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.

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.

The Jehadi Frankenstein

They should stop differentiating between sectarian Jehadists, Kashmiri Jehadists and Al-Queda as they are all inter-linked and dangerous to Pakistan, India and the Rest of the World.

I Want Jinnah's Pakistan

Time is here for all patriotic forces to band together and demand the return of Jinnah’s Pakistan.

Communicating Medical Errors

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

The Strange Case of the Indian Channels That Did Not Air the 26/11 Documentary

The 48 minute documentary titled "Terror in Mumbai - Dispatches" consists of interviews with victims, actual CCTV videos of the terrorists at various sites, video testimony of the captured terrorist Ajmal Kasab

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

25 Years On: Remember Faiz

Faiz Ahmed Faiz is still remembered - on the 25th anniversary of his death - as a revolutionary. He was a humanist in the best sense of the word, and his poetry was free of any racial or religious prejudice.

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.

Pakistan Is Plagued By An Environment Of Distrust

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's ‘Charm offensive’ in Pakistan seems to have been a bit of a dampener.

Apathy of The Media

Losing a child is never easy but since this a college popular for the “Trendy and Chic� girls that attend it, it was another media circus who rushed to the spot to get eyewitness accounts and some blood and gore.

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

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

India's Primary Duty

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

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.

Brutes and Beasts – Haqiqi

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

Serenade to the Sleepless

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

Squatters, Scavengers and A Gandhian

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

The Explosion

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

The Rex Cinema Fire

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

All Boys

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

Human Psyche...Soul or Mind?

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

Justice and Just Society

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

Story of Hindustani

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

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

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

Cartoon

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

False Consciousness and Foreign Policy

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

Behind Closed Doors: Archives and Archiving in Pakistan

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

Evolution of a War

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

Bring Back Jagannath Azad’s Pakistan Anthem

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

Driving Me Crazy

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

Gilgit-Baltistan : A Deprived and Subjugated Region

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

Indian Technical Recession

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

Women and the Process of Decolonization

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

An Indian Abroad

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

How Can We Forget?

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

Secular Spirituality

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

Pushing the Press

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

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

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

Indo-Pak Menu

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

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.

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 Winter Goodbyes

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

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.

So What Gives?

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

Torrential Fecundity and Pangs of a Voracious Reader

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

Jaswant Speaks Out

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

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

Qasba Aligarh Massacre – A Forgotten Story

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

Aids Sutra: Untold Stories from India

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

The Spirit of Indus Valley

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

Independence Day

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

The Day I Became Free

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

Rang De Basanti

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

An Eyewitness account from Gojra

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

Gojra Incident ... Shame

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

Jinnah to Jihad

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

Bombay Lefties

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

Recalibrating The Moral Compass

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

Maoist Insurgency Rocks India

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

Indo-Pak Talks: Comedy and Controversy

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

Teaching for India

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

Corporate Social Responsibility At Its Best

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

Shumaila Rana’s Theft Episode

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

A Difficult Code

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

Black Holes: The Cosmic Twisters

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

In This Multi-polar World NAM Must Address Regional Issues

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

Vindictive at Their Best-Pakistan Army

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

Denial of Right of Self-Determination to Kashmirs

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

Goodbye Uncle Samad: May you rest in peace!

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

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.

Around Us (Betrayal of Conscience)

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

Pakistan India: Citizens Push for Peace

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

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.

A Thing of Beauty is Joy for Ever

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

The Sensors

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

Himanshu Rai: The Light of India

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

Streets of Bahadurgunj

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

Nabil and Fatima

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

A Prescription for the BJP's Revival

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

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.

A Trillion Dollar Halal Business

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

Hindu Mathematics – How Original Was It?

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

Ahmedinejad Wins Surprise Landslide Victory in Iran

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

Dark Angel

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

Obama's Regional Strategy and India

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

The Tragic fall of a Super Star

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

Odd Jobs

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

The Last of the Mughals

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

Me Against Myself

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

Who Has Seen the Wind

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

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

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

Talk English, Walk English

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

Progression First, Philanthropy Later Or Vice Versa?

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

Missing Link?

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

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth

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

Delhi's Desert Adventures

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

Interview: Nafisa Haji

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

Aid versus Trade, Investments and Remittances

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

Congratulations Mr. Singh!

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

Expecting to Hate Delhi but Loving it Instead

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

India Votes for Stability

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

Result 2009

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

The Ever Changing MQM

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

Remembering the Past - 12th May 2007

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

Because the Doctor Said So

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

In Pursuit of a Pakistani Deng Xiaopeng

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

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?’

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

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

Karachi Could Bleed To Pakistan's Death

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

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

The Prevailing Sensibilities

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

The Gentle Power of the Sufi Tradition

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

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.

Tense Day in Delhi with Pakistani Journalists

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

Tharoor of Trivandrum

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

The Dust and the Shadows

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

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.

Time for Introspection

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

Standard Issue

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

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.

Painting in the Sikh period

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

Common Pakistanis US Foreign Policy

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

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.

Company Style: Indian Painting under the British Rule

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

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.

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

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

Hindutva's Paradox

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

Dealing with Losses

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

Happy Effing VD to you too!

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

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.

Mangalore vs Kolkata

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

Reflections on Aasiya Hassan's Murder and Domestic Violence

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

Demystifying Slumdog

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

Al-Aah: The Lover's Sigh

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

Is Neo-Miniature Ethnic or Foreign Import

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

Slumdog Success Brings Focus on Child Poverty

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

Blow Daddy

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

How it Became Bakistan

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

Elderly Suicide: Breakdown of Traditional Support System

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

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?

Oh My God

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

Taliban Cloud Moves to Pakistan

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

Leadership Crisis of South Asia

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

With Drops of Jupiter in Her Hair

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

No More Gods

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

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land

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

How Greed Ruins Academia

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

Let's Celebrate Darwin's Anniversary Year

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

Gone in 42 Seconds

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

In Search of Political Will: Fight Against Militants in Swat

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

President Obama’s Political Style: Tips For India

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

Congress Party's Dilemma

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

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

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

Black is Beautiful and Michelle Obama

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

Afghanistan Strategic Choices for USA and Regional Actors

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

How Sacred is Life ?

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

Gaza: A New Awakening in the American-Arab Youth

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

Obama Inauguration Brings Hope, Scepticism

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

Gone Are Those Days Sweetie

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

Human Trafficking: The Great Commodity Exchange

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

That Blue Dove

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

Civil Society Pleads for Peace

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

Gaza

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

Growing Up

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

Heed Tariq Ali's Voice

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

Palestinians Look for a Sliver of Hope in Obama Presidency

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

The Palestinian Puzzle

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

Terrorism Unveiled

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

Babel

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

India-Pakistan: Hope for Prisoners Despite Ongoing Tensions

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

The Many Colors of Indian Corruption

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

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

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

Introspection – Pakistan and Terrorism

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

Dreamland Dubai

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

Verification of the String Theory – The Dooms Day Gets Postponed

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

In Search of Identity : Tribal Warriors

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

Ajmal Amir Kasab – Right to Defence?

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

Mirror, Mirror

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

A Just War?

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

One Hour From Midnight

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

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

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

Sharp-Eyed View of a Mohajir

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

Zardari: An Emerging South Asia Statesman?

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

Evil Walks the World Today

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

How to Stop Terrorism: Appeal to Advani

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

No Short Cuts to End Terrorism

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

Kashmir: Any Closer to Solution?

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

Pleas For Sanity as Sabres Rattle Over Mumbai Mayhem

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

The Future of Indo Pak Conflict

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

Mumbai Wounded

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

I Am A Pakistani

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

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

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

Proud to be an Indian

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

Karachi Riots! Who is responsible

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

An Indian Muslim

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

Mumbai Attacks: Shocking

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

Sexless and Loveless Marriages

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

Child Labour – Legislation Alone not Enough

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

Leprosy : The Shadow Lingers

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

Hop Aboard the Interfaith Express

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

Revival of Dastan Goi

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

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.

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.

Singur and the Small Entrepreneur in India

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

Yes we can, Obama!

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

It’s Not the Economy, Stupid!

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

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

Live In

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

Illegal Border Crossing, Is There a Solution?

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

Through Bloodshed and Tears

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

Reckoning Time for HEC

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

Ridiculing Religion or Religion of Ridicule

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

Global Recession and China

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

Hindu Hegemony

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

On Blades and Scalpels

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

Wake up to a cup of tea

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

Dilli Dur Ast

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

Common Sense Left Behind

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

Seize The Moment

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

Miley Sur Mera Tumhara

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

Seeking a way out of the 'war on terror'

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

Capitalism Comes a Cropper!

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

Post Colonial English Language Writers

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

Are the Converted Tribals Really Hindu?

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

History and Origins of MQM Part II

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

The Republican Red Scare

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

Love at Shara Zawia

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

‘Dustbin of history’ or ‘history of sorts’

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

MQM - History and Origins

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

Living Gandhi and King Today: Unbroken Historic Continuity

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

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

Coming to America

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

Zalim Online

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

The Sangh Octopussy

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

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

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

The Frontier Mail

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

The God Delusion

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

Automobiles Can Banish Unemployment and Poverty

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

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.

Bihar & Louisiana: A Poem

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

Save Me From Charismatic Leaders!

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

Educational Practices in Private Schools in Pakistan

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

Alcohol and Teenagers: A Lethal Mixture

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

How real is your politik?

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

The Pink Side of Disney

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

Poet for Paperless People

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

Celebrating 61 Years of Broken Dreams

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

Remembering the Jallianwala Bagh, Gandhi, Churchill and Jinnah

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

Global Warming: Green with Controversy

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

When Trembling Hands Learn To Heal

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

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

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

Toward a Pakistani Media Strategy

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

Long Live Pakistan

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

A Strategy For Real Agricultural Prosperity

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

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?

From Marx to Mao to Jintao

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

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.

Mahboba Andyar: A Poem

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

Quarter No.5

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

Late Colin David

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

Responsibility of the Media and the Repercussions of Terror Strikes

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

Kashmir Experiencing Hyderabad

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

Government Wins Manmohan Singh Loses

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

Feminist Mumbo-Jumbo!

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

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.

Pakistan’s Prevailing Political And Economic Mess

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

Of Medical Students, Passports and Religous Tolerance

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

An Ode Called Amritsar

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

Banana Republic

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

Lighting Up My Fire

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

A Fatal Act-Bad News for India Pakistan Relations

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

London’s Knife-Crime Epidemic:

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

Muslim Ghettoisation

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

The Unbearable Lightness of Seeing

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

Diabetes: Wrestling with a Twenty-First Century Monster

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

Nirad Babu's Ghost

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

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?

Anil Ambani Pursues Global Media Empire

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

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.

The Cruel Expulsions

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

Healthcare in Pakistan, Lessons from Cuba

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

Twenty Three Students Expelled From Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad

On Thursday, June 5th the principal of Punjab Medical College in Faisalabad expelled every student who belonged to the minority Ahmadi community from his college.

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?

Were Buddhists and Jains Persecuted in Ancient India?

Many genuinely believe that Hinduism had always been a tolerant religion that assimilated other peoples and ideas without bloody conflict.

India-US Nuclear Deal

If the government thrusts the deal down the throats of the Indian nation the Left may pull out of the alliance and force the country to face general elections.

Logotherapy: Humanism In Psychiatry

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

Fatima Bhutto Fighting for Justice

The man Fatima Bhutto holds responsible for her father’s death is not only out of prison after 11 years without conviction, but is suddenly the most powerful man in the country.

India Pakistan Talks

India and Pakistan are to have Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary level talks starting May 20 in Islamabad. It is time to once again look at the chessboard and see what has changed.

Persecution of Religious Minorities In Islamic Countries

Meaningless protests over stupid cartoons do not achieve anything. Speaking up against injustices in their own countries does.

I Spy Hindutva

Attempts have been made to 'saffronize' at both the ground level (by editing textbooks) and by challenging conclusions of scholars who have attempted to rewrite history.

The Raj Lives: India In Nepal

Six decades after the British withdrew from the subcontinent, it takes considerable audacity to produce a book titled “The Raj Lives�.

Bridge Mania

Myrtle Bennett of Kansas City shot her husband John to death on September 29, 1929, over a bridge hand. Her husband had opened the bidding with one spade.

What Does Negative Campaigning Really Mean?

It doesn't measure tenacity or taking the punch. It proves Machivalean shrewdness. It proves un-Bono like altruism. It means power hunger.

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.

Harold and Kumar Escape From Gitmo

This time the duo attempts to explain the difference between a Bong and a Bomb aboard an airplane to Amsterdam in a post 9/11 environment.

My Most Memorable Journey

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

Kiss of Death

Unlike cigarettes, gutka comes without a health warning and lack of awareness of its impact on health increases its consumption.

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.

Akbar and Alexander

Jodha Akbar has stirred considerable interest in the historic Akbar but it mostly shows his softer romantic side and rather little of his tougher character.

The Psychology of Mothering

It is interesting that as our culture is changing and many women are reluctant to take on motherly duties, more men are becoming motherly and nurturing.

Is It Treason to Question

In the General Hospital in Lahore, in the top most brain surgery institute of Pakistan, people lie in verandas in unhygienic conditions.

Europe and the Film Culture

Despite the speculated aggressive reactions, the film “Fitna� was released on the Internet on March 27, 2008.

Spinning the Public Beating and the Mob Justice

You really need to be a bad administrator or power usurper that people are so full of hatred for you that they can’t help but beat you.

The Importance of Natural Selection

Throughout time we have asked ourselves whether we are fallen angels or risen apes. The answer lies in a simple yet tabooed subject.

Color-Blind Love

Worldwide, interracial marriages are on the rise. However, 20 years ago, because of my religion, a German priest would not officiate our marriage nor would a Greek Orthodox priest.

A Walk down Memory Lane

Forgive me if I am not taken in by the high sounding statements issued by the winners (and losers) of Election 2008, I simply see 'more of the same' for the future.

Surviving Musharraf's Exit?

Throughout the election campaign and since the elections, no political party or politician has come up with any original thought or plan for the problems that confront Pakistan

Hypnotherapy: Mind-Body Interactions

Imagine thinking yourself to better health. Dating back from 2600 BC this concept of inducing oneself to an alternative state of mind, has evolved through many stages.

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.

An Agenda for the New Government

This time round, the change has come from the people. And it is their expectations and aspirations that have to be addressed.

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.

Pakistan: The War of Drones

Why do so many Pakistanis suddenly lose their voice when it comes to condemning suicide bombings? Is it because the bomber kills in the name of Islam?

The Deoband Declaration on Terrorism: Why Now?

On February 25, 2008 an “All India Terrorism Conference� was attended by over 10,000 Islamic clerics, scholars, muftis and teachers.

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.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha on Pakistan Military

Stay out of politics, it is good for you, good for us, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha advises Pakistan Military.

The Naval War College Bomb Blasts

I was about 800 meters away from the bomb blast. The force of the explosion was powerful enough to rattle the windows nearly a mile away.

Makli

Makli is believed to be the burial place of more than 125,000 saints or Sufis. This place is also one of the largest necropolises of the world.

Reinterpretation of Islam in Turkey

Reinterpretation of Quran (and Hadith) is allowed in principle although no effective reinterpretation has ever taken place in the Muslim world.

How did Hindus Become Vegetarians?

The Rigveda, as one of India’s earliest texts, gives numerous examples of meat eating with verses giving clear instructions on how to slaughter, cook, cut and distribute

Pervez Musharraf and India Pakistan Rapproachment

Eight years of the Musharraf era has seen a sea change in the Indo-Pak bilateral relationship. Musharraf, in my opinion, can take a large measure of credit for this change.

Warday

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

Voting For Change

Despite pre-poll manipulation and irregularities voters have rejected the politics of hate and religious extremism.

The Emperor is wearing Albanian Clothes

As soon as the western powers recognise Kosovo as an independent country, it will cause a huge dislocation in the fabric of all other separatist terrorist campaigns

Pakistan Poll Rigging

When you hear the opposition, particularly PPP and PML-N, describe the details of alleged rigging, it seems they have a great deal of knowledge and expertise in this specialty.

Its Not About Gender or Race Anymore

America has certainly (and finally) come a long way to witness and participate in an election which will choose between a black man and a woman to run for President.

Judah Folkman

History may yet end up remembering Judah Folkman, who passed away earlier this year at Denver International Airport, as the man who cured cancer.

My Top Ten Novels by Desi Writers

I am a prose stylist and all my choices reflect this bias.

Mediocre vs. Mediocre

As expected the report by Scotland Yard on Benazir Bhutto investigation came up with nothing helpful. Now what remains to be seen is the reaction of Pakistan People’s Party.

Talking to Jamil Dehlavi about Infinite Justice and More

Jamil Dehlavi's film “Infinite Justice� recently opened in Britain. The Indo-Pakistani-French film maker was born in Calcutta to an Indian father and French mother.

I Thought I Heard You Laughing

Unlike most people I know, I don't believe in love at first sight. But the world being as mad as it is, somehow manages to make you.

Revival of Passive Resistance in Indian Commercial Cinema

That non-violence is an integral and a much respected part of our culture, seems to have slowly escaped our memory.

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.

India Chalo - An Anecdotal Look at the Indian Economy

Combining real facts with anecdotes and colourful characters that symbolise the new India, INDIA CHALO written by Brij Raj Singh, is a passionate look at India and its opportunities .

The Unravelling of Project Snow

It is interesting to see the dynamics between the members of of Project Snow during the recent fracas downunder. And the cry about the great game of cricket from this old guard!

What is Hinduism? A Personal View

There is no word in the Indian native languages for Religion, or its Arabic equivalent, Madhab. It is commonly and erroneously translated as “Dharma�.

Bean Bag

In the days gone,
when the hide was soft.
The brilliant leather gleamed,
and invited tender touch.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and New American Dreams

Whether it is the Iowa win for Obama or the New Hampshire one for Clinton, their vision for America’s future is becoming far more important than race and gender.

Indian Supreme Court says- ‘Live in is marriage’

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

Surplus Majors and Jerk Chicken

Yesterday, when I went to collect my monthly dole from my local council, the officer in charge was apologetic, ‘Sorry Mr Nazir this is all we have for you at the moment,’ she said.

Sounds from Within

Walking in the woods today
I talked loud and low,
To the ever listening trees
I said my silent woe.

Leaders, Heroes and Mountains

He (Sir Admund Hillary) was not a sahib who came, conquered and left having had his adventure in the hills. He established and sustained a lasting bond with the Sherpa people of the Himalayas.

The Snow Will Melt

“So what happened to that Fokker which crashed in the mountains?� sipping coffee, she (Benazir Bhutto) took the words right out of my mouth. Did Billy and Dabbu speak through her?

Pakistan's Flawed and Feudal Princess

It's wrong for the West simply to mourn Benazir Bhutto as a martyred democrat, says this acclaimed south Asia expert. Her legacy is far murkier and more complex.

Interviewing Ayman

I came across the “hilarious news� that Al Qaeda would be now conducting an open interview. Yes my friends.. good old Ayman will be answering your questions.

1857-What Really Happened-A Reconstruction

A brief analysis of the claims about 1857 as one hears them in today’s Pakistan.

Pakistan After The Assassination: Interview with Pervez Hoodbhoy

Interview with Pervez Hoodbhoy by Stefania Maurizi of Venerdi of La Repubblica

Mass Difference: The Bhuttos and Civil Society

Populist, mass-oriented politics can effectively cancel out the two most prominent anti-populist strains in Pakistan i.e. the politico-religious and the elite-bourgeois.

Islam as a political weapon in Pakistan

Manipulative Politics through the Bhutto and Zia Regimes

Al-Andalusia … Decline of a Plural Culture

1st January 2008 is the 516th Anniversary of fall of Al-Andalusia’s last plural place Granada. A sociological analysis of this decline and its implication for World.

This Pyre Will Burn…!

Larkana and the entire interior of Sindh and Sindhi/Baloch dominated areas in Karachi resonated with the slogans of Jiya Sindh and Punjabi na Khapan and Pakistan na khapay.

A Tragedy Born of Military Despotism and Anarchy

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto heaps despair upon Pakistan. Now her party must be democratically rebuilt

Preview of Looming Democracy - Two Months of PPP in the Limelight

We were witnessing the culture of the upcoming elections, including the usual violence, and if successful, how the PPP victors would govern Pakistan.

Courage in a Time of Chaos

The enemies of our country are vast and they are clever; they would like nothing better than to see us sink into lawlessness and despair.

Benazir’s Murder: Who Killed Her?

Why wasn’t BB’s body post-mortem not carried out? It sounds so naïve and unconvincing that the post-mortem was dispensed with at the request of Asif Zardari, BB’s spouse.

The Only Way Forward for Pakistan

There should be an APC (All Party Conference) right away in which a National consensus government is formulated with the mandate of organizing free and fair elections within 6 months.

The Day Benazir Bhutto Died

Violent mob hones in on banks, petrol stations, cars and unleashes its fury... In their self expression lies the true voice of the people and the tragedy that is Pakistan today.

Goodbye Pinky

When she conspired with the Army and the establishment for the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif government in 1993, I got disillusioned with her leadership and left PPP for good.

Benazir Bhutto: A Sad Farewell

After 9/11 it was Benazir Bhutto that took up the banner of democratic hope in Pakistan, stressing the need for cross-cultural exchanges, religious harmony and how to make peace.

Whither Pakistan?

The best possible thing has happened: Musharraf gave up power. But the worst has also happened: Pakistan has lost a charismatic and popular leader.

Mourning Benazir Bhutto

The country is on the brink of disaster. Banks are burning, government buildings are on fire, emotionally charged political workers are streaming on streets across Pakistan.

Pakistan

Another day descends into its history
Of bloodshed, ignorance and plunder
Who shall we blame, the west or Islam

Benazir Bhutto Killed in an Attack

Reports say a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally at Liaqut Bagh, Rawalpindi before blowing himself up.

Abdul Latif Khalid (1944-2007)

My father’s sudden demise at only 63 years of age through a massive heart attack has been by far the most profound life experience I have had to endure.

Feminism Under Veil

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

Death of Aqsa Pervez: A reflection on Canadian Muslim-Pakistanis

As parents, we need to understand and acknowledge that our children deserve even more understanding and support because they are caught between two distinct worlds.

Shoaib Malik at the cross-roads

Pakistan has let go of another impressive record that they held for almost three decades - that of not losing a test series in India. The series was lost, as was the pride...

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.

Holier Than Thou

As if she possessed the sole ownership to what Allah meant in the Koran she pounced on me in every sense of the word. Well He’s my God too lady was my response.

Chicken Biryani

Almost halfway to his house, the bus came to a halt. A lot of buses stood there, vacant, the passengers forced to stand outside. There was some trouble up ahead...

The Slow, Castration of Pakistani Cricket

When asked if this draw was a moral victory for the Pakistanis Kumble remarked "When you struggle to pick up five wickets in both innings, that's no moral victory to me."

6th December 1992

A turning point in Hindu Muslim relations in the post independence Indian history. It was a moment when all truths about religious coexistence suddenly proved false.

And Now, The Charter of Demands—The Comedy Continues!

Turkish President Abdullah Gul was not very impressed after meeting the cream of the Pakistani political elite.

I thick therefore I am

I wanted to show off my intellect by writing a piece on current situation of Pakistan but decided against it.

Free to Dress

Subhash Chandra Bose, three year old. Jawaharlal Nehru, eight year old. Shivaji, ten year old. Rani Luxmi Bai, five year old. Sounds puzzling?

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.

Privatization of PTCL: The Redundant Employees

As many as 40,000 people will quit the job through Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) offered by the PTCL management.

Is this the worst Pakistan team ever?

They have been successful in erasing 24 years of winning record of Pakistan cricket team in India.

Taking a Gandhian Approach to Avenging the Horrors of Singur and Nandigram

In Singur and Nandigram, poor farmers have easily been displaced from their lands, beaten, killed and driven out by a combined force of Communist cadres and the local police.

Foreign Factor in our Higher Education

Our whole system of education is working in such a way to produce good high-tech workforce for European and American markets. Irony is we do this at our own expense.

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.

The Press Ordinance and Its Repercussions

Did the dictator really shut down GEO News for the better 'interests' of Pakistan?

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?

About Death

When uncertainty dances with your fears, then know this that tragedy has collected its toll

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.

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?

I Await ...

Of what avail the melodies and glitter,
That an evening muse brings;
Life is false:
The past is faded, 'today' is a brittle 'now';

It Is Raining

It is silent outside, except for the steady rain; everyone is huddled inside their rooms like us. I have my face pressed against the window.

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.

Tribute to a Giant

Inzimam-ul-Haq, a glorius 17 year career, at the heart of Pakistan’s middle order. He has the most half-centuries, centuries and the second highest test runs by a Pakistani.

State of Pakistan: What Can Pakistanis Do

As compared to countries of 250 years or more, 60 is a mere child. Nation building takes time and people have to stand by their nation.

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?�

Capuchin Monkeys : The Paradox of Choice

If we are smart how did we end up making such a stupid mistake? If a mistake is made, how could we call ourselves smart? Psychologists call this Cognitive Dissonance.

The Cost of a Pakistani Journalist Life

What matters more? the media coverage or the person covering it? Ask a media owner of newspaper or the television and it’s the coverage.

Short

The day had gone well. Dow was up. NASDAQ was up. Sensex was up. But he was thinking about his Indian IT stocks

Religiosity, National Ethos and Governance

Suggestions for modifications in the system of governance in Pakistan.

The Empire Strikes Again in Pakistan

Throttling democracy and shackling human rights of 160 million Pakistanis, Musharraf still has the gall to liken his ignoble daylight robbery to Lincoln’s historic nobility.

Fair Game

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

Mumbai's Farida Khanum Fiasco

Pakistani singer Farida Khanum sang in Mumbai on Friday night for the first time in her 72 years at a concert memorable also for being embarrassingly organised.

Bobby & Jerry : Rise of a Coloured ‘son’ Retold

Bobby has proved that he is more Christian than the Christians, more conservative than the conservatives, and as or more embedded in the Bush-Cheney establishment than the others.

Relevance of English Studies in India

The need of the hour is to decolonise our English Studies by judging English literary texts not by European critical tools, but by Indian critical theories.

Of No Importance

I need to move,
To some other place
Away from all this mayhem

Dreams of Dania

Kamran lives in the old part of Lahore, near Lahori Gate. Living there, he says, makes him feel in sync with the heartbeats of the City.

The Guava Woman’s Crèche

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

Indian Exceptionalism: Colonial Stereotypes and Postcolonial Realities

Indian exceptionalism manifests itself as nationalist, chauvinist, and fundamentalist sentiment, often mingling unhealthily with other kinds of closed-minded imperatives.

Corruption and Freedom of Press in Pakistan

There have been a number of statements lauding the “freedom� of the press accompanied by a grim reminder of the “dark� days under the democratic governments of the 90s. What does the evidence say?

Communists and the Making of Pakistan

History of the last years of Punjab under the Raj

Identity and Synergy - Classical Music and Film Song

The popularity of film songs is at a peak today, irrespective of the quality of music. In stark contrast, classical music is getting less patronage and popularity.

Opportunity Knocks But Once

The story goes into the mind/psyche of a surgeon. A competitive, aggressive, brilliant, trained professional mind.

Welcome Home Ms Bhutto

There is no doubt that Benazir was the prime target of the attack. A lot has been changed in those 8 years. Pakistan is paying a heavy price for being the key US ally in the war on terror.

Imperialism and the Writing of History

Occupied Iraq and Colonial India

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!

Blinkered Vision: Unravelling the Nuclear Debate

Why is the 'US India Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreement' called 123? The answer lies in the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Article 123 of the act governs US 'Cooperation with other countries'.

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.

The Keys

Invite me back
My home and mountains
Let me remain sane
So I can converse again

Ragging: A Sickness in our Educational System and Society

Several incidents of ragging have been reported at Indian colleges, some involving acts of brutal violence perpetrated on helpless first year students by groups of senior students.

Young and Old

When I see her motionless, swollen hands with disfigured nails and twisted fingers, I remember that those same hands gently soothed me as a child when I had asthma attacks.

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.

The First Indian-American Governor in America

Odds are that shortly after October 20th Louisiana, US will have the nation’s first-ever governor-elect of Indian descent.

Musharraf’s New Ordinance Hoopla

What is this ordinance hoopla Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto have just come up with. They want to take out accountability from the entire political and banking process.

Farewell to Shimla

Life was normal in early 1947 till June when sporadic incidents of ethnic violence began. In July of 1947, the Muslims started leaving Shimla for Pakistan.

Confessions of Webaholics

Has it been five hours since you’ve been watching movie clip after movie clip on You Tube? Or may be you were just randomly searching people’s profiles on Facebook.

The Melting Pot

We weren’t surprised when we went to the reception and the guests sitting next to us asked us if the groom was Muslim or not.

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.

The Monks and Realpolitik

Monks with prayers on their lips, and students with hopes in their hearts, march towards pagodas, as soldiers armed by the Chinese beat them. And the world's largest democracy, India, does nothing.

Dillu Ram Kausari: The Hindu Poet who Loved The Prophet

One quatrain, in particular, shocked the entire community in India, both Muslims and Hindus.

War of Independence or the Great Mutiny

A review of William Dalrymple's book, The Last Mughal

The Greatest Sin

There is a premonition as Ahmed suddenly stands up and shouts, ‘I shall commit a sin, a sin like no other, a grave sin!’ Repeatedly.

Spit Syndrome

One cannot even go for an uneventful stroll in the park without our spit sensors on high alert, getting the warning “SPIT ALERT!� now and then.

Four Wheel Dreams

How many friends should one have? A friend of mine used to say, as many as you can fit in one car.

Confronting Ahmadinejad in U.S.

University authorities failed to draw clear-cut distinction between criticism and insult. Free society does have few limits too.

An Alternative Approach to International Development

Although many nations have promised 0.7% of GNI to relieve suffering and secure the enjoyment of basic human rights, no one is able to hold them accountable.

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.

Periyar An Iconoclast and a Reformer

Dr. Ambedkar found his answers (to caste problem) in Buddhism, Periyar felt the answer lay in humanism and he became progressively an atheist and a rationalist.

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.

Floods in Assam

When will Assamese see a permanent solution to the problem they have come to live with. To remove the backwardness of the region, tackling the flood menace is a must.

Dev Anand - Romancing Life at 83

The launch of Dev Anand's autobiography Romancing with Life is being done by no less than PM Manmohan Singh.

Neuro Politics

When self-talk is not monitored cautiously it can lead to drastic effects on one’s personality, mentality and psychology.

Chunari vs. Topi

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

Ramadan Special: Tales of Sufi Wisdom

Since Ramadan is supposed to be a month for bringing dead hearts back to life all the episodes here chosen have the theme of life and death.

No longer Hydera-GOOD, its Hydera-BAD

The fly-over under construction at Panjagutta, supposed to relieve the city of its traffic woes in the most crowded stretch of the city, gave way.

The Reality of Disposable Kids

Child laborers, Sex workers and factory workers in the third world are all really slaves. Victims of the people's residence in unreality and constant indifference.

An Unconditional Commitment to Pluralism

It means accepting a Hindu as a Hindu, a Muslim as a Muslim, a Jew as a Jew, an atheist as an atheist, an unbeliever as an unbeliever and it means respecting that choice.

Fatima Jinnah Park – Metaphor for Pakistan's Problems and their Solution

Capital Development Authority (CDA) has carved out a large corner (6000 sq yards) of the Fatima Jinnah Park for McDonald's at a ridiculously low rental

Mother Teresa’s Moment of Truth

Soon afterwards the doubts and skepticism, not about her missionary work but her faith, began to assail her mind and lasted until her death.

The Recluse

The man could easily have taken little more trouble to develop his works, sold the patents and earned millions...

Twin Blasts in Rawalpindi leaves 27 dead, 70 injured

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

The Green Palette

Painting in Pakistan: the legacy of Anna Molka Ahmed, Zubeda Agha, Ustad Sharif, Allah Buksh, Chughtai, Sadequian and many others.

India's first Citizen Journalists Meet held in New Delhi

Citizen journalists participating in the meet shared their views and ideas to take the country ahead into the next 60 years of independence.

Violence, the Indian Media, and 'Non-Violent' Indian Society

Coverage of violence appears to be motivated by the profit margin, and often veers on the sensationalist. Issues are also prioritized based on their populist appeal.

No Choice But This

A Three Act Play ... what does a father do for a son paralysed neck down...

Book Review: Killer Tune by Dreda Say Mitchell

What is race? Is it the colour of our skins, or the faith of an individual, or is it the rebel within?

Dodging Pakistani Sleuths to Cover a War and a Coup

Are there Indian journalist who could come anywhere near the blunt posers that are hurled by Pakistani journalists to people in authority?

Rote Learning Vis-à-vis Physical Comprehension

It’s beautiful to design an experiment. It’s equally beautiful to construct a working theory from the empirical information.

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.

Making a new Future: Peace Dividends for India and Pakistan

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

The 'poor' Neighbour

India is seen as a success story, while Pakistan is written off as a failed state and the hiding place of Osama bin Laden. What went wrong?

Rise of Hindu Right Wing Ideology

Today, when a Hindu shouts an obscenity at Pakistan the Indian Muslim has to shout two to show their patriotism towards India.

Eternal Destiny

you were an inspiration, a desire, a belief,
we have expectations and wishes, but sometimes disappointment is what we meet,

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.

60 Years of American DogHood

Graffiti in Karachi proclaims that General Musharraf is an American Dog who must be shot dead. (General Amriki Kutta, Tthaa!!). It’s an idea, problem is that not much of Pakistan will remain if we shoot all the American Dogs

India's Yin and Yang 60 years After Independence

There is no disease that has not afflicted India, no catastrophe not experienced... Yet India, a land of fabled and stoic resilience, always picks itself up and keeps going.

Jinnah and the Islamic State – Setting the Record Straight

What did Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, want for the country he was destined to create in 1947?

Celebrating Pakistan's 60th Anniversary

What better way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's independence from Britain than poetry from Iqbal, the man who is Pakistan's ideological founding father?

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...

Hillary Clinton a Better Presidential Candidate

It is quite clear that Obama has put objectivity aside and is following the foot steps of George Bush to at least promote yet another of US foreign policy blunders.

A Pakistani-American in India

A Pakistani-American walks down a road in India named after his great grandfather.

Cause For Celebration

Malaysia is also a former British colony. It’s still developing but it’s taken the first step towards that goal, and its well on its way.

Why Doxiadis Cries for Islamabad

A planned capital sinks through the neglect of its basic infrastructure at the cost of new wasteful projects

Traumas Tattoos and Teenage

Considerate ‘grownups’ are as rare as good politicians, and the problems of teenagers are larger than those of any nation.

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.

Letter to My Unborn Son

I always joke that “every parent gets an opportunity to screw up their kids in their own particular way�

The Corporation That Changed The World

A book exposing the illegalities, tyrannies, immorality, rapacity, frauds and every kind of misfeasance practised by the East India Company.

Film “Amu� Revisits the 1984 Sikh Massacre in Delhi

Kaju’s past leads to the year 1984, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

Tribute to a Master

A book dedicating the contributions of the great Indian littérateur Premchand

OPEN Silicon Valley Holds Fourth Annual Forum

This full day affair incorporated three keynote speeches, four panels and workshops and approximately three hundred people in attendance.

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.

Artificial Rains

According to metrology people the monsoons had halted at Allahabad for more than usual leaving Delhi parched and thirsty.

India’s First Woman President?

Madam Pratibha Patil, 72 years old, the candidate of India's ruling coalition-- UPA, will be the fourth woman to contest the presidential elections but the first to surely become the twelfth President of India.

Mr. Dollar, The good old days are gone, perhaps forever

The young Euro, once a weakling against the fledgling dollar has quickly become the 800lb gorilla

Why Atif Aslam works

'If the color blue could take a voice, it would be that of Atif Aslam'

Better Living through Chemistry

What would you give for a pill that made you happy or thin or helped erase the pain of losing a loved one?

Rest in Peace Pakistan (1947-1974)

You cannot understand Pakistan until and unless you understand how the demise of the ideal of Pakistan was brought about by its own people

30 Days in Afghanistan - Climbing Qassaba

On the way up, we pass kids herding goats along narrow passes. I’m in unfamiliar territory, and enjoying the mind body journey, they are at home, easily walking and climbing ahead of me.

Sunshine, Smiles and Flowers

A small rectangular album fell in my lap as I pulled out the dusty box resting in the innermost corner of my cupboard. This brown box labeled “Viking Dinner Set” contained possessions from my college days.

Bad Vibes

One should, at all costs, try not to enrage an intelligent man with authority and if one has to, it should be by the expression of one’s stupidity and not by the display of one’s intelligence

Going Back in Time

If the pharmacists are not going to be properly utilized to improve medicine use situation, then turning a four year pharmacy degree (B.Pharmacy) into a five year Pharm D (Doctor of Pharmacy) and opening new pharmacy schools in the country is certainly qu

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.

Condemned Gods of Darrah Pir

30 kms north-west of our modern capital city, at the foot of great mountains lies the ruins of an ancient city, capital of an empire and the center of a great civilization that thrived on those hills some 2500 years ago. The locals call the site “D

The Agony of Remembrance

It may sound like a cliché but being thankful for what you have right now is the only antidote to the longing for the good old days.

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?

Dilemma Over Spiderman

'So what if people have died, why can’t we go watch a movie?' She demanded to know. A thousand bombs exploded within me.

The Ugly Face of Internet Plagiarism

It was a matter of principle, and I expected, that an ezine that was seemingly proud of its open-mindedness and liberality, would respect and abide by laws.

Pakistani Media to Face Wrath of the Government

Eleven new amendments have been introduced in the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which would help the Musharaff regime to control the electronic media including TV channels, Internet and mobile TVs.

The Indian American

A mixed up amalgam of diluted Indian traditions and strong western ideas, the Indian American appears to be a rootless, yet confident, brown entity aspiring to be something it is naturally not.

Hindus in J&K: Elated in minority

Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, who have been at the receiving end of militancy in the state are elated over the proposal of the UPA government to bring about a law which will decide the status of minorities on the basis of state population.

Update on trip to Pakistan- Kot Lakhpat jail

On the 2nd of June, we were shown 59 prisoners in Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore. Of these, 53 had already been seen by the Indian High Commission . Usually , many prisoners come here once their sentence is over. So there may be more Indian prisoners who are

Search for the Missing in Action

A diary of the 14 day trip to Pakistan to search for MIA in Pakistani jails- an appeal for help.

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.

India-Iran Ties

One has the world’s second largest gas reserves and the other is one of the world’s largest gas importers.

A chain of thoughts

Where to start?
What to mend?

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.

Splinter

They were the couple, everyone said so, back in those days. The lightness of him, the gold hair and blue eyes around her dusky skin, like the demarcation of borders of countries in an atlas, setting her aglow.

Thirty Six Murders in Search of a Resignation

The perpetrators of May 12th may lie, but dead bodies don’t.

Talking Tall on Human Rights

India talks tall on human rights in its attempt to seek re-election to the Human Rights Council.

Citizenship and Identity in Pakistan

Before the British colonised the subcontinent, the people of this region existed in overlapping sets of multiple identities, where contending sovereignty of identity groups was negotiated and power was shared at several levels. When the British came alon

Icarus and The Filmmaker

I’ll be doing what I have a calling for, what I am most passionate about, and what makes me fly across the country just for a one hour interview, in the hopes of 'landing' the story.

Home is where the heart is

I remember an episode of Boston Legal where when Alan Shore is feeling schizophrenic, a psychiatrist asks him where does he live. He says in a hotel. I was mildy surprised.

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.

Karachi-Mumbai Educational Forum

Karachi and Mumbai, being the regional hubs of economy, trade, commerce, culture, journalism, arts and crafts, can also provide intellectual leadership to the region in the realm of education.

Rahul Gandhi's Election Campaign

Like monarchs of yore, this family seeks, perhaps, to install itself as a permanent ruling family in India.

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.

What if?

Would it have changed the fact that this was a deeply disturbed not to mention chronically ill man?

Sanskritization, de-Sanskritization and Colonial Rule

The British did not ‘invent’ the caste system but what they did do was to make it the primary basis of social classification.

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.

The Invisible Men

In fact GORA is soooooo cool that it really doesn’t bother him if we have achieved a seam-less integration or we are trying to preserve our identity. GORA lives on a social, mental and philosophical so elevated and hence so detached from ours that

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.

Façade of Pseudo Feminism

Pseudo feminism unlike positive feminism is guilty of bringing disaccord to human social lives rather then contributing more to the good of every one.

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.

With or Without Musharraf – A Mohajir’s Perspective

Whether we stay in Pakistan, go it alone, or confederate with like-minded freedom loving Sindhis or Baluchis, there are many steps we can take in the interim.

God is a Metaphor

Psychologists are well aware that symbolic and metaphorical thinking develops only when the human mind reaches a certain level of mental maturity.

Medical Lessons from the Death of a Poet

Can a breast specialist, however eminent, take over the role of a gynaec specialist? ... Are drugs like combiflam which many people do not tolerate require to be prescribed for our patients?...

The Secret Is: Don’t Worry, Buy Happy

Then mankind became a bit smarter and said no god. But that meant more and more people would ask questions and not do as they are told. So mankind had to be taught to believe in god again and ignore the really difficult questions of why we kill, why there

The Hypocrisy of the Indian Leftists

A great victory for the cause of the OBCs was proclaimed by Karunanidhi though the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) estimated the loss due to strike at Rs. 2.5 billion.

Its media, Jim, but not as we know it

The traditional media is mutating into something that normal users havent really picked up on yet, what’s going on?

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.

Marine Drive Makeover

Marine Drive is Mumbai’s best known landmark. It has its own natural beauty. That is why there is need to pause and ask whether it is necessary to spend crores of rupees to dress it up further.

Industrial Dieting: The Myth and the Madness

The idea of a quick fix has taken hold of the global psyche through massive advertising and we struggle to buy a box, a pill, a bottle, a program, a spray and a thing to solve our problem

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.

Child Prostitution in Arizona

Although the Task Force is focusing its efforts on the supply, mainly prostitutes and pimps, there’s a practical problem of how to help these children.

Commercialized Sports

The days of feeling empowered over defeating former colonial masters are gone. That is a small satisfaction and it cannot compensate for our lowly performance in many fields.

Raiwind IX

During a talk show hosted by former Pakistani cricket captain, Rameez Raja, Inzimam-ul-Haq suggested that along with the usual cricket training, cricketers should also be given “deeni taleem” (religious education).

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.

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

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.

Pakistan Quarters

The name probably symbolized the fact that it gave shelter to the families of most of the government servants, keeping the administration of the newly formed nation running, Karachi being the capital then.

Teaching Science Badly – and Well

Dogmatism kills science. Students should therefore experience science as a process for extending understanding, not as unalterable truth. Never should the teacher say X or Y is true just because that’s what the textbook says.

The Dreaded Phone Call

My father had been sick the last few months. He had undergone a knee implant a couple of years ago since his knee joints were completely worn out by rheumatoid arthritis, and one of the implants was now infected.

Let’s not Barter Away Our Food Security for GM Crops

What does all this mean for the Pakistani farmer? On the one hand, GM seeds and crops promise an increased yield. But the catch is that the farmer cannot re-use the seed. This makes the farmer a client of the biotech company for life.

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

Pandora Box of Television in Pakistan

How can dozens of TV channels run profitably in a country, where the total volume of the advertising industry is not more that six to seven billion rupees?

Soul Atrophy

Teams in any sport can be as good or as bad as the countries, societies and institutions they represent.

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.

Why Have This Train At All?

The complete Samjhauta Express scenario as it operates now, with a full night for the bad guys and their cohorts to create havoc between Delhi and Attari, as well as on the way back, is all about smuggling between India and Pakistan

Terrorists Strike Samjhota Express

Both India and Pakistan have condemned this act which appeas to have been timed to disrupt a high level meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

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.

Indian Shuakat Aziz and Pakistani Manmohan Singh

In one of his recent articles, India’s famous journalist, Mr. M. J. Akbar has unveiled an open secret, that Dr. Manmohan Singh is in fact India’s ‘Shuakat Aziz’; i.e., a Washington’s man; i.e., a man sponsored by the World Ba

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

To Have Loved and Lost

I learnt to distinguish between sincere and leering eyes of men, jealous and envious looks of women, how to notice small changes in women’s body, demeanor and how to interpret it

Village of Women

Along the line of control in Kashmir, there is a village called Dard-nag. The hot springs here were famous for miraculous powers but even the healed complained that drinking of the waters gave them the unpleasant feeling of laughing when the heart was sad

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

Why Assam to be Asom?

In the early nineties BJP politically aired a new slogan—'Indianization of big cities' since old names, to them were, symbolic to either Mughals or British slavery. The idea later became cheaper for all political parties with much vote bank credits.

If Pigs Could Fly

When proceeding to the check in counter, I always increased or decreased my pace so that I get a chance to stand next to a lady in the queue. Though I have been successful in this feat but then again, fate had something else stored for me.

Kismet and Muqaddar

If kismet (luck) and muqaddar (fate) are the names of same thing then why it is said that 'kismet is made by an individual' and 'muqaddar can’t be changed' .

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

The Princess and the Alley Cats

Shilpa Shetty - A clash of cultures or simple racism?

Knowledge and Wisdom

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

India’s Foreign Policy: An Analysis

It is time for a reality check: A look within. India was a great civilization and has a great history. As Indians we are right to be proud of it. However, as Indians we must not forget what history teaches us: that humility not hubris is what makes you gr

Untouchability and Sex

No one practices untouchability when it comes to sex.

Out of Sight

It was a fine morning of March 1963. Humayun was engrossed working in his office situated in Reagal. He was a successful businessman – a well known social-climber with all the success the previous sixteen years had given him.

Medicalising Pakistan

A recent visit to Pakistan was the eye opening one. There was one pharmacy in my neighborhood a few years ago, but now the small street is sprawling with five pharmacies and all are doing “wonderful business”.

A Lovers’ Quarrel with Airport Profiling

You wake up early one morning and as you are lying on your back desperately trying to re-enter that cute little dream you were thrown out of, you realize that today you have to head to Boston’s Logan airport to catch a flight to DC...

I, Consumer

Whether it is marriage, job or just looking pretty-you need to be fair. A great value to promote in a country where the vast majority is dark skinned! And in the hope to become ‘the fairest of them all’ – girls have made Fair&Lovely

Let us do away with Kashmir

Asked whether Pakistan was giving up its claim to Kashmir, Musharraf said, 'We will have to... yes... if this solution comes up'.

Nehru’s Legacy: Time to pay tribute

The 77th anniversary of the declaration of Purna Swaraj, the 57th anniversary of India’s Republic Day – it is time to pay tribute to some one without whom India would not be what it is today: a global economic, military and political power.

The Moving Finger and the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group

A comprehensive look.

Is it time to recognize Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians?

It is interesting to note that of the 30 million Catholic Christians in India, more than 20 million are said to be Dalit Christians who are also descendants of the converts and have lowly professions.

An Untouchable Apology

The untouchables of Hinduism are a wretched lot. While it is not at the level of genocide, it is an institutionalised social discrimination over a very long period of time.

India, Pakistan and the Kashmir dispute

The number of people who have died and who are still dying in order for us to hold on to our illusory ideals are not worth the ideals.

Killing Darwin

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

Re-Imagining Pakistan

Commencement lecture by Pervez Hoodbhoy at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, 9 December 2006.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal

US-India deal has all the signs of great treaty. However it also contains some ominas signs of India getting trapped in a CIA net.

Computer Literated: Writing Preliterated?

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

Sex and Censorship in the Cinema

There is a growing trend in cinema, especially so-called Independent and World Cinema, to show real sex on screen. This trend is especially true in Europe and raises the interesting question of censorship and its value and place in a civilised society.

Crime and Human Rights in the Developed World

After the NYPD shot a groom leaving his stag party two days ago, there has been a huge uproar in the American press over what was clearly a crime committed by the men in uniform in the world’s wealthiest city.

A pragmatic rant about Immigration in America

A pragmatic rant about Immigration in America

Voices from the Other Side

It frightens me in the silence of dying nights.
It frightens me when my wife retreats to sleep,
When run to school my children plodding and pale

Indian Filmmaker Plucks Musical Strings in Pakistan

Khayal Darpan, a documentary film explores Pakistan's Classical Music traditions

Leprosy

Urvishi is unhappy and silent, walks sluggishly. Did ever Sahil before it watch her slothful? No, no, no. Might a humorous girl grow worried? And much distraught too. She is a silly girl. Silly, silly, silly. Sahil announces.

Islamic Education, Madrassah Reform, Rationality and Dawkins

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

India-Pakistan talks: the endless cycle

The two countries agreed to set up a six-member panel to counter terrorism; A nuclear safety agreement was signed; However, no progress took place on reducing troops in Kashmir and in Siachen.

Who is Responsible

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!

Indian Scholarships for Outstanding Pakistani Students

In the postwar years, the UK, US, USSR and to a lesser extent Germany provided generous opportunities for South Asian students to spend extended periods of study in their countries. They were the best ambassadors of goodwill on their return.

Are Artists Really Mad?

Creative people are are more at risk to suffer from mental illness than general population as creativity and insanity are genetically transmitted in the same families.

Indian Muslims

The Sachhar Committee report, to be released in end-November, states that the condition of the majority of Indian Muslims is worse than that of even the Dalits. It recommends, among other measures, an allocation of 15% of all government funds for schemes

Vanishing temples of Thar and Nagar Parkar

Thar desert has a splendid collection of ancient temples, testimony to the presence of colourful Hindu and Jain kingdoms. We don’t know the exact number of temples in the area but one document states their number to be 14.

1857 and the Lessons of 150 Years

There is no reason why people should continue to suffer because thieves and manipulators succeeded in dividing them so decisively 150 years ago.

Schumi No More!

You might hate him or love him, but no matter what you feel about him, you do know him. The one person who comes in your mind when you hear the word Formula 1?

Rain! Oh Beautiful Rain!

Now that I bedridden lay!
'Come n play' is what you say

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...

Vidarbha and Farmer Suicides - Facts and Fiction

The black cotton soil of Vidarbha is legendary and is supposed to breed “aalsi” (lazy) farmers since you simply have to throw the seeds onto the fields and you will have a rich cotton crop! So why the suicides in the cotton belt now?

One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer, but Ten Million Make a Swarm!

Sub-continental minorities are still looked on with suspicion and there is no true secular treatment, such as the lack of a uniform civil code.

A Walk Into Humanity

Don’t Cry for me Rawalpindi

They each carry a sports bag and wore crisp new white shirts with the letters “Under 19” engraved on the left side.

Chained dreams and unchained reality

So betrayed by faith
The others stand so tall and straight
Why was it always my mind that strayed?

The Export of Disease

India is among the countries with the highest number of polio cases and it is suspected that Indians travelling abroad are spreading the disease.

A cliché from Nawab Din’s Story

Today at the age of 107, the aging but exceptionally agile Nawab Din is literally fighting a lonely battle to achieve what the celebrated poet and last emperor of the Mughal dynasty in India Bahadur Shah Zafar could not.

Corporate Social Responsibility: The Rising Trend?

There is a growing interest in businesses taking a lead in addressing those issues in which they have an interest where national government have failed to come up with a solution.

Knowing Kashmir, Officially

The official website of the state designed and hosted by National Informatics Center and maintained by the Department of Information is a MUST NOT view site if one is looking for timely information.

The Healer

How many patients a physician has to treat and cure before becoming a healer? Healing is not mere treatment to make the patient normal. It is much more...

Terrorism is Nobody's Monopoly

There are or have been terrorist groups among Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and even Buddhists. And secularists amongst these (anarchists) have been the biggest killers.

What Osama gave Muslims

Osama wanted to create an All Arab group of his own. And today, he has Al Qaida. A destructive group causing disruption in world peace in the name of Allah.

Has Hinduism had the Longest Tradition of Continuous Religion?

Hinduism, as generally practiced in India today, is very different to the forms of religion of earlier times. In the beginning, as in all religions, this tradition was oral but put to writing from about the time of Christ.

‘Smarty’ is the word…

** Gear-up for the style business!!

The Bubble and the Pin

Some profound and hilarious comments from two of the best investors of all time, Warren Buffet and John Maynard Keynes

The Seventh Wave - Pakistan’s Chance to Achieve Escape Velocity

Semiconductor Industry and Pakistan

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.

Sehra

Sehra ki bheegi ret meN, maine likha aawaargi.... I was puzzled. The words made no sense to me. Sehra always meant to me a flowery veil that an Indian bridegroom wears therefore the song made no sense. When a friend told that it also means desert

The Death of a Nawab

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

Vignettes from the Cellular Jail

The cellular jail is a hugely understated monument to the sacrifices in fighting British imperialism for what is now India , Pakistan and Bangladesh

Facing the Inevitable (Part I)

How different are China and the US anyway?

Minorities in the Western Societies

Certain basic steps that must be taken by the immigrants as well as the host countries to affect peaceful and harmonious integration.

Decoding Spirit of Independence

Even with a tight security jacket in place, the South Asian subcontinent is into celebration mode with India and Pakistan commemorating the 60th Independence Day.

A Journey to India

Recently I had an opportunity to visit India. I was very excited about visiting the country we’ve now been separated from for almost 60 years. Seeing the land of Gandhi, Nehru, Dilip and Arundhati Roy was the fulfillment of an old desire.

Quest-- its all about the journey

It is in the journey some say,
and others justify the end

The Myth of the New India

Only 1.3 million out of a working population of 400 million are employed in the information technology and business processing industries that make up the so-called new economy.

Quit India: Hindutva Goons!

Bombay, the city that never sleeps, can be said to be a new barometer of the mood of the broad masses of the Indian people.

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.

A cup of tea (chai)

life

Studying History? Yes, it is necessary

Gear-up for a Power Internship!

So, it’s very important to get an insight of the profession you want to choose in the future. In this regard internships — a short attachment with a progressive organization — could be a viable solution.

When Locals in Locals lost their Lives - July 11, 2006

When you share a compartment in a Mumbai local train, you bond with the others in there.

A Nation of Eunuchs

Another serial bomb blasts rocked Mumbai on 7/11 while the criminals behind the 1993 blasts are still at large.

Mumbai Rocked by Seven Bomb Blasts

The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh put India’s major cities on high alert and called an emergency meeting. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for this dastardly act.

Blasphemy, Photocopy and Electromagnetic Theory

One of the strategic assumptions made by him was that the “Puraana Daur” is back. “Puraana Daur” signified the old times when students, backed by corrupt local politicians, walked on campus brandishing guns, acting like mafia guys.

Star, Crescent, Cross

Expectedly, the formalities take a long long time. Once done, as I look down from my aircraft window, I feel a great sense of accomplishment at having been there, having seen a bit, and having got a feel of this fantastic place called Israel.

Confessions of a Smoker

For instance, packs carrying warnings such as, ‘Smoking can cause birth defects’ or ‘Smoking during pregnancy can be hazardous’, would hardly deter a young man like myself to reconsider lighting one up

The Infidel

He was really adamant on getting rid of the Americans. So I decided to help him out with his problem.

Darakhat Bachao, Lahore Bachao

The Citizens of Lahore are now planning a conference in which stakeholders shall be allowed to voice their concerns about the development of the city.

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.

Sufi or Scientist

Have you ever thought what it would cost to give up everything you own right now and move to a different place with nothing in your hand and start a new life?

Demolishing the Circles of Dominance

Information glut is sinking us. Can the pundits by telling us the deeper reasons for out problems inspire us to become problem solvers rather than merely frustrated spectators?

Interpretation of Islamic Extremism in Mass Media

Interpretation of Islamic Extremism by the western mass media

The Secret

This plan was the basic frame work which he had decided not to forget as all the other things were needed to be forgotten for becoming non-existent.

War of the Sexes

Why are there so many neurotic women today? Have millions of women always been this way, or is it a problem of our times only? Why — if being feminine can be so pleasant — do some women hold onto their neurosis though they know they can get he

The Birth of a Voice

Other than the hoarseness, there was no other indication that he was ill. Unknown to him, this 75-year-old bachelor, an air-conditioning specialist who loved his cigarettes, had developed a malignancy.

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?

Riba and the Pakistani Economy

There has been a large amount of debate in Pakistan as to what exactly constitutes ‘riba’. Is it interest in all its totalities or does riba simply connatate excess? Indeed the question arises as to whether a complete interest free system can

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

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.

God in Vedas and Upanishads

Indian philosophical thought can be generally divided in two divergent currents. One having its source in the Vedas and the other independent of it.

A Rant Against Reservations

Facts on education in Pre-British India leads to the conclusion that Backward Classes (OBCs) are responsible for their own backwardness and for not transferring to the schools that the British opened in India like the Upper Castes did who had the most to

The Height of Higher Education

Pakistan studies should become a part of the study of world history without recourse to jingoism and ‘patriotic excesses’. By doing so, two major sources of confusion and non-critical thinking will be removed from the domain of universities

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

A Stretch of Analogy: National Deterrence to Individual Deterrence

The government has already accepted its inability in protecting the citizenry by giving licenses to open ‘security agencies.’ But this is also a safeguard specifically aimed at the elite

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

Cyber Love

Online shopping is attractive because a lot of products of different brands, packages and prices are easily obtainable. The same is true of Internet dating. A wide variety of individuals are available

Musharraf and Manmohan’s Monologues

India’s talking with only those who already agree with the Indian position, and Pakistan consulting those who only toe Islamabad’s line is not a dialogue -- it is a monologue

South Asian Socialism

Who in the world is lending Uncle Sam all that money?... When Pakistanis, or Indians for that matter, come and sell their souls to the West, they all too often forget the reality from which they have come

Modi’s Men and their Mean Machines

Every illegal religious shrine ought to be demolished. Yet, I wish to know how a 200-year-old dargah of a Sufi saint qualifies as being ‘illegal’, is bulldozed and leads to mob violence. Gujarat is becoming an experimental lab for the Hindu Ra

Why Do We Reject Our Past?

I agree with the notion that I was a member of Indic-civilization for 5000 years, Muslim for around 1000 and Pakistani for 60. I wish our leaders would give us the chance to appreciate and accept all of these great periods as our national identity

First, Honor Thyself

Her virginity and her body is not hers alone. They are symbols of her family’s honor, whether it is her birth family or that of her husband

Dreaming/Nightmaring in a Perfectly 3+1 Dimensional World

I was born and raised in Tehsil 786, the only place in modern-day Pakistan that was never colonized by the ‘takers’ from Britain. I’m a cow, a living organism just as you are

Taj a Mirage

I saw a group of young artisans. They looked timid and frightened, their head bent down trying to concentrate on their work, but at the same time wanting to communicate with the onlookers

Memory Lane

My Calloused Bare Feet…

Then the tank shot. I was turned to smithereens. I had died for my God. He had killed for his God. The hunter and the hunted. Both were the same thing. Both were humans. But your beliefs transform you

Opinionated Jaahilism

If society were a person, it would be an obese one. Just like all the useful flesh, muscles and tissues are in a small amount buried under the mass of useless meat on an abnormally enlarged body, only a small number of people actually serve any useful pur

Hidden Desires

Oh, chaste wither away! And set her lust free--
held incarcerated, long ago a romance ceased to be
to whisper a hymn of infidelity

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

Ahmadis – The Forgotten People

In addition to state sanctioned persecution, there is a movement in the name of preserving Islam and the Finality of the Prophet that seeks to intimidate Ahmadis and accuse them of being collaborators of Jews and Christians and enemies of Islam

Ba, Beti aur Bahu

Uma Bharti is putting on the loner act for only one reason – to save the BJP’s top rung. The real loner here is Sonia. Her godfathers are ghosts. Are both of them “mind-controlled victims”?

Lingo Woes Across The Radcliff Line

The fiery topic of Media Unification across the borders has been of special interest to the masses. When actors and media personnel started crossing the borders, the idea of a common language for the convenience of getting across one’s message to th

Australia’s Muslim youth -- A Battle for their Hearts and Minds

Young Muslims are misunderstood by their parents and many live two lives - one inside their community and another outside

Internet Relationships – Blessing or Curse?

As a student of human psychology I feel that the mystery of internet relationships stimulates people’s imagination and they start the relationships where reality merges with fantasy

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

Pakistan Bans Blogspot

I don’t know what appalls me more: the sheer idiocy of such a blanket ban; the horror that someone thinks they’ve just struck a blow for Islam; or this insidious thought that, in Pakistan, we have no rights, only privileges

Anatomy of a Karachi Bomb Blast

With so many issues whipping the air like a tornado on the national canvas it is impossible to assign responsibility of such terrorism to any single group unless someone claims it and provides a signed affidavit to that effect

Great Expectations, Little Sense

When books are written to primarily sell, it’s no wonder that we end up confounded. The case studies presented are mostly those of successful, large organizations, which may be irrelevant to the vast majority of readers

US-India Relations in Danger After an Attempt on the President's life!

So news is that Bush Mian may visit cricket games on his tour to India and Pakistan - what if - just what if the following were true?

Would India be a Threat to the Islamic Conference?

What is the true motive behind India's eagerness to join the Organization of Islamic Conference? If it wants to do anything positive for its Muslim population, then the first place to start would be Kashmir and Gujarat

Muslims and Modern Banking: A Rejoinder

The Koran states explicitly that trade is not the same as interest: Those who consume interest shall not rise, except as he rises whom Satan by his touch prostrates

Up sh*ts creak without a paddle, nahin nahin, the road to AIESEC!

Take last nights jaunt for instance: there we were in all our glory in the middle of four hundred Indians surrounded by malevolent chanting and the sinister drum rolls...

Unfaithfully Yours

Are we going to be ostriches or we are ready to face the reality, the truth of extra-marital affairs?

Indian Corruption Reaches the World

It was in this atmosphere that Natwar Singh apparently found his calling, a move that would make him some money and later destroy his political career though it is widely believed that he has been made a scapegoat

One Dayers and All

India is a good side, and they have world class players. But, in terms of maturity and settlement into their roles they are still very young. This Indian one day team is where the Pakistan team was a couple of years ago

Heidi Fleiss and Shahrukh Khan – Spot the Difference!

Will Heidi’s male brothel empower women? In Shahrukh’s film why does the woman submit to a ghost only when he transforms into a look-alike of her husband? Why has it now become our overarching ambition to reveal liberalism mostly through the l

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

Losing one’s culture

Conduits

This is the reality, for most of us who live outside our countries. We’re always looking for that door… the conduit that connects our new home to the real home we long for

Pak vs Ind, 3rd Test in Karachi, Day 3 - A Tale of 2 Y’s

Pakistan vs. India, Third Test Jan 29 2006, Day 1 - Dispatch

Searing Pace, Scintillating Swing and a budding Pillar make for a great cricketing day

Balochistan Militancy -- An Insider's View

The current wave of lawlessness in Balochistan was originally started by tribal elements in 1999 but lacks any credible rationale and is not based on popular discontentment

AMU at the Crossroads

On January 5, the Allahabad High Court took away the minority tag from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The court upheld its judgment in October last year terming as “unconstitutional” the grant of minority status to AMU

String them up

Jeet lo dil ?

BPOnama

Ch-ch-changes

Change, is after all, the only true constant in life. The way we look changes, from our waistlines to our skin to our thinning hair

Pakistan’s Territorial Integrity: Lessons from American Democracy

Kalabagh Dam issue divides us today. Pakistanis can take a leaf from the USA.What was true of American states in the 1770s and 80s is true for Pakistani provinces today. We must hang together or else we would hang separately

Shivaji -- Portrait of the King as Barbarian

Shivaji was an irreligious Hindu king. The Maratha leader's barbarism is depicted in the civic laws practised under his rule

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?

Counterfeit Medicines: A Public Health Policy Failure

The responsibility to tackle this problem does not only lie with the government. All stakeholders must be involved and should join forces against this menace

The Political-Economy of the South Asian Economic Union

While SAFTA doesn't seem to make immediate economic sense, a South Asian Economic Union (SAEU) may still make considerable political sense, provided its anchor country, India, displays the kind of 'self-less' leadership required to make it a reality.

Nowhere: The Utopian Destination

Every philosopher/prophet/freedom fighter/terrorist had to break the norms. Unlike the stratified and codified democracies of the West where you are riled for snorting but not for bombing, the subcontinent has a dynamic protocol-less mutinous edge

Loveless in London

The lech of Longing leers, the lust for love seduces her sinless spirit.

The Forgotten Economics of SAFTA

Free trading areas, and especially economic unions, whenever they come about, require tremendous commitment and impose disproportionate costs on various segments of the populations of the countries involved

The Missing Girls

Are we heading towards warped, daughterless families as the prototype of Indian society?

Another earthquake
From Balakot With Trepidation - A follow-up of Oct 8

The town of Balakot, one of the hardest hit towns in the devastating earthquake that hit Pakistan on 8th October, is no more.

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

An introspective comparison of various Muslim societies

SAARC Syndrome: Asia's Burden

This is Asia, completely corrupt and bogged down under its own weight. Adding a straw to break the camel’s back is SAARC,Adding a straw to break the camel’s back is SAARC. In the last two decades it has done nothing except to raise hopes and t

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.

Glossing Over Bad Patches of History

Japan is desperately trying to hide its past so that the nation is saved of the shame of its leaders’ dreadful deeds in the past.

And Dr. Shahid Hussain Bokhari Quits…

Why another world famous researcher and a dedicated teacher left Pakistan while HEC claims that its policies are supporting higher education and research in the country.

A Devastated Metropolis

Plots and skirmishes have footnoted the sub-continent’s history, warmongering coupled with bomb blasts sometimes provide the punctuation. The question is can we as a South Asian people stem the tide and end this feudal-frenzied animosity through cro

Bomb Blasts in Delhi

A series of bomb went off in Delhi on Oct 29th, three days before the festival of Diwali.

South Asians in the USA

It is obvious that South Asians will leave a mark on the America. But what would be their contribution to the patchwork of American cultural landscape?

August 2003

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

What Drives Men and Women of Indian Subcontinent to Infidelity?

It seems that there is a conspiracy of adulterers particularly in the midst of the Islamic communities of the Indian subcontinent.

Nobody’s World

Before death claimed him, he had finally become a nobody, a nobody who was owned by no one and who belonged nowhere. This feel of a nobody that he had seen on the face of that man on that footpath had given him his peace.

Samosey mein aloo: why not Laloo?

Dishonesty and corruption are a part of democratic politics. Laloo is upfront about both. You know where you stand with him, and you know where to place him.

Deadly Earthquake

This earthquake is perhaps the most intense one seen in this region for over 100 years.

Ramzaan Mubarak

Being a good Muslim, or being a good Insaan is a 7/24/365 proposition. It is disarranged folly to think that by abstaining from food and drink for thirty days and indulging in some rituals, the rest of the year is fair game for other travesties.

The Naked Fakir

’The naked fakir,’ Churchill called him. ’Greatest man ever who walked on the earth ...’ said Einstein.

What will I teach my daughter?

I memorized the thirtieth Para by the age of ten.

Autumn Harvesting

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

Reflections and other poems

looking down ourselves look back
likenesses wrinkled by the wind
then lips to mirrored lips we drink
till no water’s there
nor images, nor we.

W(h)ither BJP?

His departure may placate the RSS apparatchiks in Nagpur but it will not resolve the internal contradiction in the BJP. These contradictions will be resolved only by a split in the party.

Seemingly, God is Angry at America

In the past, people used to give human sacrifices to appease their angry gods. God of America has already taken His toll in New Orleans and other Gulf cities so, thank God, nobody probably has to offer any more sacrifices to appease His anger.

The Rainy Season

Goswami Tulsidas looked differently at the rainy season from most.

A Drunken RSS Man in Jassema

The feelings slowly churning in his head, the various ideas randomly laid out on the table, all coalesced into a look of deep pain. His eyes were speckled in fierce glints of pain and alarm. It was as if he was actually living with the situation of his me

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.

Insect in Amber

The sun sets in streaks
of heat and distant fire.

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.

Guilty of Gohana

Anybody can see that the ’spontaneous expression’ of anger of the upper castes against the dalits was led by an organised and experienced team of houseblasters.

In the face of a Natural Disaster

The scenes in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina had struck, have been devastating. As an outsider, it was a shock to see that even a super power could not do much in the face of a natural disaster.

The Dance of the Damned

'We Dalits are like animals. The moment we are born we are on our own. There is no support system. We are constantly made aware that we are apart.'

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

The Ultimate Rush

Every time I think of the time when I overcame my fear and jumped I am ready to face any challenge.

Carpet Magic

Carpets have an alluring magic for me, ever since my grandma told me stories of the magic carpet of Aladdin and his flight in the Arabian Nights.

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

A Cinephile’s Choice

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

Mercy beau-coup?

What do we know about Sarabjit Singh that we are ready to behave like beggars asking for mercy? It is now trendy to take up cross-border causes. It is political expediency and superficial bonhomie. Ordinary people should see through the game.

Dialogue, State and Utopia

The prospects for an improvement in relations between India and Pakistan are limited by the fact that ’dialogue’ is the most unmeaning word in the lexicon of South Asian politics.

See RSS, Think Al Queda!

Within a span of a few months this is the third time in a row that the Parivar and its men have received rebukes either at the hands of the US establishment itself or through those institutions/peoples who are working closely with it.

Secular Army

It is a great contribution to Independent India that those who do not wear uniforms and may be communal themselves, made sure that those in uniform remained secular.

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.

Views of an Indian in Pakistan

I was invited to dinner at a Pakistani colleague’s home in Karachi. After the third peg of Scotch (inevitably) one of the guests opened up.

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.

This thing called Love of Country

If we want to know why we are what we are, psychology, science, anthropology, sociology, geography, environment, economics ---everything can be used to excavate the past. Uncover inconvenient truths. But we have to be brave enough to look these truths in

Arabs, Jains, Mammon and Osama

There were two kinds of immigrants who washed up on the west coast of the sub continent.

Ayodhya: The Aftermath of the Terrorist Attack

Tired of emotive issues which affect their own lives and feeling cheated at the hands of these self-proclaimed upholders of Hindutva, people just did not care when the saffron brigade gave a call for agitation over insult to ‘Hindu identity.’

Jerry’s Pakistan

The jazba that there is for Pakistan seems to be entirely in the non-Muslim Pakistanis and they have a much better way of showing it too. No law-breaking, no gunfire, no silencer-less motorcycles, no women-teasing as has become commonplace on Independence

Karachi Odyssey II

those fishermen were true
               to their sea
these days it helps not
               being true

South Asia’s Clarence Darrow

An anglicized barrister who ended up founding a separate Muslim majority state is an apparent paradox but not really so...

Cause and Detect

Please do remember that I am ignoring the conspiracy theorists, who are a real funny bunch, blaming it on the intelligence services, the police, the Zionists, the military industrial complex, capitalism, little green men from Uranus

The Freedom of Empathy

Are we strong enough to want the freedom that so many would die for? Can we begin to appreciate what we have been given?

Pakistan’s Choice

In light of rising Indian power blessed by the West, what policy options does Pakistan have?

Doomed If They Do, Doomed If They Dont

Since the issue at hand is so complicated and steeped in strategic considerations and nucular, sorry, nuclear jargons, let us try to understand the situation with the help of an allegory, “The Largest Singh Meets the Longest Sam, A True Sad Story.&#

All Goods Foreign

Most of us have been fascinated by foreign stuff. Here is my love-hate story.

Dear Allah

could you tell mrs. schmidt to please draw the blinds?...and don’t tell me not to look...you created me, i am what i am…you should know!

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

Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed: The Naked Sufi Martyr

Every man who is aware of his secret
He becomes concealed even from the skies
The mullah says that Ahmad went to the heavens
Sarmad says that the heavens were inside Ahmad!

Who Tarnished the Image of Pakistan?

The Government placed her name on the Exit Control List thus canceling her scheduled visit to the U.S. with the President announcing shamelessly that it was done so that she wouldn’t blemish the image of the country. Her name was very conveniently r

The Woman on the Tracks

Three wheels pass over her waist before the train stops.

London Targeted: Numbers Game

today’s mourning
in the wake of
yesterday’s jubilation
and the futility of
fragmenting one
into us and them

Ayodhya Back On Top

Why did it come now?
What was the aim of the attackers?
Who benefits most if the peace process is hindered or rolled back?
How soon will calm prevail?

A Changed Landscape of Kashmir Conflict

They (Hurriyat leaders) clearly made home their point that any future solution of the Kashmir issue must be initiated by the Kashmiris, themselves. They further said that they would not accept, as has been a practice in the past that Kashmir is conferred

To sue or not to sue…

It has been a year since I was not allowed to board an Air Canada flight (AC-8087). I have had the case covered in the media and on Parliament Hill but to no avail.

Four Poets: Four Poems

Perfect Moment by Imran Khan
My Soulmate by Asma Fikri
The Way You Loved Me... by Niranjan Regmi
Behold by Fahd Butt

Hightech Rumpus

It only takes a few of these 'outages' for a foreign client to actually terminate a contract based on the perceived inadequate infrastructure. Yet there is hope on the horizon -- a consortium, which includes PTCL, is laying down the SEAMEWE-4 cable, which

Faraz

Deeply indulgent in philosophy, classical music and Jaun Elia, Faraz was a thinker more than anything else. He spent much of his time conversing about life, the meaning of existence, and yes death.

Who Created Pakistan?

In 1947, India was not expected to survive as a nation

Gurgaon Past and Present

The original Gurgaon residents continue to shop at sector markets, look at the three M’s i.e. malls, multiplexes and multi-cuisine as encroachers

I miss you

She sat in the dark listening to the clock ticking away trying to get rid of the deep grief she was feeling. Turning her head she stared down at the empty space beside her and felt her sorrow claw at her insides.

Dina Wadia Claims Jinnah House

Wadia family has a better idea, to occupy and build a house, which was once the landmark of Jinnah Nehru meetings, the place where the dream of Pakistan was materialized. The agony of the matter is, they still want the house not the soul of Jinnah.

scar[let]

Pitifully ironic
What I wrote so pathetically
Was yet in red

Cold Flesh

Eesher Singh looked at Kalwant Kaur but unable to bear the heat of her piercing eyes, looked the other way.

Towards a more Sustainable Growth of Pakistan

Focus on industrialization, for a country like Pakistan where the majority of the labor force is unskilled, raises the unemployment rate, results in a skewed distribution of income, and causes widespread environmental deterioration.

Indians Do Not Like Each Other

India is an amalgamation of 29 different mini countries/states.

Cardamom Cloud over Coffee

Indians have so many divisions, and one of the divisions between North and South India is the preference in beverages. Tea is the preferred drink in the North of India, while South Indians love coffee.

Away and Far Away...

What is life I ask the One
If life is love I have got one
If thou didn’t come and hold me well
What life is worth, I’d rather have none

Godhra Tak: A note from the Filmmaker

This film has actually inspired Lalu Prasad Yadav, Railway Minister, Government of India, to institute an inquiry on the Godhar incident.

Acting Under Orders

... and you thought Singapore was a harmless, friendly city state.

Old Neighbors And Old Memories

What was really an eye opener was the bonhomie between the Pakistani and the Indian diplomats, who had come to the reception. I drifted towards them and it turned out they were talking about the similarity of Laxshmi Mansions with a few buildings in New D

Last Rites in Kashmir or a New Journey?

The Kashmir issue really has no solution that can resolve this problem to everyone’s delight. Then why are Generals smiling? What have they stumbled on in Kashmir?

Advani in Karachi

'There are many people who leave an inerasable stamp on history. But there are a few who actually create history. Qaed-e-Azam Mohd Ali Jinnah was one such rare individual,' commented India’s opposition leader and Bharatiya Janata Party president Lal

Erica

Her morals were of the highest standards and she always stood for values like truth and justice. She resolved issues with wisdom and pretty soon her stance on issues were valued and respected by people everywhere.

Vanity is My Favorite Sin

I still had to tell them how rich we were but the party was almost over. O well, maybe next time. Goodbye humility.

Elusive

Nothing remains but a shallow core
Wobbling on the burning, hollowed floor
Sickness spreads; light folds
Essence rhymes gibberish crimes

Emotional Solitude

My heart and my mind are two worlds apart,
But somehow, somewhere they will have to meet

The Ultimate Betrayal

She sobbed as he put his hands around her and whispered in a hushed voice, “Don’t cry honey, I am here and I love you, its ok! Don’t worry, I am here”, as his hands drifted all over her body making her cringe with revulsion.

Education: An Abysmal Situation

The sons and daughters of the most privileged class study in Cambridge system, the less privileged ones, in private schools and appear under metric system of examination; the poor, in so called “yellow schools” with ghost teachers.

A Summer’s Nightfall

Her eyes reflected compassion. Somehow, I felt I could tell her anything. I talked about home and my family. I talked about Nadia. I was stunned at how much my heart had held back all these years.

The first time I quit

Three of my smoking neighbors pass by outside my window. They are sweet and I have been collected by them already. A collection amounts to a wave and a smile.

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

March for Peace

Indians and Pakistanis are allowed public access for cricket, but not if they are walking for peace

O’ Karachi Part III

Shopping malls killing Karachi’s cinemas.

Dusk

Dusk prays for me to transform. Out the pavement through the sliding doors of life into a crowded capsule of deafening music and empty conversation. Your spirit shaped with rumors; a cesspool of redundant make-do conversation.

’Dangerous like my English teacher’

Surekha’s home, which was half arborium. Three years ago that house was an unkempt one. She managed to keep it exactly like that three years thence.The house had a personality, a confident casual rakishness that hated grooming. A reflection of its o

Kati Patang

could never figure out why my mother thought that she was protecting me from some danger that lurked on the roof. Those were the best of times; it was when I was totally fearless.

Going Home to Lahore, and a World Left Behind

Before I die, I want to see where I was born,' my father announced last fall at home in Katonah, N.Y., as our family was celebrating Diwali, the Hindu New Year. With that, my parents and I began making plans to travel to Pakistan.

Second-hand? Yes. Second-best? No

In a stretch of about two kilometres — on which educated, Shakespeare-quoting street vendors have hawked books for the past 20-30 years — around 200,000 books are up for grabs. Every day.

2005 UK General Elections

The knives that did in Thatcher are being polished again.

Selling the Family Silver

Privatization in Pakistan is seen as the strategy that will correct all past wrongs of the public sector. But two questions arise: Is the wholesale privatization good for the country in the long run and whether there is a role for public sector enterprise

Parents and the Pill

Which desi girl goes around asking her father, when she is unmarried, or even when she is married, to call in a birth control prescription?

Border Crossings

The same border bears very different meanings: it all depends on who is crossing it, and where.

Gen. Musharraf Visits Delhi

It all began with President Gen Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan coyly expressing a wish to see one of the cricket matches in India between the two countries in the just concluded series.

The Genius of a Giant

A look at Inzi - the gentle giant rose several notches to emerge as a true leader of men ..

Shatranj ke Khiladi

So, where does it leave India and Pakistan? They are at a critical juncture where they have to decide whether they want to be pawns or players

Violation of Personal Space

Email scans are not just conceivable but they are a sad truth which most of us are unable to come to terms with. Evidently, Big Brother has already sneaked his way into Pakistan and is here to stay, whether we like it or not.

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

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.

Pakistan Travelogue II

The son of a humble weaver, he was very attached to a Brahmin named Madho Lal and to immortalize the friendship between the two, he decided to name himself Madho Lal Shah Hussain. Every year, on the last Sunday of March, Mela Chiraghan, or the festival of

Nowhere

Sorrow screams inside the caves of silence. Time boils in the vat of anticipation.

Bankruptcy

'Despite incantations we display utter contempt for the poor, for the downtrodden. We are good for empty rhetorics. We are morally bankrupt,' he thundered.

Country Visa, City Visa

Fuzon and the MHB performed in Mumbai Feb 27, at a fund-raiser for the tsunami victims. They could have made a spontaneous detour and performed at the Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy Convention in Delhi, Feb 25-28. They would have lov

Oh So Vicious

She had instructed me to stay away from him because she really liked him. She was only joking about how he was the type that I usually went for. She was one of my close friends; a little boy sacrifice from my side wasn’t a big deal- at that point.

Doctors Role in Organizing Health Services

Our health system has been designed, developed and maintained by politicians rather than physicians which is one of the most distressing aspects of health care infrastructure.

Cell Phone Blues

Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society”. In today’s society, anyone without a cell phone is naked.

An Iranian Exile in Sambhalpur

The VHP issue had taken a more serious turn, filling Sister Miriam Morris, the Christian nun who headed St Joseph, with panic.What had happened was really macabre. One of the children attending the medical camp was given a tonic, which was past its expiry

Lahore Diary

Basant in Lahore, Cooco's Den, Gurudwara Dera Sahib, and Visa advise after a recent visit to Lahore

Scam Dunk

'I was just trying to figure out the amount of money that a military dictator of a third world country makes' said Nawab. 'Probably enough to make the directors of some Swiss bank very happy' I replied trying to figure out what was happening.

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

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.

Half a Confession II

Body sponges, change of sheets, the general bull shit and I cannot help but smile -- what everyone prays for and dreams about -- I had taken for granted -- the leisurely life style where people around me would do my bidding without me having to lift a fin

Am I Insane?

Let me tell you about myself. I have a law degree, and got married straight out of University. My Prince Charming is no other then my Bhabi’s brother. Yes I made the mistake of getting married in a “Watta Satta”.

Half a Confession-I

My impulsive ride on the motorbike bare back to topless, daring the gods of winds and tarmac, shattered that idyll. I insisted on going to the graveyard, open the shroud to look at his face and despite protestation I kissed him on the lips one last time.

You are Not Ready for Desilicious

In a city long past “firsts”, it is New York’s first social space for queer desis to party amongst their own. In doing so, they have defied the accumulated traditions and prejudices of their native and adopted lands.

A Paean to my Family

Chachijan -- one of my earliest memories is one of those spool tapes on which my father invites her to sing with the words “Azra Apa, ub aap” – and she sang the Ghalib ghazal “Nukta cheen hai” for she had a melodious voice an

Daughtering

I am afraid I will say things like I hate you and you killed my father to my mother if I see her again…

Why Fashion Matters

According to Frieha Altaf, “Fashion in Pakistan is and always has been for the elite. It has two effects: a trickle-up effect, when street fashion comes into the main-stream; and a trickle-down effect, when fashion moves from the elite to the masses

Dude, Where’s My Reference Point?

The edge to Harold is that he affirms to us the mainstream perception of the Asian Ivy League quota buster. It is almost as if the filmmakers are rubbing our noses in the very stereotype of the Asian takeover-a tyranny based on the work ethics America has

Deliciously Delhi

Food and history are something that both Delhi and Lahore have in common.

Rantings of an Aid Worker

I am of course, in this mindset that once D and I leave and the structures that we will set up will collapse. How the fuck did I get so colonial? What is the middle ground here for me?

India Through Pakistani Eyes

Is India now set to become a science juggernaut, a leader of the coming 'Asian Century'? A nascent superpower of the East?

Catfood and Little Women

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

Trip to Perversion

A from the heart essay on Eve Teasing.

Two Score and Ten

Books that have somehow changed my life...

Conflict over Foreign Investment in Indian Press

Is it a threat of further invasion of our values, culture and life by foreign opinion makers or would it simply bring in financial investment, editorial quality and transparency. A heated debate amongst editors, publishers, and politicians in India.

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...

flying kites, playing flutes

wine and tharra flowing unabashed
right beneath the minaret’s shadow
who deludes whom is for whom to wonder

Independence

‘I love my country, but I don’t think my country loves me.’

Born Again

The rabid religiousness was infectious. It didn’t affect me though. I was more concerned with the weight of the knot of hair on my head and my asthma. I wanted to be born again, leave the knot of hair behind, shave off the hair on my face, leave my

A Call for Justice

More than four weeks have passed since the print media first reported about a gang-rape of a lady doctor, allegedly by military personnel, at Sui. Not a single suspect has been apprehended yet.

If Godhra did not happen…

Has the possibility of the kar sevaks being a suicide squad not occurred to anyone? Could they not have been terrorists out to create trouble?

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...

Strangers in California

It’s one thing to come out to your wife and another to come out to your entire family

Report What?

Anis Haroon, the well known women’s rights and peace activist, relates a story about the time she visited Bangalore, India in 1989 to attend a South Asian women’s conference.

The Middle Kingdom Wallas

In a nutshell, the Middle Kingdom is unique in three aspects to the other ancient civilizations. It did not produce any God. It has been the longest continuous civilization. And it has yet to have the bitter-sweet taste of democracy.

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.’

Let the People Meet

In Pakistan, the demand for Indian visas is as much as 1500 – per day – from around the country -

The Tsunami Disaster

If the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) officials are unable to protect their own men and machines from a natural disaster, how on the Earth are they going to protect us, evacuate us, rehabilitate us and safeguard our safety and security from possible at

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?

Branding Nations -- II

To achieve the aim of creating a positive Pakistani Brand there is need for a dynamic agency that can conceive, coordinate and monitor the brand building effort at the national and international level between all the role-players.

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

Rational Believer

Lafangi: According to Time magazine, you are a rational person who believes in evolution and rejects miracles and inconsistencies in the bible as not the word of God..
Bishop Sponge Bob: Yet I wear a watch to bed..

The Falcon’s Hearth

'Speak! for your lips are free,' as a bird
Speak! if you don't, you'll never be heard

Branding Nations

A country’s image is its ‘brand’ and building an image is like building a brand. No country or society is perfect. What differentiates nations is the perception about them and the quality of their ‘brand’.

Engaging India

If Nawaz Sharif is portrayed as...a mugger “who was holding a pistol to his head and threatening to blow his brains out if you didn’t hand over your wallet”, LK Advani is an ominous figure dwelling fondly on a South Asia under Indian heg

Remix Mania

I wish the whole world were on a C.D

Aging Gracefully

The cold, steely chain of suffering
Circles the night decked with sorrows

Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Do we actually possess a soul? Are we actually being judged at every second for our thoughts and words and actions?

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.

Proud to be a Pakistani?

Our leaders sitting in their big houses, driving their big cars...do not seem to bother as to what the future holds for ambitious students like myself who are made to stand at the end of the line at every job opportunity around the world because of the kn

Caste and the City

Caste discrimination operates via exclusivism. We won’t live with you, we won’t eat with you, and we won’t socialize with you. So it should not be surprising that such marginalisation extends to the job market.

The Nylon Descent

The rocket under my seat fired. My seat was catapulted out of the aircraft at a high speed shearing through the glass canopy overhead shattering it into bits. The rocket propelled the seat vertically 200 feet high.

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

Remembering Maqbool Butt

He stood for a united, independent and secular Kashmir, something which was unpalatable to the two countries that are laying a claim to it.

Would e-commerce Replace the Traditional intermediary?

E-commerce has casued quite a stir among the supply chain partners and the grapevine has it that certain channels may be eliminated.

Our Minds Our Existance

If our existance is solely dependent on our ability to use our minds, and be able to reap the benefits or suffer the consequences, then, why is God there, at all?

Thanksgiving III

too many queries
orphaned by thoughts
too many thoughts
not in word prison

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.

Everything Will Be Alright

Engineer Hakeem Hashmi was being swept away by a ravenous mob of the taxi drivers, porters, beggars, and rest of the inhabitants of the marble floor at the airport. All of them offering their services at an inflated price levering for bargaining or a hi

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 Real Blasphemy

Van Gogh had received death threats for directing a film that accused Islam of condoning violence against women... there is something in the subject that seems to arouse the basest of passions in the human heart; the need to annihilate the person who says

Settling The Kalabagh Issues

The problem is not just of whether the Kalabagh dam is a feasible project. The absence of any meaningful debate on such a sensitive subject is worrisome.

Indian Troop Reduction in Kashmir: Merely Symbolic?

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unexpectedly announced on Nov 11 that improvements in security and economic conditions have allowed for a reduction in troops in Kashmir this winter.

Sunset

There is a beginning
after the end!

My Family Reunion

My mother handed over both me and her gold ornaments to her sister. The arrangement was that if my mother made it safely across to India, she would take back both me and her gold, if not, my maasi was to use the gold to help her raise me.

An Interesting Encounter

Judging by the voice, I could tell that it was a bright young girl, one of the people who have nothing to fear, in this world at least, for they have come to terms with the transitory nature of this world.

Yasser Arafat: Twilight of a Warrior

If the world is wise, the next Arafat will not be forced to wear a gun in his belt as part of his workday clothes.

As Good As A Mile

He can’t understand why the relative wants to know something she wouldn’t understand even if he told her. Why can’t Indians just let people do their jobs. Always, why this, why that.

Yasser Arafat

His resolute inflexibility led to the current despair and plight of Palestinians: from a charismatic lovable pariah to a hated pariah to an insignificant pariah he became a symbol of Palestinian impotency.

The Deadline

'Ah! You mean that deadline' I replied as I frantically racked my brain for excuses to offer. Hmm the dog ate my article, but I probably need to buy a dog first to corroborate that one. Or how about...

Musharraf’s Radical Kashmir Proposals

President General Pervez Musharraf’s newly announced proposals on solving the Kashmir dispute, while unprecedented, elicited a cool reception from India

The New Beginning

My story is the story of many thousands of other people on both sides of the line. I regard myself lucky in one way that my family and I didn’t suffer any loss of limb....

Deconstructing Durga

She took away the privy purses, but kept the princes; spoke of social democracy but gave a fillip to the license permit raj. She thrived on strife. Operation Bluestar was based on lies. Bhindranwale was the Osama to Indira’s Bush. She had propped hi

Two Poems

I found myself drifting into darkness
To a world strangely unknown

The Allahabad I Knew

A customer was looking for Jacques Derrida’s works. He and the owner lamented Derrida’s death before launching into a passionate discussion on deconstruction. I smiled to myself. This was the Allahabad I remember, where words and books and wri

Democracy!

Another victorious candidate from the state of Bihar was unavailable for comment on his win, even though he’d just won the right to sit in India’s Parliament. Why? Well, the prison rules didn’t allow for media visits.

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.

What Dreams Are Made Up Of

I will disappear from your sight, but I’ll always be sneaking glances at you whenever I can. I will never call you but your voice will be playing in my head everyday. I will never write to you but will imagine what you are doing at every minute of

Hindi films in Iraq and Palestine

In a war torn country where the Mahdi army stomps and fights and where Jordanian born militant Abu Musa Zarqarwi stalks the land with his band of militants you can see Shah Rukh Khan hoardings endorsing Kenstar products at busy Baghdad intersections.

Brand Worshipper

You have all been affected by its preaching and succumbed to its calling. Not a day passes when you don’t call out for it, talk about it, discuss it, and praise it.

Train from Pakistan, 2004: The Return

Final preamble to an epilogue on a tribute that became a travelogue accused of being a monologue.

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.

One Day At a Time

For As’r prayers they do not thrust their staff in the ground like they used to in the days of Muhammed (saw). Today they look at the calculated chart and then look at their wrist watches. This is a simple but effective use of reasoning that

Cave-men of Rawalpindi

Former Kashmiri landlords are living miserable lives in caves in Rawalpindi

Of Brane New World!

It has been the most cherished dream of man ever since he evolved into homosapien to comprehend the world in which he lived...

Letter to Prime Minister of India

Insightful words from a radical

The Dragon’s Teeth

There are many more like the man with the briefcase who walked into the Sialkot Imambargah. They did not develop their warped mindsets overnight -- nor will they be wiped out overnight by military means.

Mute Goat Dilemma

Perhaps there will come a day when I will step out of my door without bracing myself against another wolf-whistle or cheap comment or body-piercing gaze following me at every step towards my destination.

Servility

Her lips parted, only to breathe. Enticing me. And now, completely overwhelmed by her silent authority, I stood up and stepped towards her…to shield her…from everything.

Gulp Fiction

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

One More Day Before Debu’s Death

Debu suddenly became very philosophical and scratching his crotch asked Ali, 'Hey Ali, my left eye ball is dancing since this morning. You know all this shit. Isn’t this a good omen. Doesn’t it mean I will succeed in my dhanda today? Or i

The Doll’s House

How can Hindus dare to point fingers at Muslim regressiveness when they have not been able to improve the lot of their own people?How can they talk disparagingly about Muslim ghettos when India is divided along regional, culinary, caste, status lines?

Contemporary Sit-Coms

It is really difficult for people to tell whether I am talking about desi movies or sit-coms. The only apparent difference being that the sit-coms are over-acted upon by a specific set of college dropouts pretending to be yet in their teens.

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 Aga Khan University-Examination Board: Does Pakistan Need One?

Like every other major policy debate in this country, one on The Aga Khan University Education Board--with its religio-political dimensions--has all the ingredients of a 'perfect storm', an analysis of its merits and demerits must inform the decision.

Wannabe Haikus

Please oh please hurl
Bricks at institutions,
Else children will grow up
Thinking bricks only make walls.

The Responsibility of Students

I started my university studies with the expectation of elevating my level of academic understanding. I was of the notion that I would be entering a “sanctuary for free thought”. Yet, the notion of this “sanctuary” was violently br

A Woman Scorned...

This could be an act of defiance. Perhaps she couldn’t forgive Imran even though she so magnanimously accepted Tyrian. Perhaps she is revolted by the holier-than-thou attitude of us desis, the double standards we harbor and our failure to practice

When Abu Died

“What’s happened ?”, I kept asking aloud. Someone escorted me out. I think it was one of the staff. Not sure. The policeman in the Waiting Room told me the details. Apparently, whilst walking back from work, he was hit by a passing vehic

What Would Happen?

The Jewish lobby groups have kept a close tab on this potential president and Israel should be pleased, Mr. Kerry promises to be the most pro-Israeli president in the history of America

Trailing End of the Middle Class at Shaadi Online

The Shaadi Online phenomena can revolutionize our society.....

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!!!”

Stargazing

Towering and insensate

A Liftman, A Job Well Done

“Why does your mother have to carry your bag ?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? You have one hand, don’t you?”

On-Air Exclusive!

Ted Turner’s Cable News Network, once disparagingly called the Chicken Noodle Network, now “the most trusted name in news” or CNN, changed everything...

Tuning Into The WWW

Commercial radio or Television channels may be going down the tubes, but Internet radio is alive and kicking.

Indian Classical Music in Lahore

The Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) in its desire to spread its wings to the SAARC countries has gained another success. The society is sending a 15 member delegation to Pakistan with 10 artistes in t

Recipe for Anarchy

They seem to be interested on anything but peace and social order. They are running a parallel administration in the countryside of Andhra Pradesh, indulging in extortions, rendering instant justice, pulling up the government officials, stopping developme

On my way...

Aptly titled ‘Challenges and Opportunites in South Asia – A Youth Perspective,’ the conference brought together a multitude of ideas, beliefs, opinions, voices...it brought all of us together as people.

Manmohan Singh Ko Ghussa Aata Hai Kya?

Vajpayee’s ’letter’ to the PM:They are calling you the rudest prime minister ever. This is your moment of glory. Enjoy it. Do something like what I did in Goa. If you can find someone like Narendra Modi in your party, life will be

Use of the Internet by Terrorists

Even shutting down the sites can’t stop them from spreading their agenda ... by the time the website is forced to shut down, the material has already been replicated all over the web.

Train to Pakistan 2004: La, Hore?

On anti-Americanism. Means, Taliban not gooood. But American not gooood, too. This starts a discussion, and we discover that an open debate on the pros and cons of USA is as wide-angle in this bus as anywhere else in the world. But nobody will say one bad

Teaching and Research on India in Pakistan - A Conspicuous Absence

One would have thought, that like other adversaries in the world India and Pakistan too, would have studied, researched, taught, understood and analyzed each other almost to extinction.

An Air Canada Flagging

Soon after our credit card payment was processed I was told that I was flagged and would not be allowed to board the Air Canada flight.

Does Wagah Have to be This? Or Could it be...

Why then it denies and overwrites the expectations and imaginations of people with a well-synchronized ritual of hatred?

Indira Gandhi Bunaam Bush!

Let us hope that the administration has the capacity to learn from other people’s mistakes instead of making their own and turn the Iraq misadventure into a bigger tragedy than it already is.

Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia: A détente?

In the context of Pakistan and India the peace and prosperity of over two thirds of the world’s population is at stake. Can we credibly rely on deterrence?

Life

We live in denial and we gladly shoot the messenger with a new message. It is not because we are afraid of the message, but because we are appalled that someone would accept it. What we do not know makes us stronger and what we do know, makes us weak

The 786 Cybercafé on Tariq Road (continued)

Karachi in the 1990s was a wasteland of failed opportunities; the salaried class was on its knees under the burden of heavy government taxes, and the only people who could afford to set up franchises and industries were the already super-rich, super-corru

Drooling Oil

Beyond the road yet snaking through the mountain and bone dry gorges stood an empowering turret shining in the morning sun with small ivy-white and money-green caravan cabins surrounding it.

Dev - The Anatomy of A Communal Carnage

... if Gujarat is not to be repeated, it must never be forgotten!

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

What’s the Taj Mahal like from the inside? And Other Stories

Despite coming all the way from Bangalore to Lahore to debate, all six of us at the hall that morning were nervous at the thought of being cross examined by 40 schoolgirls

Truth vs. Lie

Dear lie, I only have to read between the lines,
To find the words, you have missed out,
Amongst the wrong, the few rights brightly shine,
You whisper the truth, but lies you shout.

Understanding Innovation & Its Sources

It is a mean by which entrepreneur creates a new wealth producing resources or ends existing resources with enhanced potential for creating wealth.

A Few Hundred Dollars

So where are we headed after this? I don’t know, what do you have in mind; I wouldn’t mind getting some food for later on, it’s always a good idea. I’m not hungry though. Brain over stomach my friend, that’s the first step. C

Kashmir: Everyone has lost in their own way

Four displaced women in Kashmir talk about their lives to Indian journalist and peace activist Sonia Jabbar in Autumn’s Final Country a devastating and sensitive film...

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.

The French Engineering Education System

With the recent spate of government initiatives on higher education this could prove to be a big boost and have a synergistic effect on the indigenous research initiatives being sponsored by different government bodies.

Monsoon arrives

I suppose had I been anyone other than the beloved daughter of Babliseth, my husband would have left me long back. After all, there has to be someone to enjoy the enormous Caculo wealth. Under the beady eyes of my father though he had no hope of marrying

Club X

Ashish, the guy with the perma-smirk, was feeling happier with his life than he had right to be. Lately, he had been haunted by the fear of becoming engulfed into The Sea of Mediocrity. He had tried several diversions like paid sex to kinky sex to paid an

Protestant Introspection Is Destiny

Today the American-Black community is the envy of the world. The world is envious because introspection and self-criticism takes courage and requires insight that pierces.

Re-thinking Kashmir

The documentary Crossing The Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India

Ten Myths about Ragging

As another academic session comes near, one wonders why freshers have to take off their clothes to ‘know’ their seniors

Dana

’it was nice knowing you’ remained stuck in my throat.

A Small Chappati

The doggie wasn’t looking up or down. He was walking two steps behind his master, and smelling shoe after shoe after shoe. Beads of cold sweat appeared on my forehead and trickled down my face. I was transfixed. Anything could happen.

The Summer of 2001…

“If any of you cannot bear being ragged,” he said, “you might go to Hindu College (across the road from Stephen’s); if you are unable to face that even, then my boys you may take admission in Miranda House (the only college that al

Mercy Killing

When the pain becomes intractable and death becomes inevitable, the urge to overcome the agony by an abrupt end of life, surfaces.

Lesbians vs. Gays vs. Hinduism vs. Modernity?

The only reason I am glad about the Girlfriend ’outing’ is because it concerns women. Lesbians have always been the secondary sex among gays. Patriarchy, even of the limp-wristed kind, still rules.

Train to Pakistan 2004 - Broad Ways

If there is one sentiment I believe in, then that is this - India and Pakistan can, as separate countries but with motive forces together, rule the world.

Careless Consciences

Vajpayee is invoking the inner voice. And if the Mahatma could use it, then it ought not to surprise anyone that Sonia Gandhi is resorting to it too.

The Need For Writing Across the Curriculum

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

Karachi a Pawn

Today’s attack on the Corp Commander’s motorcade was the boldest attack to defy and challenge the powers. How bold was the attempt can be gauged from the fact that MQM which literally owns the city stays out of direct confrontation with the kh

Virtual Courses

This is a young man’s journey to gather information about and to communicate with someone about admissions in the Virtual university. The university is offering courses in INFORMATION technology and mass COMMUNICATIONS.

Declarations of Faith and The National Identity

I belong to the generation,which voted Pakistan into existence, as Muslims, without submitting any declaration or ‘Halafnama’ about our faith. We were not required to do so in Quide Azam’s Pakistan either for about three decades. But i

A Mesopotamian Summer

The United States cannot avoid the usage of military force, as it does not trust the Iraqis enough to transfer political power to them.

The Secularity of India