free media and civil society’s responsibility, but not yet began to debate the role of the Pakistani military within Pakistan.

Can Status-quo Save Pakistan?

Shortage of electric supply has drawn protests in Lahore and Karachi. Protesters burnt down a train in Punjab. Some parts of the Karachi are without electricity and water for last 4 days.

Indo-Pak Talks: Comedy and Controversy

Both sides used their media as negotiating tools. A Pakistani journalist was fed a story of ‘deadlock’ to adjust Indian diplomatic temperature. It worked… Indians had toned down their rhetoric after this story emerged on the web.

Teaching for India

It is an unfortunate fact that despite India’s rapid economic ascent and her emergence on the global stage, millions of Indian citizens are still left out of the sun.

EMF Radiation: Prolonged Use of Cellphones

Dr. Lennart Hardell, an oncologist who worked on the report found that the risk of malignant brain tumor increased for people who began using cell phones before the age of twenty.

How The Music Channels Are Killing Our Music

As I flip through the entertainment news, I find myself shocked at the dearth of music news. Apparently the over-hyped Coke Studio is the only music news we have.

The Politics

Politics is beauty, the endangered specimen
Us, the proponents of change and progression
Inspect we must ourselves it’s still time

Afia from Karachi Company

Afia was no ordinary girl from around the corner. She was a woman with much bigger dreams for herself than what her Karachi Company life offered.

Corporate Social Responsibility At Its Best

Corporate Social Responsibility is the act of giving something back to the community by organizations that operate in a certain society. Mobilink's recent work with Internally Displaced Persons in Pakistan is a prime example.

Shumaila Rana’s Theft Episode

If there was no Televsion footage and TV stations like GEO, or security cameras, no power on earth could have proven her guilty.

A Difficult Code

In a train bound to Lucknow, I was sitting on the filthy floor of a compartment. The night before, they had assassinated Father of the church and his family with whom I, a recently converted young boy, used to reside.

In the Belly of Time

If you ever see a Tourbillon escapement, you will be impressed with the miniature complex cage, taking turns and defying gravity. Its almost as if the artist gave life to a mechanical miracle.

A Non-Muslim Appraisal of Islamic Sharia

Like the Pashtoon, the Sikh did not want to give too much freedom to his daughter; he too did not want her to go out unaccompanied by a male relative or not covered by a chaadar.

Black Holes: The Cosmic Twisters

The more pertinent question is not why we are here but how we got here. As pieces of the puzzle begin to fit one can’t help but think of possibilities of time travel and endless energy resources.

In This Multi-polar World NAM Must Address Regional Issues

Theme for this year's summit, "International Solidarity for Peace and Development, and the Current Economic and Financial Crisis,� is appropriate but several key regional conflicts will not be debated.

Vindictive at Their Best-Pakistan Army

Pakistan's three infamous A's: The Army, Allah and America. We blame the Islamic fundamentalists and USA for all the chaos in Pakistan. But if we take a closer look the real culprit seems to be Pakistan army.

Denial of Right of Self-Determination to Kashmirs

July 13th is commemorated as the day courageous Kashmiris laid their lives in a struggle against despotic and barbarous rule of Maharaja in 1931.

Goodbye Uncle Samad: May you rest in peace!

He became the first Pakistani boxer to win a gold medal. And, to top it off, he was declared the “Most Scientific Boxer� of Asia; an honor never bestowed upon any Pakistani boxer to date.

Neruda and Faiz: Great Contemporary Poets

One was honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature and the other with Lenin Peace Prize. Both Neruda and Faiz, like many others, notably Nazim Hikmet and Mahmoud Darwish, were essentially anti-colonialists and anti-imperialists.

The Plight of Internally Displaced Pakistanis in Swat

More than 2.4 million people have been displaced in Swat valley and its neighboring districts of Dir and Buner. This is the fastest and largest displacement of people since the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Kambakkht Ishq

Sylvester Stallone must be cringing at his blink and miss role in a foreign movie. It’s an injustice to Rambo. But the entire movie is an injustice to the VIEWERS.

Around Us (Betrayal of Conscience)

Around Us depicts those events that are currently taking place in Pakistan and how it has weakened our moral fabric, the intangible conscience and all that makes us what we are not.

A Leaf From the Book of Life

Now when I look back I feel as if I was in awe of her like she was a deity descended form the heavens above who could only be seen and revered and observed but not spoken to.

Hope

It was almost 30 days after the death. The house was silent. There was no sound. On one of the side tables, there were few broken crayons, a pair of earrings and a leather journal.

Pakistan India: Citizens Push for Peace

Mumbai-based veteran journalist Jatin Desai's proposal to ‘twin’ the press clubs of Karachi and Mumbai was positively received.

How Pakistan Killed My Father

That boy perishing away in hospital due to the fake medicines could have been another Allama Iqbal. That girl who died because no one attended her in time could have been the next prime minister of this nation and rebuilt it.

10 Best TV Shows in 90's

At #10, Ainak Wala Jin – PTV, anyone growing in the 90’s in Pakistan was addicted to this program. Targeted towards children it was based on "Alif-Laila", something like the Harry Potter of Pakistan in the 90’s.

Dubai Incorporated

Those who have a stake in Dubai, employment and/or an apartment are the most argumentative. They want reassurance that one day soon things will be same as before with the exception of high rents.

Conspiracy Theories, Patriotism and Religion

Lately this conspiracy theory mindset is being projected as “proof� of patriotism and any alternate paradigm of analysis is actually labeled as blind endorsement of West or unpatriotic behavior.

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan's Defense

God bless General Naseerullah Babar, Benazir Bhutto, and the rest of them for sowing the seeds of the carnivorous plant that we now face in Swat, Buner, Dir, and, now, from what I hear, Saidu Sharif.

A Thing of Beauty is Joy for Ever

The beauty of mathematical formulation is such that it provides a solution to some existing problem yet at the same time it is capable of making prediction about some unknown phenomena as well.

Wannabe

Parties with sizzling babes gets hauntingly irresistible at times, but its fun to swim the other side of river too. Devil still waits for my soul. "Hold on", he waits for one more Wannabe.

Can Pakistan unplug itself from the Matrix?

What Pakistan urgently needs are more Morpheuses who will awaken the country. The good news is that there are already signs that the drug is wearing off.

Kabir Khan's "New York"

The film taps into what it imagines they (NRIs) want. What they want, apparently, is to be white in a white America.

The Sensors

Dedicated to the memory of victims of the June 22, 2009 metro Red Line accident in the Washington, DC area.

When You Love More Than One

Since human sexuality is intimately connected with social morality, such relationships are judged on moral grounds rather than understood on psychological basis.

Another Sovereignty Transfer Charade in Baghdad

An average of about 15 tankers carrying 16.5 to 17 million barrels of crude oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day. That represents 40% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20% of all world shipments.

Am I a Skeptical Muslim?

The story of Islam from the rift on the succession of the prophet, the end of the Muslim glory in Spain in 1492, to the end of Ottoman caliphate in 1924, is all about the struggle for power.

Greatest Challenge Before Obama

4 July, 2009 is a special day for the people of United States of America. The dream that Martin Luther King visualized has attained reality.

Peace for People and People of Peace

This is all I ask after paying my taxes. A safe haven for my home. Smiles on my children faces. Halal, hard earned food, and electricity.

Himanshu Rai: The Light of India

Before Danny Boyle, before Shyam Benegal, even before Merchant-Ivory and Bimal Roy, there was one Indian who was peddling Indian fare to the cinema audiences of Europe.

The Kaleidoscope Of My Dreams

My present is what I have.
My thoughts are here to stay.
The rapture will come again.
You can’t take that away.
My kaleidoscope of dreams,
Will be born again.

Movie Review: New York

A thoughtful comment on terrorism that took place in America on 9/11 and its aftermath.

Local Government System – Incompetence vs Competence

I fail to understand why people blame the system for their incompetence? MQM has proved that with any system they could work and contribute because of their commitment, competence and honesty.

Environment, Kyoto Protocol and the Carbon Market

Pakistan today considered to be among the top 20 countries in the world that are gravely endangered to the adverse affects of climate change.

Loser

I dream of those bizarre sketches,
on my unworthy soul,
hands proceed towards me snatching,

Streets of Bahadurgunj

62, Basu Road, Bahadurgunj, was the address of the ancestral house where I was born. Joint families, uncles, cousins living on different floors. The House was known as "Plot", elders forgot to name the house and everyone would call it "Plot".

King of Pop Silenced at 50

As the music fraternity gathers round to grieve their beloved King of Pop it is true when their words echo: “There cannot be another Michael Jackson.�

Nabil and Fatima

Approximately 9,000 Afghan refugees continue to live in Delhi today. After years of lobbying by various NGOs, Indian government is now allowing some of these families to become naturalized citizens.

Morality Undefined

There is a man standing in the aisle a little up ahead from my seat. He is standing next to a woman, who shouts and tries to shelter the little girl next to her...

Media Besieged by Taliban in Pakistan

..recent global survey about political rights and civil liberties, Pakistan was ranked as "Partly Free" and "Not Free" in the 2009 version of Freedom of the Press.

A Prescription for the BJP's Revival

You should also take this opportunity to redefine hindutva to give priority to cleanse sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna and to rejuvenate forests dearly beloved of ancient rishis and munis.

Tale of Two Rebels

It was from Firdous market till the bridge. “Stop it�. I cried.. But at that moment I felt that there was a demon inside her.� It’s fun and stop whining�. She snubbed me with a grin on her face.

Water Scenario: Past, Present and Future of Pakistan

Per capita availability of surface water in Pakistan is gradually dwindling from 5300 cubic meter in 1951 to 1000 cubic meters in 2005 and is projected to hit less than 1000 cubic meters making Pakistan a water short country

Rise of 'The Cornered Tigers'

Emerging from the ashes like a phoenix re-born, conquering not just the game but also their nation. The Greens were crowned Champions in front of an ecstatic Lords on Sunday.

Book Review: Flight of the Falcon

Sajad Haider’s (SJ) name made headlines, both in war and peace. The former remains his legacy, faithfully revisited every September. The latter became a fleeting moment in history, which no one talks about.

Of Men and Guns

I had a dream! No, not the Martin Luther King, Jr. variety of dream! In fact, my dream was from the opposite end of the ideological spectrum. I saw Dick Cheney.

Science and Enlightenment: East and West

‘Why the West craves Materialism and the East sticks to Religion’, the essay is an unabashed (and ill informed) defense of religious orthodoxy with some awkward, and factually inaccurate, jabs at Science and Reason.

An Encounter with Green Zone Living

In every person there is a centre and at the core of this centre is the green zone.

War of Words : Swat Military Campaign

In times of war, governments create lexicon of new words to justify the war and to make it more palatable.

Watching Poverty Grow

The whole city of Karachi was without power for longer than 24 hours. Load-shedding of electricity for a few hours daily is the norm, all over the country, but consumers will see a minimum raise of one thousand rupees on their monthly bills.

She Needs to be Saved

And we'll all be guilty.
Guilty for doing nothing to find her, guilty for not challenging her abductors, guilty for remaining silent

A Trillion Dollar Halal Business

The myriad other products and services — cosmetics, real estate, hotels, fashion, insurance — that comply with Islamic law and the teachings of the Koran, and the sector is worth well over $1 trillion a year.

Waziristan Operation is a Faux Pas

Nothing in history is inevitable. If Pakistan is to be preserved the Punjabis and Pashtuns have to be friends. Its time that mistakes of the criminally opportunistic Musharraf are not repeated.

Hindu Mathematics – How Original Was It?

Plofker’s book (Mathematics in India) fulfils an important need in a world where mathematical historiography has been largely shaped by the dominance of the Greco-Christian world view and the Enlightenment period.

Ahmedinejad Wins Surprise Landslide Victory in Iran

The reaction of rich and upper middle class Iranians, specially those who are abroad is like BJP’s ‘Shining India’ group, who were shocked at their defeat in 2004 elections in India.

Martyred for Speaking Out Against the Taliban

The silent majority of ulama finally rises up against the Taliban

Cantonment in Swat : Wrong Solution

I believe the solution to the Swat problem is much simpler and less costly: well trained and well armed Police, functioning courts and elimination of status of Swat as Tribal Area

Dark Angel

The dead take no medicines, do not get admitted to hospitals and make no money for anyone. Therefore, if it can be helped, people are not allowed to die.

Bad Press

If you are pressed for time, you can get the latest news and race results on your Blackberry, and do banking on your cell phone. Should you still read the newspapers?

Obama's Regional Strategy and India

Obama has ignored India in all his important foreign policy pronouncements since taking office. Even the appointment of a US ambassador to India was given a low priority.

The Tragic fall of a Super Star

Inspired by one of Bollywood’s most famous Peshawar born personality, Yousef Khan, better known as Dilip Kumar, Ali too took a screen name of Vijay Kumar.

Pakistan Budget 2009-10

Fiscal deficit is expected to be 4.3 percent of GDP-down from 7.4 percent and the current account deficit is likely to be 5.3 percent of GDP–down from 8.4 percent last year.

Shadow of the Crescent

Are the country’s citizens Pakistanis who happen to be Muslims, or are they Muslims who happen to be Pakistanis? Which comes first, flag or faith?

Odd Jobs

So what if you ever scrubbed a toilet in a rough time or worked at a gas station or shed every sheath of your pride at a job interview? Remember, days from now, it will merely be an interesting memory for you and only you to cherish.

The Last of the Mughals

The book is mostly about the 1857 mutiny – discussing at length what brought it about, how it spread and how it ended – and Dalrymple reconstructs a chronicle of its days and months.

Child Labour in Pakistan

Child Labour is a complex problem which demands a range of solutions. There is no better way to prevent child Labour than to make education compulsory.

Seven Reasons to Kill

It is ironic that in the contemporary world, leaders of religious, spiritual and secular traditions claim that their ideologies and philosophies promote peace, but we see their followers continue to kill each other.

Me Against Myself

“Seek to win from yourself, and within yourself, rather than from the world you cannot control.�

Who Has Seen the Wind

Dadu Khan has always been sad about his name and has thought many times to change it. He still remembers the trauma and humiliation he had to suffer during his childhood days, when his school mates used to twist his name and call him Padu Khan

Obama’s Courtship of the Muslim World

President Obama inherited a Muslim world in which America became the most heinous bogey. Quite understandably then his one of the most urgent tasks was to repair the relationship between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

Plastics In Our Environs

Every time we use and throw a plastic product we contribute our share to a deadly pollution whose far-reaching and irreversible ill-effects will be borne by the generations to come.

My Children Play in the Same Playgrounds as the Desolate, Bombarded Souls

Terrorism is the root cause of all of the current atrocities that are harboring in the beautiful cities of Pakistan. But is this the same terrorism that the world speaks of?

My Grandmother ~ Obituary

I learned from you the power of humour, and how a single laugh can sometimes be more pleasing to a human heart then a carefully crafted melody.

Obama’s Promise

The speech of US President Barack Obama at the Cairo University has raised the hopes of the Muslim world for peaceful relations with the Western world.

North Korea — A Fresh Non NPT Guest Of Tri-States

Here comes North Korea – our partner Non NPT nuclear weapon state along with India and Israel – with overt Nuclear arms on display now.

Talk English, Walk English

Should Hindi be imposed instead of English? Hardly. In my opinion, no one single language should be imposed. India, for better or for worse, just isn’t a single language country.

Is TALIBANIZATION a New Phenomenon?

Media has been an effective tool in changing public opinion; earlier it was demonstrations against US drone attacks, but some clips of Talibans, beating a woman, slaughtering Pakistan army and people took a 360 degree turn.

Progression First, Philanthropy Later Or Vice Versa?

We can develop our country – our city sometime in near future as well, but presently, the unfortunate 3 million people should be the governments priority.

Sunshine

A symbolic story of a girl who wants to be free. Her wish was granted but at the cost of...great disaster.

The Shrinking Boundaries of Sikhism

The attack on a Sikh temple in Vienna brings into focus the tensions that are being created in the community in the name of maintaining the purity of the faith.

It's Yet Another Pakistani Nuclear Anniversary Today

People of North Korea gained nothing from their country’s nuclearisation. But they cannot challenge their oppressors. But, we Pakistanis — who are far freer — must ask: what have we gained from the bomb?

Various Colors of Jugni

Jugni is a narrator, a female who wanders through various lands and then sings her observations and comments about the land, the people and the events she sees.

An Eco-bag Full of News!

An empty stomach can be as much of a devil’s workshop as an empty mind. Making their clients self reliant, is therefore, as much of an objective for them as is improving their health.

Missing Link?

The discovery of Ida, or Darwinius masillae, has sparked fascination in the science world with many claiming it to be the “missing link�.

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth

Margaret Atwood proposes that debt is like air - something we take for granted until things go wrong. And then, while gasping for breath, we become very interested in it.

Delhi's Desert Adventures

In the context of growing American dominance in the Gulf, India’s rise as a major Asian power with global aspirations and the expansion of Indo-American cooperation.

Interview: Nafisa Haji

A voice of first or second generation immigrant motherhood, trying desperately to be protective by passing on fading family traditions.

Aid versus Trade, Investments and Remittances

Microfinancing, along with social entrepreneurship, is becoming an essential component of non-government efforts in Pakistan and other developing nations to empower ordinary people.

The Guantanamo Millstone

Guantanamo Detention Center and its inmates have turned out to be a millstone around the neck of the United States.

Congratulations Mr. Singh!

Kashmir conflict is inadequately represented thus far as a territorial issue. Going forward use a more accurate term; water conflict.

Angels and Demons

Even before this movie was released, the controversies had began. A priest has said that the church does not want to be associated with murders. Others allege there are anti-Catholic sentiments in the movie.

Political Slogans in Pakistan

“Hum ko Manzil Nahee Rehnuma Chaheya� means we don’t need to achieve our goals; we need only a leader, is the guiding light for MQM.

Expecting to Hate Delhi but Loving it Instead

Delhi 6, as a mainstream film needs to be appreciated for the broader context that it provides for communal tension. It also needs to be appreciated for why people were so virulent in its dismissal.

The Villain of Villains

Asif Ali Zardari is an enigma which has intrigued many for over a decade and nobody expects any relief anytime soon.

The Gods of Her Life

“What if�, she thought “She had run away with him? How life would have been with the man who loved her most?� She would have liked to grow old with Rustam.

Reasons for War in the Pakhtun Land

The situation in swat is not a local problem. It is the symptom of a bigger crisis in which Pakhtuns are going to be trapped due to neglecting the importance of sticking to the national interests of Pakhtun land.

No Quarter For Half Wits Please

Humanitarian disasters are bad because they kill people. Extremism is a menace because it kills people. Again I ask, why is there so much fuss about how we die and not how we live?

India Votes for Stability

The election sees the passing of Congress baton from mother to son. Rahul Gandhi played a prominent role as a campaigner and seems to have impressed voters with his charm, modesty and maturity.

Result 2009

Yes, it’s time to jive to Jai Ho. The big story of the day, apart from what I had for lunch, is that the Congress has swept the country, Singh is King and Sonia is our soniya.

Faran Tahir as Captain Robau in the New Star Trek Movie

South-Asians will be especially pleased to find that the film’s first image is one of their own as the striking expression of Faran Tahir.

The Ever Changing MQM

The future is likely to see support for MQM from non Urdu speaking Pakistanis, as they begin to see MQM in positive light with regards to its active role in opposing religious fundamentalism.

The Caves of Islamabad

As children, my friends and I used to be greatly fascinated by a deep and very large round hole in the ground, somewhere in the area of what is now sector f-6/1.

Why Yes: Homeless Hoes!!!

I had initially wanted to write a piece on my experiences as a stripper, I decided to take a few steps back and write about the equally sordid odd jobs I did before my debut as Rosa.

Demise of Pukhtoon Nation

Pukhtoon is bleeding to death and all my fellow countrymen are standing and watching the sad demise of this nation, thinking that Americans and Talibaan will never knock at their doors!

When Faiz was Imprisoned

His sense of guilt as a father, husband and son even made him question the moral basis of his idealistic lifestyle. In one of his letters he wonders whether idealism is one form of selfishness.

Politics As Usual

As hundreds of thousands flee the war-ravaged areas in Pakistan, a status-quo in US-Pakistan relations has been regained. US officials express no immediate danger of a collapse of the state.

Remembering the Past - 12th May 2007

On 12th May 2007 with the help of press, electronic media, and Internet blogs, the real face of MQM was exposed.

Chaos – Thy Name is Pakistan

Islam has become a sort of Pandora Box; you take out of the box whatever you want and call it Islamic. The tragic thing is that you believe that every thing else is un-Islamic.

Obama's Af-Pak Strategy

It should be clear by now that Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari who met with Obama yesterday in Washington have no concern for creating welfare in their respective countries.

Because the Doctor Said So

Let’s face it; living is all about eating and since life is short, I eat a lot. I relish all that is considered by the medics harmful. Yet, the only thing growing in my body is the belly.

In Pursuit of a Pakistani Deng Xiaopeng

Pakistan must learn from China. We must focus on developing a holistic trade policy with China. Chinese investment in Pakistan is critical.

British Wheel of Anglo-American Axis Coming Off

On April 30, in sweltering heat, after six years, Britain formally handed over control of the Iraqi port city of Basra to US Army command.

Arundhati ‘Pakistani’ and ‘Patriotic’ Right-wingers

“Shouldn’t Arundhati Roy come from Pakistan?� sarcastically asked a Delhi freelance journalist, commenting on the Facebook posting about a panel discussion, ‘Does Media Jingoism Fan India Pakistan Tensions?’

Too Good To Be True

After years of searching I have finally found my soul mate. Out of six billion people on this planet, I finally know who I will spend the rest of my life with.

Land Mafia Havens in Karachi

Once again the people of Karachi are victimized by these elements and there is no one to stop or counter them.

A Leader of Speeches Only!

Few newspapers reported that, “his wife has filed a divorce petition against him just because he spends all his nights in rehearsal of the next day speeches by standing in front of mirror that is fixed in his bedroom.�

Mohtarma Iqbal Bano (1935 to 2009): A Generational Tribute

With the passing of Iqbal Bano, the Urdu (and Persian) speaking world has lost one of its finest Ghazal singers.

No Room for Half-Truths and Quasi-Morals

If the rest of Pakistan should ever hold a mirror to their face, they should see the reflection of turbaned and bearded hooligan.

Kashf - Lifting of the Veil

Described by critics as ‘a captivating homage to a Pakistan of tolerance, grace, aspiration and good humor’, Kashf is Pakistan’s first English language film in thirty years.

Mallika Sherawat, Pamela Anderson of India

Let’s not undermine her efforts and call her a mere glamour puss. She definitely struggled but look where she has reached.

Karachi Could Bleed To Pakistan's Death

Karachi is bleeding again. Mohajirs against Pathans, MQM against ANP or the ISI against Karachi, the cycle of blood-shed has hit the city.

Obama's 100 Days of Presidency

Wipe off that smile please,
Your pleasant face does not excite me
Any more.

Not My God

The only thing which I remember till this day, were the piercings in her ears. In the next three years I would sit in her lap and would try to count them -- 5, 6, 7, 8

Speculations on Female Sexuality and Religion

Confronted with an attractive female, compounded by our lust and resulting rejection, is this fear, guilt and anger at what we cannot have possibly manifests itself in our holy books?

What's Wrong With Imran Khan?

I am tired of people like you making excuses for these barbarians. Why can’t someone like you just say what has to be said. These people are savages and don’t represent the Islam we grew up practicing.

Hangman and the Priest

It is not enough that Jamaat-e-Islami does not win votes. Their ideology has hijacked our entire parliament, our entire nation.

Urban Middle Class’s Steady Descent Into Conservatism and Religious Right

The latest stance being that terrorism is just a “reaction� and nothing else. The most banal argument is that if Pakistan stops attacking their “own� countrymen, the hardliners will throw weapons.

Militancy, a Product of Fragile Social Fabric

The major chunk of our youth population is alienated to the extent that they have least trust in state, lack in sense of belonging, alarming level of cynicism.

Sufi Muhammed...No More a Joke

It was a small headline on the back page of Roznama Jahng. My father had passed it as a joke. “Sufi Muhammed claims that if the government does not instate sharia law in Pakistan, he will attack Islamabad.�

In My Veins, In My Blood

It’s our turn; we will not remain in fear
If challenge is to come, then embrace
We will, as failures not an option

The Prevailing Sensibilities

I produced Talking Faith out of my complete conviction of demonstrating that the religious barriers can never hamper the natural ways of human living.

Taliban: The Golden Goose And The Deadly Noose

President Zardari seeking aid from the Friends of Pakistan said, “If we lose, you lose. If we lose, the world loses.� He was referring to the Taliban insurgency in Pakistan.

The Gentle Power of the Sufi Tradition

Although Sufis are now widely considered to be a Muslim sect, their history goes back to long before the advent of Islam.

There is Nothing "Mystical" about "Mystical" Experiences

If you had weak eyesight and you put on prescription glasses, and now you can see things clearer for what they are; would you think this was a mystical experiences?

The Fortuneteller

“Will I get the woman I love?� questioned the young man with a faint smile on his lips, his expression softening a bit.

The Rabbi's Daughter

Controversial due to its detailed exposure of the orthodox Judaism it is a first hand account of rediscovery of a lifestyle and faith that author Reva Mann believes is the answer she has been looking for.

The World According to Google, Hizbullah and Taliban

Whether we see them as the good guys or the bad guys, they do understand the new laws of power in this new world.

If God is the Same then Why is God Different?

The answer to this question came after many years of searching.

Pakistanis in 2009: A Thoroughly Indoctrinated Population

Obscure Swedish cartoons that are deemed blasphemous never fail to arouse our passions, but the death of thousands of our countrymen and the public flogging of our women fails to stir us to action.

Journey to Istanbul: A Travelogue and An Ode to Melancholy

Ah! Istanbul, jewel of the world, beloved city of Holy Roman Emperors and Muslim Caliphs—the very name conjured up exotic images in my mind.

YES, we can!

All great transformations are started by a small minority at a stage when there are skeptics dominating the optimists. We have to believe that there is no greater power than that of the people.

Tense Day in Delhi with Pakistani Journalists

4 guys shouting Pakistan Hai Hai, 6 random supporters variously demanding Freedom Of Speech, 10 Left Of Centre jholaas shrilling back for silence

I Muster An Illusion

I muster an illusion
In vacant hours of day,
Where life is not a challenge,
Nor death the true reward

Tharoor of Trivandrum

If there is indeed a worthy candidate standing for election from the Trivandrum seat once occupied by the legendary V.K. Krishna Menon – then it is Tharoor.

Pakistan Is Partitioned By Its National Assembly

As reported by the Geo TV website, your “National Assembly has passed the resolution in support of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 for Malakand Division.� The President of Pakistan has signed it.

Negotiating Aid Package

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Gillani may have done something historic by categorically declining to accept US aid with conditions that are not in Pakistan’s national interest.

Portraying Dera

The town (Dera Ismail Khan) with a political team having most of its members holding important slots in the government benches is still deprived of basic facilities.

Aliya and the 3 Brothers

Aliya (my then best friend) was the lucky biotch wooed and asked out by all three of these handsome brothers. Am I bitter? Why Yes!

The Dust and the Shadows

There is a hardness which descends on you like a shell when you are in India, like a protective shield except it protects nobody but you – it makes you more of your own master and less of a man.

Islamabad Nagging

The changed attitude in Islamabad reflects dissatisfaction of the military and the ruling elite, over the US demands for democracy, transparency and the sovereignty of civilian rule.

Young Turks’ Revolution for Pakistan

They will emerge and born from the lower and middle ranks of the army. The civil society activists can agitate but cannot dislodge and force the reactionary forces to retreat.

The Long Road to Talibanization

The perpetrators of religious terror in Pakistan are not just the terrorists, but also actors embedded in state and society, and neither have been made answerable.

State of Denial

Today I congratulate everyone because General Zia’a dream has been fulfilled as a teenaged girl was flogged in Swat.

Lashes to lashes, dust to dust

The Taliban existed before the drone attacks began. They existed before 9/11 happened. They were dismembering dissidents and hanging their bodies from lamp posts, long before the word Predator entered our local lexicon.

Islam vs. Islam

Mr. Swati's comments represent the general tendency among Muslims to lie defiantly every wrongdoing committed by the Muslims; and never identifying and discussing various conflicting interpretations of Islam.

A Graphic Evening In Paris

If the object doesn’t cooperate, the artist needs to adjust and, therefore, I tried several positions ranging from squatting to missionary to a reclining Buddha.

That emptiness, that nothingness, what lies beneath?

as we sit in large glass window living rooms in gated communities and mimic what we see on TV

The Other Wonders of Khanpur

Lately, we’ve seen a flurry of first-rate fiction as young Pakistani writers begin to confidently address turmoil and change in their societies in a refreshing, contemporary way.

Is There a Redeemer?

Is there some one from among the Pakistani leaders who can stop this calamitous down slide and reverse the dreadful drift?

The Stranger

Once she made sure her bedroom door was shut and securely locked, she went about her recently cultivated routine of applying lotion to, and spraying foundation onto, her legs...

Lessons From Another Lahore Tragedy

Our whole generations seem to have been sacrificed at the altar of the Afghan ‘jihad’ and now the war on terror.

Time for Introspection

Burying our head in sand like an ostrich will not get us anywhere. We need to come out of our siege mentality. The entire world is not out there to get us. The threat that we face is internal.

Standard Issue

But then there are places in the city
I have never seen
Places I have heard of.
Places not too far either.

The Healing Heart

I could not wait to let the show
Get started and enthrall us more.
But fate had marked me for her bait:
My heart is shriveled in my chest.

Living Together

Is it for taking that we give?
Is it for living that we live?
The question remains in our brain
And we look at it but do not see.

Bequeath the Rose That Beareth the Thorn

Not fragrance, not beauty
Or a dew drop's fun.
A simple vow to guard
Instead

A PVC Pipe Relationship

This sphere is not built to take loads. It is not meant to be subjected to pressures. It is built with just as much contribution from each partner so as to contain them within.

Painting in the Sikh period

It was Sikh period when the painting style started to turn from aboriginal stylized miniature style to the western realistic one and provided the foundation to the “Company Painting�

President Zardari’s Address to The Parliament

He has simply announced constitution of a committee to look into repealing the 17th amendment containing the 58-2/B clause. The same announcement he had made before becoming president of Pakistan.

USA's New Afghan Strategy

While tailor made and apparently or at least outwardly speaking neat and logical, President Obama’s policy speech on Afghanistan is vulnerable to many serious criticisms.

Mandela and His Women

Mandela’s life story highlights the dilemmas and dreams of a revolutionary and a profile of a successful guerrilla warrior.

Common Pakistanis US Foreign Policy

Common Pakistanis believe that America plans to destabilize or divide Pakistan with the help of India.

Let Me Count the Ways I Love You

Some societies practiced both polygamy and its reverse polyandry where one woman will have multiple husbands. Nairs of South India being an example of a polyandrous society.

Pakistan Faces Unprecedented Water Scarcity

There are successful examples of private citizens addressing sanitation issues on a local, community level. For instance, Dr. Akhtar Hamid Khan is the force behind Orangi Pilot Project.

Flying Home

Patriotism demands that we fly by PIA, also because no one else does. The airline must be doing fantastic business since its always fully booked regardless of date or destination.

My Younger Sister Has Died...

Death is reality of life, but sometimes it has devastating affects not for the near and dear ones of departed; but even for the ideas which prop and sustain our lives.

Jihad for the Sake of Environment

The Water Table is dying. Without constant cooperation now the Earth will begin to die bit by bit. Like the Vedanta Brahman, all Humanity is One. The Earth is One. The People are One.

My November Rain

One's personality could be judged by choice of tea. “Light� for the kind, shy girl and “Strong� for the ambitious guy. And yours truly-Regular. As always. Life could truly be this simple.

Obama's Feeler for Peace between Iran and the U.S.

In the context of the Middle East political muddle, President Obama can not simply write off Iran because it has become central to any political development in the region.

The Virulet Virus of Wahhabi Intolerance

Wahhab seems to have understood the tremendous power of hatred to unite and inflame its followers in an intensely determined war against its declared enemies.

A Marriage Market, Full Of Lemons

As I sat there, listening to stories of failed love, broken marriages, cheating partners and those insisting that they did not have time to mingle, I could not help but think about George Akerlof.

The Tablighi and the Doctor Hop a One-Way Plane

It just doesn’t seem right when uncles and aunties argue in their jaded accents that the country is imploding - while sipping coffee in their 24 hour patrolled neighborhoods in Houston and Toronto.

My Failed Independence

It was raining. It was too cold, with every drop, I kept thinking. What was I doing here? Here in this damp city, which I secretly liked.

The Book Fair Chronicles

Calcutta. The word holds a magic charm for me- permeates my senses, brings on a sense of belonging, identity and a pride which has nothing to do with the less-than-perfect state of the city.

Company Style: Indian Painting under the British Rule

Under western influence and out of the centuries old tradition of native convention of miniature painting ‘company style of painting’ evolved with local artists working for company projects.

White Bride

They called it the ‘White Bride of the Mediterranean’ and it is still one of the most charming and peaceful places Marino knows.

Speechless

I am thinking of him tonight and the universe seems to mourn the death of our love. I don’t talk to him anymore. There is nothing left to say.

Recipe for a God

During these tough economic times, one will be surprised to know that the only industries that have witnessed surges are religious outlets, astrologers, witch doctors.

Section 144

From the avenues of power
Deployed they section 144,
To stop and to arrest,
The human conscience
And will of millions

Izzatdar - The Respected

They beat her up badly, and decided that she be married in the first instance after her iddat of three months, as Khan threw his turban in the feet of her uncle to save his honor.

Foreign Worker Expulsions Hit South Asia

As the global economic crisis continues to take its toll in US, Europe, Middle East and East Asia, South Asian workers overseas are being let go in large numbers.

Save Pakistan!

Skeptics will say that there is no future left for Pakistan. They are wrong. Pakistan certainly has a future; it is every single one of us. It is you, and it is me.

Phantom Passengers

Some time ago I witnessed with horror how wantonly a 12 year old bus 'page-boy' was hit by the bus conductor for having negligently given the signal to move the bus prematurely.

Pakistan - The Audacity of Collective Hope, The Struggle for an Ideal

People of Pakistan, there are challenges before us. The colossal size of these threats is vast. But we do have the capacity to turn the tide in our favour.

Democracy, Pakistan Style

Unlike 1990s, when demonstrations were carried out by PPP or PML hired thugs, today’s rallies are full of people, Pakistani citizens demanding accountability and full restoration of democracy.

How Long Could He Hold the Avalanche?

In this nerve shattering political battles first against former president Musharraf, and now against president Zardari, the lawyers have emerged victorious consequently.

Pakistan's Long March to Democracy or Chaos

Supporting Pakistan’s recurring cast of rogues, both Pakistanis and the U.S. now risk playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette with drastic rise in extremism igniting the AF/PAK region.

If the Deal in Swat Works

Swat will be a lesson for other regions of the country. It has already given the message that in Pakistan one can make his demand accepted only through the means of guns and brute power.

Little Zizou

Mira Nair has always presented thoughtful movies. This one has an added dimension of entertainment. Watch 'Little Zizou' to know what you have been missing in life - a good laugh.

Long March Poem

In all these years in our memory
In all these moments in our sight
Never that rapture or passion
Never there was a moment
To unite for purpose and oppression
To break this silence, to protest
For our rights, until now

Long March - A Long View Analysis

Long-festering tensions between the PPP and PML-N came to a head with a Supreme Court ruling of Feb 25 barring Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from holding elected office.

A Brief Survey Of Pakistani Novels In English

Should we include those writers, like Khushwant Singh, who were born, brought up and educated in areas which are now in Pakistan but later migrated to what is now India?

Insha'Allah: An Evening Walk in the Time of Terror

Ma! Terror reigns In each corner. Every criminal Has armed himself Using the name of Allah. Or if not that-Freedom. Or better still-Revolution.

Hindutva's Paradox

With general elections in India around the corner, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently promised to a construct a temple in Ayodhya if elected to power.

Dealing with Losses

Top 5 things you can do (but don't have to) when you see the TSX (and your savings) dropping like the temperature in winter or like a stone in water.

Guerrilla Warriors...Freedom Fighters or Terrorists?

Are they motivated by love or hate? Do they promote peace or violence? Are their leaders progressive or regressive? Do they take their communities to a higher or a lower level of human evolution?

Happy Effing VD to you too!

So here I am. Out of town on a work conference with my boss. In yet another comfy bed. The large windows on my hotel room paint a pretty picture of downtown Seattle. Bright, enticing.

God of Many Needs

I am infinite
I am a god;
Self-sufficient
Creator
Shaper
Destroyer

Fatima Jinnah: A Beacon Of Hope

When I think about what does being a Pakistani woman mean to me, I think of Fatima Jinnah’s aspirations. But do those aspirations come into the minds of ordinary Pakistani women?

Mr Zardari is Fighting a Losing Battle

Ironically, more people have been killed by Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan than by the three “enemies� of Pakistan (India, America and Israel) put together. But no one talks about this.

The Stone Age has Come

Ideas may give birth to nations but ideas do not sustain them. Ideologies are the province of well-fed stomachs, warm beds and loving embraces.

Doha Educates

Qatar is a small country that has staked its future on education but it seems that this important initiative is paying off.

Nightingale of Pukhtoonwala: Rehman Baba

The old Pushtu poet
Carried in his words,
The echoes of peace and music

Movie Reviews: 13b, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge, Karma Aur Holi

Must say, it is a 3-in-1 treat, which you should enjoy at your own leisure. All provide entertainment and enjoyment in their own way.

Tent Cities In The USA

As the economic downturn continues, the tent cities are emerging in various places like California, Nevada, Ohio, West Virginia and Georgia.

Crumbling Away

As the first rain of winters lashed across the city, I, with a couple of colleagues and a photographer, set out to discover the Walled City of Lahore and the Gates that ‘protect’ it.

Out at Liberty Market

Let the people of Lahore march peacefully in protest on Liberty and fly the Sri Lankan flag on the streets. And let the cricketing lions of Lahore, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, lead that march.

Mangalore vs Kolkata

In Mangalore the issue was of the freedom for women to visit pubs without intimidation by religious zealots. In Kolkata the issue was the right of a newspaper editor to publish a reasoned academic critique of religious fundamentalism

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Another day, another catastrophe in Pakistan. For all intent and purpose international cricket is done in Pakistan for years to come, you can put a fork in it.

Study Of Terrorism

Is terrorism determined by socio-political, psychological and economic forces or springs from individual? What can we learn from theories of Durkheim, Faisal Devji, Walter Benjamin

Attack on Sri Lankan Team

From the pictures, seen by all of us, we have observed, that there was serious lapse of security due to lack of compliance on part of PCB and law enforcement agencies.

Who Keeps the Deadly Duo in Business

Salman Taseer now rules supreme in Punjab, reporting, every so often, to Zardari who now rules supreme from his hideout in the President’s House.

Lahore Terror Attack Targeting Sri Lankan Team: Who is behind it?

The killing of five policemen and two others in Lahore blows the lid off the security arrangements in the city, especially at a time when the Sri Lankan team was visiting the city.

Reflections on Aasiya Hassan's Murder and Domestic Violence

On Feb. 12th, Aasiya Hassan was discovered beheaded in the television station office where she and her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, strove to show Muslims in a positive light.

Demystifying Slumdog

Any film about the ‘East’ that gains recognition at the global level (read: Western), must fit the frames constructed by the West, frames that deny the ‘East’ a place in ‘modernity.’

Fitna : The Proverbial Dutch Foot

Response to Geet Wilders Speech 2008 on Dutch Movie, Fitna

This Charade Should End Once For All

Mr 10 percent (Zardari) had played his cards pretty well. He not only got the most powers as a civilian president but also outplayed and out manoeuvred his opponents.

Al-Aah: The Lover's Sigh

They have tried hard to tell me you don't exist,
That you are a figment of my imagination
And what is my imagination?

Suicide Prevention in Pakistan

While official stats are lacking, it has been possible to calculate rates of suicide in at least six different cities of Pakistan (Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Faislabad and Larkana).

Mother of All Speeches

After eight years that degenerated every aspect of American life, America is certainly fortunate for having a leader of the ability and talent of Barack Obama to lead the nation.

The Outliers of Bollywood

With the passage of time, many filmi families have come into being. But in the last eighty years, it has always been an Outsider, who ruled the masses.

Is Neo-Miniature Ethnic or Foreign Import

History of miniature in our part of the world in its true sense of a progressive hybrid of myriad cultures from vast expanses of world, in particular, Ancient Indian, Persian, and Classical European.

Self and Architecture

Open your doors, roll up your blinds. Let air, light and noise drop in. They mark life. After all, you do want your Taj Mahal to be something more than a cemetery!

Truce Or Capitulation?

These Talibs, like cancer that spreads deep in the body, are now not only in Swat, but everywhere else too. In Peshawar and Islamabad and Lahore there is a palpable feeling that the evil is lurking somewhere in the shadows watching.

Unemployment Woes

I have become a cook; I cook for family and they love it; something that I have been missing for a long time which is spending time with my family.

Pakistan, Can You Hear Me?

Pakistanis come out on the streets to protest against the Taliban, against violence and against the murder of their own people. And for peace and dignity and friendship with their neighbors.

Collision of Cultures

The evening's highlight was the band "Call" from Lahore. Suddenly people began running away from the main gate. I went forward and found 20 to 50 middle-aged bearded men in shalwar-qameez.

Slumdog Success Brings Focus on Child Poverty

After the well-deserved success of the well-made Slumdog movie, will the lives of poor children in Mumbai improve?

Islamic Justice or Talibanisation of Pakistan

The Swat agreement between the provincial government of NWFP and the Taliban led by Maulana Sufi Mohammad is of greater significance than what the government has perceived.

Blow Daddy

You seem to like wars, son.
Yes. I like to watch them on TV.
But real wars are fought outside the TV, son.
Really? How is that possible? What sort of a war is that?

How it Became Bakistan

A brief political history of Pakistan, from Jinnah’s idealism to Bhutto’s socialism and from dictatorships to present day Islamic fundamentalism.

Elderly Suicide: Breakdown of Traditional Support System

One had heard of younger people committing suicide in such a drastic manner, but now even the elderly? With a breakdown in the family based traditional support system, things are unravelling.

Delhi 6 (Dilli CHHE) - Aage Nahin PEECHHE

The spirit of Purani Dilli is missing. Its spirit lies in the hearts of its people. Sadly, filmi actors cannot even come close to it.

Pen-Pals

I was a young, sheltered girl ready to see the world and live a crazy life of anonymity. I made my plans for college. Plans to shave my head and dye my hair electric blue.

Pubs, Liquor Shops and Women Empowerment

CPLFW: Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women. Should we take it that these women believe going to pubs and having sex outside marriage as a matter of right?

Modern Burlesque Fantasy: A Matter of Eating Sour Grapes

“These cash and carry chains would destroy our business; nay they are already destroying it.� A familiar sentence uttered by every maja, sheeda and meeda living in the shadow of mount doom of modern world.

Sun Running the Cells

According to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), one of the foremost challenges Pakistan will be facing in future is the supply of adequate energy.

In Honor of the Heroes of Swat

Despite being targeted a number of times by the Taliban in Swat, he has refused to leave his hometown. He, along with his near and dear ones, continue living and defying the militants.

Oh My God

Every few days Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs or barbers pop up out of nowhere claiming that their sensibilities have been hurt.

Taliban Cloud Moves to Pakistan

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik recently took many by surprise with his belated public acknowledgement that the Mumbai attacks of Nov. 2008

Book Review: Daniyal Mueenuddin "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders"

Finally, a major publication by a talented young Pakistani with an eye for Pakistan's rural society and an ear for its rural dialects.

Leadership Crisis of South Asia

Asking people to choose from amongst the likes of Narendra Modi, Bal Thackeray, Sheikh Hasina Wajid, Khaleda Zia, or the assorted Nehru-Gandhis, Sharifs, Chaudhries is an exercise in futility.

Wake Up Already!

“What happened to the dream of a girl president? She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent� ... they are destroying what took the women before them an eternity to gain.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not...

What are we doing? Here we are spending most of our time together. Endless hours spent talking about everything under the sun, and yet you insist on having no strings attached.

Solving the Afghan Puzzle

President Obama’s surge in Afghanistan might bring a reduction in civilian casualties and collateral damage from air strikes, but there are several important factors that threaten this strategy.

With Drops of Jupiter in Her Hair

Astrology misleads the public, constantly denounces scientific development and belittles human intelligence.

Khalid Hasan, Manto, and Kala Kola

A lifelong journalist, he observed people minutely, and commented upon them playfully and bluntly. His satire was particularly reserved for people with puffed up egos.

No More Gods

The surgeons were no more “God� but they remain some of the most respected, courageous and wisest of doctors and persons from whom one can learn.

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land

Although Jimmy Carter couldn’t fully accomplish his peace project in the holy land during his tenure as president, it was not for want of his serious efforts.

How Greed Ruins Academia

Naked greed is now destroying the moral fibre of academia. Professors across the country are clamoring to lift even minimal requirements that could assure quality education.

Let's Celebrate Darwin's Anniversary Year

According to the clips I have seen on the Internet, the focus is on the misconceptions and fears that people have had about the Darwin's "Dangerous" Theory.

The Nightmare Must End

Today, Pakistan bears the brunt of the Taliban fallout, thanks to short-sighted Pakistanis and Americans who thought routing the Taliban militarily in Afghanistan would ‘root out the evil’.

In memory of the Swat valley

One has to go no further than the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar to hear the tales of woe of the people of Swat and other parts of the NWFP.

Gone in 42 Seconds

Gama was the last great Indian wrestler to storm the wrestling pits of Old Europe but he was not the first. As early as 1892, Karim Baksh defeated English champion, Tom Cannon.

In Search of Political Will: Fight Against Militants in Swat

Not only the state of Pakistan has the right to take arms against these elements but rather has a duty to curb these elements with all of its might.

President Obama’s Political Style: Tips For India

There is an urgent need on India’s part to replace rhetoric with merit based arguments. Convincing discussions based on facts and supported by logical arguments.

The Smile of Dinah

She seems gazing at me with a mockingly triumphant smile, head drenched in blood, eyes fixed upon me as if saying, ’You are a lair, dastard, unfaithful retard.’

Congress Party's Dilemma

What can Manmohan Singh do to avoid a war but still pander to the rampant anti-Pakistan sentiment among the masses.

In the Gallery Of Pakistan

What had happened here? All those pictures were mutilated as if some anti-art psychopath was unleashed. There was blood, hate, violence and death written with bold letters everywhere.

Imagine Life Without Government

The mobile phone company was responsible for providing me a service for Rs. 85 it had charged. The government on the other hand was not accountable to me at all, for the Rs. 15

Obama's Surge in Afghanistan: An Indian's view of Opium trade

Why such importance to this tiny country. The Jihadies have already gone into the caves of Wazirstan. Then Why? Is it the poppy and heroin trade?

Humanity at a Crossroads

Humanity is passing through an adolescent phase as is at a crossroads. All of us have to make certain choices. We can choose the path of collective suicide or the path of peace and harmony.

A Third View

Bendre had come to Mumbai to see his son. Suddenly, a Marathi movement against north Indians in Mumbai rose to peak level fueled by politicians and there were violent scenes in Mumbai.

MOLE - All About Your Future And Personality

No, no, no. I am not writing about the furry mammal or a spy/undercover agent or the Avogadro’s Number or a Mexican spicy sauce or a breakwater.

Fond Reminiscence

So now, there is a fondness in reminiscing those moments, in the same way an old sweater of a loved one is breathed in deeply, a photograph touched with the fingertips

A Proven Approach to Make Pakistan's Defence Impregnable

If there are no internal or external threats, there are no enemies. No enemies, no conflict. But how could such an ideal goal be achieved in Pakistan where tensions are so high?

Torture me, hurt me, yes...yes...YES!!!

He sits perched on the edge of the bed in another seedy hotel, dragging on an endless string of cancer sticks, from my corner under the sheets I gaze despondently.

Jammin' at the Jive

A cruise for every scud
Doom for every dud
It’s all about staying alive
Beats your normal 9-5
Jammin’ at the jive.

Black is Beautiful and Michelle Obama

If black would now become beautiful and fashionable. It is unlikely to create any change in the deeply ingrained fair colour obsession of India's higher castes.

Memories of Abid

I remember seeing him on my first day at the copper mines and my fourteen year old mind decided that I was to become a magician.

A Muslim’s Memo to Obama: Words Cannot Camouflage Cluster Bombs

If President Obama wishes to repair relations with the Muslim world and help isolate Islamic extremists, he is going to have to reign in anti-Muslim extremists.

What Happened To Tania?

Tania! My daughter… Our dream daughter, Sara’s and mine. It’s been six months now since she had gone. Where and why, I don’t know?

First 11 Months of PPP Government

Overall inflation has touched 25 per cent and the US dollar has gone up from Rs 62 to Rs 81, a near 36 per cent increase.

Slumdog Millionaire ... what should movies be like

Should cinema expose harsh truth or should it portray a carefully sanitized picture of society? This question has again come to the fore front with release of Slumdog Millionaire

Afghanistan Strategic Choices for USA and Regional Actors

The distinction between Islamist and non Islamists is being fast transformed into US versus Anti US Forces.

Compromised Freedoms

untamed confessions
Driving out…
knotted wounds…
And healing…
Compromised freedoms

In Search Of Manwel Dimech

The Medieval Knights and stories of the siege make nice tourism, but what about the original inhabitants of this island nation, which has the oldest free standing structure known to mankind?

How Sacred is Life ?

If the government accepts the recommendation of legal reform submitted by Kerala Law Reforms Commission, Kerala will become India's first state to legalize euthanasia.

Gaza: A New Awakening in the American-Arab Youth

During the election campaign many discussions centered on why Muslims have no voice in the campaign. Some analysts concluded it was because Muslims are not part of the ‘American story’.

Obama Inauguration Brings Hope, Scepticism

The message of hope that he symbolised resonated with Pakistanis - though some shrugged it off as part of a system that is unlikely to change.

Bye Bye Preemptive Wars

It remains to be seen how good will Obama’s administration turn out; one thing is certain though that the wheel has started turning up after reaching the lowest point.

Gone Are Those Days Sweetie

When going out shopping to Hyatabad was considered a family picnic, when sitting at a road side Khokha was considered to be safe and fun among your friends.

World Bank Help For Pakistan’s Education – A Poisoned Chalice?

What Pakistan needs from the Bank is help for improving the dilapidated infrastructure of ordinary colleges where the bulk of Pakistani students in higher education study, not more half-baked universities.

Economic Crisis: The Challenge & Opportunity for Barack Obama

He had a credible policy for new social order and seemed sensitive to plight of millions who fell by the wayside. Is he willing to rise up to his Gandhian vision?

Why Be Good?

The question is why do we strive to be good? Believe it or not, the answer lies in our genetic make up.

Scylla or Charybdis?

From terrorist attacks in India to insurgency in Afghanistan, from nuclear proliferation to radicalization of Islam, every thing is “exported� by us; it’s strange that still our GDP is going down.

Human Trafficking: The Great Commodity Exchange

While no comprehensive study of forced and bonded labour can ever be completed, there are estimates that the trafficking “industry� touches 20 to 65 million Indians.

That Blue Dove

Adapted from Ashfaq Ahmed’s Aik Mohabbat Sau Afsanay : Neeli Churiya

Civil Society Pleads for Peace

As tensions between Pakistan and India continue to see-saw, citizens in both countries are stepping up efforts for peace through initiatives

Gaza

The sirens are heard
In the background
As few more
windows turn to
Splinters

Growing Up

I was ready to be impressed with anybody who lived in such a majestic dwelling, but this man was impressive anyway. Tall, dark, old...

Heed Tariq Ali's Voice

A veteran on the South Asian scene, Ali has clinically diagnosed the post-partition developments with a sympathetic mind without losing the desired element of objectivity.

Satyam Scandal and Misgivings of Business Management Education

The controversial independent director on the board of Satyam Computer Services, N. Mohan Rao, was the dean of the high profile Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.

Abused Husbands

Since abuse in many men is far more emotional than physical or sexual, they generally do not come to the attention of police and mental health professionals.

Cathartic Militarism

Threats of bankruptcy and widespread anarchy in the nation and the prospect of war with India has instilled a deep feeling of euphoria and panic in citizens of Pakistan.

Palestinians Look for a Sliver of Hope in Obama Presidency

It appears Obama is reconsidering his earlier stance to take into account the historical background of the Middle East situation.

Story of Srinivas Ramanujan

The only man rated a perfect 100, the man who was in G. H. Hardy’s mind among the greatest mathematicians of all-time was Srinivas Ramanujan.

The Palestinian Puzzle

Israel and the Western world has projected Israel as a peace loving country; they pretend Arabs are the trouble shooters who don't want peace, the reality is however quite complex.

Swat Calls For Civil Society to Act

Government writ is a faded vision; elected councilors and Nazims are killed, women no more allowed to visit bazaars; markets are deserted, police stations vacated.

A Guantanamo Diary

The question that comes through strongest in reading M.R. Khan’s book “My Guantanamo Diary� is – how can a system supposedly full of safeguards go so wrong so quickly for so long?!

Terrorism Unveiled

Once again, the Israelis bomb the starving and imprisoned population of Gaza. The world watches the plight of 1.5 million Gazans live on TV and online.

Babel

“Babel� is the best word that describes the present situation in South Asia. Have we solved issues like poverty, unemployment, malnutrition that we want to go to war?

India-Pakistan: Hope for Prisoners Despite Ongoing Tensions

The announcement that India is in the process of repatriating 65 Pakistani nationals brings fresh hope to hundreds incarcerated in prisons across each other’s countries.

The Many Colors of Indian Corruption

Unless the complex multi layered system of Government inherited from the British is simplified, corruption will continue to thrive.

Year 2008 in Review-Pakistan

It began with Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari taking over the reigns of Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan's largest political party, and ended with rising tensions in South Asia.

Vijay Tendulkar: A Voice Against Misogyny

It seems as if these social structures - like in Pakistan and India - are bound to torture its inhabitants, especially women.

Journey to the Center of Our Souls

Jerusalem was considered the fountain of wisdom because of the shared knowledge of our three traditions. I hope and pray we will one day learn to share that knowledge again.

Time’s Man of the Year 2008 – Barack Hussein Obama

Half the people in America had never heard of him two years ago – that even his campaign manager, at the outset, wasn’t sure Obama had what it takes to win the election.

Thereek-e-Televiban: A Short History

Thereeka-e-Televiban (TT) – also called the Cable TV-Mujahids- is a militant organization operating in the cities of Pakistan. It is a collection of various radical groups.

An Old Man, an Ima and the 'green chili pickle' Woman

There is weariness to the soul and those images that seared my heart and mind for 70 long hours are now clamoring to be understood and their significance internalized and understood.

Al - Basir : The All Seeing

And the last day she came to learn about God, the monster would just not let her go no matter how hard she tried to escape his grip.

The Other Side

There is not much value in trying to judge the world and maybe slightly more in trying to change it. But real power lies in understanding people around us and their motivations.

The Magician

In long flowing saris, sporting mangal-sootar and sindoor these angelic bahus are seen suffering, sacrificing, being victimized in short everything a sane and normal woman would never do.

Creepy Chemicals

This Holiday season, toys containing harmful phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors, will fill up the shelve space in the markets.

The Fo Factor

Rahat Kazmi on Radical Socialism; Jungle Main Mangal Bazaar, adaptation of Fo’s play, Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

The Mumbai Terror Apologists

Whether or not other Muslims agree with their actions, the first step is to admit the existence of Pakistan-based Islam-inspired terror.

Introspection – Pakistan and Terrorism

Isn’t dispensing power to non state actors a crime against the state itself, and those who committed it should be brought before the court on the charges of high treason.

Man And The Sun

For these troubling times, a dialogue between the morning sun and a man on a mountain about what is the essence of a human being.

Dreamland Dubai

One of my last acts in Dubai was to visit Sitwah, a sort of Little Pakistan (but with a good number of Indian businesses as well) in the shadows of skyscrapers.

Verification of the String Theory – The Dooms Day Gets Postponed

The collider will provide data that will enable the physicists to understand how the universe began to exist among several other important issues that have eluded verification.

Open Letter to all Pakistanis: Bombay, Faridkot and Us

No matter how legitimate one's grievance or cause, it does not sanction violence aimed at unarmed civilian populations far removed from the cause itself.

In Search of Identity : Tribal Warriors

We have to shed our colonial identity imposed on us and undertake a fresh challenge, an IDENTITY-altering venture that allow us to paint the happenings and experiences of our existence and our dreams.

Ajmal Amir Kasab – Right to Defence?

In a solid show of patriotic zeal and indignance, the Bombay Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court Bar Association has passed a resolution restraining its members from taking up the case.

Mirror, Mirror

The electronic media in Indian and Pakistan is simply reflecting the paranoia and politics of a class of people that became an important economic plank in the economics of consumerism

The Mumbai Massacres And Pakistan’s New Nightmares

An interview with Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, chairman of the physics department Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, and member of the Permanent Monitoring Panel on Terrorism of the World Federation of Scientists.

A Just War?

If defensive war is found to be just, there is moral imperative to wage it; even if one is morally against war itself. Case regarding Pakistan's role in Mumbai attacks.

One Hour From Midnight

If the people clamour for more stringent laws, the government is bound to heed. After all, no political party can be trusted to resist a demand for a police state.

Do Not Wash This Blood; Do Not Wipe This Tear: Get Angry

Change the system, change the governing tools, change the consitution, change the laws, change the criminal jurisprudendec system and dump the politicians of present variety.

Sharp-Eyed View of a Mohajir

These immigrants (in Bengal and Sindh) were to play a great role both in the development of these provinces and also in generating political instability.

Zardari: An Emerging South Asia Statesman?

The article 'The Terrorists Want to Destroy Pakistan, Too' by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, published in NYT on December 9, 2008 is significant in many ways.

Evil Walks the World Today

Pakistanis are in denial and Indians are baying for blood and pointing a finger across the border at Pakistan as the source of the murderous plan.

How to Stop Terrorism: Appeal to Advani

Terrorism cannot be fought or prevented by mere expansion of our firepower. To attack it, we need to attack the tools of terrorism and roots of terrorism.

No Short Cuts to End Terrorism

There was such a huge feeling of outrage against the lapses of the intelligence and security services, the custodians of law as well as all the politicians and officials.

Ayodha , Dec 06

December the 6th is a day to weep as the day when some of our own people decided that the unpalatable parts of our history eserve to be physically annihilated.

Nothing Queer About It

Homosexuality is demonstrated in all species from fruit flies to donkeys. Humans are no exception to this rule and the fact is that sexual orientation is an inborn combination.

Kashmir: Any Closer to Solution?

Creation of “soft borders� allowing the free movement of goods and people as a symbolic first step towards a closer cohesion between the two units of the Himalayan state.

Pleas For Sanity as Sabres Rattle Over Mumbai Mayhem

Angry condemnations lead us nowhere; political demands may make vote-catching politicians rethink strategies, but we need to create space, think things out in the long term…

The Future of Indo Pak Conflict

What are the chances of peace being established between Pakistan and India?

Mumbai Wounded

Yet amidst death,
The goodness of humanity, triumphed
Unknown brave hearts
Shielded strangers, fellow beings

I Am A Pakistani

(India, America) These are countries that I carry in my heart but do not carry their passports. I am a threat to the safety of their people. I am a threat to my friends.

India-Pakistan: Empathy, grief in Pakistan for Mumbai mayhem

The Mumbai attacks, hitting in the midst of the fifth round of the ongoing composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, are likely to have wide-ranging repercussions for India and Pakistan relations

Proud to be an Indian

Like the memorial to the Unknown Soldier; we need a way to honor the unknown citizens of all hues – the ones who really make us proud to be Indian

Karachi Riots! Who is responsible

This silence shown by the government on the aggravated law and order situation is beyond comprehension.

An Indian Muslim

The Indian Muslim doesn’t need people killing in his name. He needs reform. The community is one of the most backwards in India, and largely the blame has to be shouldered by itself.

Terror in Mumbai.....and also in 'Bannu or somewhere'

Also in ‘Bannu or somewhere’?? What does that mean? That the premier of this country was not briefed about a bomb blast. Or that it has become so routine that one does not care to know the complete facts.

Mumbai Attacks: Shocking

This kind of terrorism is unforgivable and must be condemned unilaterally in no uncertain terms, in all forms, in all contexts.

A Big, Decadent Pakistani Wedding

Pity the nation whose rich spend recklessly on decadent weddings but won’t spare few dimes to alleviate suffering of the down-trodden. Pity that nation, for it is a dying nation.

A Day At The Tempe Mosque

In 1984 a wealthy student from Saudi Arabia studying at ASU brought a lot of funds from his family to build the mosque. No one at the mosque seems to remember his name.

In Transit at Dubai International

The announcements for boarding were heard. We said goodbye! Friends and workers in transit, with common threads and links, sharing and learning at Dubai International.

Khuda Hafiz Faraz Sahib

It was late when I drove back to Sacramento that night but Faraz Sahib appeared to me to be as fresh as a morning breeze and completely in his element.

Sexless and Loveless Marriages

Many people are surprised how the same routine life that provides stability and security starts to kill creativity, spontaneity and love. When monogamy turns in monotony.

History & Origins of Pakistan's Nuclear Program

By September 1976 one hundred acre site near Kahuta was personally selected by Dr. A.Q. Khan. Kahuta’s secretive work was known as Project 706.

Terror Unlimited

I Hope that God’s wrath doesn’t fall on Punjab because we, the inhabitants of NWFP, are truly suffering from the wrath of militants and other criminal elements, terror unlimited as I call it.

The Taliban and Our National Interest!

The Pakistani Taliban is not an ideological but an opportunistic anarchic group. The farrago of Sharia is a cover to step up recruitment to create anarchy in FATA and NWFP.

Child Labour – Legislation Alone not Enough

The Government of India has always been committed to the elimination of child labour. Enforcement or even a workable machinery to implement the policies seems to be lacking.

Leprosy : The Shadow Lingers

Medically, leprosy is detected early and thanks to a multi drug regime, cured early too. And yet piles of archaic legislation keep those infected on the margins of society.

Hop Aboard the Interfaith Express

Ironically, the main organizers of Interfaith conference at UN was His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, country with the worst record in history on religious tolerance.

The Indian Obama!

The question 'Can India produce an Obama' carries significance in the context of the Happydent White television commercial doing rounds on Indian channels since August or so.

Cricket: Afridi is Our Future

Don’t write him off as a dumb cricketer. He has a fantastic cricketing brain. As a baller and on the field. And he is seasoned. 12 years. He’s the most experienced player on Pakistan team right now.

Thought for Food and Food for Thought

In last sixty minutes, while earth rotated around it’s axis for about 1,000 miles on the same planet 1,000 people died because of hunger.

The Correct Turn

Like most movements of the 20th Century that adopted what is called Political Islam as its calling card, the Kashmir militancy too collapsed under its own weight.

Politics of PPP and Asif Zardari

Asif Zardari led government today is an extension of Mushraff’s government; authenticating Mushraff’s policies regarding war on terror and shifting the pendulum of power from Punjab to Sindh

G-8: RIP?

The G-8 meeting will take place in Italy next year as scheduled but all eyes will be on the April meeting of G-20

Urdu News Columnists and Anchors -- should we always believe them?

Personal opinions and biases are presented as news; commentators state inferences and perceptions as facts, often peddle half-baked ideas and folklore as received truths.

Revival of Dastan Goi

The going-away of this art was so unnoticable that the last known dastan go "Mir Baqir" is said to have died in Delhi in extreme poverty, after reverting to selling 'Paan' as his livelihood.

Delhi Belly

There’s something about the human brain which makes one terribly curious when one hears the words “bathroom mein jet hain�.

The Muslim Protagonist and the Past Three Years

What better a movie to begin with than Rang De Basanti? RDB will stand out for long as ‘The Generation X Movie’ in the annals of Bollywood.

Phoenix In Green

Just as I had swept ODI cricket, specially Pakistan cricket under the rug of ancient "feel good" memories, the Pakistan and West Indies match turns out to be a smasher and a half.

Hail Obama

Surely you, who are a veritable crossroads yourself, black, white, Muslim, Kenyan, Indonesian, American and under 50, you can see further than others have been able to.

Ways of the Taliban

Its tradition of gory acts of public beheading, suicide bombings and acts of terrorism is rapidly unmasking the Taliban in NWFP and swinging public opinion against them.

Sonal Shah to Help Divide Obama's Victory Spoils

It is ironic that both Emanuel and Shah, with close ties to far-right politics in Israel and India, have become part of the supposedly liberal elite assembled by the Obama campaign

Will we ever learn?

The wise men of PCB and their cronies as usual, has started a smear campaign against the outgoing Chairman, Dr. Nasim Ashraf and “his� men who were asked to leave PCB.

Effects of Climate Change and Bio-Energy

In Asia, temperatures are expected to rise 2-8 degrees Celsius in next 8-10 years affecting climatic variations like decreased rainfall, crop failures and more floods.

Against Zardari's Pakistan

When a people become this apathetic, they forfeit the right to a decent life. They have made their peace with the circumstances and deserve no struggle in their name.

The Way Out

Much of the responsibility for the failure in Pakistan rests with the people themselves who have not played their part in protecting their rights.

Singur and the Small Entrepreneur in India

Thank you, Mr. Tata. 10 years ago, for another magazine and on television, I predicted how the Tata Indica would change the face of the small car scene in India. It did.

Off With Test Cricket's Head

Allen Stanford, mention this name around puritan English cricket fans and you would probably get the equivalent of a mental wedgie these days.

Yes we can, Obama!

We are not demanding of Obama to perform a miracle, but seems, and people across the world would agree, that Obama will leave a better world when he leaves the White House than what he confronts today.

It’s Not the Economy, Stupid!

From the march in Alabama to the victory speech in Grant Park, the nation has come this far in such a short span of time is nothing hosrt of a miracle.

The Psyche of Al-Qaeda

To have a better understanding of the psyche of Al-Qaeda we need to understand the ideology, personality and political strategy of the organization’s leaders as well as the followers.

New US President Must Review Pakistan Policy

Tensions between the United States and Pakistan -- on the eve of the keenly-watched U.S. Presidential elections -- accompanying a visit by U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus

The Capture of Christianity

No execution in human history has been as minutely researched as the crucifixion of Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago. There has also been no myth like the story of his resurrection

Live In

“The world outside the campus is very cruel. There are people who pass sarcastic remarks or start giving patronizing advice regarding my job, career, potential marriage� she told as they sat together

Illegal Border Crossing, Is There a Solution?

Hailing from the NWFP in Pakistan, Nasir crossed the border in his zeal to make it to Bollywood and meet his hero Sharukh Khan. Instead he was apprehended by the Border Security Force

Obama is Better for Jinnah's Pakistan

The only group of people in Pakistan that benefits from a Republican administration is the group of people that sides with and encourages military coups in Pakistan.

Momin Khwaja Case: Canada's Anti-Terrorism Law Tested

Khwaja could not have been proven guilty of criminal charge and would have gone scot-free without the anti-terror legislation; By Oct 29 ruling, he is likely to get life imprisonment.

Through Bloodshed and Tears

It was the year 1984. The Anti-Sikh massacre was taking place in India after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31 by her two Sikh guards.

Balochistan Quake Survivors Await Relief

At least 200 people are believed to be dead so far, a number expected to rise as many remain trapped under collapsed houses in scattered hamlets.

Reckoning Time for HEC

The new HEC head, yet to be appointed, has a difficult task ahead. One hopes that he or she will have the dynamism and eloquence of Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, but not the flaws.

US Elections: Watching the Watch-dog

Media and pollsters are calling the shots in US elections whereas candidates and people continue to make up their minds from day to day election messages and changing realities.

Ridiculing Religion or Religion of Ridicule

One leaves the theater with a strong sense that Bill Maher is rallying the atheists in a battle cry.

Global Recession and China

Decoupling, the theory that Chinese economy is independent and is not dependent upon USA and EU market has been tested severely under the after math of the recent financial crisis

Hindu Hegemony

A great sense of sadness enveloped me as I contemplated the pathetic condition of Indian Hindus compared to the proud Hindus of Bali.

Organisational Bullshit

Bullshitting is practiced by almost all people, sometimes unconsciously, but usually with quite intentional purpose.

On Blades and Scalpels

My experience working in Surgical Unit One of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore

Supporting Moratorium on Capital Punishment

Almost 30 of the 60 ‘Islamic’ countries have abolished or have moratoriums in place.

Iftikhar Chaudhry, the saga ensues!

Ever since Iftikhar Chaudhry has been out of office, not one date has been set for hearing of the mannoo bhayl case or the missing people case or the new murre project

Wake up to a cup of tea

By establishing and building on the link between waking up to one’s social responsibilities and waking up in the morning to a cup of Tea – (Tata Tea of course !)

Dilli Dur Ast

The area around the dargah itself was a typical Muslim mohallah of the type also seen in Central Calcutta. Narrow dingy lanes with a profusion of small hotels.

Common Sense Left Behind

The principal called her and told -“We have prepared the school-leaving certificate of your child. Please sign it and then we are free from any obligation to each other.�

Seize The Moment

Since 2001, Pakistan had received only up to US$ 64 billion inflows, which is – no matter what people say- a pittance compared to our potential.

The Modern Morlocks Emerge – Muslim Americans

Obama, that biracial, African American son of a Kenyan with an Arab name, is apparently now a “Socialist with Islamic background� according to anti-Muslim McCain supporters

General Colin Powell – A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Why blame the selection of Palin as one of the reasons for parting with McCain? Was this selection any worse than a warholes such as Wolfowitz, Ashcroft, Rove, Bolton, Cheney

The Man in the Mirror

How naïve we are sitting in one part of the world watching someone like us getting hurt somewhere else and we don’t do anything about it thinking it is not going to happen to us.

Miley Sur Mera Tumhara

These days it is not enough any more to be a Hindu alone. No – indeed you have to be a particular kind of Hindu.

Seeking a way out of the 'war on terror'

The calls by decision makers for political engagement rather than military means to end the ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan reflects a major change in US policy.

Capitalism Comes a Cropper!

The shock wave in global finance that began a year ago seems to have finally caught up with the KSE casino. The 100-Index fell from its mid-May peak of 15,600 to 9,144.

Oliver Stone movie “W.�

Stone and company at times veer dangerously close to parody in their depiction of the Magnificent 7 (Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Rove, Powell and Tenent)

Post Colonial English Language Writers

Post Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist a whole raft of new Pakistani novels are due to appear, all of which have already caused considerable pre-publication stir.

Are the Converted Tribals Really Hindu?

Several reports confirm that many tribals have cynically accepted the tonsuring of their hair and the mouthing of Vedic prayers as a small price to pay to get back to their villages.

History and Origins of MQM Part II

Emigration of Hindus post partition left a vacuum which was filled by the educated Muslim immigrants from India. In 1981 census only 6% of Karachites identified themselves as Sindhi.

The Republican Red Scare

If McCain and Palin want to play the guilt by association game, their own questionable ties must be examined.

They Will Seal The Case Sheets!

How are doctors affected when their treatment plans go wrong? What is the difference between complications, difference of opinion and negligence?

Ahmed Faraz (1931-2008) – The Romantic Rebel

To the end of his life, Faraz remained fully committed to the ideals of democracy and justice as witnessed by his close involvement in the lawyers movement of last year.

Muhammad Aslam Khan Khattak: A Man for All Seasons

His greatest disappointment he says is that he was withdrawn as Ambassador before he could bring about the confederation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Terrorism Accused: Is Legal Aid Justified?

The BJP National President, Mr. Rajnath Singh’s recent statement opposing the providing of legal aid to the suspected terrorists

Losing the Battle, Losing the Faith

The car is an old Toyota Mazda with two gentlemen with long beards. Few years back I would've thought how blessed are they for practicing the religion of peace. Today ...

Three Cups of Tea & Pennies for Peace

In 2000 only about 800,000 children went to school in Afghanistan. Today said Mortenson, 6.4 million kids are in school in that country out of which 2 million are girls.

Not to Forget the Devastation of October 8, 2005 Earthquake

We are yet to get out of the planning stage while people continue to strive for their survival braving the dilapidated conditions of the relief camps

Rape Survivor Families Struggle Against Odds

Even the high-profile case of Mukhtaran Mai, gang-raped by locally influential people in 2002, is still pending before the Supreme Court.

Demon

They slither, mock, and laugh at me
these demons, I can't walk away
I feel the curse well up in me
it tugs the life right out of me

Better Times

It is Akhtar’s fifth year in captivity. Like the others, he too is given the food confiscated from the UN and other aids which came in frequently at different locations in the city.

Love at Shara Zawia

Muneer and Emily had gone to Tangiers to register their marriage, as many foreigners who marry in Libya do.
Emily does not like to talk about these things.

‘Dustbin of history’ or ‘history of sorts’

Omar Abdullah the president of the National Conference opines that complete independence for both sides of Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC) is not a viable option at all.

Cockroaches of Disruption

The process of peace, the process of change
As the deal are struck, as deal are brokered
Through rumors and disobedience
To the nation, the silent witness

Salt N Pepper

I asked him about his wife and children. He loved kids but didn't have any. His wife, he said, was a loving person. He'd often say, "I have gray hair but I'm not that old!"

Fathers and Daughters

When Abu liked to talk of the moon, sitting by the sea, he was quite the man. He would tell me complicated things about life, and how to live it as a running clock with no hands. To feel its essential present.

MQM - History and Origins

The Mohajir-Sindhi alliance provided the only real chance to thwart the Punjabi dominance in Pakistani politics.

Living Gandhi and King Today: Unbroken Historic Continuity

In the current hopeless global situation, Gandhian way has a promise for a better world. It promotes consciousness of peace and harmony, the foundation to build a peaceful society

Dueling Partners: Pakistan and America

In this exclusive interview, Tariq Ali, a seasoned journalist and Pakistani insider, focuses on all major players, including the Bush Administration, Zardari, Bhutto, Musharraf, military

Reforming Religious Fundamentalists

What would you do with religious fundamentalists, especially those who adopt militant practices, have violent consciousness, and have become involved in armed struggle...

A Weak Pakistan is a Threat to Neighbours

Thanks to past policies, Pakistanis are caught between a rock and a hard place - American military attacks on the border and suicide bombings and sectarian violence around the country...

Historian Amaresh Misra on South Asia

Left alone, South Asia would have evolved more smoothly into the Industrial age, says historian Amaresh Misra

Whose Dog?

The way the Sangh Parivar has co-opted the working class and youth militants while serving the interests of the rich and powerful is a phenomenon which has torn India apart.

The Health and Medicinal Benefits of

Institute of Manic-Depression published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that Talk Show reduced the risk of sensibility in men and women by nearly sixty percent.

Coming to America

It's both surreal and frightening that these two (Palin and Zardari) upstart political figures could very well be significant actors in deciding the fate of global relations.

Zalim Online

An eye witness to the horror and carnage by the religious fanatics in Pakistan

The Only Good Muslim is the Anti-Muslim

For some, Barack Obama's stature as a man of the left has fallen precipitously, like late autumn leaves shed by branches bowing to the will of winter.

Jihad Revised

Pakistan, which is being torn apart by jihadists from within and across its border, needs to make this latest work by Fadl available widely in translation.

The Sangh Octopussy

In Kandhmal, Orissa, following communal violence, several hundred Christians are in refugee camps and have been threatened with death if they return without “reconverting�

Pakistani-Americans or American-Pakistanis?

How long will it before Pakistani-Americans will let their voices be heard as a group?

Behind That Voice!

Jagjit Singh is a man with many attributes – a great singer, a passionate artist, a social worker and most of all, a humble, down-to-earth man.

Into The Thick of the Battle

It is in the interest of the US that Pakistan is given a free hand to deal with the Taliban on its side of the border. This is Pakistan’s war now.

Movie Review: Streets of Karachi

Writer Shoieb Yunus successfully grasps growing up in a multi-religious Karachi of yesteryear where one lived in harmony.

We Have Met the Enemy and the Enemy is Us!

How the Chowkidar is Destroying the House from Inside.

The Marriott Bombing: ‘Pakistan’s 9/11’?

The message was clear: they can strike Pakistan’s capital, and they care nothing for democracy or for religion.

The Frontier Mail

Are the bomb-blasts in India and Pakistan all part of a greater plan, and if so, whose?

Don't Shoot the Messenger

We can go blue in the face shouting about the pernicious predators, but we stay silent while innocents are slain within our own borders.

Boot Point

Party chief Altaf Hussain and the MQM Rabita Committee cancelled Liaquat's membership after accusing him of "spreading religious hatred through his TV shows"

Hotel Babylon: The Marriot Hotel Explosion

The latest reports from Geo News, as I write, are that a small car entered the front of the hotel and a man came out screaming for those who wanted to save themselves to run.

A Guantanomized Age

The questions aimed at us fall into two broad categories: "Why aren't more moderate Muslims condemning terrorism?" and "What is it about Islam that produces terrorists?

Resisting Subjugation

Foreign debt is $48 billion after devaluation of rupee and domestic debt is over Rs. 3.4 trillion now. The way we are managing our resources is leading us to self-annihilation.

Emerging Pakistan-U.S. relations

On September 12, 2008, Army Chief Ashfaq Kiyani sought to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty by authorizing the Army to retaliate to any attempts by ‘foreign troops’.

National Survey on Student Politics

A vast majority of university students (63.6 percent) wants reserved quota for girls in the student unions, according to a recent national survey on student politics.

The God Delusion

In protest of all religio-zealots, I am bringing to attention of all, the work of Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion".

ISI-the Trojan horse?

Many pertinent questions are raised by the common people about the recent rise of Talibanization in Pakistan, especially in North West Frontier Province.

Delhi Under Fright, Innocent Targeted

Today evening on 13th of September around 6’o clock bomb blasts took place at prime time in markets. The first attack took place at Karol Bagh, Gafar market.

The Prejudices Pakistan’s New President Faces

Asif Ali Zardari's presidential nomination was widely condemned - but the fact is that he is now the democratically elected President of Pakistan.

A Transfer

His younger son Hasen is studying in Hyderabad, doing first year of engineering while he lives in Tripoli alone. The elder son is doing a job in Lucknow.

The Cry of Karachi

“this is a city that can cry, look even the walls have become tears, I don’t know any other sea that is so distant.� I told you, sometimes I can’t let go.

September Morning

The pace might be pathetically slow but an increasing cadre of writers and thinkers have started to question smugness of the Islamic world.

A Dismal Performance!

His (Asif Ali Zardari) only answer to the economic meltdown was to raise the purchase price of wheat.

Muslim Psyche After September 11, 2001

When we reflect upon the reactions of Muslims from different parts of the world we see certain tendencies emerging in the last few years.

Automobiles Can Banish Unemployment and Poverty

The Nano is however belatedly making India's economists, planners and politicians realize that the automotive Industry is a huge driver of employment and growth.

Last Will and Testament

I, Lord James Eva Williamson of the state of Rajasthan, hereby bequeath all my property to MR Thomas Alva Eddyson. Who had saved my life.

My Encounter with Ahmed Faraz

As students at Peshawar, we often saw Faraz on campus. He was a noted poet even then but, among the students on campus, he was equally known, if not more, for his bohemian lifestyle.

Dr Afia Siddiqui's Case

While there is no dearth of people asking for her release and her handing over to Pakistan, I maintain my demand that a complete inquiry be made into whereabouts of Prisoner 650.

It's A Deal After All!

In the long run, however, it will be difficult to ignore Pakistan’s demand for a similar deal once it establishes a clean record of nuclear safety and non-proliferation.

Is Mumbai a hub of dirty politics?

After rejection from West Bengal Trinamool Congress, Tata received invitation from Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to start Nano project from Maharashtra.

Honor Killings in Babakot

Those beautiful faces, our daughters
Gone forever, heads sunk in grief
As words betray us, to describe
Heinous crimes and we call ourselves
The followers of prophet and Islam

Greek Tragedy

There is no one left to punish me. I’m the last Mannon; I’ve got to punish myself. Living alone here with the dead is a worse act of justice than death or poison.

US Commando Strike in Waziristan

They have decided that the centre of gravity of all the trouble is Pakistan. Right or wrong this appears to be the central US perception now.

Bihar & Louisiana: A Poem

You are not God,
Not even half God.
Nor Poseidon or Neptune.
Why this bloody ruin?

There is no ‘honour’ in killing

Whether the women were buried alive or whether they were already dead when buried is not the point. They were murdered.

Why Zardari Should Be President!

The matter that is debatable is not whether Asif Zardari should or should not run for the presidency but what steps he should take if he becomes the president.

A New Kind of Charity this Ramadan

Being vigilant and demanding transparency is not optional but imperative. We must learn to treat our donations as investments in the future of Pakistan.

Free to Breed

How come there is no "talk" on TV when a group of fanatics attack a concert, a painting exhibition, a "mixed function" at a college, or force the way the fanatics deem "correct?"

Save Me From Charismatic Leaders!

I am not against Obama because he is Black because I think that it would be wonderful for the US to have a Black President; not because his middle name is Husseini

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan

Education has becomes an act of depositing. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat.

Alcohol and Teenagers: A Lethal Mixture

If one can Vote and join the Army and sent to Iraq when 18, why not being able to buy a beer in the USA?

In Memory of Ahmed Faraz

We will miss him and words
That breathed revolution
Death can only bring whispers
But words, a torrent of revolution

Faith and Religion

Though I have a Muslim name I am a non practicing Indian Muslim who does not believe in any organised religion.

Ahmed Faraz: The Light Stays

"woh koh-kun to naheeN tha leikin
karree chatanouN se larr chuka hei
woh thhak chuka tha aur us ka teisha
usi ke seenay mein garr chuka hei" - Ahmed Faraz

How real is your politik?

According to many political pundits and media luminaries, people like you and me don’t understand it so we should mutely accept the PPP’s push for Zardari as president!!!

Writings on the Wall

I have been in a state of stupor for the last couple of days, ever since Mr. Zardari’s got himself nominated for the position of the President of Pakistan.

Time for Medals

The PPP has done it once again -- so true to its philosophy of challenging the powerful and the mighty and coming out victorious despite all the unfavorable odds stacked against it.

Black Pencils

jehad in a woman?
daggers in a jar full of berry-nectar
pleasant as honey-sugar
ordinary, crowd senses as usual.

The Pink Side of Disney

Like Hannah, Barbie too had an ideal life. Except Barbie was a mere toy and that meant the endings to her stories were left to the imagination of the youthful owner.

Poet for Paperless People

Darwish was paperless and, because of his defiant words and politics, he was often imprisoned. He kept on honing his words as if they were weapons

In the Face of Adversity

Three courageous persons who are in compromised positions –physically, financially and socially, but have not lost their spirit.

Celebrating 61 Years of Broken Dreams

"Missing in Pakistan", a 29-minute documentary capturing Pakistan's gross human rights violations tacitly supported by the US Government, followed by a talk by Safdar Sarki.

Remembering the Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi, Churchill and Jinnah

Reviewing positions of three key players on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre - the watershed event of India’s independence.

School Days

I was passing through St Patrick’s the other day when quite out of nowhere memories of my time spent in that gentle and noble place came flooding in.

Thinking of an Obama presidency, what ‘change’ may we really see?

the debate about how to lead the world in this era of Post-modernity and post-Cold War, has taken a new dimension which symbolizes itself in the ‘change’ mantra of Barack Obama.

Is this Amnesia or Dementia?

I am addressing this to myself, and to the Pakistani awam to which I belong. More than anything, I 'd like to talk to us about two words: Escape and Hope.

Musharraf's Resignation and Beyond

Musharraf’s departure is just one step in the process of democracy, for the continuation of which Pakistan and its allies will need all the patience they can muster.

Long Live the King: Musharraf’s Controversial Legacy

Nothing came out publicly from GHQ about Musharraf’s impeachment when the civilian government made its decision known. But bells had started ringing in both Rawalpindi and Washington.

Love him or hate him: Musharraf not a tyrant

Objectively-speaking, he can hardly be considered a “tyrant� or a “despot�.

My Dear President Musharraf

Mr. President, you are a man of honour and character. We do not appreciate such men.

The Aftermath of Musharraf’s Departure

After Musharraf’s departure, there might be some respite in the escalating insurgency and intensifying turmoil in Pakistan’s Northern scenic valley of Swat and Tribal regions.

Musharraf and Me

Musharraf will learn for the first time that Truth is the most elusive thing in the world and innocence the hardest to prove when the onus is on the innocent to prove his innocence

Global Warming: Green with Controversy

Its effects will happen 30 years down the road, and then you say, "Okay, do something about it."

When Trembling Hands Learn To Heal

Every time anyone in my hospital needs advice and support, someone tells him of a doctor that not only talks but listens as well.

17 August 1988

An army chief who should never have been the chief in the first place and should have instutionally retired by 1980 was finally terminated by divine design on 17 August 1988.

It's Politics Uber Alles In Kashmir ..... And India

The BJP, while paying lip service to maintaining peace, did nothing to calm the situation in Jammu; instead, its troops have taken to the streets in other cities in India.

Reviving the Pakistani cinema

For those who have been patiently awaiting a quality film by a Pakistani director, Mehreen Jabbar has just provided a cause for excitement.

Fashion Or Lack Thereof

You either want to cover your legs or you don’t; it is either too hot to wear a pair of cotton pants or it is not. Make your mind up.

Toward a Pakistani Media Strategy

Being disgusted with the way things are is not a sufficient response, and the Pakistani community needs to take the lead in changing its own image.

Long Live Pakistan

From 1947, the day we became free
As we stand, to celebrate another year
From Waziristan to distant corners,
Lies there the evidence, of our endeavors

What Talibanization?

The moment I stepped out, my way was politely blocked by three young tableeghi jamaat recruits. "Aslaamulalaikum," said one of them in a swallowing Arabic accent. "Walaikum," said I.

A Strategy For Real Agricultural Prosperity

2.4% farmers control 23% of the land. They are the barriers to India's progress in agriculture. They can be moved, and they must be moved if India is to eliminate rural poverty.

Your Sentence

Think that the system is dehumanising. Somewhere deep down you know that you are using dead metaphors, shortcuts to the death of your own thought. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Olympic Dreamers

A famous American novelist Henry Miller once wrote, “Humans work while gods play�. But there are some humans who like to become gods as they love to play all their lives.

The Tribal and I

We, too, like the British lump up all tribal setups into a single category and generalise. Basing our understanding of 'their' culture on our 'feeling' towards them and a sense of superiority.

Beware of Thyself!

Why women suffer, cannot be explicated clearly, keeping in view the certain facts. Are they, standing themselves in the way of their own development?

Here We Go Again

But it’s really a wet firecracker without Army’s intervention, because sehba auntie or shareefudding peerzada can’t jump the gates of PTV and take over.

From Marx to Mao to Jintao

The world's eyes are focused on China today as Beijing plays host to the 2008 Summer International Olympics Games.

Pura Vida – 2 Weeks in the Land of Ticos

Futbol (soccer) is a national passion. Every town and village is built around a futbol field. Quoting a tour guide “we Costa Ricans love futbol but we suck at it�.

The Road To Misuraata

The Italian Cemetery at Gargarish has stories of the families who lived here and made Tripoli their home. This is where the family of my friend Marino is buried.

And then there was The Impeachment Issue…

A smug looking Mian saa’ab and the ever dramatic Dark Prince, announced at a joint press conference, their plans to pursue the Impeachment of President Pervaiz Musharraf.

Aafia Siddiqui to Appear in Court

Disappeared in Pakistan, hysterical screams heard in Afghanistan, and now appearing in a New York court

K2, the Savage Mountain

As I read the news, and watched it on Television, memories of my mountaineering days came back and deprived me of my sleep bringing nightmares of my own struggle on K2.

Karachi Monsoon

The rains are now bound to start where it’s almost non-stop. Half the roads are dug up. The drains are not complete. And the energy problem is only going to increase.

Brick Lane is About Immigrants Making Difficult Choices

Brick Lane exposes the core of a complex immigrant dilemma. Asians who move to the western world often live with this dilemma and just choose to ignore it.

Mahboba Andyar: A Poem

Andyar, an Olympic aspirant is gone missing;
Sole Afghan woman sprinter slated for Beijing.
Andyar, A rising spirit, a brave soul,
Pride of a nation, an archetypal role.

Quarter No.5

It had been raining for two hours. The heavens were in a generous mood that day. The sewer behind the 'servants' quarters' was overflowing with rainwater...

Late Colin David

Colin was born in Karachi in 1937; he began his art education at the University of Punjab when the fine arts departments opened its door to male students in 1956.

The Labour Struggle

The current upsurge of labour strikes all over the country has once again brought to the forefront the same rhetoric of 'work harder instead of complaining'.

Fissures in the Middle

Pakistan is at war. It is a conflict of ideas across the country and Pakistan’s bourgeoning middle-class is at the centre of it.

Responsibility of the Media and the Repercussions of Terror Strikes

What is forgotten in the attempt to pacify the people is that there is no restraint in labelling a community responsible.

The Tunnel

We aren’t the people of these bright lights and we will never be, we’re people of the docks. A fish cant survive on land. Don’t you ever forget that.

America's Opportunity in Pakistan's Tribal Belt

a key question on Islamabad ’s mind is the fate of stalled legislation creating reconstruction opportunity zones (ROZs) to spur development and combat militancy in FATA.

Ahmedabad Blasts: Numbed Apathy and The Conspiracy Of Our Resilience

I lost my Chacha (father’s younger brother) in the Ahmedabad blasts yesterday. He was only 49. No, he had not participated in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

Pakistan and the Death Penalty: Time to Call it Quits

Those who are awarded capital punishment are usually “the poorest of the poor.� Most of them are illiterate and have no resources or support.

The Indian Mujahideen – The Answer to BJP’s Pseudo-Secularist Fascism or a New Method to Spread Unrest?

The blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad have brought into focus the potent terror network that exists in India unbeknownst to Indian intelligence agencies and the government.

Kashmir Experiencing Hyderabad

In January every year all India industrial exhibition is held in Nampally, Hyderabad. Most of the businessmen taking part in the exhibition are from Srinagar.

Roshni

In the stillness of the evening, the quietness of a beautiful garden, the most powerful man in the world has a conversation with his sister.

Government Wins Manmohan Singh Loses

The way is now clear to officially approach the Board of Governors of the IAEA to approve the agreement reached between the Government of India and the IAEA officials.

Feminist Mumbo-Jumbo!

Patriarchal society has ingrained in us so deeply the thought that women are lesser to men, that it is bound to surface (even if it is subconscious).

Translation of a (Love) Letter by Allama Iqbal to Miss Atiya Faizi

Atiya Faizi was the socialite daughter of a prominent Bombay trader named Hussain Afandi. She was born in 1891 and first met Iqbal in Cambridge in 1907.

Fields Of Joy

Two lost Kandaharis, Opiumzai and Hashishuddin, were wandering aimlessly when they chanced upon something very special...

Time for Musharraf to Quit

President Musharraf will go down in history as one of those third world leaders who by playing as the second fiddle to West exposed Pakistan to religious militancy.

Why is Karachi Turning Into a Sell-Out?

Isn't this the same city that lost 20,000 of its young men in 1990's at the hands of this same military establishment that we seem to be so fond of these days?

Dhokha and Being a Muslim in India

Mukesh Bhatt’s Muzammil Ibrahim starred ‘Dhokha’ or ‘Betrayal’ is the Bollywood’s latest offering that raises several questions about Muslims and their identity in India.

What's In a Name?

The name, Blue Area, has for some reason stuck in the collective memory of people of Islamabad, but not Jinnah Avenue. I never understood why?

Pakistan’s Prevailing Political And Economic Mess

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) though a laudable incentive, is highly insufficient. With rising inflation, the Rs 1000 package may be next to nothing.

Of Medical Students, Passports and Religous Tolerance

Who am I to declare that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Quadiani is an impostor nabi? Why on earth am I even being asked the question?

An Ode Called Amritsar

On hearing that I was about to visit her ancestral city, my mother gave me instructions to reach her childhood home from the railway station...

Banana Republic

Khaliq wanted to buy bananas so he inquired the price per dozen. “120 rupees sir�, we were told. I thought I miss heard so I asked again. “120 rupees per dozen sir, 10 rupees each.�

The Non-Existent Tourist’s Guide To Pakistan

The male-female ratio of the population is 50-50, even though, according to local traditions in the north, women do not exist. Only men and goats.

Edward De Bono's Point C: Situtation in Pakistan

Capital of a nuclear power now plunges into darkness daily, for 5 to 6 hours. In small cities, this duration is 11 to 16 hours. With hottest months of the year still to come.

Lighting Up My Fire

I switch on the radio, and a good song from the eighties is playing. I start reminiscing about the olden days, the fake Ray Ban Wayfarers and the Sony Walkmans...

A Fatal Act-Bad News for India Pakistan Relations

The assassination of Indian Defence Attache in Kabul on 7th July 2008 is a watershed in the ongoing undeclared low intensity war in Afghanistan.

Swat: Can the deal work?

After the peace deal between the Taliban and the government people thought that normal life would return to the troubled district of Swat.

I Fell Among (the APPNA) Doctors

Like the conductor of a choir, with one hand raised, she piped up with a full-throated ‘Paaak sar zameeen shadbaad … The children simply stared at their toes in embarrassment.

A Journey Interrupted: Being Indian in Pakistan by Farzana Versey

It (Indian Muslim) happens to be my identity. And this book is about the identity question in large measure - my identity, the Pakistani identities.

Bionic Woman

The corporate woman is such a powerful and inspiring symbol when you are studying. It’s a realization you get later that a married working woman is a warrior.

Pigeons on My Balcony

"They have laid eggs. Now Bhatt, if you do not throw them out, the babies will dirty your balcony like anything." That is the way they look at it, my dear human friends.

The Peacock Moments

Hope cannot be lost or forgotten
Carry they will these droplets of rain
Change will arrive, peace will reside
The old effect, the peacock moments!

Democracy is the Best Revenge?

2007 – 2008 will certainly be remembered as one of the most historically significant and turbulent for Pakistan with unprecedented public protests and mass revenges.

Aamir - A Film Review

Most of the film is shot in the rough, mean streets of Mumbai and captures the cold, indifferent character of the city and its people.

Who Sold the Centrifuges?

Dr. Qadeer’s inflammatory outburst against President Pervez Musharraf would, instead of personally absolving him, aid in painting Pakistan in more lurid colors by her detractors.

London’s Knife-Crime Epidemic:

Such is the horror in Britain at this new phenomenon, that the Police have declared tackling knife-crime to be their new number one target surpassing even that of terrorism.

Muslim Ghettoisation

The perception among Muslims is that they are unwelcome in Britain is undermining efforts to help them integrate into wider society.

The Gin Game

Despite being a small group, The Gate Theater surely managed to touch an emotional yet witty story through a brilliantly written piece of literature.

The Unbearable Lightness of Seeing

Lately his wife seems to be depressed and irritated when he comes home in the evening. The children look cold and withdrawn. Sohail Khan himself feels a shift in his moods.

Yet Another Immigrant Story

I arrived in the US about eight months ago, to get married in Houston and move to Maryland, where I live now. My last visit had been less than a year ago, during which I met my husband.

Solving Amarnath: A New Hope in Kashmir

It demonstrates to the Kashmiris that by resorting to non-violent action, there is a room for manoeuvre and things can be changed through peaceful means.

Diabetes: Wrestling with a Twenty-First Century Monster

“Half of world’s population at risk of diabetes by end of next decade.� This disorder is encroaching on the traditional confines of age, ethnicity, and geography—in particular AGE.

Nirad Babu's Ghost

His (Nirad C. Chaudhuri's) discourse could effortlessly vacillate between, say, the role of the Kama sutra in the Indian psyche to the merits of a Chateau d'Yquem.

The Reflection In My Window

As he twisted her wrist, the little girl writhed in pain, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to free her self. Her brother, pulled at the man’s other arm ...

Anti-Americanism in Pakistan and the Taliban Menace

The Taliban are waging an armed struggle to remake society. They will keep fighting this war even if America were to miraculously evaporate into space.

Muslims in America

I am all for Muslim identity but frankly what I don’t get is the overbearing role dogma plays in every action of the Muslim community in America.

The Lame Duck Government

The Pakistan army has been once again mobilized in a big way to stamp out the presence of Taliban in the Tribal areas as well as Swat and Mardan.

Music: Muslim Madonna

Performing seated alongside notable ghazal maestros of the subcontinent was the eight years old Deepika Thathaal known by her stage name Deeyah.

Whose Life is it Anyway?

A simple question evoked by an image in a local English daily, showing an old mother hugging the blood-soaked dead body of her teenager son in Baquba, Iraq.

We Can Make a Difference

They are the children who have been abandoned, have run away from abusive homes, were orphaned or simply got lost.

Forgotten President & Shape of Things to Come?

A new kind of voting belt is being created where people are more aware of the larger issues, of national causes and increasingly form opinions under the spell of Urdu media?

Nawaz Sharif’s Moment of Truth

Nawaz Sharif disqualified to run for the national Assembly by none other than the Lahore High Court. How should he react to it? How should he take it?

The Brain Food

Eat your carrots; you’ll see better in the dark. Don’t go swimming until an hour after you eat. It turns out that some of these have stood the test of time.

A Meeting with Che Guevara

The man had a charismatic presence in green olive fatigues and black beret at a rakish angle. The very best of the Hollywood and Bollywood stars all rolled into one.

Local Liberal Dribble

I think it's time we start addressing irrationally-charged matters like religious fanaticism as a psychological issue rather than an intellectual or an ideological one.

The Global Self-Help Addict

Self help is the hallmark of the global professional. Words that inspire, soothe, comfort and motivate are powerful and popular forces of support in an everchanging workplace.

Who is Making the Oil Fume ?

35 countries, 25 oil company CEOs and 7 global energy organizations assemble at Red sea city of Jeddah today as the world faces one of the most unprecedented global crisis

The Puppet Speaks

Karzai’s recent diatribe against Pakistan, among other things, reminds one of Pakistan’s Punjabi movies, in which the blood-soaked hero makes the pledge of eliminating his enemy

Anil Ambani Pursues Global Media Empire

Besides the Hollywood deals, Ambani is launching 20 TV channels and owns FM stations in India.

Freud and Jung and Their Secret Affairs

Of all of Freud’s admirers and critics, the most complex, complicated and troubled relationship was of Carl Jung. He started as an admirer and ended as a critic.

The 'One God' Religions of Revelation

The success of the `One God’ idea was its ability to use fear to empower the professional priests enabling them to command the absolute obedience of their followers.

Opportunity Missed

If the nation of Pakistan can buy democracy, rule of law (going forward), civilian supremacy, justice etc. for 1.5 billion dollars from Mr. Zardari, I say where do we sign up?

Federal Budget — A Test of Loyalties

The budget is, in most aspects, a non-affair. Now we have to face the rising prices of essential items. In this the government is of no help.

Aitzaz’s Monumental Blunder

There is all quiet in Pakistan after the lawyers’ long march. The struggle of more than one year was wasted away in matter of hours.

The Bhopal Tragedy Continues

On June 10th a global hunger strike was called to bring justice to Bhopal victims and put the corporation Dow Chemical, to shame, since the Indian government does not seem to be doing its job.

Restoring the Civil Rights of Ahmadis

The persecution of Ahmadis even under the present mangled constitution is patently unconstitutional.

The Cruel Expulsions

Reaction to “Twenty Three Students Expelled From Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad�

Affair With The knife

With media promoting extreme makeovers and their short-term ‘amazing’ results, more and more people today believe that going under the knife is safe and easy.

The Chips are Down

Mr. Zardari once again asked the president either to resign voluntarily or be prepared for his unceremonious and rather dishonorable ouster by the parliament via an impeachment.

Healthcare in Pakistan, Lessons from Cuba

Cuba has the most impressive doctor to patient ratio of 1 to 175. All this and more while facing more than 40 years of US trade and financial embargoes.

Democracy and Me

An ordinary individual, me:
citizen in the world’s most populous democracy.
Democracy?
Yes, government by the people.

Attack in Mohmand

The recent attack on Frontier Corps (FC) post in Mohmand Agency is the first major US step in arm twisting the hopeless new Pakistani democratic set up.

Long March

In thousands, we will march, for change
Hear you will my friends, not far away
The days of change and nights of comfort
Walk with me, as each step gathers its storm

Timeless

Ever so gently, he took her old fingers in his hand and uncurled them lightly. His face was now trembling, as if he were fighting a great storm inside of him

A Stage For - V for Vendetta

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Another Lal Masjid in the Making?

The walls were filled with anti-west hate slogans, “Al-Jihad Al-Qital� (holy war, bloody battle) written everywhere around the central mosque. This was not the Bahawalpur I knew.

Twenty Three Students Expelled From Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad

On Thursday, June 5th the principal of Punjab Medical College in Faisalabad expelled every student who belonged to the minority Ahmadi community from his college.

Dancing With Madonna

Dancing helps in developing, not only a beautiful body, but also a healthy mind, and should be encouraged in society.

Paper Trail

To produce five sheets of 8 x 11 inch paper we use the equivalent energy of an 80 watt bulb operating for an hour; but at a cost far greater than that of electricity.

Who Moved My Cheese

Mr Gore wasn’t afraid of looking foolish, he’d take his presentation wherever people would listen. His persistence ended up creating a climate of global acceptance of global warming.

Please De-stabilize the System

Who are we trying to save the system from anyway? Why are we STILL sugar-coating this?

The Emerging Threat

According to some people, Mangal Bagh has the full backing of government. If this is true than another Frankenstein is in the making.

Indiana Jones, Iron Man and a Touch of Narnia

If one enjoyed “The Raiders of the Lost Ark� or “The Temple of Doom� along with an okay “The Last Crusade�, nineteen years later viewers will still enjoy The Crystal Skull, wrinkles and all.

The Old Bungalow

Etched in my memory
Looming the house stood
Once it was my home
Now it’s on my mind

Looking Towards a Brighter Future

Being born in a farmer’s family in a small conservative village of Punjab, I could only wish that her intelligence and spark for life would meet its rewards.

Pakistan (private) Ltd.

‘Why could you not have been brave enough, why do you not have some courage, why did you not ever go to jail, why did you never kill someone, why did you not ever embezzle money – ’

The Lucifer Effect

The only things that can truly slow the decay of our society, is to make sure the rule of law is implemented ‘equally and across the board’ to everyone.

Pakistan's Nuclear Test - Ten Years Later

Today we are at war on multiple fronts. But the Bomb provides no defense. Rather, it has helped bring us to this grievously troubled situation and offers no way out.

Delayed Justice

Centre’s decision to award a compensation package totaling Rs 330 crores to the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots can at best be described as a pre-election effort at applying a healing touch.

Myths Surrounding the Lawyer’s Movement

Election data made public is quite opposite to the generally promoted perception that February 18 saw an overwhelming mandate to restore the judiciary and remove Musharraf

Cluster Bombs

United States, Russia and China have not signed the Mine Ban treaty and will not sign the Cluster Ban either, but their future actions affected by the outcome of this Treaty.

Were Buddhists and Jains Persecuted in Ancient India?

Many genuinely believe that Hinduism had always been a tolerant religion that assimilated other peoples and ideas without bloody conflict.

India-US Nuclear Deal

If the government thrusts the deal down the throats of the Indian nation the Left may pull out of the alliance and force the country to face general elections.

Confessions of a Religious Fundamentalist

I just want you to understand that never mind the beautiful facades of different ISMS, at the base of it all we are all religious and all fundamentalists.

Dancing on Broken Glass

President Pervez Musharraf’s appointment of businessman and media tycoon Salman Taseer as governor Punjab set off howls of protest from the PPP’s chief coalition partner PML-N

Hitched Hikers Guide

I never aspired for such superficial goals. Being mature beyond my age, I always dreamt of being a Groom (Dulha).

Logotherapy: Humanism In Psychiatry

The heart has reasons that reason does not know ... A reflection on Victor Frankl’s “The Unheard Cry for Meaning�

Creating Magic For The Audience - An Interview with Afia Serena Nathaniel

Any change begins with a simple idea, Afia believes. ‘Those who can present ideas are in a unique position to effect change in their societies, ‘she says.

Zardari and the Politics of Defiance

“We do not want bread, we do not want electricity, but we want him (Musharraf) out� ... Can Zardari risk being complacent with the president?

Fatima Bhutto Fighting for Justice

The man Fatima Bhutto holds responsible for her father’s death is not only out of prison after 11 years without conviction, but is suddenly the most powerful man in the country.

Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State

"I have not found a single period that I could in all honesty say I would trade for my 21st-century existence as a Muslim living in a secular democratic society."

India Pakistan Talks

India and Pakistan are to have Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary level talks starting May 20 in Islamabad. It is time to once again look at the chessboard and see what has changed.

Life Long Commitment vs. Singledom

Marriage, I think, is highly overrated. Marriage being the perfect happily ever after and the solution to life’s problems is ‘just a myth we’ve been fed since childhood’

The Wrong Mix

Refusing to ally with capitalist-democracies of the West and cautious about openly supporting the USSR/communism Islamic Socialists attempted to come up with a "third way."

Whither Enlightened Moderation

The latest patch up between the NWFP provincial government and Taliban of Swat and South Waziristan buries the much touted President Musharraf’s theme of enlightened moderation

Twenty 20 Cricket

Will twenty-20 cricket kill the ‘gentleman’s sport’ or is it going to be its savior!

Building a Dream House

This Saturday was a very pleasant day . It rained in the afternoon, and as usual, Islamabad after a rain on a summer afternoon, was the perfect place to just drive around.

Saqi Farooqi ... A Rebellious Poet

He likes to be in the centre of controversy and to achieve that he challenges every literary, social, religious, moral and sexual taboo that he comes across.

Persecution of Religious Minorities In Islamic Countries

Meaningless protests over stupid cartoons do not achieve anything. Speaking up against injustices in their own countries does.

National Reconciliation Order

The concept of Truth and Reconciliation of Nelson Mandela cannot be offered as a parallel of pardoning the outlaws.

Mohajirs Are People Too

It was quite obvious that unlike Punjabis and Pushtoons, mohajirs have figured out that if there is chaos in the airport it is not because of Allah’s will.

30 Days in Afghanistan - Dinner Conversations

I'm in Kabul, Afghanistan. Actually, I'm in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - and across and beside me, people are beginning to get drunk. Muslims are getting drunk.

A Little After Three

I lay face down, pretending to have fallen asleep. Soon I heard random words like boy, Muslim, Sindhi, dowry, next week, dinner, and blood pressure.

May 12: One Year Passed, No Lessons Learned

On May 12, the entire nation would be mourning the death of forty-four innocent civilians on what turned out to be one of the darkest days in the history of Karachi.

Happy Mother's Day

Today, 11th May is Mother’s Day. It is almost absurdly romantic that a country like Pakistan would celebrate a day like to honor mothers!

Nipa Chowrangi

The neighbors couldn’t hear her screaming over the sound of the building’s generator, so that particular Sunday Aslam was able to beat Tehmina for considerably longer than he usually did.

When a Knock at the Door is Not Enough

She surprised me by her answer, same old she said, battering. Her honesty made me nod. I said, oh, and walked away. The purpose was served. The momentum was broken.

I Spy Hindutva

Attempts have been made to 'saffronize' at both the ground level (by editing textbooks) and by challenging conclusions of scholars who have attempted to rewrite history.

Myanmar Disaster

“Dedicated to the people of Burma in their hour of need………but stands there, the government and its obstacles “!!!

The Raj Lives: India In Nepal

Six decades after the British withdrew from the subcontinent, it takes considerable audacity to produce a book titled “The Raj Lives�.

Can the Judiciary Save the Coalition?

Handing the Supreme Court back to a judge and his team that stood up to the COAS and the President amounts to adding a new player in the already confusing power politics in Pakistan.

Bridge Mania

Myrtle Bennett of Kansas City shot her husband John to death on September 29, 1929, over a bridge hand. Her husband had opened the bidding with one spade.

Still Looking!

“No, no, no!� I had stormed out yesterday leaving my Mum baffled and Shabbi Auntie angry, when she brought in yet another rishta-seeking brigade.

PPP Isn’t Convinced!

Pandering to the presidency, appointment of Mehmood Ali Durrani and Rehman Malik, failure to remove Malik Abdul Qayyum, are signs that establishment isn’t blinking just yet.

Nirmala Deshpande - A Truly Great Soul

Nirmala Deshpande a dedicated Gandhian was a true peace activist.

Race to the Finish

60 years ago, when Jackie Robinson, first Black Man to play in US Major League Baseball, walked onto the field, he was taunted, ridiculed, and booed, but despite all adversity, he delivered.

The Power of Faith

Religion has become a weekend thing, where offering Friday prayers means immunity from everything that is required of a Muslim.

What Does Negative Campaigning Really Mean?

It doesn't measure tenacity or taking the punch. It proves Machivalean shrewdness. It proves un-Bono like altruism. It means power hunger.

Stripping Away Beauty

There are more houses and wider roads but lesser pastures and more stinking water drains. The weather does not seem all that pleasant and the air is ridden with smoke and smog.

Don’t Hang Sarabjeet

This is not an easy decision for a President who has often been accused of being an appeaser to the Americans and Indians by his countrymen.

Dumbing Down Parliament....Again!

What kind of message are we sending our youth? "Beta, it's ok if you flunked out of B.A and cannot be a Banker or an Engineer or a Lawyer. You can still be Minister of Industry!"

People of Gilgit Baltistan Waiting to be Heard

A week after sending this letter to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, emergency was imposed in Pakistan, constitution was suspended and the Chief Justice was deposed.

Chillchinga, the US Soldier

The only desire now
To go home
To converse few words
In Spanish as he pays the price
For migration and adventure

Harold and Kumar Escape From Gitmo

This time the duo attempts to explain the difference between a Bong and a Bomb aboard an airplane to Amsterdam in a post 9/11 environment.

My Most Memorable Journey

Surraiya Bi had finally reached India her place of birth after eleven years of yearning and praying.

Prisoner of Conscience

Mr. Afridi is imprisoned because of his peaceful expression of his beliefs. He is victim of an unfair trial.

Kiss of Death

Unlike cigarettes, gutka comes without a health warning and lack of awareness of its impact on health increases its consumption.

Children of the Streets

His frail hands make a slight mistake and draw the wrath of the Ustad who lands a kick in his side. The boy gives out a painful scream but quickly turns back to work.

I, Samurai

my finger twitch
my neck hair rise
my throbbing pulse
my blistered foot
I'm full of life

Where Billions Vanish

The Musharraf years are over. It is now time for parliament to carry out a public inquiry into the irresponsible and crazy policies that have hitherto been the hall-mark of decision-making.

Mind the Gap, The Generation Gap That Is

Between 9/11, Afghanistan, Bush and Iraq, a new generation is forming which will define America for the next thirty years at the least. I call it the angry generation.

Little Pakistan: Brooklyn’s Coney Island Avenue

This article does not discuss racism or race relations. Instead, it hopes to capture how a community has gone through such adversity and is coming back to life, after almost losing it.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2007, 1205 women were reported to have been killed in the name of honor. Each year the number is doubling.

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

I am late for the Glasgow-bound flight, and although I do say ‘the usual’ at the check-in counter, my favourite seat near an over-wing emergency exit is already taken.

Last But Not Least

Poverty may be more than a silent killer. This sentence cannot be ignored as emotional rhetoric since, sadly, it has become a hair-raising reality.

Akbar and Alexander

Jodha Akbar has stirred considerable interest in the historic Akbar but it mostly shows his softer romantic side and rather little of his tougher character.

Gen. Petraeus & Crocker's Washington Show is a Damp Squib

If an act of mercy is twice blessed, then an act of illegal invasion and brutal occupation has since proved to be doubly cursed for the invaders as well.

The Psychology of Mothering

It is interesting that as our culture is changing and many women are reluctant to take on motherly duties, more men are becoming motherly and nurturing.

Benazir’s Legacy

How could Pakistan’s all-powerful president and chief of the army staff be dislodged -- other than through the political process?

Is It Treason to Question

In the General Hospital in Lahore, in the top most brain surgery institute of Pakistan, people lie in verandas in unhygienic conditions.

Europe and the Film Culture

Despite the speculated aggressive reactions, the film “Fitna� was released on the Internet on March 27, 2008.

Spinning the Public Beating and the Mob Justice

You really need to be a bad administrator or power usurper that people are so full of hatred for you that they can’t help but beat you.

The ‘shoey’ Side of Politics

People had not shut their ‘shocked’ mouths at the treatment meted out to Arbab Ghulam Rahim when they saw Sher Afgan being roughed up by the black coats.

How to End Politics of Hate and Intolerance

The man behind the politics of intolerance and hate, symbol of discord rather than harmony as president of State, is responsible for present state of affairs.

Student Movement Revisited

Dr Haroon Ahmed and Saleem Asmi, two stalwarts of the first student movement in Pakistan, the Democratic Students Federation (DSF) write to set the record straight about DSF.

The Importance of Natural Selection

Throughout time we have asked ourselves whether we are fallen angels or risen apes. The answer lies in a simple yet tabooed subject.

Color-Blind Love

Worldwide, interracial marriages are on the rise. However, 20 years ago, because of my religion, a German priest would not officiate our marriage nor would a Greek Orthodox priest.

Bhutto’s Judicial Murder Revisited

For an insecure gatecrasher like Zia, Bhutto’s engineered ‘judicial murder’ was a zero sum game: it was either Bhutto on the gallows or his own neck on the chopping block.

A Walk down Memory Lane

Forgive me if I am not taken in by the high sounding statements issued by the winners (and losers) of Election 2008, I simply see 'more of the same' for the future.

Simply Outrageous!

In their recent visits, the US officials kept looking for those who could listen to them and nod in the affirmative. They found none.

Surviving Musharraf's Exit?

Throughout the election campaign and since the elections, no political party or politician has come up with any original thought or plan for the problems that confront Pakistan

Hypnotherapy: Mind-Body Interactions

Imagine thinking yourself to better health. Dating back from 2600 BC this concept of inducing oneself to an alternative state of mind, has evolved through many stages.

Sustained Pleasure, Instant Gratification

So what am I supposed to do? Keep working hard to fulfill my ambitions, or worry about the state of my mind to positively influence the next generation?

Socialist Yuppies 3: The Jihadi

o chore, yaar…… OYE! Look who is coming on the way… Khasi, meet my cousin from Braadford in Englaand, Faltu Fasadi. Fasadi bhai, this is Khasi my very genius friend.

War of Another Kind

One reassuring factor for Gillani is that its a coalition government where all the major political parties have posed their trust in him and have assured their support.

Small Spies Must be Hanged , While Bigger Ones Prosper

The law is basically for the poor man. In cases of espionage official secrets act of 1923 , no politician bothered to revise this arbitrary British law.

A Staircase Connecting Three Worlds

This is a world where hopes are pinned, dreams take form and life’s problems seem to somehow droop their heads like tired banners on an old banyan tree.

An Agenda for the New Government

This time round, the change has come from the people. And it is their expectations and aspirations that have to be addressed.

Late Afternoon at Masjid Wazir Khan

“Aapni ki Bengali�? I asked him as we finally reached the lattice worked balcony that encircled the minaret from where the muezzins have been calling the faithful to prayers for centuries.

Power to the People

There is suddenly a change in the air, amidst all this chaos which still continues to remain, still there seems to be something blooming, dare I say optimism.

Why not hang Surabjit Singh?

Whether it is for illegally crossing borders, overstaying visas or terrorism, Indians and Pakistanis arrested in each other's countries have poor consular and legal access.

The Vicious Circle of Violence

The birthday of The Prophet Muhammad is a good time to remember that he was a man of peace. But the intoxicating violence now makes it difficult to go back to the origins.

Zardari Rev 2

Zardari’s political shrewdness, if not statesmanship, has succeeded in making the civil society and the media revive the earlier impressions about Zardari.

The Irreverent Hero Islam Forgot

The Adventures of Hamza is the Iliad and Odyssey of the mediaeval Persianate world: a rollicking, magic-filled heroic saga, full of myth and imagination.

A Great Day, A New Hope for Pakistan

As our parliamentarians take oath and swear allegiance to the constitution today, one can feel happy about Pakistan.

Of Sin and Crime

I was fervidly persuaded that day by my neighbour molvi sahib to attend this Jum’a congregation in a madrassah near the city centre.

Snowflake

Sparkling in the sunshine
Pristine, white and pure
I am a snowflake there
High up above them all

Mosquito Music

That’s one form of music
That makes me quite sick,
whose notes are malaria,
dengue or filaria.

Starting from the End

Wapda and the ministry of power have implemented an emergency load shedding plan to plug the gap between electricity supply and demand leading to more misery for millions.

New US Strategy Needed in Afghanistan and Pakistan

The main thrust of USA's policy was to construct roads and schools and clinics. These were important but no substantial stakeholders or major employment opportunities were created...

Lost That Loving Feeling

Is love bound to end? Is very relationship doomed to
die a natural death at the hands of time?

Pakistan: The War of Drones

Why do so many Pakistanis suddenly lose their voice when it comes to condemning suicide bombings? Is it because the bomber kills in the name of Islam?

The Deoband Declaration on Terrorism: Why Now?

On February 25, 2008 an “All India Terrorism Conference� was attended by over 10,000 Islamic clerics, scholars, muftis and teachers.

Is Decline of the Fourth-Estate Here and Happening?

Distinguished Editor and Author of our times M J Akbar is removed from the Chairmanship of 'The Asian Age' and 'Deccan Chronicle'.

Kashmir Liberated, Others Languish

Kashmir Singh spent 35 years in various Pakistani prisons before Ansar Burney, the caretaker minister of human rights found him and obtained a presidential pardon.

The Nawaiwaqt Generation and the Power of No!

I am not the only one who is perplexed by the term civil society that has rapidly gained coinage in Pakistan... The group from Punjab that had seemingly eternally supported the army

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha on Pakistan Military

Stay out of politics, it is good for you, good for us, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha advises Pakistan Military.

The Naval War College Bomb Blasts

I was about 800 meters away from the bomb blast. The force of the explosion was powerful enough to rattle the windows nearly a mile away.

When the Will of the People Poses an 'Inconvenient' Truth

"What kind of democracy is it that puts the fate of the country in the hands of a Nawaz Sharif and an Asif Zardari? My lord! How weird!"

Student Politics in Pakistan: A Profile

Student politics in Pakistan has had a history of mixed fortunes and shades. Though extremely tumultuous, it is also a history of rich democratic traditions.

Makli

Makli is believed to be the burial place of more than 125,000 saints or Sufis. This place is also one of the largest necropolises of the world.

Puppetry Through the Ages

Over the years, puppetry has developed into a powerful medium of communication as it offers a real challenge to the imagination of viewers and creative ability of the presenters.

Reinterpretation of Islam in Turkey

Reinterpretation of Quran (and Hadith) is allowed in principle although no effective reinterpretation has ever taken place in the Muslim world.

How did Hindus Become Vegetarians?

The Rigveda, as one of India’s earliest texts, gives numerous examples of meat eating with verses giving clear instructions on how to slaughter, cook, cut and distribute

Theatricality in Painting

Both meaningful genres depict emotions related to life, most of the time, emotions of tragedy, and in between cheerful emotions of joy, for a change!

Men's Liberation...Better Late Than Never

It is ironic that those men who become caring towards their wives are sometimes called sissy, wimp and 'zan mureed'

An Unnecessary Interview with History

Tonight we have an unnecessary interview with ex- Chief Executive, ex- Chief of Army staff and soon to be the ex- President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharaff.

The Spring of Discontentment

As of today 27th Feb 2008, the USD has touched its record low against Euro (1.50) while Oil has touched its record peak of 101 dollars.

Pakistan, a Different Country!

Benazir is now remembered as a Rani, a princess and soon will turn in to the first woman Saint in Pakistan.

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment

Eight years of the Musharraf era has seen a sea change in the Indo-Pak bilateral relationship. Musharraf, in my opinion, can take a large measure of credit for this change.

Ralph Nader Joins 2008 Presidential Race

Attacking both Clinton and Obama in an interview, Nader said, "Obama is an overly cautious captive of his handlers and Clinton is a panderer and a flatterer.�

The ANP Challenge

What if instead of a PPP prime minister or PML-N prime minister, ANP’s Asfandyar Wali Khan was to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan? Could this be a viable option?

Mother of all Elections

In this most dangerous place on earth, almost 37 million men and women stood in queues to vote and by mid-night almost all had reached back to their homes, safe and sound.

Warday

A continuation of the Graphic novel WARDAY, but from the perspective of ex-patriot Pakistani population stranded after a 36 hour nuclear holocaust.

Bullhe Shah and His Veil of “Meem�

One of the attributes of Allah is “Ahad,� meaning “One.� This is the spirit of monotheism. Ahmad is the name of prophet Muhammad.

Between Sanity and Insanity

No one knows what kind of torture was perpetrated on Zen during his 15-day interrogation. After 15 days when he was produced before the judge he was a different Zen.

Chimera

They sipped the coffee quietly then she asked, “So what brings you here?� “You know very well.� He replied looking straight into her eyes. She took her eyes off his face suddenly.

Voting For Change

Despite pre-poll manipulation and irregularities voters have rejected the politics of hate and religious extremism.

Election 2008: Looking Ahead

The election result has come as a touch of healing to the anxious, wounded and exhausted and tense nation.

People's Verdict

A left-of-center Pashtun nationalist party and Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) bags more than 60% of the seats in provinces neighboring Afghanistan.

Long Road Ahead

PML(Q) showed a very dismal performance with managing just 38 seats against the boastful claims of more than 110 seats in national assembly before the elections.

At Last...Nationalism at Last

Socialism, the destroyer of the civilisations, took the world under its claws after the Second World War. This (Kosovo) win might be the beginning of the end of the anti-nationalist hegemony all round the world.

Inside you

As colour drift apart from painter’s brush
Says the picture, I am inside you
As the ocean turns itself upside down
Says the fish I am still inside you

The Emperor is wearing Albanian Clothes

As soon as the western powers recognise Kosovo as an independent country, it will cause a huge dislocation in the fabric of all other separatist terrorist campaigns

Manufacturing a Fig Leaf of Democracy in Pakistan

According to an IRI poll in September 2006, Musharraf had a 63 percent approval rating. But last October 11, IRI released a poll showing him at 21 percent.

Pakistan Poll Rigging

When you hear the opposition, particularly PPP and PML-N, describe the details of alleged rigging, it seems they have a great deal of knowledge and expertise in this specialty.

February 18th, 2008-Election Day

Election in Tribal Areas and Pukhtunkhua province has been marred by violence. There have been attacks on the offices and rallies of all major political party.

Political Issues Ahead of Pakistan Elections

If these elections are not free and fair, irrespective of the turn out, public reaction would “boil up in the times to come,� according to lawyer Sahabnam.

Its Not About Gender or Race Anymore

America has certainly (and finally) come a long way to witness and participate in an election which will choose between a black man and a woman to run for President.

Elections and the Future Leaders of Pakistan

Future Leaders of Pakistan is an organization that is straining against the shackles of convention and tradition and is aiming to do things a little differently.

The More Things Change...

Almost every election ever held in the country has been replete with allegations of fraud and duplicity.

Judah Folkman

History may yet end up remembering Judah Folkman, who passed away earlier this year at Denver International Airport, as the man who cured cancer.

Pakistan Elections 2008 - An analysis

For the first time since the constitution of 1973,elections promise to be fought around an agenda that has to do with democracy, social welfare and minorities rights.

My Top Ten Novels by Desi Writers

I am a prose stylist and all my choices reflect this bias.

Dr. Bari's Toothache

The maid was amazed, contrary to her master she had no regards for molar aches. “Wise men too have toothaches!� She wondered while descending the stairs.

American Muslims and Presidential Elections 2008

Disagreeing with American foreign policies doesn't really mean that you are against 'us'. That stupid train has thankfully left the station and hopefully won’t return in Nov. 2008.

Mediocre vs. Mediocre

As expected the report by Scotland Yard on Benazir Bhutto investigation came up with nothing helpful. Now what remains to be seen is the reaction of Pakistan People’s Party.

Talking to Jamil Dehlavi about Infinite Justice and More

Jamil Dehlavi's film “Infinite Justice� recently opened in Britain. The Indo-Pakistani-French film maker was born in Calcutta to an Indian father and French mother.

Untitled

Forlorn we must die as we once lived
And no one shall speak of us in death
As we were ignored in life.

Drama of Succession - Pakistan People’s Party

The way, events took shape after her (Benazir Bhutto's) death over the party leadership under the superb directorship of her husband (Zardari) can put any Hollywood plot to shame.

Targeted Taxi Drivers

Day passes and night creeps up over the city,
Suddenly the TV chatters “taxi drivers targeted in Mumbai�

I Thought I Heard You Laughing

Unlike most people I know, I don't believe in love at first sight. But the world being as mad as it is, somehow manages to make you.

Revival of Passive Resistance in Indian Commercial Cinema

That non-violence is an integral and a much respected part of our culture, seems to have slowly escaped our memory.

Fight Against The Emergeny Continues

If we are stressed, if we are constantly worried, then I believe it is a sign of great optimism. The struggle for a better Pakistan has just begun.

Monday Morning Blast in Rawalpindi ... An eyewitness account

This morning marked the first day of classes for the current batch of officers chosen from around the country to take the Unit Command Course. Five of them never signed-in today.

Cynicism Amongst Pakistani Youth

Today the most disturbing trend amongst the youth is the growing use of narcotics. This phenomenon cannot be viewed in isolation from the socio-political and economic realities.

India Chalo - An Anecdotal Look at the Indian Economy

Combining real facts with anecdotes and colourful characters that symbolise the new India, INDIA CHALO written by Brij Raj Singh, is a passionate look at India and its opportunities .

The Unravelling of Project Snow

It is interesting to see the dynamics between the members of of Project Snow during the recent fracas downunder. And the cry about the great game of cricket from this old guard!

My Brother, My Killer

See you not me, as of your own
See you not me, as of your kind
See you not me, as I am your blood

A History of the Pakistan Army by Brian Cloughley

Brian Cloughley has made an honest attempt to present things as they are or as he perceived them to be with whatever facts he could lay hands to.

Remembering You

Gleaming, glistening tears lay frozen,
on shy and curling lashes,
I've reached a vivid tombstone
of friendship, love and care.

What is Hinduism? A Personal View

There is no word in the Indian native languages for Religion, or its Arabic equivalent, Madhab. It is commonly and erroneously translated as “Dharma�.

Mehrgarh...The Lost Civilization

A chopping tool found in Pakistan dates to 2 million years ago, earlier than the earliest hominid remains, the Homo species "Narmada Man," (250,000 years ago).

Taliban, Pashtoons and Pakistan

The militants have become so bold that they have started to fight pitch battles against the Army instead of employing hit and run tactics that were the hallmark of tribal battle skills.

Tea Anyone?

I was perplexed at the idea of tea at that hour of the night until I viewed the texture of this liquid I realized this my friends, was no Lipton, it was red wine.

Sunset at Uluwatu

Anjali and I had spent the afternoon in Tanjong Benoa. A small touristy cove off the Southern End of Bali, it had been a typical beach bumming day banana boating, snorkeling...

Pakistan's Universities - Problems and Solutions

300% jump in research publications, nine new engineering universities with European faculty, 3000 Pakistani students sent overseas for higher-degrees...self-serving lies, half-truths and deceit.

Musharraf’s Days are Numbered

From all political portents, it seems it’s time for Musharraf to go. If he doesn’t leave voluntarily, he’ll be helped out by force – by the army of course.

Pakistan, Welcome to Hyderabad

It was here (Niaz Stadium) that Imran Khan tore through the Indian Test batting line-up in 1983 with 8-23, and famously denied Miandad his triple hundred by declaring the innings.

Delirium Diary

Somebody is at the door, ringing the bell so hard that it seems the walls of this room will collapse. The light of the florescent tube is reflecting from the ceiling...

It's ME on Both Sides!

I was told that my dad had been by my mother's side when I was born but left only after he found out that his child was a girl.

Afghanistan - A Strategic Analysis

Afghanistan remains haunted and plagued by its violent history and its neighbours continue to enjoy the fruits of war and crisis in Afghanistan.

Rashidabad: Beginning Charity at Home

Irrespective of race, religion, language and ethnic background, all children in the hostel and the orphanage are provided equal opportunity to prosper.

Overseas Pakistanis and Right of Franchise

Overseas Pakistanis were granted the right to vote only in the 2002 referendum but the current election commission does not grant the right of franchise for expatriates.

Hyderabad’s Rare Book Seller

Described by a writer in Anthropology Today as “one of the few antiquarian book shops in India� the book store itself is the size of a large closet.

Bean Bag

In the days gone,
when the hide was soft.
The brilliant leather gleamed,
and invited tender touch.

Remembering Old Clifton Top

Qasim Bagh, anybody? With all the sounds of gunfire and deafening crescendo of siren wails??!!

Me, not you

Thousand times I have stared
At existence of you and mine
Of what we are and have become

Shahjahan’s “Moorti� and Other Absurdities in Agra

Agra, the city of Taj, is the ultimate destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. But a recent visit to Agra reveals a scarred city which on the verge of collapse.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and New American Dreams

Whether it is the Iowa win for Obama or the New Hampshire one for Clinton, their vision for America’s future is becoming far more important than race and gender.

Indian Supreme Court says- ‘Live in is marriage’

A momentous turn that will create upheavals in Indian society from bottom to top.

In Remembrance of Martyrdom

A translation of the Urdu elegy “Zikr e Shahadat� by Mawlana Hassan Raza Khan

Surplus Majors and Jerk Chicken

Yesterday, when I went to collect my monthly dole from my local council, the officer in charge was apologetic, ‘Sorry Mr Nazir this is all we have for you at the moment,’ she said.

US Conspiracy to Destablize Pakistan?

First it was Ms Bhutto who was conspiring along with the US to destabilise and denuclearise Pakistan. And the CIA eliminated her. Israeli agency, Mossad, was also involved...

The Dirty Tricks Brigade Tries to Spoil a Party

Already stunned at the loss of their leader, the PPP is now reeling from the registration of tens of thousands of FIRs against its workers including charges of attempted murder.

Child Interrupted

The boy who blew himself in Dera Ismail Khan last Muharram was hardly 17 years old. Still a child, legally speaking, dying a violent death, martyr to some, and terrorist to others.

Sounds from Within

Walking in the woods today
I talked loud and low,
To the ever listening trees
I said my silent woe.

Leaders, Heroes and Mountains

He (Sir Admund Hillary) was not a sahib who came, conquered and left having had his adventure in the hills. He established and sustained a lasting bond with the Sherpa people of the Himalayas.

The Snow Will Melt

“So what happened to that Fokker which crashed in the mountains?� sipping coffee, she (Benazir Bhutto) took the words right out of my mouth. Did Billy and Dabbu speak through her?

Charlie Wilson's War Stretches the Imagination

How does a US Congressman learn about helping the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Empire in 1980? By listening to Dan Rather on TV while soaking in a Jacuzzi full of young women.

Eight years of Four M's: Musharraf, MQM, Muslim League and Mullah

After eight years of these M’s Pakistan has transformed into a hell filled with price hike, ethnic tensions ... scarcity of basic necessities and above all reactionary suicide bombers.

Pakistan's Flawed and Feudal Princess

It's wrong for the West simply to mourn Benazir Bhutto as a martyred democrat, says this acclaimed south Asia expert. Her legacy is far murkier and more complex.

Ashes in the River

...at that stage all the differences are really wiped out.

A Life Created

Responsibility for a miracle,
another life, another hope
another start, a new beginning
a fresh Phoenix has risen.

Revolutionary for Sale

Clothing plastered with the portrait of socialist revolutionary Che Guevara is possibly one of the oddest and most self contradictory phenomena's of the 21st century.

Psychology of Men's Honour and Women's Sexuality

When Eastern women become financially and emotionally independent their husbands start losing control and become abusive and violent

Movie Review: The Kite Runner

Khalid Hosseini, like many Afghan’s is a poet at heart. Here with the assistance of screenwriter David Benioff, the essence of The Kite Runner remains intact

Kibera Inside and Outside

Bullets inside my head
And hunger outside me
I am a little child
My mother gone

Pakistan's Moment of Democracy?

Even as many conceded that ‘Musharraf is not going anywhere’, a response of Pakistanis around the world who seemed beset with an intangible urge to 'do something'.

Interviewing Ayman

I came across the “hilarious news� that Al Qaeda would be now conducting an open interview. Yes my friends.. good old Ayman will be answering your questions.

1857-What Really Happened-A Reconstruction

A brief analysis of the claims about 1857 as one hears them in today’s Pakistan.

I thirst

I will shed this wretched skin
shred it, peel it, skin myself

Pakistan After The Assassination: Interview with Pervez Hoodbhoy

Interview with Pervez Hoodbhoy by Stefania Maurizi of Venerdi of La Repubblica

Mass Difference: The Bhuttos and Civil Society

Populist, mass-oriented politics can effectively cancel out the two most prominent anti-populist strains in Pakistan i.e. the politico-religious and the elite-bourgeois.

Islam as a political weapon in Pakistan

Manipulative Politics through the Bhutto and Zia Regimes

A Cursed Nation

What a sorrow, we dream of an ideal society a prosperous country but we want someone else to fight for this cause.

Crisis: Danger or Opportunity

"credo quia absurdum"..... I believe because it is absurd!!!

The Landlady