Morality of Lawyers' Movement

In a parliamentary democracy those who are now championing the cause of democracy in this country are themselves non-democratic forces who are putting the popular vote of the masses of Pakistan under their boots.

Taking The Men Who Stare at Goats Seriously

The goal of Invincible Defense Technology is to enhance the peace-keeping capabilities of the military, adding a "non-lethal weapon," a kind of national armor that would ensure the security and invincibility of their nation.

The Land of The Pure

No corner,no street,no abode Stands safe from these merciless fiends

Uneven Democracy : The Cry from Chhattisgarh

Our democracy is patchy. Our democracy is uneven. Even in our cities it is the experience of every ordinary citizen that law is not applied to everyone evenhandedly.

Communicating Medical Errors

Unanticipated unfavorable outcomes are expected in complex modern medicine. How will you like your doctor to disclose unanticipated unfavorable outcomes?

Interview With Salman Ahmad and Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

A backstage interview just after Salman Ahmad performed alongside Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Samir Chatterjee and Daniel Weiss in a fusion concert at Westlake High Shool in Austin

On the Waziristan Operation

If the American and NATO forces do not undertake the requisite action along the Durand Line, then the impact of the achievements being attained by the Pakistan Army may be short-lived.

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?�

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�.

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.

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.

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.

All Boys

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

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.

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’.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Movie Review: New York

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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 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.

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.

Sunshine

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?’

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.

Obama's 100 Days of Presidency

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

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?

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Standard Issue

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

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.

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.

Mandela and His Women

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Organisational Bullshit

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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".

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

Black Pencils

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

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.

Global Warming: Green with Controversy

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Fields Of Joy

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

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Logotherapy: Humanism In Psychiatry

The heart has reasons that reason does not know ... A reflection on Victor Frankl’s “The Unheard Cry for Meaning�

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’

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!

National Reconciliation Order

The concept of Truth and Reconciliation of Nelson Mandela cannot be offered as a parallel of pardoning the outlaws.

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.

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.

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.

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

My Most Memorable Journey

Surraiya Bi had finally reached India her place of birth after eleven years of yearning and praying.

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.

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.

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.

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 ‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Warday

A continuation of the Graphic novel WARDAY, but from the perspective of ex-patriot Pakistani population stranded after a 36 hour nuclear holocaust.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Indian Supreme Court says- ‘Live in is marriage’

A momentous turn that will create upheavals in Indian society from bottom to top.

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.

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.

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

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.

Making a Mockery of Democracy

Waging democracy in the spirit of revenge is the worst form of democracy. This shows the type of democracy which Benazir Bhutto’s (BB) Peoples Party wanted to enforce in Pakistan.

Escaping The Mobius Strip of Time

Another Christmas, another year coming to an end. Out with the old, in with the new. The king is dead, long live the king.

Aqsa Pervez: The Casualty of Patriarchy

Why are other Aqsas being slapped, punched, kicked, abused, followed, spied on, coerced, threatened, blackmailed, kicked out and married away? Why?

Feminism Under Veil

By observing the rule of ‘Hijab’, Muslim women make a statement about their identity and their equality as human beings.

Islam and Hijab-Murder in Canada

Gruesome murder of playful Pakistani Canadian kid in the hands of her father sends the poor soul to her grave and shock waves to the Canadian society.

To Boycott or not to Boycott !

Whether its Imran Khan or Nawaz Sharif or Benazir or someone else ... whoever promises to reinstate judiciary should be voted for to stop Pro Musharraf getting 2/3rd majority.

Fall of Dacca

December 16 comes every year to haunt the nation, particularly those few remaining who were witness to the debacle.

Home, a state of mind?

Home is not necessarily a four-walled structure that has traces of one’s childhood days and it certainly does not represent the country or city one lives.

Mukhtar Mai's December 11th Fundraiser in Sacramento

This effort is not about dwelling on what already happened but what's possible; to change the future of some girls and women in Southern Punjab.

Talk with Shandana Minhas author of Tunnel Vision

Why would I sell to western readers? My loyalty is to the story. As a storyteller you don’t choose the story, the story chooses you.

Nandigram Turmoil, Boiling the Nation

Left Front used a private army to recapture Nandigram in November 2007. 600 people were killed. The Muslim friendly, Kisan Friendly and Labourers friendly mask of Left is torn.

Dispensation of Justice is the Main Pillar of Democracy

The three constitutions, framed in Pakistan, proved to be just pieces of paper; their sanctity frequently violated by the men with guns, and by those who authored and approved these documents.

Secret Life of Gays in New Delhi

On all other days, Pegs N Pints is "normal" - strictly straight. But on Tuesday evenings as the clock struck ten, queers start trickling out of their closets.

Why the American War on Terror is Failing Miserably

USA's counter terrorism effort in the Global War against Terror is frankly creating more terrorists than it is stopping.

Pakistani Judges - Read This Lawyer’s Oath

One fails to understand how the growing need to associate with Mr. Jinnah leaves Musharraf little association with the ideals that the man stood for.

Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema

His skin color is not fair; his acting skills are too loud; he is less muscled than neighborhood gym boys; and he is rumored to be gay! How did this Khan become a Sultan?

Pakistan at War

There is little doubt that Pakistan is under attack by the combined forces of Al Qaeda and Taliban. It is equally clear that the war is not going well.

Pakistan at Sixty

Insightful and relevant article written in October by political activist Tariq Ali on the occasion of 60th anniversary of Pakistan.

Medals of Freedom for Justice Chaudary

He (Justice Chaudhry) sat on four pivotal Supreme Court benches between 2000-2005 that validated the military takeover by General Musharraf, his referendum, his LFO and the 17th amendment

Pressures Mount on Pervez Musharraf

"The judges by not taking oath, the lawyers and civil society by resisting have shown the way. The media is standing by them. This is one battle the General is sure to lose"

Artifice of Scholarship : CSPI on FrontPage

Where will Mr. Warner hide when faced with the ignobility of logic deserting his beloved Christianity? What will he do when the devil of duality is discovered in his own sacred texts?

Its Time To Follow The 'Pied Piper'

Yesterday I learnt that our own Pakistani police have taken away ‘Imran Khan’, our hero the pride of nation, to put him behind bars.

Searching for Qurratulain Hyder in a Delhi Kabristan

I was looking for a grave. In the next hill perhaps? For Qurratulain Hyder. She was an Urdu writer who died on August 21.

Book Review – Searching for Sister Pakistan

Editor Rakshanda Jalil writes ... My concern in this book has been to present as complete a picture of the everydayness of life as it is lived and experienced by Pakistani women.

Sumera Jawad: The Excavated Linearity

Sumera, through her brush, tries to explore the true image of contemporary woman by exhuming the historical representation of the South Asian woman.

Clarity

“Arunivas! Arunivas! Make sure you get me a gold set! Last Diwali you forgot completely that I am allergic to non-gold. How can you forget such important things?�

Saawariya Targets Eternal Love

Sony Picture’s “Saawariya�, a new Bollywood-Hollywood movie is set to release in the United States and worldwide on November 9th. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story, White Nights.

Johnny On The Street

Should the lawyers be able to recapture the imagination of the nation and catalyze meaningful national resistance, the calculus shall change.

We the Silent Majority and the Muslim Fanatics

Why does Western media use the term ‘Islam, ‘Islamist’, ‘Muslim’ very often in the same sentence with words such as terror, terrorist, and fanatics?

In the Loving Memory of Waleed Iqbal

Waleed Iqbal is known in the debating fraternity of Pakistan as being one of the finest members of the Pakistan debating Society. ... For a man I refuse to fade away.

Hisab Barabar

She is a regular in the gym. She walks with a lazy step, does halfhearted aerobics, and barely moves on the bike. On the treadmill, her whole body heaves with an energy-less movement.

Do You Have a Substitute?

Emergency in Pakistan was the need of time as we had no other options. Do we have any substitute for General Musharraf? Is there any other person who can run the country?

The Roving Stones

My lords have announced they will cause revolutionary changes, changes that will cause a grass root level change. But how could they?

Pervez Musharraf Declares Emergency in Pakistan

As of 6PM on Saturday President General Musharraf has suspended the constitution and declared State of Emergency in Pakistan.

Fair Game

Review of "My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House" By Valerie Plame Wilson

The Other Woman

She was a friend who just happened to be a woman...or, was she?

Error Prone : Misleading Lines in the Media

When the Nobel Peace prize was announced, many Indian papers announced in bold headlines that it went to Dr. Pachauri and Al Gore.

Curse of Arranged or Forced Marriages

He is from a “good� family or biradri! The girl might be given a chance to look at her future groom once if the parents are “Progressive�

Will President Bush Invade Iran?

President Bush has raised the stakes by mentioning the possibility of World War III in a recent press conferences. He has declared the Iranian National Guards as terrorists.

Voice from Waziristan

Today on 28th October, 2007 I woke up to the horror stories of killing and beheading of thirteen people in Swat, Pakistan.

The Guava Woman’s Crèche

Remembering sweet-tartness, salivating,
People taste them with their eyes.
A matronly woman stoops and buys.

Neoliberalism and Madrassas: An Unholy Connection

How these schools (madrassas) are perhaps an indirect consequence of structural adjustment policies that are dictated by the IMF and the World Bank.

Communists and the Making of Pakistan

History of the last years of Punjab under the Raj

The Durrani Family Saga

The poor in Pakistan must be given an alternate to the clergy to take them out from the spiral of ignobility in which they are caught.

Where's the news?

The so-called "movement against Musharraf" and the unfolding "democratic revolution" seems like a shrinking reality no bigger than a 26-inch TV screen.

A tribute: To Revathy Gopal

We talked just once on the phone
I, the hopeful poet,
you, established and acknowledged,
friendly, kind and encouraging.

Magic of metaphors : Op-Ed Journey of Thomas Friedman

What is common between Detroit, Toyota, Jack Kevorkian, Mileage Standards and Assisted Suicide? Who would see such disparate elements as connected? Thomas Friedman!

Shattered by the Status Quo

The recent pro Musharraf decision has been rationalized on the grounds that we need him for keeping democracy on “track�.

National Reconciliation goes truly National

The National Association of Street and Petty Crimes, Karachi Chapter has announced that in the spirit of the newly presented proposal by Pervaiz Musharraf, all its members who have stolen mobiles, snatched cars and killed people over cash between the peri

Footfalls of Indian History

Nivedita shows a remarkable insight into India’s past which comes out in this book. It is not that she accepted India without questioning.

Vanaja: A Movie That Moves Your Heart

Either Writer-Director Rajnesh Domalpalli is one of the luckiest first filmmakers around or true contender for future international movie fame.

Bernard Lewis and the Neocon view of Islam

Lewis has had such a profound influence that according to the Wall Street Journal, “the Lewis doctrine, in effect, had become US policy�.

The Ladies Club

The atmosphere was charged up. Colour and glamour defined the mood in the large room occupied by women of all shapes and sizes.

The Ramadan Ordinance

In 1981, the Ramadan Ordinance was issued by President of Pakistan Zia ul Haq, whereby eating, drinking and smoking in public during fasting hours in the month of Ramadan was declared unlawful.

Musharraf the Out-smarter

A lot is being said and written these days for and against Musharraf who first introduced the concept of ‘Pakistan First’ (keeping Pakistan before self and all).

Musharraf and Pakistan: A Message for the Secretary General of the Commonwealth

Let not the Commonwealth make Musharraf 'an exception story'. Call a spade a spade. Tell it how it is.

Towards God?

I don't know as to whether the world is moving towards God. But these two leaders (Ahmadinejad and Bush) are certain to push to world to brink of disaster.

General Colin Powell: Political Casualty of Iraq War

Can he make a comeback? Had he resigned, he would have stayed in the limelight as an elder statesman at the political front.

The Chair

At no cost, I will leave
This chair and its power

A Writer's People and earlier works of V.S. Naipaul

Naipaul was once a penetrating and unpredictable literary critic, but here criticism has been reduced to a series of spikey provocations.

Why should the West Monopolize and Hijack Philosophy?

The trouble with western books on philosophy is that they seldom cover Oriental philosophies.

Little tales from the Staan

Three stories by Umer M. - A visit to the healers, A chicken for an eye, and Indispensable.

Cutting Down the Law

With the banishment of Nawaz Sharif once again the General and the incumbent Government has, shown its myopia, arrogance and contempt for the laws of Pakistan.

Chunari vs. Topi

When will we learn that the 'Daag' isn't imported and not on the 'Chunari' at all.

The Current Mess in Iraq—putting things in perspective

One of the major debates that continue to take place within the global media today is that what future course of action shall the United States take in Iraq.

Inside Story of Nawaz's Cooked Up Return to Pakistan

What actually happened on September 10th, when Nawaz Sharif decided to come back to Pakistan after eight years in exile.

These Lawyers Seem Somewhat Above the Law

It is not about Naeem Bokhari; or anyone else we don’t like; it is about law, courts and the social order.

Twin Blasts in Rawalpindi leaves 27 dead, 70 injured

A chilling response to Musharraf's military operation in tribal areas

Musharraf's Options: Time Running Out

Roundtable proposed in Gulf to sort political mess

Days of Rage

“However flawed democracy here is, it is still the only answer,� she (Asma Jahangir) continued.

The Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro

A five thousand year old TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) that remains forgotten today by its own.

Beginning of an End

Nawaz Sharif’s expected reentry in Pakistan is creating a new power configuration.

This Is For The Men Who'll Roll Their Eyes

I’m waiting for the day when the word feminism will not be a synonym for extremism.

Women's Image and Imagery

Sumera Jawad has excavated with her brush, the buried history by unveiling the “image� of women.

Qurat-ul-ain Haider Has Passed Away

An obituary of a distinguished writer of Urdu literature.

India: The Empire Strikes Back

In 1600 India produced 22.5% of global GDP. By 1870, India had been reduced into a Third World nation, thanks to the Raj.

Of Taufel, Howard And An Apology

Same day that Simon Taufel expressed disappointment with his decision, another Australian, PM John Howard, ruled out an apology to the Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef

Book: Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam

Aslam has really succeeded in portraying the lives, dreams, and fears of immigrant Pakistanis in the UK. That he does it with magical prose is icing on the cake.

Making a new Future: Peace Dividends for India and Pakistan

India Pakistan relationships in the light of future economic and security dividends of peace.

Stephen Gill on his Writing and Diaspora

Multiple award-winning author Stephen Gill was born in Pakistan, grew in India and has settled in Canada after staying in Ethiopia and England for a while.

The Quest

“Amman can you tell me who my real mother was?� Nazish asked gazing at the wall in front of her.

Book Dropper

Nicholas Nassim Taleb says there are two ways to look at your bookshelf. The books you have read and consider yourself well read or...

Wars of Errors

Evil is self-destructive, you will find if you read Shakespeare; and patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, said an Englishmen more than two centuries before.

Weapons of Mass Empowerment

The one point agenda for underdeveloped nations of the world to secure real freedom from the exploitation of the imperialist nations.

Life Beyond Chores

She has everything life gives at its best; loving husband, bright obedient children and a comfortable home. “But I have no personal life."

Tribute to a Master

A book dedicating the contributions of the great Indian littérateur Premchand

An Empowering Verdict!

Reinstatement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan is indeed a victory for the entire nation.

Meeting Poet Ahmad Faraz

What do you say when you meet what many consider the greatest living poetic craftsman of the Urdu language today? When you meet Poet Ahmad Faraz, you can pretty much say whatever you want.

Complex Problems can have Simple Solutions

Cool roof systems with high reflectance (percentage of solar energy reflected back from the surface to the atmosphere without absorption ) and emittance (percentage of energy that is radiated back to the air after absorption) stay up to 70ºF (39ºC) cooler

“A Mighty Heart” is a Mighty Sad Movie

It is the story of Mariane Pearl, one vulnerable, pregnant and devoted wife who is caught up in the search for her loving husband Daniel

Bandit Queen

Shall we ever understand why a woman, so violent, got so much support and protection in rural India and made it to Parliament? Shall we ever unravel the mystique of power of illiterate, landless masses in bringing about so profound a change?

Window Shopping

Since the female/object in question is not really required to speak or profess her opinions during the proceedings it allows her free reign to watch at will.

Fox off!

What is sicker? State brutality or the brutality being turned into a sensational slide show by the channels to improve their ratings and attract viewrship?

US Immigration Reform unfair to the legal high-skilled

A Merit-based system which has been proposed by the US Senate has been widely criticized for allegedly favoring skilled individuals. A review actually reveals it being skewed the other way!

Section 144: Ban on public gatherings

The section 144 has its roots in British constitution of 1938. British needed it to secure their imperialistic interests. The question is whose imperialistic needs it is serving now?

Letter from Multan

In Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore, that was our first day at a jail. The relatives, some of them were quite hopeful of finding someone. Call it wishful thinking or whatever.

Daughters of Hajar

Hajar was Prophet Abraham’s wife and the mother of Ismael. Abraham took them to Mecca (at the site of the Masjad-al-Haram) and abandoned them there (at Allah’s command?). Identifying herself with Hajar, Asra chose to call her organization 'Dau

Who Is the Target Here?

The never-die judicial-issue is spinning out of control and irony of the matter is that every player dealing with this is made to believe that he holds the trump card.

Blue Line

They have seen right through my nonchalance as I picked up the pregnancy test at the airport, kept my shaking hands at bay, and walked with assumed confidence through the hotel doors.

Female Image in the NWFP

A drive through Peshawar’s main roads shows the most perverse affects of gender selectivity.

Just a Woman

I was used to the whistling, the smirks, the humming of latest Bollywood songs or even a religious proclamation of how great God is, this sort of thing, however had me stop and take notice.

The Madness of Crowds

When mention was made of his (Jerry Falwell's) intolerance or his blaming certain segments of society for national tragedies, his defenders would point to the Bible and say that Jerry was only saying what the book says.

The Lament Of Bengal's Luddites

SEZs (Special Economic Zones) in India are expected to generate 15-17 lakh new jobs in 5 years and attract around INR 2,50,000 crore and boost exports by 25 % in 10 years.

Women's Protection Bill is Not Enough

Hudood Ordinance enacted in 1979 by a military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq has been an issue in Pakistan. General Zia suspended all fundamental rights guaranteed in the 1973 constitution.

The PG Hamid Talat Khan Show

Hello viewers, I am PG Hamid Talat Khan, with another episode of the PG Hamid Talat Khan Show, in which we talk to some of the country’s leading politicians and also take calls from our viewers.

150 Years: Recounting Untold History

This May of year 2007 is making 150 years of those untold stories of the heroes of the India’s war of freedom.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid describes his work as “half a conversation.” “I do half the work and the reader does the other half”

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth

If religion is to follow the scientific lead, it then becomes falsifiable like science. When a religion becomes falsifiable, it loses its divine base and its God ceases to be as mighty as we conventionally believe It is.

A Profile In Courage

A recipient of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award in Pakistan and the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s most prestigious human rights honour, she declined an offered post as the first female judge on the Pakistan Supreme Court, stating she thought she could effe

India and the Cricket World Cup

Although in audience reach Cricket World Cup does not match football but in passions, racial overtones , money making and cheating it is like a heady sports cocktail, brewed since Greek Olympic games and Roman gladiator combats.

Understanding the Death Fatwa on Taslima Nasreen

It has become a time honoured tactic to incite the faithful into attacking and murdering those dare to criticise Islam and has served the spread of Islam well by terrorizing people into submission and silencing opposition.

Notes from the Sunderbans

Same place, different times. And now we are told that they may vanish below the surface of the Bay of Bengal in the next few years.

The Power of Positive Thinking

After almost thirteen years working at a large multinational engineering firm, he had attended a workshop conducted by a consulting firm. He was so impressed (and probably so tired of the corporate treadmill) that he immediately began learning more, event

Pakistan Shinning III - Population and Literacy

There is no precedent in history of any nation demonstrating double-digit (or even high single digit) GDP growth while spending next to nothing on its human capital.

Girls Gone Wild

The kidnapping of civilians and policemen by the students and teachers of the madrassas associated with the Lal Masjid, as well as recent events in Tank (NWFP) is evidence of a real, escalating and dangerous movement within the ranks of the religious righ

Karachi’s Plastic Bag Ban

The ban applies to not just the manufactures and sellers but also the users of the plastic bags. Yes, that means us.

Pakistans Permanent Revolution

The tradition of judicial spinelessness continued in Pakistan facilitating three martial laws and the judicial murder of atleast one prime minister till last week when it was brought to a crashing halt by the actions of one brave justice, Chief Justice of

Honored

Humanists honour psychiatrist and writer Dr. Khalid Sohail

Impressions about Iran

The world has gone wrong somewhere in understanding them or stereotyping them with other Islamic fundamentalists like the Talibans.

Thank You Bob, Thanks Inzi!

He’s a colossal in his own right and we need to send him away in a grand fashion on our own terms and especially in a capacity Pakistani ground. We must learn how to bid farewell to our sporting heroes.

Monar Jomban (part 3 of 4)

I have started distinguishing the girls now – all in their late teens and two of them obviously sisters. The two sisters are also the most vocal in gestures and words, very beautiful but in a loud sort of way – blood red glossy lips, mascaraed

Jaane kahan gaye voh din!

But a new generation of the young and restless cine fans had replaced the old generation and they had neither the time nor the taste to savour the slow intoxication of the old style of music.

A Nation Reborn

Just when I thought my people would once again silently ignore this new form of oppression, and resign themselves to a fate written by politicians and generals, they responded! They awoke! They said in one voice, “enough is enough!” I have ne

A Collective Failure to Fail

Each loss brought with it claims ranging from match-fixing and biased umpiring to the lack of divine providence. We never lost all these years. We were simply made to finish second by forces that conspired against us.

The Day We Killed Bob Woolmer

Bob Woolmer’s demise has to be Pakistan’s largest blemish in cricket. I want to tell the tale straight from the heart of his biggest fan.

Why We’re Shocked

So now that we’re the first team to be dumped out, ‘logic’ would dictate that we’re among the worst, and that is a bitter pill to swallow, indeed.

On Zillae Huma Usman

What good is the facade of encouraging educated women to be at the forefront at the expense of their life?

Pakistan Shinning II - Propoganda or Reality

There is no precedent of any nation having developed economically without consistently saving and reinvesting a substantial portion of its annual GDP.

Rodeo Drive to Raja Bazaar: A review

The novel traces the life of 10-year-old Natasha between the years 1994 and 2004. After spending the first decade of her life in Los Angeles, Natasha becomes a victim of reverse migration.

A Teacup in My Hand

Sonya sat at the kitchen table, early Monday morning, with a cup of hot tea. She had some time to herself before setting off to battle her job, and the tensions that went with the package.

Women’s Day 2007

The modern woman’s struggle isn’t simply or solely about securing absolute equality... This struggle, and its an on-going one, is one of identifying our changing roles within society and our homes, it’s about understanding and accepting

Pakistan Shinning I - Propoganda or Reality

The Musharraf Government is frantically beating the drums of its fictional economic miracle of the past half a dozen years. This is painfully reminiscent of similar media projection attempted by the erstwhile BJP Government with its 'India Shining' propag

Fight Hudood, Protect Women

Pervez Musharraf’s amendment of Pakistan’s Sharia laws represents only a partial victory against legislation that many have been fighting against for over two decades.

What is it going to take to have a Clean Bombay?

If we are to ever look civilized in the eyes of the world, it has to start with ensuring that our major cities are clean.

Karachi: The Descent Into Alienation

Surprisingly as many would think, the people of Karachi have not shown themselves to be suffering from mass paranoia, even after this newest series of suicide bombings in the past few years.

The Dispatches On War: Part X

Metternich And the European Politics of Power: 1815-1850

World Cup 2007: A Legacy To Be Left Behind

Australia, South Africa, England are the main contenders in my opinion, with Pakistan being as unpredictable as ever,and after a year which has seen a lot controversy for the team, will remain a dark horse.

Can We Defy Time or Be Contacted from Outer Space?

As social human evolution is progressing at a faster rate, so are our capabilities to decode information. We are getting rather more accurate in our understanding of the universe and unraveling more complicated universal phenomenon while retaining our na

India: Is Growth Coming at Expense of Development

For the last two years the IMF and the World Bank have been warning India about the dangers of inflation.

Sabre Rattling in the Persian Gulf

After the experience with the Iraq war and the cooked-up evidence pertaining to the weapons of mass destruction for which Iraq was invaded, the American public has become wary of the administration's intentions in the Middle East. It does not have stomach

Exchange Siachen Madness for Mountain Peace

Glaciers can also be made secure by the use of common sense. It is for opinion-makers in India and Pakistan to tell their respective governments to stop ruining the future of our water supplies and our weather system.

Rethinking Disability in the Third World

Much like sexuality, disability is a taboo subject even when considered as part of a serious debate. It is the unnamed pink elephant in the living room that no one is comfortable talking about.

Psychology of Guerrilla War

Ironically, twentieth century that started with guerrilla warriors, followers of Lenin, promoting Communism, ended with Muslim guerrilla warriors, followers of Osama, attacking Communism

Dismantling India’s Colonial Past

In matters of foreign policy, India is beginning to abandon the Raj approach to our neighbors

To Hug or not to Hug

This is going to last me a lifetime! She gushed to Shah Rukh Khan, the new, dapper and witty host of Kaun Banega Crorepati that started yet another season on Jan 22, 2007.

Get over the Victim Syndrome

The real issues that affect our daily lives are never addressed by opposition or the government, instead we are enamored with non-issues like huddod ordinance, attire of mushy, Kashmir, women’s face on hoardings, music in public buses and other crap

Last Gasp of the Imperial Misadventure

The American public is rightly concerned about the chaos in Iraq and they believe that it is not for American army to fight a civil war; let Iraqis sort out their problems themselves.

Venus, Earth, and Mars - The Untold Story

Some scientists speculate that the three planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars, shared approximately similar geology at the time of their cooling from their molten newly-born states. The evolution of these three planets along different lines from a similar dist

Imposter Syndrome and Emotional Concavity

Why is it that most women seem to suffer from low self esteem and insecurity while most men seem to think they are the best thing since sliced bread?

This Really Gets My Goat

As the outcry against the Pakistani governments plan to mine the Durand Line grows, I am reminded of the title of a Ray Bradbury novel published in 1985, Death Is A Lonely Business. Death is a lonely business. Step on an anti-personnel landmine, and it

Texan Poker Bluff and Persian Chess Moves

Many analysts have been warning since 2004 against a planned US attack alone or in cahoots with Israel on Iran, one of the so called axis of evil, in the hoary Western tradition of demonizing those they want to invade, colonise and then loot.

It is Never OK to Hit a Woman

According to Chris Rock (American comedian) if she is nagging then at some point you should be able to smack some sense in to her ...

Knowledge and Wisdom

There is an old Tamil song which goes 'Mind - you who can remember, can you not learn to forget'.

In the Line of Fire, A Review

Musharraf can legitimately be titled as a ’benevolent despot’. He does not possess exceptional intellectual abilities but at least his basic premises are correct. He is a moderate, progressive, forward-looking, intelligent, humorous, frank and

Where Are They?

In Pakistan, since the past few years, there have been a number of missing persons who have been picked up by “law enforcement agencies” and these people have had a clear record.

Its Another New Year... What's to Celebrate?

This is going to be a festive season: Eiduz Zuha, Christmas, New Year and many other festivals in many lands will be celebrated in late December, followed by the dawn of 2007. Will it be a new beginning; respite from mayhem and relief from deprivation for

Invasion of Iraq-II

How the Western media failed the whole world on the whole brouhaha of Iraq.

No Romancing the Mohallah

Recently, I declined an offer to watch a mujrah by someone who claims to value the arts and culture -- not because I am prudish, but because there was something disturbing about watching a video taped mujrah in the comfort of American suburbia.

Blood Diamonds

Like selfishness holds hands with carelessness And recklessness goes together with dominance Then how can I explain to your fiancé That in her wedding ring is a blood diamond Representing the sacrifice of native virgins

Killing Darwin

“The Cold War ended 15 years ago. Young people do not shun capitalism and religion anymore to become communists!”

Iraq Study Group, a day late and a penny short!

You can dress it the way you like it but for all intent and purpose Iraq is done; you can put a fork in it.

Computer Literated: Writing Preliterated?

What is the future of handwriting in a world when one in three children has a computer in the bedroom.

Fruits of Western Civilisation

The first psychiatrist he saw, at age 7, decided after a 20-minute visit that the boy was suffering from depression.

The Clash of Stupidities

Our mullahs use women’s legs as a platform, presenting their exposure in skirts etc as a sign of the west’s immorality. Conservative Indian commentators clip onto their sari wearing sister’s navels like infected belly button rings, casti

Dessert

Come.
I want a bitter taste of you.
Bring.
I want to ride the shallow depths of you.

What Went Wrong?

Have you noticed a faint air of desperation around the western world capitals these days? Ok, so it is not faint but quite visible. The desperation is around the Iraq war particularly and to a lesser extent, the Afghanistan war.

Islamic Education, Madrassah Reform, Rationality and Dawkins

The Muslims need to adapt a modern mindset which requires changes to traditional education.

Understanding Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Trying to understand Z. A. Bhutto is hard, and to understand that period of Pakistan’s history is harder still.

Which Islam?

Although many of us despise the western style secularism, western science and philosophy, western democracy, and modernity, we do not have any reasonable and pragmatic substitutes for them. The result is an intellectual schism.

Confessions of a She-Driver

Be aggressive, take risks and look confident. Driving will become fun and it will increase your control. But as one of the messages on the street says Speed Thrills, But Kills. So be careful!

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

The Muslim Policeman who refused to guard the Israeli Embassy in London, the European Union trying to force the working time directive in the UK, a state in India to removing learning of English in schools and the decision by the Iranian Government to res

Educate Because You Can

For close to an hour, she ranted and raved about how schools were merely places meant to “corrupt” and “modernize” innocent Pakistani children, how educating girls converted them into prostitutes.

Dor - A Review

The film portrays the entanglement of the lives of two unsuspecting women living in two distant parts of India.

Invasion of Iraq, the hidden story

This essay focuses on the political issues and reasons that led to the American invasion.

Wahabism in Centers of Learning

Where open discussions on social and religious issues were the norm, one sees a sudden aversion to any difference in opinion. It is fast becoming taboo to question the judgement of any mullah lest one wish to bring upon oneself a violent reprisal.

Of Men And Rats

So it was rats who challenged the human supremacy. Unlike other species they neither ran away from human settlements nor let themselves domesticated; rather, they preferred to stay close … just 14 ft down.

Politics of the Mid-Term Elections

No wonder that the war on terror remains awry because much of it is fought to project the administration’s image against the democrats who are labeled as ‘cut and run’ strategists.

Building Barriers in Britain

It is the extremist views of those who cover their faces that cannot be tolerated in a free liberal society. They put on the pretence of challenging our Western society but try and engage in a conversation that questions their core beliefs and they soon t

Dnyandeep (Lantern of Knowledge)

I pass my heritage unto you,
It’s up to you now,
To keep the candle kindling--

Click!!

He was in the mosque that he had built and Amir Liaquat Hussain was leading the prayer – strangely, they were the only two people there. As soon as Amir said the final salam, Arsalan heard footsteps behind him. It was Aishwariya...

Sissy Fascists

“Now I get it! If this is how our pop stars are thinking, I find myself to be wasting my time asking them to use there art for social and political causes. Of course you will never use your star status to talk about the Hudood Ordinance, now would y

Pervez Musharraf Vs. George Orwell

It wasn’t that simple though, I noticed that Pervez Musharraf steers clear from George Orwell’s most cautioned malaise – Lack of Clarity.

Temptations and Free Will

Do you like to throw temptations as challenges at yourself

Electric Dreams?

A country in darkness - the escalating electricity problems of Pakistan

On Sexual Liberation, Extremism and Simple Hypocrisy

Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmed’s article Convoluted Hypocrisy and Extremism published in the Daily Times on May 30, is a curious read affording us a unique opportunity to see the capacity some people have to retain and propagate wrong and distorted ideas!

Abnormal Norms

With persistent awful conditions of our roads that are filled with bumps all year round, and now thanks to the recent monsoon rains, many pot holes as well, the risks of having an accident today are even greater; more so for motorcycle owners.

Oily ‘Oil Wars’

It is only a matter of time from hence to year 2040 when the fence sitters, equally thirsty of oil, would lose patience about US wrangling under the dream-world – like slogans of peace, prosperity, democracy, justice, human rights and above all safe

Soaps Sans Sanity!

In every tale, a woman protagonist is dominating and manipulating others consistently and her counterpart man is bound to obey her in each matter. Male characters sit idly at home all the daylong, busy in resolving domestic disputes.

Remembering a great Pakistani: Sir Zafrullah Khan

His greatest contribution came when he drafted the famous Lahore Resolution, which till this day is the rallying point of Pakistan and Pakistani nationalism.

How to Kill the Dead Again

What exactly was President Ahmadinejad thinking? I mean try to get into his head and try to figure out what kind of a human would like to poke fun at the murder of 6 million people?

Wag the Tail

In one of my articles, in a comment - someone wrote that we Asians are treated like dogs in the Middle East. How true.

Martial Myths

Bihar : Where Kangaroo Courts Rule

Caste panchayats in the heartland of our country often display a lack of consciousness and humaneness which belies the 21st century we live in.

The Death of a Nawab

Akbar Bugti is dead, what next for the Baloch rebellion?

Facing the Inevitable (Part I)

How different are China and the US anyway?

Why are Jews So Powerful?

Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. Albert Einstein, the most influential scientist of all time was a Jew. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis was a Jew. So were Karl Marx, Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman...

It should be called Stupid Ordinance, not Hudood!

They are about to resolve another landmark issue for the people of Pakistan. Once the amendments are done to Hudood Ordinance, the entire Pakistani population will come out on the streets and do the victory-dance.

Psychology of Suicide ’Bombers’

A ’suicide bomber’ symbolizes a contradiction, vulnerable yet strong. He wants to die and yet also live forever. He is the most rational being in planning his attack and yet acts in the most irrational way by being destructive to himself and o

Violence Against Women

Years ago she used to be buried or burnt alive, on the threshold of rituals and traditions, even now in 21st century society she faces the same violence, dies everyday, her ‘empowerment’ has become only the subject to talk about or discuss in

The Disappearances of a Woman

The sacred fire of Havankunda near the altar, the recital of Mantras by the Pundit, and a segue of film songs played through loud speaker in marriage ceremonies, always brought an ecstatic enthusiasm to Nimmi...

Children of a Lesser God

The US Military officials caution against seeing the cases of abuse and murder as part of any broader pattern, noting that the incidents in question are isolated and rare! But as Bush himself has said, “we are different from our enemies” ̷

Chowk is 9 Today

On this occasion we would like to thank all our readers and writers for their contribution in making this journey possible. Thank You.

Socialist Yuppies 2: Hanging Crowd

Khasi: The problem with Peshawar in particular and Pakistan in general is that we are under the iron grip of the Mullah, religious extremism...
Khabees: Exactly my point, we need the dance parties in Peshawar.

Corporate War on Terrorism

After decades of brutal war, emergence of Islamized violent power group in Afghanistan under the name Taliban was a sign of colossal failure of the idea of society and intellectual bankruptcy.

US QDR Impacts the World Scene

US Quadrennial Defense Review Report-2006 is a document that combines in it the attributes of philosophic prose of realities and phenomenal wishes studded with Mr. Rumsfeld’s impact of steely personality.

The Art of Eating Gulab Jamun

One evening I suddenly feel an urge, a craving, a desperate sort of yearning, for my favourite sweet – The Gulab Jamun.

Escalation of Hostilities in Middle East

The current escalation of hostilities in the Middle East is dangerous for the whole world. Sadly, no super power seems to be concerned or willing to pressure the combatants to cease the hostilities. To allow this dangerous situation to unravel unchecked i

Is the economic turnaround worth it?

Is it fiction? I wish it to be, but it is not. It is story of my home, of many other people. But it is definitely not a story of Pervez Musharraf or Shoukat Aziz’s home. Had it been the case, there wouldn’t have been any such story.

Writers Writers Everywhere, Not A Teenager Around?

We are supposed to be acting adults, showing our worth to not only our country, but also to the world.

Sublime

War for Peace

These wars will not end, they cannot end until the ’military metaphysic’ (the near religious dogma of these power elite, the driving force of their view of the world), the military definition of reality, an effect of institutional fusing, the

Urdu Ghazal After 1980

The book covers the life and works of those ghazal poets who became prominent between 1980 and 2001.The book comprises of 39 poets and it has historical value on several grounds.

In the Company of Women

For I knew that across the North American landscape, in large cities and small towns, there were others.

Suleiman and Salman

Suleiman cycled through the waste of humanity, throwing a polite smile to anyone who bothered. As he dismounted, he could not help noticing the torn holes in the thin yellow plastic sheet, which offered the only cover to his dignity and self-respect.

Control Room Documentary an Eye Opener!

If there really are two sides to every story; then this documentary puts forward an unparallel opening to scrutinize the other side and leave it up for its audience to make up its own mind.

My Ride to Work

How and IT man spends his day

The Globe Is Warm

Global warming has been suspended as in global w-a-r-m-i-n-g? Like deferred taxation it is something we will reckon with whenever, if ever. Is it time for the skeleton in the closet to be acknowledged?

The Long War: Rethinking American Options in the War on Terror

As the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attack approaches, the United States political thought still has not crystallized the manner in which it hopes to confront the challenges of the Global War on Terrorism.

Deforestation and Drought

Massive deforestation started in the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000 Pakistan lost an average of 41,100 hectares of forest per year with an average annual deforestation rate of 1.63 per cent. Between 2000 and 2005, the rate increased to 2.02 per cent per ann

Happy Days are Here Again

Who hasn’t experienced rejection? I know I have. There was that guy in class six who didn’t understand the signals I was sending him (I really should have waited for him to hit puberty first). There was that editor at the biggest daily in Kara

Gods of War

With atrocity upon atrocity piling up in the US war against terror, one has to wonder if the world’s most self-righteous nation will ever have the courage to be morally righteous or not.

Optimism in a Pessimistic World

I am wary of anything that seems too perfect because there have to be as many imperfections concealed within it to reach the equilibrium of black and white that is a property of everything within this world

Prisoner of Conscience or Conscious Prisoner?

V.P.Singh is back with a new Jan Morcha. Look at the timing. ‘Mandal 2’ is staining the streets. Is he capitalising on the wave? He says in this interview, “We are sitting on a volcano. The very backward are looking up to me. In 15 years

Suffering from Writer’s Block.

Why Superwomen Have it Bad

All we ask is that when we are overburdened, beat up, harassed and looked down on that we get a bit of a helping hand. In those lovely moments of realization my metrosexual man walks into the kitchen, blazing with afternoon heat

Islam, Prophet and Blasphemy

The Commercialization of Wildlife

Resort operators sold Corbett as a honeymoon package, a wildlife destination as a corporate destination where team building and conferences were more important then actually protecting the species

Kill for a Pill

And then call this patriotism like Hitler
Then call it “christianity”
And murder, “sanctioned by jesus
And god bless America”

Bollywood and Gender Equality

Bollywood has been abused at the hands of the male dominant Indian Cinema elite that not only includes directors and producers, but also the Indian political elite who have shrewdly used cinema for their own interests

Dispatches On War (Part IX)

As Napoleon was busy consolidating his power in France, and in Europe, he was mindful of British influence and was determined to end it. He identified the source of British power as its ability to dominate the mercantilist trade of the time

Finding Kashmir's Pain in London

If I had brought my unhappiness to London, this is scarcely surprising: my life had been punctuated by bomb blasts, cries of loss by mothers who had lost their sons, of children whose fathers had been tortured to death. Everything was unpredictable and un

Other Impressions of the WSF-A Political Opinion

Even though WSF may have helped Karachi’s image for the very forces of oppression it stands against and not threatened them in the least, it was a big deal. It was politicizing, and consciousness raising for many people

Is Another World Possible?

The best part of the World Social Forum held in Karachi recently was that a woman from a rural village from interior Sindh was sitting next to highly modern elite lady. This is the amalgamation our nation has been looking for since ages

Kibbutz Criminals

Can we ever imagine a Jewish Mob? Can we see any identity for them beyond the rabbi, the kibbutz, the Holocaust? Can we even think about a vengeful Jew? So, has the Jewish persecution machinery been working overtime?

Welcome to Desiwood

The sad desi public is the victim of this senseless battle of one-upmanship. The movies of such horribly low magnitude now seem to be churned out for the sake of flashy clothes, irrelevant dreams, cheesiest lyrics, pathetic dialogues...

The Quest for American Popularity in Pakistan

Public diplomacy may melt some icy precepts in Pakistan but American ideals will still flounder in the murky waters of conspiracy theories until there is tangible movement towards regional reconciliation

Here Comes Bush

With the innocence of a child the interviewer opened his line of questions..

Red Sea Rising

America is still at the same place, using double standards and double edged swords to promote both Pakistan and India, the former by diplomatic patronizing and the latter with economic and military assistance. However, one key player has changed -- China

Muslims in Infidelistan: A Ready Reckoner

When you show up at the airport with your six inch beard, your plastic portable lota, and a prayer rug rolled up in your armpit, you invite quite a bit of unwanted attention. Your four wives, walking behind you, don’t help make your arrival any less

Existential Angst: Am I an imposter?

Successful women had high levels of self-doubt and were unable to enjoy their successes. Rather, they attributed their achievements to chance, luck or some random event

Dam Mismanagement

So General Musharraf and his dam brigade shouting for large new dams ought to first begin showing that they can manage small dams, particularly those they themselves get water from

Cartoons -- Freedom or Ridicule?

Losing one’s culture

Protecting your ICT Software Rights

Are all of us thieves?

Khan Abdul Wali Khan: His Fathers Shadow?

Wali Khan had embarked on a slippery slope. He made compromises with the army, left his Baloch friends, refused to allow the liberals to join his political party, and finally declared “Islam humara deen” in his manifesto

Holocaust

It was the year 1938...and German Jews were being slaughtered...

A Man’s Tale Of Woe

Women Rule The Earth, DOn’t You Know

Hum bhi kabhi Millionaire baney gay...

So isi rozgaar ki talaash mein hum bhutakna shuru hotay hain..

Urban India -- The NRI Viewpoint

Perhaps this wave of westernization and erosion of culture and values is limited to a few, a solitary blond hair follicle in a jet black mane?

The Virgin Birth

Generally for the Muslims, the Immaculate Conception is considered sacrosanct, and to question it would be at the least irreverent if not downright blasphemous

The Leveling of America

Friedman shows us how the world became flat and isolates ten flatteners of the world. The flatteners range from computer technology to changing political ideology.

Is This Why the Jews Are Disliked by Other Religions?

The stability of Jewish families, their success in business and in different professions, their skepticism as far as religion and dogma is concerned, all these must make them a disliked community

Looking for a New Islamic Fiqh

Today Islam needs a new Fiqh to implement its Shariat. Not many Muslims appreciate the difference between these two very important and distinct terms

Could I Handle Two?

As I buckled down to receive simultaneous massages from two girls, my thoughts drifted back to the previous summer

Laddo Ki Shadi

She would bluntly reply to the question, “ Will you keep me instead of my sister?” This was obscene when said to males, but not that she cared

Dispatches on War (Part VI)

The American movie industry is a powerful institution, which can shape perceptions globally.

How I Deal With Unflinching Idealism

I’d like to think that what some of you here are looking for solutions to somewhat similar quasi-existential crap and are actually doing something about it or trying to.

Withdrawing from Iraq: A Disaster Waiting to Happen?

The anti-US public opinion will be quickly mobilized by the terrorists to weaken or overthrow the government

A Wedding in West Mambalam

I received my share of cold fragrant droplets, skimming over my temples and slightly running down my cheeks before I lost sensation of them.

Halloween Party

His left arm instinctively reached out to stop the coins from rolling away.

August 2003

Eventually I learnt to leave my Kraft cheese at home, stop talking about Luke Perry, and dress up to look poorer.

Opaque Particles of Sunlit Sand

omnipresent, the eyes shift naturally
and we envisage a future with crimson skies
she whispers words of irrevocable honesty
and we follow each other into the sea

Of Lawyers and Corporate Scandals

It is accepted practice that one’s actions need not have even a distant connection with one’s words.

A Certain Age

Everything one reads seems so dire. Endless implications for the fate of civilization and the way the world turns and is going to go in the next ten, twenty, fifty years.

Earthquake Relief Efforts

The organizers told viewers that they had received enough clothing; what they needed now was medicine and volunteers to come help sort out the items.

Language of Power: How it is getting more exclusive

Cafes, restaurants, boutiques, designers, the media, in essence the whole socio-economic machinery identifies with the English-speaking world.

Lynddie’s Smile

There’s something pathological about her ability to smile.

Autumn Harvesting

with ever so trembling hands
he felt for his back pocket
in a gesture reminiscent
of slow motion pictures

Remembering H.M. Seervai (1906-1996)

Those who are familiar with the legal profession know that his 4 volume work on Constitutional Law is the finest work on the subject.

Hero as Molester

The commonality of experiences on both sides of the border had never been so same ... The highest court of the country have finally vindicated the indomitable woman's stand.

Sex and Pakistan vs. Rape and The World Media

The safe image of ‘us poor but creative Indians making a living’ is not Pakistan’s. The safe image of ‘us hardworking Chinese—open a factory?’ is also not Pakistan’s lot. The fact that Pakistan is about meat curri

New Murree - New Ways to Ruin Water Supplies

But to put so much effort into providing 'safe' expensive bottled water -- that is mostly consumed by the elite -- overlooks the serious neglect of the water sector as a whole in Pakistan.

Chasing bloodhounds ... Lest we Forget

Who was Simon Wiesenthal and why was he gunning after the Nazis? In his words, 'I have spent my entire life remembering and reminding the world of the consequences of indifference and silence.'

Dispatches On War (Part IV)

The Battle of Somme offers that unique event in which the views of an entire generation and through them, the world’s perspective on a human phenomenon, war, would change and would never be the same.

Rape and Exploitation - Pakistan’s Dilemma

Musharraf will very probably live to regret this instance of foot-in-mouth disease, but the only way to show Pakistani women, and the world, that he has had it cured is to take very concrete steps for the protection of and the achievement of justice for e

Savita’s Choice

Hundreds of child marriages are held across Rajasthan with no one stopping them. The reality sinks in when the children attain puberty by which time they are told they have no choice. But they do.

Because He Couldn’t Get It Up!

It is not easy being a woman in Pakistan.

Rape of another Kind

He must publicly and unconditionally apologise to every citizen of Pakistan.

Coffee Break

Come to think of it, did you realize that we didn’t even receive any training, first day, boom, they said here is this application, here is this software, we want these components by the end of this month, now start working.

East and West

During the flight time, he told me his life, marriage, divorce, children and job ... as soon as the plane landed at Heathrow airport, he did not even say goodbye and never looked back!

Standing Alone in Mecca by Asra Q. Nomani

The journey to Mecca and standing alone at the birthplace of Islam is a running metaphor in Nomani’s book. She is always alone, or so it seems, on the other side of most Islamic issues.

Terrorism and the Muslim World

Certain extremist outfits in Muslim countries, and the most violent of them so to speak, were erstwhile partners of the West for their own vested interests.

Do Corn Pops Really Determine the Future?

I am normal. My other half is not. To answer your next question, yes I do prefer a venti white chocolate mocha with no shot of raspberry over a tall white chocolate mocha with a shot of raspberry

Katrina: An Abdication of Responsibility

The mandatory evacuation called on August 28 made no provisions to evacuate homeless or low-income and car-less households, as well as large numbers of elderly and the infirm. In 2000, a census revealed that 27% of New Orleans households were without any

The Dispatches on War (Part V)

Muslims and Crusades -- In the last five hundred years, the destiny of the Muslim world and the European continent seems to have undertaken diverse paths ...

You: The Woman of Today

Who has a vision of her own,
Which is for the whole world to see!

A Cinephile’s Choice

These are films which I have watched again and again and which give me great pleasure whenever I watch them.

33 Years and Counting

The issue of 54 prisoners from the 1971 war continues to fester- when will the truth come out?

Mullah Pat Robertson’s Fatwa

Bulleh Shah, save me from the Mullah
Mullah’s selling religion for green Moolah
Government loots my paycheck and calls it taxes
Mullah steals my zakaat “for God’s Sake”

Behind the Iron Purdah

...what this country might look like if people who want Pakistan to emulate the Taliban (in terms of how women should be treated) got their way

Muslims and the Road to Perdition

In today’s globalized flat world, Muslims must harmonize themselves with other communities and reap the benefits of a changed world. Like the true deputies of God on earth, let’s make it a better place.

Ashiana-e-Ali

Mohsin bhai retired from the military service many years ago with the rank of Colonel. He must be approaching seventy now but what a spirited man I thought. Still going strong. The will to live, to accumulate wealth.

Driving to work

Do I have everything on me? The usual morning ritual was coming to a close, it was time to go to work…laptop, cell phone, smokes, rolling paper, hashish, glasses…am I missing anything?

Husain Haqqani calls for Pakistan’s Acceptance of Global Realities

From the interview with the author of Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military

Pardon, didn’t mean to kill you...

Three frozen moments of grief, captured by wire photographs at different parts of the world in one day last week stand out... Anguished families in Brazil, Kashmir, and Iraq, captured by Reuters and AFP cameras and printed in newspapers on July 25 are tie

The Weight of Water

“Women are like water,” her father used to say, “they are gentle and patient and they take the shape of whatever situation into which they are poured.”

Getting Hooked

Ask him if he is into reading and if by mistake he claims to read ask him his opinion of Naomi Wolfe and Germaine Greer. Ask him if he has heard of Betty Friedan and her philosophy. If the reply is in the negative, accept him, he is the most suitable idio

Being Imrana

Imran’s tragedy has shaken up the redoubtable polymath Salman Rushdie, the ultimate symbol of a person suffering under a draconian fatwa, into writing a scathing attack on the Deoband fatwa and the culture of honour-and-shame prevailing in India and

The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Mr. Bhutto’s back was almost touching the floor while he was being brought out of the cell. The lower part of his shirt got entangled in the warder’s shoes and I heard the sound of the shirt being torn.

London’s Hour of Reckoning

A surreal silence and eerie calm haunts Europe. Yet Londoners display steely resilience in the eye of the terror tiger.

My Fascination With The Bottle

How I reached home and how I relieved myself and attained peace afterwards can not be narrated, one has to go through this experience to realize the importance of a bottle...did I say a bottle? Yes, a bottle!

The Sania Effect

Why are Indian sportswomen so unsexy?

Union Strike One

Something out of the ordinary has happened over the past 3 weeks. The PTCL workers Union has pulled off a successful strike and has managed to get the privatization of the company postponed indefinitely.

Mukhtaran Mai vs. the Rest of Pakistan

There are examples in history where armies were dispatched to protect the honour of a single woman. There is however no example of a single woman dispatching herself to fight against an army of institutions that collectively represent an entire countr

Yehoshua Opens His Heart

His eleventh book, Open Heart, was set in India. Before you ask, ‘What’s so great about that? Several authors, including E M Forster, John Masters, M M Kye and Dominique Lapierre, have used the subcontinent for their plot,’ please realis

Why Mukhtar Mai Matters

She has decided to take up the fight against “outdated and unIslamic customs and traditions” as she stated on International Woman’s Day this year. Mukhtar Mai is showing here that she is no victim, but a woman who has been forced to beco

Tales from Behind the Bar

The bar dancers have come out in the streets to protest, some with the ends of their sarees covering their faces.I cannot imagine Pooja Devi covering her face. 'I broke a bottle and stood in front of one man's table,' she says.

Implications of Iraqi Instability

In the presence of 138,000 American troops, the first seventeen days of May witnessed 21 car bombings in Baghdad, while there were a total of 25 in all of the year of 2004.

The First or the Last Letter

I have considered what will I do with you and what will I do without you? I guess it is time that I find an answer to one of these questions and leave the other alone.

Communal Stereotyping in Bollywood Movies

The latest offering by Rahul Rawail uses cheap punch lines like ‘No if, no but, only Jutt’.

Misogynist State

'Forcibly preventing participation in public events by women can act only to encourage extremism, and send out a message to orthodox elements that their actions are condoned by the state.'

Fauzia’s Rejection

Fauzia stood in front a full length mirror, staring at her naked body. Her skin was a smooth mocha colored canvas of beauty on which were painted the dark chocolate areolas and a black triangle of hidden mystery.

Power in Writing

Knowing the extent of the change Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., brought with his words, I can’t help but pursue my own quest for change. As long as I have a sound mind and a pen with which to write, I am compelled to continue this process of thinking

Amrita Pritam

Today, I call Waris Shah, “Speak from inside your grave”
And turn, today, the book of love’s next affectionate page

Sultan Mints

Yes, sir, she sure felt like living in a pornographic film. A film made by sex fanatics.

Islam vs. Islam

Junoon concert at the Stanford University, held on May 1... If there is such a thing as a clash of civilization, it is all happening within the Islamic sphere.

Poverty creation - Maharashtra ishtyle

This year, Maharashtra is up for grabs as the worst-governed state. Vilasrao and gang seem to be well on the home stretch, without trying too hard. His vice-captain, R.R. Patil, is making sure of that.

A Letter from the Village

His mother’s voice, rising like ribbons
In the molten sky, fetching him home.

Poems: There is No Way & After the Rain

And around me,
silently
life packs up
and leaves.

Outside the Military Hospital

The sun is equally unkind to them all
And God is equally forgiving. And that’s the way it’s always been
Despite fifty years and as many leaders in between.

Two Poems: Attention Please and Say What?

'Take off your veil, woman!
you are drawing too much attention
Can you veil yourself without the veil?
Reveal without being revealed?'

Which Road will the Pope Take?

Major inter-faith issues lie ahead of Pope Benedict XVI, he succeeded Pope John Paul II, a man who supported religious relativism and worked to enforce better relations with Jews and Muslims.

They Came From the Brothel

There was music, alcohol, hash and the prevailing dampness of our saturated lusts. Since Biblical times, lust had always been intimately associated with the idolatrous worship of Ishtar: the Babylonian goddess of fertility.

No Retreat

A large number of girls braved the threats to participate in the Sargodha marathon on April 9, but were forced to run inside the stadium of a girls’ college -- defeating the very notion of a marathon as a long distance run.

Linking Poverty and Population

Currently Pakistan is the sixth most populated country in the world. It also enjoys the dubious distinction of having the largest people under the poverty line, estimated at over 50 million.

Mr. Ahmed

With his grave manner and impeccable dress, one could imagine him to be, oh, a partner in a law firm, or maybe a funeral director. But he was a salesman, and a good salesman at that...

Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man?

...It is quite appropriate too because now in his mature wisdom, he can lead; he can show the way and there may be millions who want to follow his lead. Although there are others who think he’s the same old loudmouth that he was when he played in th

Wapsi (The Returning)

Review and Interview with filmmaker Ajay Raina ... In the times of yet another thaw in the relationship between India & Pakistan, an Indian ’Lover Of Cricket’ manages to go across to the other side of the ’Line of Control’ (LOC

Asian University for Women

A small office on Wall Street has big plans for the women of Asia. It envisions women as leaders in Asia and is determined to reshape the values, social structures and mores that inhibit the actualization of women’s potential, specifically women fro

Dereliction of Duty

It seems that the VCOAS, General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, is an al-Qaeda member who as COAS would instantly scuttle the anti-terrorist drive. Or is it DG ISI who would sabotage the peace process with India in the absence of operational command of the visionary

A Journey Through Our Conscience

Up to eighty percent of the thousands of women incarcerated presently in Pakistani jails are facing charges related to the Hudood Ordinance, and most cases involve women being charged with adultery after they have allegedly been raped.

A Space of One’s Own

Actually, a woman walking alone in public is also a rare enough sight (which explains my own initial hesitation) and why so many people asked how I felt about it. Even rarer is the sight of a woman cycling anywhere – as women of my mother’s ge

“Dasht-e-Tanhai” wins a Prize for Nadeem Aslam

His is a story of Pakistani conservatism in a liberated ambience of England, a story of a civilization clash within a family of blended values of liberalism and orthodoxy. “Eimaan mujhe rokay hai, tau khainchay haiy mujhe kufr” (Faith is compe

Life in the Western World for a Woman

Is life in the west liberating for women from the subcontinent- devoid of the usual social straitlace which prevents them from being their true selves?

The Monsoons are Coming

Bitch sessions consist of relief workers sitting around, exchanging one frustration after another. The average time is that of three cigarettes and one Lion Beer per frustration.

The Meera Trinity

The Pakistani Meera, Krishna’s Meera and the Mahatma’s Mira -- puppets or puppeteers?

The Dispatches On War (Part III)

The period from 1789 to 1815 saw a major evolution in the nature of warfare, as wars increased in duration, totality of effort and in a conceptual sense, which would set the stage for the industrial wars of the early twentieth century.

Sui Incident: A PR Disaster

Officers operating in this institutional milieu can go to any length - sometimes on the orders of their chiefs, sometimes responding to their own lust.

Pakistan’s Software Industry

Pakistan’s Nascent, often over/under-rated software industry (depending on how you look at it), maybe ready for a take-off. Provided we make the right choices. This article summarizes the findings of an Original Research Study and draws conclusions.

Half a Confession III

Strangely, yaara, I am happy even now -- except for this incessant pain that is eating me up -- even though it is taking me eternally longer to key in these words -- but this is still lightning speed compared with Stephen Hawking’s

Such Anais Journey!

How many of us women can accept the verdict of being the 'Madonna of St. Clitoris' or the 'Venus with an over-bite'? Anais Nin could because it was while clothed in words that she stood most naked.

A Rapist-Friendly System

The verdict is out. Five of the six men received a non-guilty verdict and for one the death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.

Monsters Unlocked

Only human beings can kill like this: the ultimate predator, cunning, hunting in groups, with weapons and without remorse. And we all have this machete killer lurking within us. It only awaits some fuel to burst forth and destroy others and us along with

Livin’ La Vida Aid-a

The life in Colombo is easy. Instead of bitching and complaining, D and I are going to pursue other options and see if there is anywhere else that we can go. It is not about finding a hard situation so that our stories can be better...

The Violence Factor

The society where there is prevalent economic deprivation, huge class disparities, lacks of correct understanding of our histories and identities, absence of democracy and political participation violence against women and its growth becomes inevitable.

Arey Larkay!

“Arey Larkay, go to the fourth room, third shelf from the right and fourth from the top, bring me the seventh book from the right.”

Extraordinary Rendition - A Tool for Torture

Torture does not yield any reliable information. The victim who is brutalized beyond endurance will confess to any thing which the tormentors want. What is the practical use of such information? It is not reliable; it’s worse than no information.

Catfood and Little Women

Life, then, comes down to a debate as to which is worse: death by dreariness or death as catfood.

Two Score and Ten

Books that have somehow changed my life...

Black Longings

'Will you kiss me, please?' she pleaded. Are the desires and dreams of the disabled all bleak? I had spoken to two blind people to understand their concept of love and sex.Why should their needs and emotions be any different from ours?

My Mother, Myself

As an Air Force wife who saw her combat pilot husband through two wars and a highly charged flying career, my mother witnessed many fatal air crashes...

In Defense of H

There are rumours circulating that after we rid of the waning moon on our flag ... a slight design flaw...the new emblem in the middle of the corrected rising moon would be...yes!...a shalwar...

The Idea of Chowk

Its round, don't try to fit it into a square

Black Sheep of Layari

The following story is about the drug dealers and negative elements of Lyari, original theme of which is provided by a native Baloch dweller of Lyari. This is an outcome, based on the narrations of eyewitnesses.

Avant-garde Pakistani Women

She is the young, single, career woman in Pakistan today. Living at home, establishing her career, with no excess baggage. But it’s never that simple. After speaking to a wide array of women, from diverse backgrounds, I learnt about where they were

Flouting International Laws-What is Dubyas Rationale?

There were two articles in the news today. “Charles Graner sentenced to 10 years for the abuse of the Abu Ghraib prisoners.” The second was “A Bosnian Serb, Savo Todovic, deputy commander of the Faco concentration camp in the 1990s wher

The “D” Word

I sometimes joked that had we had blackened eyes and bruised bodies as proofs of torture it would have been easy to sell our “D” idea. But unfortunately mental and emotional scars cannot be brought forward as evidence for dissolution of marria

Meeting Sattar Edhi

No visitor to Karachi can ignore the presence of the Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife Bilquis and their work on behalf of Pakistan’s poor.

A Case Against Kalabagh Dam

Its in order to call for dropping the Kalabagh Dam and other mega dams and looking for better alternatives?

Premala ka Pyar

She waited with patient resoluteness for the rising sun as he slept with his fingers entwined deeply in her hair…

The Dispatches on War (Part II)

The financing of wars.

Bharati Mukherjee : The American Dreamer

‘The experience of cutting myself off from a biological homeland and settling in an adopted homeland that is not always welcoming to its dark-complexioned citizens has tested me as a person but it has made me the writer I am today.’

Point of View, 1971 Through Now

Seeking out information about Indian Armed Forces personnel 'missing' or captured in and around Pakistan, especially in 1971.

Let’s talk to Mallika Sherawat’s Breasts

Does that reduce her in any way? Do you know of any woman who has got silicon implants to help in research or because she wants to be a well-padded mamma to her nursing infant? Was Paula Jones wrong in posing nude to support her kids?

Bubbles

She was brought up to be respectful, obedient, well behaved and the perfect wife. It didn’t matter that she was headstrong, rebellious, artistic and just enough aware of the world in her time to be dissatisfied with the scope of life offered to her.

Diary of a Rape Victim after her Death

Today is the fourth day from my death as I was shot dead on December 24, 2004 in Gujranwala.

Western Feminism and South Asian Women

The gander that’s caught in New York cannot be cooked in Nowshehra

The Dispatches on War

An ode to the game of war and those, who play it!

Lady Reporter

There is no simple answer to the question that people (mostly foreigners) often ask: how does it feel ‘to be a woman journalist in Pakistan’?

Sharded Past

When guests go
And I return to me
I’ll cure the hangover

Bhatti’s “Behzti (Dishonor)” hurts Sikh Sensitivities

But then the play wouldn’t have created a (publicity) storm; it would probably not have attracted much attention. One of the facts of modern

States of Matter

I find myself there
in the wake of
needs and wants

’NO’ to Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses

Supreme Court had banned serving of meals at hotels, clubs and marriage halls for marriage ceremonies. The Court, in its order, specified that ‘no meals or edibles other than hot and cold drinks could be served to guests.’

Punching Bag

“Yah, I don’t think I’ll want to die before meeting you either,” he laughed and added, “are you sure you will be able to recognize me, just from my photos, that I e-mailed you? I don’t want you to run away with someone

Khamosh Pani Crosses the Border Noisily

Sentimentality sells but does not bridge our gaps.

Eye of the Beholder

Your burnt dark skin,
A symbol of the sin...

Reflections of Resistance

No matter how different ideological courses these movement may adopt, women in South Asia are there to bring about a change for peace and justice by resisting the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’ both.

When Vagina met Viagra

The moment he puts you in his mouth, I can feel her anticipation. And we wait. When it works they say it’s because of you, for when it doesn’t they can say the same too!

Whorrible!

The film, part fiction, part documentary, was on the lives of prostitutes and was appropriately called Whore (Yo Puta in Spanish). Yo Puta should have correctly translated into I, Whore. It is based on Isabel Pisano’s eponymous book.

Demining Starts Healing War-torn Northern Sri Lanka

The ongoing efforts in Sri Lanka have lessons for both India and Pakistan. The borders of the two countries have seen huge swathes of territory being rendered useless and dangerous by landmines -- India alongwith the US, China, Russia and Pakistan is not

The Hazardous Mix: A Peculiar Act and the Perilous Energy

India's Atomic Energy Act 1962 - its intent and the reality

Three Tales Of Sufi Wisdom

Rumi smiled back and said, “This is something which you do not know!”

The Genie

I say a silent good bye to him and look up at the ceiling again. I imagine the stars and slowly they start to appear one by one. They are back. And now maybe the magic will return too. I smile to myself and start connecting the dots.

The Second Wave

Profiles of four outstanding filmmakers at the upcoming 4th Karafilm Festival ...

HREP: Bringing in the Little People

Initiated in Karachi almost ten years ago, HREP aims to foster education that contributes to peace and understanding. Their books are beautifully illustrated and produced, but cheaply priced, available in Urdu as well as English.

The Hand of Dog

Ah yes those first words - 'Go easy on the heeng matey'. I tell you in the days gone by, the amount of dietary changes I have had to make because of that dog! And not just any talking dog - an opinionated talking dog.

The Troubled History of Jews

Historically, whichever society had welcomed the Jews to live in peace with it, it had gained not only in terms of scholarship and knowledge but also in terms of commerce, trade and wealth creation. So could the Middle East.

Jirga injustice

From an informal body meant to settle small claims, the ‘jirga’ in Pakistan has been allowed to emerge as a powerful extra-judicial force protecting the interests of the powerful.

Women, Conflict and Conflict Prevention

Women have a much bigger stake in the conflict prevention and peace process along with the other peace partners since they have remained and still are the victims to the most horrendous cruelties of war including rape, sexual slavery, prostitution, displa

Ranchor Line ka Firangi

In Ranchor Line at night there is a kind of numb darkness that enshrouds the streets. On every corner and footpaths, scores of men sit and discuss life and shrills of laughter or the disquiet of loud words is heard almost incessantly.

john over george: george over john

ram das and allah ditta go about their chores
as if there was no tuesday in their lives
sweating, scheming, squandering through their day
dreaming of daal-roti sustenance

Fahrenheit With a Silent H

I have two principal criticisms regarding the movie. The first is that instead of questioning who exactly perpetrated the WTC attack, Moore went along with the American government’s official explanation.

Grey lining, Silver cloud

Licking each other’s sweat, Our thirst quenched, Another journey we commenced

What is Freedom After All?

Freedom can mean many things, what does it mean to you?

Two Poems

I found myself drifting into darkness
To a world strangely unknown

Pandora’s Box

For all intents and purposes Iraq is still an active war zone. Civilians (non-Iraqi civilians) have no job being there, if they go they put themselves in harm’s way. Unfortunately, rather than discouraging or disallowing civilians from entering Iraq

A Wedding Night in Boston...

As I watched the blonde and brunette Pakistani girls gyrating and bobbing to bhangra, I wanted to kneel before God once again.

Dora, Pink, or Lavender?

It is time now to set a date for the baby shower. The trick is to pick a date in between the morning sickness and the ‘any day now’ zone.

You Can’t Strip The Army

President Musharraf should seriously consider dropping his clothes. How can you discuss diplomatic ties with a man who has medals for doing undiplomatic things? This is a petty question; the important one is: Has he discovered women?

Bottled Water: A False Sense of Security

Barring Nestle which itself is artificial pure water lacking a balance in minerals thereby causing dehydration rather than removing it, most other brands are highly contaminated by chemicals or bacteria.

No Compromise on Murder

The heirs of the victim can forgive the murderer in the name of God without receiving any compensation or diyat (blood money), or compromise after receiving diyat.

How that Other Democracy (India) Differs

As America goes to vote on a largely bi-polar election, it would be of interest to try to understand how that other democracy, India, differs.

Cave-men of Rawalpindi

Former Kashmiri landlords are living miserable lives in caves in Rawalpindi

History of the World

See, I always wanted to save my boys
from ending, from breathing, from stifling themselves.
But they don’t last – that’s what I’ve found –

Gulp Fiction

Magazines I’d like to see: Paranoid 911, Talwaar Times, Cannibalism Today, HardOn

The Unbeatable Weapon

Washington doesn’t realise it faces a weapon capable of defeating superpowers.

The Forgotten 54 and More

These men if still surviving have little time left for niceties now. They need to be brought home in whatever state they are. Even if there were human rights violations, releasing these men would send a gesture of goodwill and peace.

Jamnagar Memoirs

It may seem strange that a celebratory function was held a day after a plane had gone down with officers and crew. Armed Forces in general have the ethos that the show must go on. Comrades will die and they will be mourned yet life must go on.

The Dream of a Crime-Free Society

He seemed agonized. I asked him what was wrong. He had called his folks in Karachi and learnt about a robbery next door to where they live.

Of Nostalgia in Saudi Arabia

Eight years ago, when I was planning to join my better half in Jeddah my friends were worried for me. You will suffocate there, they always said.

Two Poems

I walk around the house, restoring solitude
From room to room, only to find your smile
Wrapped around my hand, opening doors.

The Price of Love

Hameed may not find it so easy to dispose of his daughter, who has refused to accept her fate lying down; before being locked up, she managed to contact some human rights activists.

Culture Wars

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim is Mamdani’s most recent work. Inspired largely by the post Sept 11 scenario in the US, this book is one of the few important counter-narratives to the contemporary Western political analysis of Islam.

The Tale of Five Rivers

The invaders brought new languages and strange cultures. Along with their brutality, there was the religious oppression by the Pundit and Mullah. Out of this chaos and turmoil was born a new language called Punjabi.

Bulleh Shah

A man, whose writings - barely understood, even by those who speak his language - contain, amongst them, such enlightening and powerful Sufianic philosophies that even Smith, Voltaire, Rosseau, Kant et. al. would have been proud to claim them, as their ow

That is Our Secret

The other teachers were all wide-eyed about these two chitchatting and asked what’s up; there was a knowing look shared between Anish and his teacher that said, “That is our secret!!!”

The Forgotten 54 - When will the War Finish for Them?

It has been 32 years and a few months. “A long time” as most people say shaking their heads and dismiss it from their minds.

Maniza Naqvi: Writing for a Cause

'Look at what the US journalists did to Pakistan over the last three years, portraying the people as though there is something genetically and religiously wrong with us,' she says.

Films, Television and Women

Sex and violence are the two usual targets for anyone to take on the film industry. With every controversial film, whether it is ‘Girlfriend’ or ‘Fire’, the debate once again comes to the fore as to where to draw a line between &

Cactus Gas

Rajan. That’s what my alcoholic father used to scream every time the pathetic man wanted his trembling drags tensely inhaled from dry Gold Leaf fags.

The Three Queens

My mother was her mother’s slave. And her mother was queen. Who was my father? I do not know. It was not important... As worshippers of the old religion, of our mother goddess, we understand that women are the subtle rivers that carry the world forw

Army Action in Wana and Our Responsibility

We hear that the U.S. deserves the Blowback because “as you sow, so shall you reap”. So 9-11 is blowback, and the attack on Karachi’s Corps Commander isn’t?

Thoughts, Anger & other poems

I am free.
But should I,
be?

International Law: Applicability and Real Politik in the Middle East

For the first time since 1948, an Israeli prime minister or government elect has publicly stated what the Palestinians have been crying out for years

Tight-fisted Urban Development!

We are looking for ways to accelerate growth so that poverty can be reduced and living standards improved. We go borrowing and begging to do this! Yet not many of us question the myriads of opportunities for investment that careless regulation stifles.

The Mullah and the Munir Report

Never again did any judicial officer in Pakistan speak his or her mind so clearly and so eloquently.

Atiqa Odho

Thinking young is great feeling healthy is even better. In spite of her hectic schedule, Atiqa manages to keep herself young, active and healthy. Atiqa most definitely intends to make the years to come the best ones of her life.

Dear Sisters, Meet Maria Sharapova

This is the story of a father who took a chance that his ten-year-old daughter from Siberia can be great. Thanks to the opportunities offered by the free world Maria Sharapova is what no practicing, veiled, Muslim woman can ever be.

Guide

Where are you going?
It’s too gray for blood here
and you are far,
far too quiet.

Why not a well thought out constitution?

The current consitution can be amended to fit our needs

Cast Away Fear

I was not trying to kill myself, I was just running after the sun, I was trying to save it from drowning

Origins of Hijab

After the conquest of Mecca, the Muslims were practically the unchallenged rulers of Arabia and the social conditions in Medina were also not menacing for the women. But, since hijab had been formally ordained by the Quran, there was no going back...

Some Mother’s Son

There is strength and inspiration to be drawn from those who use their pain, not to cause further destruction, but to heal and move ahead. One such woman is Visaka Dharmadasa, whose young son Achinte went missing in September, 1998 when the LTTE attacked

Pessimism with Growth, Why?

Economy has improved, yet growth is not high and people remain concerned. WHY?

Bush: King of Genocide

Your mind if it ever awakens,
Does not possess the clarity to understand and decide,
In discontinuous bouts of a war on terror,
You are an uncrowned King of Genocide.

Politics of De-veiling

The headscarves issue in France is profoundly reminiscent of the policies of the French coloniser in Algeria who, in the words of Frantz Fanon, ‘solemnly undertook to defend this woman, pictured as humiliated, sequestered, cloistered’

The Need For Writing Across the Curriculum

But why is there a need to integrate writing into all areas of learning?

My Best Friend

My friend looked excited and as he saw me look up, asked, 'You see?' And pointed his finger at the article. I looked back at the article to figure out the reason behind my friend’s excitement. My eyes suddenly fell on the writer’s name: Sameer

The Rain

In this small, isolated village, with illiterate farmers, Suraiya found life for the first time in her life. She understood that life was not all about snatching whatever little others have, but giving whatever you could share.

Complicity in Silence

Every smirking soldier and every dieing Iraqi is asking us to make a choice...

The Widow of Sudin Bannerjee

On an impulse, she decides to start clearing up her wardrobe. That should keep her busy the whole day. But before she would open the wardrobe doors, she sees the large suitcase standing in front of it. Sudin’s things from the office.

Care Taker

'I work there,' he said as matter of fact.
'Work?' I was not expecting from little boy.
'I look after these things so that no one can steal it'

Stone Walls and Metal Gates

Some nights she dreamt of flying through the darkness, over lands and seas until she stood in the balcony of her home. She would hear muted sounds of her family from behind the glass doors and heavy curtains

Changing World Order: India’s Response

In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, a unipolar world emerged. The United States emerged as the only superpower ... For India, the year 1991 signaled major changes in its economic policy. To tide over the balance of payments crisis, the Indian

Haraam Bombay

It wrenched my heart to see the city of my dreams and my life look like a patheticwax work. They talk about tits as though Bombay does not know about them.

Lengthening Shadows of Iraq War

From all portents and signs, it appears that the coalition armies have not yet turned the corner in Iraq war; the shadows of the war continue lengthening and the end is not in sight.

A Weapon to Wipe Out the Arts

The proposed Public Performances Act will be nothing more than a tool of censorship.

An Indian in Pakistan

Love across the Wagah border

Blasphemy

Muslims are the first victims of Islamism.

Civilisation That Isn’t

What leads people to not just kill another human being, but to inflict pain and torture before killing, and then mutilate the bodies afterwards?

Shahla Haeri: Changing Perceptions

Although thousands of educated and working women have played significant roles in Muslim societies, most literature on Muslim women has concentrated on the veiled, poor, peasant or oppressed women.

Criminals -- or Victims of an Unjust System?

If the President really wants to help women in prison, he would do well to repeal the Hudood Ordinances. This would have a far greater impact than limited remissions and pardons.

Fancy a Wedding?

For those of you who now think that lndo-Pak marriages are long and completely pointless, let me assure you that they are not just that. They are expensive too.

Whither Hath This Winter Gone

Soon dandelions shall bloom
in March, dispersing
the winter’s gloom

V. S. Naipaul

I know one thing for sure: If Naipaul’s not in conflict with himself, he wouldn’t be in conflict with the society around him. As long as he is not at peace with himself, it is not possible for him to be at peace with others.

To Die For.....the War at Wana

Images flashed on the television screen; a burning truck, scattered FC troops behind mud barricades and coffins wrapped in the national flag. This was the footage of the war taking place in Wana - where our soldiers are engaged in a bloody combat with the

Rights (un)Defined

A women’s magazine recently took out an “Ibne-Adam” edition

Pakistan’s Hudood Laws: Extremely Misused

Two decades of a lack of public debate has contributed to the continuing misconceptions about these laws. People often assume that they are Islamic, and therefore justified.

Honour Killing: Understanding The Legal Background

Hadood Ordinance has provided this ill-practice, a legal cover. Now, the male members sit together, chalk out the plan and kill the women without the fear of any legal consequence.

Auction of New Cellular Licenses In Pakistan

Thirty-three parties have expressed an interest for these two coveted licenses including several prominent international firms like MCI, MTC-Vodafone, Singtel, Etisalat and Turkcell.

Did Libya Stab Pakistan in the Back?

It wasn’t so much what Qaddafi had, or didn’t have, in his arsenal. But what was of importance to the Anglo-Americans was that they had managed to break the most vocal and loud-mouthed of the hostile Arab leaders.

Yom Kippur 5764/Flight

I am surrounded.
I have no wings and no claws
to fly and dig my way
out of you.

My Urban Widowhood

A year has passed since that fateful day when my two greatest wishes were granted.

In a Glass of Red Wine

I bend down and pick up the largest, the brightest shard of glass from the glittering gems by my feet. I can see the shadow of red gleaming along its edges. Definitely a sign. In each piece of glass I am someone else. Every reflection of me is a reflectio

Top of the World - Part II

Imran by this time was 39 years old, and I was 35. We were among the oldest players in the tournament. We were also the most experienced in World Cup terms: Imran and I were the only two players in the entire competition who had played in each of the prev

The Thirteenth Hour

She could never survive without me; she could not withstand my trials and tribulations, she must leave before I make my final exit.

A Pakistani Woman’s Voice

'I have decided to dedicate my writing to women,' says Tahira Naqvi very determinedly. Ms Naqvi is an acclaimed fiction writer, translator and professor who considers herself to be a ’feminist’ although she finds the word itself to be quite li

Of Tiaras and World Peace

We hear more of world peace on the stage and see more blood shed in the real world but we take it all with a pinch of salt and allow them their moments of glory.

French Not the Only Offenders on Hijab

Are French and Saudi laws on Hijab flip sides of the same argument?

Bapsi Sidhwa: From The Pakistani Bride to Earth

Bapsi Sidhwa is one of Pakistan’s most prominent English fiction writers. In 1991, Bapsi Sidhwa was the recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest honor in arts bestowed upon a citizen.

India Pakistan Friendship, Why Now?

What has changed geopolitically that has forced both countries to reconsider their long-stated positions?

A-Okay

Unmarried mothers are maligned but a married mother using abortion as birth control society deems A-okay.

Thinking of Home

Friends and siblings are too busy to write. And my mother, I know is too old to make it to the post-office.

Now it’s mannequins

There seems to be no end to the non-issues the NWFP government readily involves itself in. The most recent of these is now a ban placed on the display of mannequins in clothing stores.

Wonder

‘I wonder how these stones reached here’, said the boy to his friend

Reality and Illusion

After passing the door, four times his head bumped into a wall and four times he turned left and passed another closed door. This happened again, and again, and again, and again. But with the unwavering resolve and confidence that he would find an open do

Mehreen Jabbar

To Mehreen experimenting with a story is one of the most interesting parts of creating a play.

Why is Santa Not a Woman?

Have you seen him cry? Have you seen him complain and crib? Have you seen him lose his temper? Have you seen him throw a tantrum? Have you seen him get hysterical?

On Self Reference and the Law

This article is about itself ... does it or does it not assert that 'the systems (some would say paradigms) in which society and law operate are constantly evolving; and with each shift (some would say revolution), society is placed outside its previous p

A Strip of Road, a Bulb of Light, a Bucketful of Water

We are getting reported in the US as “women are moving up in India” even in the notoriously backward and casteist cowbelt. This might be seen as good omen, the external push to internal determination for aspirants of mud and thatch paradises.

One Down Two to Go

the fun has just begun... or the nightmare! …watch bush mangle this re: the trial …if it is in-camera he will be criticized …if it is in public the wily saddam will massacre US administrations …watch for a despicable despot turn in

Shikwa: My Eid wish...

I know I did repeatedly ask you for different men to marry me at different stages of my life....saying Allah MiaN bus us ki AmmaN razi ho jayay eik duffa phir shadi kai baad bhuddi ko maiN sumujh looN gi

Karo Kari

They dragged her away and what her fate was, Fatima had not the heart to listen to. Miserably, she went and sat down by a tree, near the place. The sounds were very vague over there and she closed her eyes.

Should Pakistan, too, Dump the Commonwealth?

Leaving the Commonwealth arena all to India by walking out from it would be a big blunder. Why give India a walk-over?

Miss Hoor-e-Pakistan

Seriously, you know, cheeks are one part of the anatomy, lips being the other, that we Pakistanis do not kiss in public! Take it from someone who tried it once. And survived. We kiss hands, usually the back of the hands of senile elders and pirs a

Banning Fashion Shows

To fully grasp the ramifications of the ban, one needs to understand the various dimensions of the front on which the Prime Minister has sought fit to engage battle

To Be Or Not To Be Home?

Then there is the equation with the husband. All the ladies that I spoke to put their husbands on hold till the weekend. 'Otherwise, the entire schedule goes haywire', said one. 'Can’t get up and get going early morn next day', chimed another. 'Who

Kalapini Komkali & Shewta Jhaveri

Kalapini Komkali & Shewta Jhaveri are a breath of fresh air. I came across them recently and would like to share my impressions.

Founding Mothers

The most famous image of the Pakistan Movement is when a young woman climbed up atop the civil secretariat building in Lahore and planted the league flag instead instead of the union jack.

How to get a Civil Award

If Mirza Ghalib (South Asia’s long-deceased great poet) were to have been nominated for an award, quipped a Net-acquaintance, somebody else would get it! The master just wouldn’t have pushed it through the merit-assessing bureaucracy.

Warped

Breathing in and out still alive without a doubt between truths true to themselves trying hard not to warp

The boy who didn’t want to be there

There was once a boy who was really a man, but did not want to be. He did not want to be a grownup. He wasn’t like a man-child, a Kasper Hauser. He just hated growing up. Growing old was not a problem, the problem was just with growing up.

A Gory Tale of Lies, Greed and Deception

Apply whatever mode of calculation you like, the tragic truth is: Pak Army has killed manifold more Pakistanis than those who have hitherto fallen to Indian bullets.

Mapping Karachi’s Charms and Contradictions

Kamila Shamsie spoke about ‘spider-plants’, the literary scene in Pakistan, an absence of ‘stone throwing fundamentalists’ in her work and inevitably about Karachi.

Blank Fate

Painfully she lifted her gaze, staring at the emptiness on her mother’s face. She knew then, she had lost everyone whom she was once proud to call hers

Resistance is the first step towards Iraqi independence

Sooner or later, all foreign troops will have to leave Iraq. If they do not do so voluntarily, they will be driven out. Their continuing presence is a spur to violence.

Razia Bondrey Bhatti: A Woman of Courage

'I see the journalist’s role as both reporter and crusader. In a civilization that seems to be regressing into new holocausts, we must seek and speak the truth, for we are the voice of voiceless millions. Having chosen this profession, we cannot be

Widows of Banares

The tradition of widows gathering, sometimes willingly, other times unwillingly, is based o the Hindu belief that those who die in Kashi, or Banares will go to heaven.

The new face of US Warfare

A few weeks ago when a US District Court sided with a relatively unknown satirist Al Franken and admonished the right-wing Fox News empire calling its arguments ‘extremely dubious’, it ‘officially’ broke a taboo of silence against

Why is the West so angry with Dr. Mahathir?

It looks as if the intrepid Mahathir, known for speaking his mind fearlessly, has disturbed a hornet’s nest in many a western capital.

Diya JalaiN: Light the Lamp

Who’s afraid of (a) little more happiness, little less hatred?
In diversity is hope: in hope, light. let’s light that lamp and nurse its flickers ..

What time is it? Marriage time

In comparing these two systems (East & West), many people point to India’s low divorce rate and therefore claim innate superiority. However, the analysis is inconclusive when taking into account the cultural stigma associated with marital termin

Should Pakistan send troops to Iraq?

The Musharraf government operates in a complex domestic, regional and international scenario and has its limitations...If it needs to change the 'domestic viewpoint' then it must be able to communicate something to Pakistanis that assures them on their na

Greatest Indians

Ideally speaking, the Bharat Ratna award should give a list of the greatest Indians, but I was rather disappointed with it, it doesn’t fit into my definition of greatness. In any case, it comprises of people from the past 50 odd years only. So I dec

The Diva as Devi

Lata Mangeshkar personifies the Indian obsession with the woman on a pedestal. But, has she in any way made the Indian woman feel that power?

Being a Girl...

In our society gender seems to be a sky high barricade on the road to ambition.

To the Gallows

The ill-fitting jail garb had lost whatever little there was of its faded color. How many had worn it before their D-day? Sweat made it cling to her like a second skin. She smelled like a pile of manure. Would they allow her a bath?

Of Weddings and Disney

When I saw the movie, Father of the Bride, I thought wow! these Americans spend so much money on their weddings. Hell, they have a wedding planner. Lo and behold, Pakistanis are no lesser mortals. We not only have our very own wedding planners, our weddin

Waiting For Fatwa

Do not be distracted by those who would deflect and criticize her lifestyle. Be fair, think and judge her on what she has written.

Two Phases of Indian Secularism

The second phase of Indian secularism started at Somnath (Gujarat) in a Toyota pick-up converted to look like a medieval Rath (chariot)

The Spell of Winter

poem on winter

Parveen and Asad

She is considered by many to be the best Urdu poet of this generation. She is considered by everyone to be one of the best female Urdu poets of all time.

An Hour in the Life of a Soldier

An imaginary walk with a soldier on patrol

Ilogs

It helps you “read, write and think”. With such indulgence you can only derive pleasure……mental, emotional and intellectual and certainly not carnal as in pornography.

LFO, Security Council and then Bijli Gaee...

One of the best things about living away from home is living away from home...

A New Constitution for Pakistan

Pakistan needs a workable and flexible document which is practical and can be sustained over a longer period of time.

Start the Commotion

At around 4:20pm (Toronto time), on the 14th of August; Canada and the US experienced a black out. All hell broke loose as the traffic blocked the roads, caused by the dead traffic lights

Who is This Mysterious ChowkStaff ?

It’s a Chowk tradition that the regulars post felicitations to commemorate the webzine’s “birth” on the fourteenth day of August. This sixth birthday is no different. I am not going to add to the praise (or critique) of Chowk.

Telic Chowk: A Personal Odyssey

addictive, eclectic or antithetic but seldom static

Culture Jam

'Do women in your country wear veils?' an oft-repeated question like this I could even smell in the air before it could land on me.

Chowk Rant

Why do I write? I write because I am compelled. Because there are people living in my head who want out.

The Phantom of the Opera

One people, one law! Why not?

My Perspective on Islam

Humanists cannot endorse terrorist targeting of innocents no matter how just the cause

Growing up Muslim

In a few months, the father was sure that his girls will become sexual beings, westernized and depraved

New LFO Ultra

Whilst extending my heartfelt gratitude to His Highness (HH) General Pervez Musharraf for delivering the genuine democracy to this unfortunate nation of ours, I wholeheartedly condemn those traitors who refuse to tender unqualified submission to him.

The Writer’s Block

Women of Substance

Here is a woman, a German woman, who was considered the greatest authority on Iqbal and Sufism by men, even bearded men

The Vagina Monologues

One Eve banished us from Heaven. Another is helping us discover the heaven within ourselves. One Eve is blamed in Western theology for initiating sin and instilling self-loathing in her daughters.

Women and Divine Decrees

No other law in Pakistan, other than the law relating to blasphemy, has led to such heated debate and controversy than the law relating to the evidence of women

The Lady-Charmers of Laloo-Khait

For adolescent adventures involving girls Laloo-Khait provided an unusually harsh environment. In highly conservative and poor town there was no easy access to girls

Coming to Terms with Kargil

Launching lashkars from our own territory to capture peaks inside the enemy territory; and then playing innocent was never a story that could be easily sold.

Justice for Half a Man

Islamic law and jurisprudence have also come under international scrutiny since it presents a historically proven and viable alternative to the existing English Common Law and Napoleonic Code. One of the main issues that have come under the spotlight is t

The Razor’s Edge

The United States seems to be losing the proverbial battle for the “hearts and minds” of the Afghans. The biggest problem was that the United States was not prepared for the post-war situation and had no plans to tackle the problems

Monsoon Days

The woman on the television tells us it’s raining in India. This means the monsoon will come to Pakistan soon. You only have to see the satellite map on television to understand the Siamese nature of South Asian weather.

The Blackboards

Here is a bit of advice from some body who knows. Never be the middle child in the family if you can help it. Especially if your older sibling is the perfect son/daughter.

On the Miltary Farms, Okara

The Government’s inaction in the face of the reported brutalities carried out by the Military authorities and Pakistan Rangers in forcing the tenants of the Military Farms, Okara to execute the new “cash rent” system is criminal.

The Conversion Chiaroscuro

Didi became a Hindu. Long before the RSS and the Pope got into a tiff about conversions. At that time it meant nothing to me.

President Pervez Musharaff’s Views

The present line of control, he asserted, is the issue over which the two countries have fought three wars. So how can that be a solution to the problem, he asked with all the emphasis he could invoke.

Of Early Marriages

My just-turned-twenty friend tries to maintain a balance between the robust baby in her right arm, and her large, stuffed hold all in the other. She tells me he’s being naughty today; he isn’t this bad tempered usually.

Lanka - A Small Sashay

On a fine March morning, I too packed my passport and landed into the hassle free Colombo airport. The way I see it, supreme happiness is ‘Visa on Arrival’.

Many Questions, No Answers

Solutions do not rest in either Democracy or in the Shariah. The answers are in Education and Social Equality. Only this will invalidate the Bush Doctrine and Extremist Fatwas.

Qui a Tui Daniel Pearl

This must be a first for chowk. To try to review a French book without knowing much of the language oneself. So, this review is based on a post reading discussion with three friends and a close family member who are, how do we say it, parle vouz the Franc

Haseena and Jannat (on earth)

even her grim demeanor cannot hide the fact that she is very attractive

Do it like the Dutchies Do

In this country you need a doctor’s prescription to buy tablets of paracetamol with codeine. However if you walk into any coffee shop in Amsterdam you can easily legally buy Marijuana!!!!

The Scandal of Fake and Madrassa Degrees

a federal minister whose only real qualification is an O-level certificate

The Follies of the Natives

A circus called Pakistan

History Rehearsing: Dark Ages of Islam

poor masses hopelessly in search of a savior

Yesterday and Tomorrow in India Today

Here was, then, the India of yesterday: poor, hungry, mired in poverty, highly dependent upon the vagaries of weather and yet full of life with colour, dance and music.

For Better or Worse

Compromise is the key to a successful marriage but what happens when neither party is willing to do that?

Land of the Pure

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan found that in year 2000 a women was raped every two hours in Pakistan, and that hundreds were victims of “honor” killings, domestic violence, burnings and murder

O Karachi. Part II

This is my passion what is yours?

Trembling Camera Flare on a Column Within a Column

women who end up in this exclusive club-like section

How to kill your Wife (Unedited)

for killing women, a plethora of options are available

Women in Religious Scriptures

Gender relationships in religious frame-work

On the Picket Line in Islamabad

It is Islamabad’s best-known secret. The picket lines at KFC and Pizza Hut are well into their second month and there has not been a word about it in the local press

The Beginning of the End of the Kashmir Problem

Do not underestimate either the love or the hatred that the peoples of the two countries are capable of having towards each other

Takht-e-Bahi

Takht-e-Bahi is famed for the quality of the kebabs available here.

Mutant Muslims

Another case of art imitating life?

On the Assertion of Rights

Why Pakistan’s institutions are ass backwards

Ali G and his Bling - Bling

The first time I came across Ali G was in.....

Pakistan and India - Lets Compromise

The program began by applauding Indian PM Vajpayee’s concession to meet Jamali, his Pakistani counter-part

Air Cdre Rizwanullah Khan Shaheed Memorial Trust

how will we make sure that the contribution to this world happens anyway, in the name of the dearly departed

Saddam Hussein Lives!

The Future of America’s Occupation is Failure

When Democracy Failed: The Warnings of History

The 70th anniversary wasn't noticed in the United States

Survival of the Fittest

If Pakistan is next then what are the options?

Doctors or the Disease

Analysis of the khaki-clad messiahs of Pakistan

As Qurans Burn

We have warned you

Origins of the Modern World Capitalist Economy

A Stable Political Order in Post-War Iraq?

A new political order in Iraq is likely to be strife-ridden

The Wages Of Death

Wars are political acts of concentrated violence and yet, there is violence in this war, but there is no rhyme to its logic.

The War and its Advocate: Michael Kelly Killed in Iraq

The War kills its own uncompromising advocate.

My Beautiful Rizwan

Such was the overpowering presence in my life, of Rizwan - my husband, my friend, my soulmate, my shaheed.

The Great Game for Central Asian Oil

The Imperialist Ring from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan

Kashmir: Time for a Radical Approach?

The Kashmiris are not even a foot note and Ram Babu and Allah Rakha the perennial losers.

Protest March on the 30th of March (no pun intended!)

We call ourselves citizens of the world.

War and Terror

Is use of precise weapons of mass destruction justified to destroy imprecise ones?

As the Bald Eagle Tries to Rule

I knew some guys who hitch-hiked this route.

From Childhood to Youth

translation

Under the Hill (part 2)

short story--part II

Three Arguments Against a War

As America prepares for war, I want to present three arguments for peace:

The Tyson Who Didn't Fight Lewis

Why were you insulting Hinduism in there?

Under the Hill (part 1)

Do not enter, for you may not like what you will find...

Dear Aliya!

Dear Aliya

IS Waging Another War on Iraq Justified?

More than 500,000 toddlers and infants have died due to the consequences of the sanctions (UNICEF, 1999).

Calculate This

Let There be Light...

So is childbirth the ending of one story and the beginning of another?

Muslims in India: Communalism vs. Backwardness-Minority Syndrome

Today, it is imperative that the Muslim community fights the ogre of communalism

One Day in The Life of a (legal) Alien

They’ll soon start doing this for everybody, you know

Revolution of Regression

Establishing an Islamic Caliphate in New York

In Search of Peace and Flowers

personal perspective on the January rally

US Attack on Iraq: Just Do It!

The US war on Iraq will end a tyrant regime, bring Iraq out of Isolation and set into motion a wave of globalization which could bring hope to hundreds of millions of people

Living Abroad

America, the dream of many; a country where all wishes are granted and any desire fulfilled

The Yellow Coup

Are we all living in a yellow submarine?

Almost Dead

maybe 'art of living' classes are good things afterall

Dam it?

Protest against the extension of Mangla Dam continues despite the mainstream media's ignorance

Damn Saddam?

The last time round the Italian MP, Ilona Sthaler, had offered to sleep with him, appealing to the macho man and sadist in Saddam

Saira Votes for Peace

The police didn’t let the incident get into the papers—and the only news that made it was about the bomb.

A Day In The Bazaar

The young boy bumping into her made her mad, madder than she had ever been, but he escaped on his bicycle, grinning, that little bastard.

The Urdu Press in New York

We never thought we would flee America

Towards Greater Tolerance

Anti-Pakistanism and neo-Indian Nationalism

Shaping the Grayness

The way she saw it, everyone was full of darkness

The March of Folly

Can we Stop the War

Can do our bit to stop the War on Iraq?

Is It A War On Islam?

What, then, should be the strategy for all those who believe in a just world and are appalled by America's war on the weak?

Resurrection

That night he dreamt of her hands again. They threaded small, white buds of the queen of the night into long strands. And wove them around his heart.

The Peshawar Rhapsody

the most exciting city of Pakistan for its ancient ambience and romantic history of the proud pathan tribesmen who repulsed all attackers

All The Bridges Are Burning

The United States’ foreign policy has historically oscillated between recklessness of unilateralism and the cautious nature of multilateralism.

Standing Up to a Bully

America has all along, despite Iraq’s acceptance, said it is highly sceptical of Saddam Hussain’s assurances or promises

Tying The Knot - Village Style

maids who can conveniently meet their boyfriends

A Work In Progress

Jinnah put Pakistan in such a location that the future state would always be involved in the geo-politics of world

Death

she died long before her life ended

Serendipity in Sri Lanka

I’m a tourist again, but this time in the comfort of my own country, and the time frame of more than thirteen days.

Parveen

Between the muffled sensation of her oblique breast

Midnight's Knights?

Both Rushdie and Naipaul belong to the streets. They are clinging to roots they have no claims over.

The Case For and Against The Satanic Verses

Evaluating Diatribe and Dialectic as Art

Fair and Lovely

She's a little on the dark side

Documentarians Hope to Enlighten Americans about Prophet

the program provides a more balanced explanation of Muhammad's prophetic message of justice and mercy

Wanderings in the Twilight Zone

Serialized Novel

Musings Of A Suspected Terrorist

I admit I have hated America...but there is another side to this story.

Imran Khan Needs Money

Wake up and smell the coffee, Imran

Little Big Men

Fanatic five-year-olds with Firearms

The Kashmir Committee: Ram in U.S

Ram Jethmalani, to further the agenda of KC, recently made a trip to US

The Unmaking Of Gujrat

The key players in these elections and therefore Indian polity seem like characters in a drama of the absurd.

Shammo’s Curse

falling out of love is easy if the foundations are weak

The Diary of a Pretty Young Thing

I smiled charmingly at the visa officer

If Army acts like a Political Party Why not a Forward Bloc in it?

what is a bigger and more deplorable sin: to be a prostitute or to be a pimp?

Towards a Ramzaan Sunset

The world is getting ready to open the fast.

Games Generals Play

the General deserves to be applauded for forcing a semblance of democracy to the working of political parties

An All-Inclusive Rejoinder to All the Chronic Complainers

there are few nations on the face of earth blessed with such an omnipotent uniformed force

Hypocrisy Big

Is America an Empire? Is the Pope Catholic?

The Endangered Species

I’m just waiting for the day when South Asian women are added to the WWF’s endangered species list.

Mexico to Support United States

Fox and Bush, 'langotia yar ... '

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee

I failed to comprehend why a perfectly sane English description was being replaced by a ghastly Urdu word – one that evoked images of barbers’ shops, naked men and an equally rude Urdu idiom.

Teasing or Torture?

both men and women are equal losers when it comes to sexual harassment in our country

Jihad – The Misperceptions

It would be unfair to mistrust the dedication and valour of the jihadis

The Sad Reality of Arranged Marriages in South Asia

Arranged Marriages are Racist and prevent Social Mobility

Islamic Utopia?

Reconciling Islam and Modernity

Lessons from Constitutional History

But we never seem to learn from history

Sir Syed Day in Northern Calfornia

Event Coverage

Mable and Me

Mable was in Girls College. We had one class common at the Cambridge University

Perfect Women. Imperfect Men

women should also be able to fulfill their responsibilities towards their homes

The King’s Gambit: Chapter 5 (The Diplomat)

Carl Davis had just lost one group of swing votes in his home state. He was going to make sure he did not lose the other group also.

Sobho: the struggle continues

I still believe in the revolution, in a society that provides justice for all

The Election Burp

Don’t stand around wondering what to do, trying to please everybody—take a stick and throw it.

Northern California Premiere of 'The Long Night'

A group of people called the “3rd I” are making a sincere effort to promote what they call South Asian Underground Cinema.

Ahmedabad. Sept 23, 2002

26 people have been killed in a terrorist attack in some mandir in Gandhi Nagar

Myopic, Malevolent, Megalomaniac

Musharraf knows that PPP (P) and PML (N) would not like to join hands with MMA because it displeases USA

Unraveling Pakistan: Taming The Shrew-Mare

Pakistan’s Army has become a wild mare. It has to be broken into. It has to be re-taught to walk, run, trot

The Politics of Rape

Why the Meerwala Jatoi panchayat thought they would get away with it

The Kal Aaj Aur Kal of Secularism

There is a generation growing distant from religion, and yet engagingly indulgent of it. Not so much as a pathway to salvation as much as a familiar lane of the past.

Who is Responsible for Nepal’s Corruption, Poverty and Failed Development?

Story of a middle class family of Nepal

What I Saw In Okara

An investigation into the Okara land dispute

Dubai - The Red Light City

All that is on the other side of the fence is not green but RED. Enjoy life and have fun, these are the key to making the best of your trip to Dubai. But do not plan a long stay there.

Were We Too Hijacked by 9/11?

Al-Qaida had to be bombed, to let the Taliban be was not an option.

The Day Of All Days

Pakistan will re-take its first fledging steps towards democracy

Road Blocks in Normalising Relations

If cross border terrorism ceases, facilitating a dialogue between India and Pakistan, will a dividend of long term peace follow?

Don Shultz

He was a thin dangling creature nearing eighty

Return of the Blob

Mothers hold the key to heaven.

Action To Support Displaced Community in Gujrat

I grow more certain day by day that we must start in Gujarat, what we did not do in Kashmir

Peace in South Asia

Arundhati Roy gave the Pakistanis a glimpse of what free-thinking is

India’s Potential Lose-Lose-Lose Scenario

India may actually be helping Pakistan in the long run, not harming it, with its current war hysteria

The Hindu Right

Advani’s yathra in an air-conditioned Toyota left a trail of blood in its wake

The Right To Bigotry

as long as government and courts and police and diplomats and moralists approve of it

The Myth of Autonomy

The bomb blast had blown off many leaves from roadside trees.

Of Evil Zionists and the Great Satan

The impotent fury of the Muslim world

Kashmir Fatigue

I still have a home there and I am looking forward to my permanent return

DIL’s Caravan of Hope

DIL has already changed the lives of over 8000 underprivileged children

The Last Crusade

Sharon’s visit finally removed the façade from the Israeli diplomacy

Confessions of a BJP Supporter

Why was the philosophy of the Sangh Parivar attractive to so many urban middle class Hindus?

The Pattern of Violence

if the man at the helm sees the larger picture

Another One Bites The Dust

General Musharrafs ‘political correctness’ made it easy to ignore questions

The Aga Khani

Since the Aga Khani does not fit a stereotype the believer cannot be recognised

Cry, the Beloved Country

There is much that the murdering mobs in Gujarat have robbed from me

The Red Dress

With the mountainous weight of forty-three years

The Evolution of The Burqa

It literally draws a curtain around a woman

Caesar, Mata Hari, and Mirza

Translated from Urdu, a story by Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi (1962)

Riots

Here are people afraid of their own

The Panel of Vendettas at UC Berkley

A true hero would make a radical notion and never back track

After Pearl, Which Journalist is Next?

So the press in Pakistan is free

An Interview with Noam Chomsky

I don’t feel that I have important messages to convey

Empty Vessels And All That Jazz

do you think he is up to task to rid us of feudals next?

The Future Is Another Country: 2050 And Beyond

Osama bin Laden has his own vision of a perfect world and millions will die

Patthar Ka Sheher (City of Stone)

The closer you get to the coast the richer you get

A New Year Eve In Kabul’s Ruins

for what should have been a joyous occasion, the songs were surprisingly sad

A Reason For Change

What is really interesting about Marianne Pearl’s interview with CNN is not what she said

India, Pakistan and America’s Mixed Signals

War is the last thing that we need there

Enough is Enough

Some of us, like Noah’s family, will be saved

Forced Marriages in the UK

Parents don’t listen to what their children want

Running Naked

Looking at the current India, Pakistan conflict as Manto would have

The Passion of The Pacifist

An interview with Asgharali Engineer

The Brahmin Warrior

He found Hey Ram disturbing, but not in a good way.

Muslims and The West After 11th September

America has exacted blood revenge for the Twin Towers

An International Failure

do the Pakistanis know who they are themselves

The Clash Of Un-Civilizations And Osama-ism

It is misleading to think and give an impression that these issues will just disappear if Osama is captured or killed today.

A New Role

utilize this moment to educate the American public

Diwali...Then

A humourous and nostagiac look at Diwali preparations in middle class Bombay 30 years back.

The Price

the Taliban are gone, crowds line the streets to greet victorious soldiers of the Northern Alliance. What are they saying..

When the Lights Hurt the Eyes

Our superstitions are world-renowned. We feed the poor in designated months...

We, The Fake

where you feel ugly and poor if you have no flesh on display

A Letter Home

An American teacher’s perspective

A Decision to Regret

the Afghans have always resisted a government imposed from abroad

Journalists or Americans?

Is Islamist even a word?

Afghanistan Reflections

big mistakes were made

An Alternate View

Who has the belly for that?

Jihad: Paradoxes and Defining Moments

There will always be a lunatic fringe in the Muslim society

Bahr-e-Zulmaat

a mother who wears the hijab suggested to her 28-year-old daughter she take it off

Caught In Between

Pakistan is on the defensive almost constantly

Open Letter to O. B. Laden

Bin Laden! Yes, I am talking to you. Person to person.

Crisis and Opportunity

This crisis is ultimately a consequence of myopic policies in the US and in the Muslim world

A Pakistani School’s Visit to India

Nowhere else in the world can one enter an enemy country and feel so at ease.

Random Thoughts From a Far Away Land

On the Eve of Pakistan’s Independence day ... these thoughts occupy a migrants mind

My Sahib

An English translation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Mera Sahib’

The Virgin Bride

The idea of doing that with some sophisticated American bombshell...was paralyzing

Why I am leaving

There is just so much wrong with Pakistan today that we, the educated youth, find life here unacceptably difficult

The Nature of The Sea

I mean, the boy was dead.

Devi Dies ...

It was April 1939, hot and sultry in the district forest town of Tirupattur.

The Countdown Begins

... the contours of Pakistan’s emerging political scenario point to the first signs of an uneasy coexistence between the military regime and the political forces ...

Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry, SJ

An interview with a war hero ...

The Indus that Strayed

It was the summer of 1944, and Delhi was like a furnace ...

An Eulogy For The Hawks

Your administrations’ talks with President Musharraf

The Quest for Power

It took General Zia 14 months after the July 1977 coup to assume the Presidency, while General Musharraf waited 20 months to do the same

White Charade

Based on true events, circa early ‘90s, Karachi, when The White Charade became a symbol of terror

Roshanara Begum in Lahore Karachi ISLAAMABAD

So you think I can tempt a nun

The Winds of Change

When the world’s only superpower changes direction, smaller states, especially those located on the periphery of potential conflict, have to be nimble in adjusting their policies.

Once a Paindoo, Always a Paindoo

Yes, I am a paindoo

Karachi Dreams

Karachi thrums like the strings of an electric guitar

Refusing the Sitara-I-Imtiaz

...look at our generals – they get a shovel-full of impressive medals each year that they proudly wear on their chests. But tell me how many wars have they won?

Just Another Stupid Love Story

Women show varying degrees of interest in my wrists

The Meaning of Pakistan

Metaphysical Politics of Pakistan

Our Blind Nuclear Prophets

why did Indian and Pakistani defence budgets go up, rather than down, after the May 1998 tests?

This Visit To Pakistan

one notices some interesting adaptations in the life styles of upper classes

A Conversation with Om Puri

Sanity is very important to me

Brocade

Like a worm they have crept inside my perfect daughter’s heart and mind

What Constitutes Blasphemy?

Frontier Post offices attacked and destroyed by angry mobs ...

The Day When God Died

I have an innate fear of the news of someone’s demise.

Marital Rape

A man can’t rape his wife

The Killing Fields of Karachi

What was Shakir’s crime? Was it that he came back to Pakistan to work...

Remembering Mushtaq Gazdar

In the memory of Mushtaq Gazdar

When Pinky Broke My Heart

I am sorry I couldn’t save you.

DOST of the Hopeless

there, but for the grace of God, go I