Vision21: Waziristan Strategy or Pakistan Strategy?

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

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.

Ode to my Peoples!

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

I Held My Daughter Tight in the Peshawar Carnage

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

Afghan Widows

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

Review: The Conscience of Nhem En

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

Hey America, Come Join The Civilized World!

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

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.

Women and the Process of Decolonization

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

The Flour Deaths

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

The Whole Business of Compulsive Eating

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

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

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

Student Politics

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

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

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

Of Mausoleums, Tombs and Gardens

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

An Unsustainable Future

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

From Cat's Cradle to Video Games

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

The Sacred and the Profane

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

Dubai Incorporated - Part 2

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

Culture and Development: The Missing Policy Link

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

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.

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.

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.

How Pakistan Killed My Father

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

Can Pakistan unplug itself from the Matrix?

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

Greatest Challenge Before Obama

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

Environment, Kyoto Protocol and the Carbon Market

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

Of Men and Guns

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

War of Words : Swat Military Campaign

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

Watching Poverty Grow

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

Plastics In Our Environs

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

Sunshine

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

The Gods of Her Life

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

Chaos – Thy Name is Pakistan

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

Speculations on Female Sexuality and Religion

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

There is Nothing "Mystical" about "Mystical" Experiences

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

The Long Road to Talibanization

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

President Zardari’s Address to The Parliament

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

Jihad for the Sake of Environment

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

Section 144

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

Izzatdar - The Respected

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

Democracy, Pakistan Style

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

How Long Could He Hold the Avalanche?

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

Long March Poem

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

Long March - A Long View Analysis

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

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.

Fatima Jinnah: A Beacon Of Hope

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

Mr Zardari is Fighting a Losing Battle

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

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.

Truce Or Capitulation?

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

Unemployment Woes

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

Pakistan, Can You Hear Me?

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

Islamic Justice or Talibanisation of Pakistan

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

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.

Wake Up Already!

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

In the Gallery Of Pakistan

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

Imagine Life Without Government

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

Humanity at a Crossroads

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

In Search Of Manwel Dimech

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

Bye Bye Preemptive Wars

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

Scylla or Charybdis?

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

Swat Calls For Civil Society to Act

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

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.

Vijay Tendulkar: A Voice Against Misogyny

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

Creepy Chemicals

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

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.

Ayodha , Dec 06

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

The Indian Obama!

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

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 Psyche of Al-Qaeda

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

Supporting Moratorium on Capital Punishment

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

Iftikhar Chaudhry, the saga ensues!

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

Three Cups of Tea & Pennies for Peace

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

Rape Survivor Families Struggle Against Odds

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

Reforming Religious Fundamentalists

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

Zalim Online

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

Resisting Subjugation

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

National Survey on Student Politics

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

The God Delusion

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

A Dismal Performance!

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

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.

Honor Killings in Babakot

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

There is no ‘honour’ in killing

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

Time for Medals

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

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.

My Dear President Musharraf

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

The Aftermath of Musharraf’s Departure

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

Musharraf and Me

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

Beware of Thyself!

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

Here We Go Again

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

And then there was The Impeachment Issue…

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

The Labour Struggle

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

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).

Edward De Bono's Point C: Situtation in Pakistan

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

Pigeons on My Balcony

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

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.

Aitzaz’s Monumental Blunder

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

The Chips are Down

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

Healthcare in Pakistan, Lessons from Cuba

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

Long March

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

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.

Looking Towards a Brighter Future

Being born in a farmer’s family in a small conservative village of Punjab, I could only wish that her intelligence and spark for life would meet its rewards.

Delayed Justice

Centre’s decision to award a compensation package totaling Rs 330 crores to the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots can at best be described as a pre-election effort at applying a healing touch.

Myths Surrounding the Lawyer’s Movement

Election data made public is quite opposite to the generally promoted perception that February 18 saw an overwhelming mandate to restore the judiciary and remove Musharraf

Confessions of a Religious Fundamentalist

I just want you to understand that never mind the beautiful facades of different ISMS, at the base of it all we are all religious and all fundamentalists.

Life Long Commitment vs. Singledom

Marriage, I think, is highly overrated. Marriage being the perfect happily ever after and the solution to life’s problems is ‘just a myth we’ve been fed since childhood’

A Little After Three

I lay face down, pretending to have fallen asleep. Soon I heard random words like boy, Muslim, Sindhi, dowry, next week, dinner, and blood pressure.

Happy Mother's Day

Today, 11th May is Mother’s Day. It is almost absurdly romantic that a country like Pakistan would celebrate a day like to honor mothers!

Nipa Chowrangi

The neighbors couldn’t hear her screaming over the sound of the building’s generator, so that particular Sunday Aslam was able to beat Tehmina for considerably longer than he usually did.

When a Knock at the Door is Not Enough

She surprised me by her answer, same old she said, battering. Her honesty made me nod. I said, oh, and walked away. The purpose was served. The momentum was broken.

Stripping Away Beauty

There are more houses and wider roads but lesser pastures and more stinking water drains. The weather does not seem all that pleasant and the air is ridden with smoke and smog.

Dumbing Down Parliament....Again!

What kind of message are we sending our youth? "Beta, it's ok if you flunked out of B.A and cannot be a Banker or an Engineer or a Lawyer. You can still be Minister of Industry!"

Where Billions Vanish

The Musharraf years are over. It is now time for parliament to carry out a public inquiry into the irresponsible and crazy policies that have hitherto been the hall-mark of decision-making.

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.

The ‘shoey’ Side of Politics

People had not shut their ‘shocked’ mouths at the treatment meted out to Arbab Ghulam Rahim when they saw Sher Afgan being roughed up by the black coats.

Student Movement Revisited

Dr Haroon Ahmed and Saleem Asmi, two stalwarts of the first student movement in Pakistan, the Democratic Students Federation (DSF) write to set the record straight about DSF.

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

War of Another Kind

One reassuring factor for Gillani is that its a coalition government where all the major political parties have posed their trust in him and have assured their support.

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.

A Great Day, A New Hope for Pakistan

As our parliamentarians take oath and swear allegiance to the constitution today, one can feel happy about Pakistan.

Men's Liberation...Better Late Than Never

It is ironic that those men who become caring towards their wives are sometimes called sissy, wimp and 'zan mureed'

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's Universities - Problems and Solutions

300% jump in research publications, nine new engineering universities with European faculty, 3000 Pakistani students sent overseas for higher-degrees...self-serving lies, half-truths and deceit.

Psychology of Men's Honour and Women's Sexuality

When Eastern women become financially and emotionally independent their husbands start losing control and become abusive and violent

Sins of Our Fathers

The more Turkey denies the 1915 genocide of Armenians, the less the world believes it.

Aqsa Pervez: The Casualty of Patriarchy

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

Feminism Under Veil

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

Islam and Hijab-Murder in Canada

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

Fundamentalism and Violence

Human beings are conditioned by their families and communities and violent cultures produce violent people.

Mukhtar Mai's December 11th Fundraiser in Sacramento

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

Muffled Voices on Campuses

As private universities are abuzz with anti-emergency chants, students of Government College and FC College, Lahore have also adopted ways to express themselves politically.

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.

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?

Book Review – Searching for Sister Pakistan

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

The Proposition

The halala was solemnized. At 11, Iqtidar had his first experience of the flesh. Naghma was facilitated in her return to the man she really loved.

Religiosity, National Ethos and Governance

Suggestions for modifications in the system of governance in Pakistan.

Hisab Barabar

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

The Other Woman

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

Curse of Arranged or Forced Marriages

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

The Guava Woman’s Crèche

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

Superseded

A divorced woman, suspects misfortunes to rob her again in a new turn in her life; this time it didn’t end up tragic.

Where's the news?

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

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'.

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.

I can still remember . . .

your flying hair, the gay laughter
your black eyes
you and me

The Ladies Club

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

Law of Necessity… A Logical Recourse

All military interventions in Pakistan have a distinction of getting legal/constitutional indemnity in two phases. First, the judiciary legalises the intervention...

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.

Chunari vs. Topi

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

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

The Quest

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

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.

Science and the Islamic world --- The quest for rapprochement

With well over a billion Muslims and extensive material resources, why is the Islamic world disengaged from science and the process of creating new knowledge?

Life Beyond Chores

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

The Horse and The Zebra

“Do you know the most important difference between a horse and a zebra?” Shazi asked me after the first drag of his cigarette loaded with hash. “And don’t tell me that a zebra has stripes and a horse doesn’t,” he added

Complex Problems can have Simple Solutions

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

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?

Bandit Queen

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

Daughters of Hajar

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

Who Is the Target Here?

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

Female Image in the NWFP

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

Just a Woman

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

Guard of Honour

The outcome of the match between Eaton FC and with Weymouth FC did not evince too much of interest amongst the English football enthusiasts but for the fact that the world was to watch a ‘footballing genius’ one last time.

Alex

A tall, broad, handsome 21 year old who loved basketball, on the outside he was the same old Alex. But he had become someone he did not want to be.

Talking Tall on Human Rights

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

Militant Liberalism

Do we have liberals amongst us that are willing to carry a Kalashnikov in the name of values of Egalitarianism and Social Justice?

Betrayal of Great expectations?

The absurdity of the theater that we find ourselves in never ceases to amaze even the most insensitive amongst us

Why is the Government Dithering When it Should Stand Firm?

With religious extremists openly challenging the writ of the state, and despite overwhelming public demands that this be stopped, the government seems to be giving in.

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.

Reflections on the Virginia Tech School Tragedy

In this land of eminent scientists, avant-garde artists and Oscar award winning actors and directors, we also see the worst serial killers and mass murderers. For some their dreams come true and for others they turn into violent nightmares.

A Profile In Courage

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

Dead End

When Faraz Ehmad, a student of Karachi University, killed himself by jumping off one of the highest buildings in the city, his friends, though deeply saddened, were not surprised. They all knew, in fact had known for a long time, that Faraz was suicidal a

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?...

Girls Gone Wild

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

Karachi’s Plastic Bag Ban

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

Is New Brunswick Ready for Emigration?

Current employment climate is not very conducive to attract international students and persuade graduates to stay back.

On Zillae Huma Usman

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

A Teacup in My Hand

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

Women’s Day 2007

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

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.

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.

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?

It is Never OK to Hit a Woman

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

Reclaiming the Middle Ground

No matter how we try to dissociate ourselves from our Muslim identity, it comes back to us in unexpected ways.

No Romancing the Mohallah

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

A Humanistic Approach Towards Mental Illness

We need to see a day when people with mental illness can live respectfully and peacefully and do not fear to be persecuted and penalized because of their emotional problems.

The Clash of Stupidities

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

Indian Filmmaker Plucks Musical Strings in Pakistan

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

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!

Educate Because You Can

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

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.

Building Barriers in Britain

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

Electric Dreams?

A country in darkness - the escalating electricity problems of Pakistan

Industrial Food

Industrial Food is not just about food production, but also about globalization. Multinational corporations affect food production all over the world. Food has been contaminated all over the world with synthetic chemicals

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.

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

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.

It should be called Stupid Ordinance, not Hudood!

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

Violence Against Women

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

A City of Gardens

Any reference to Lahore as the City of Gardens has a rather hollow ring these days. That proud tradition of rippling fountains and tall arching trees is all but gone, as the city develops apace.

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.

In the Company of Women

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

Control Room Documentary an Eye Opener!

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

‘Our Liberals’ and Minority Psyche

Although they enjoy all the benefits of the society, they are the people who do not identify themselves with the majority of the people dwelling the country.

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

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

Miracles Can Happen

Pakistan has seen the worst type of bankruptcy and then raised its foreign reserves to 12 billion dollars. What do you call this? Isn’t this less than a miracle?

Celebrity Courts and Kangaroo Justice

I protest against this abuse of a cause by people like Aamir Khan, for it is gimmicky and counter-productive. News channels are behaving like nautch girls and social butterflies as the nawabs of vigilance. Page 3 justice is the latest fad

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?

Existential Angst: Am I an imposter?

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

A Man’s Tale Of Woe

Women Rule The Earth, DOn’t You Know

Laddo Ki Shadi

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

Global Warming and Hurricanes

Therefore there are not many conclusive and definitive studies of the effects of global warming on hurricanes. However, there is a preponderance of consensus that the global warming

Poor People are Dogs or Even Worse!

He was full of energies and sympathies for the cause of human rights and children rights in particular ... He was the perfect personification of a romantic revolutionary that I thought Pakistan needed.

Freeze Frame

I posted on poetrydotcom
And they told me I won a prize
That made me happy
So happy I went out and ordered a pizza

Lynddie’s Smile

There’s something pathological about her ability to smile.

Hero as Molester

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

Sex and Pakistan vs. Rape and The World Media

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

Boot-in-Mouth

What possesses the son of a mother, the husband of a wife, and the father of a daughter to say something as crass as the leader of our country just did in Washington?

Rape and Exploitation - Pakistan’s Dilemma

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

Savita’s Choice

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

Because He Couldn’t Get It Up!

It is not easy being a woman in Pakistan.

Rape of another Kind

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

Save Me from My Well Wishers

Save me from my well wishers because they are killing me with kindness. September 9, 2005 was my last day at work. I went a little later than the usual to my office that morning.

You: The Woman of Today

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

Behind the Iron Purdah

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

Muslims and the Road to Perdition

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

Project Mumbai Makeover: Casualties of Development

Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (India) was recently in the US, marketing and showcasing Maharashtra for possible investors.

London’s Hour of Reckoning

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

The Sania Effect

Why are Indian sportswomen so unsexy?

Boxed-Up Memories

I would extend my arms to embrace her…to provide her with the warmth of my affection, to carry her into the haven of motherly love, only to discover the chains of solitude embracing me in return.

Advantage, Men

Not all men… are such perverts though. You still have a gentlemanly breed, at your neighborhood pharmacies, which unfailingly wrap the sanitary napkin of your choice in a newspaper, tie it up with a thread and put it in a black shopper.

Mukhtaran Mai vs. the Rest of Pakistan

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

Conversation with a Jahil

When asked by a politician of his age, he responded by saying that he was born on 14th August 1947.

Why Mukhtar Mai Matters

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

Tales from Behind the Bar

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

Misogynist State

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

Fauzia’s Rejection

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

Poverty creation - Maharashtra ishtyle

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

To Saneeya Hussain (August 13, 1954-April 20, 2005)

There are tears at your untimely departure, but no, we’re not just sitting about mourning gloomily. Our grief runs deep, but when we meet and share your memories, there is also laughter, especially as we recall yours.

No Retreat

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

Asian University for Women

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

Open letter to an Indian Bureaucrat

Dear Ms. Basanti Roy, I read about the problem you are facing with the Salaam Balak Trust encroaching on the property of the Bal Bhawan in Mumbai.

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.

Sexual Harassment in Karachi: Whose Fault?

I have virtually no rights living as a woman in Karachi, Pakistan. There is no law protecting me – only them. Predominant in the Pakistani legal and political system is that a woman’s body is everybody’s business to debate, fight over an

A Space of One’s Own

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

Life in the Western World for a Woman

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

The Meera Trinity

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

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.

Neither Enlightened nor Moderate

Five and half years, is sufficiently long period of time to make a sound judgement. The results are there for everyone to see...

Sui Incident: A PR Disaster

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

Such Anais Journey!

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

The Violence Factor

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

Talking to Sabiha Sumar about Khamosh Pani

Anil Saari Arora talked to Sabiha Sumar at New Delhi, where the Pakistani filmmaker and her husband, producer S. Sathanandan, have presently set up base.

Catfood and Little Women

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

Children of Dictatorship

I have always referred to my contemporaries as Zia’s children... We were socialised in a culture of sectarian and communal hate, drugs, guns, Pajeros, and with a false consciousness based only on abstinence. Not much has changed in this generation o

Sanity

I was taken aback. The paintings… the craft, the harmony, the beauty in them. And they were made by an abnormal girl?

Jared Diamond’s latest book Collapse

Explores the collapse of ancient civilizations and at the same time gives us insights into Rwanda’s 1990s genocide, China’s burgeoning environmental problems, Australia’s mining industry, and winds it all up with analyses of why societie

Avant-garde Pakistani Women

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

Documenting the Pain of 1984

The film Amu attempts to delineate the trauma that haunts the children whose lives are forever wounded by communal riots

The “D” Word

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

A Case Against Kalabagh Dam

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

Let’s talk to Mallika Sherawat’s Breasts

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

Bubbles

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

Diary of a Rape Victim after her Death

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

Western Feminism and South Asian Women

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

Lady Reporter

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

Eye of the Beholder

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

Reflections of Resistance

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

The Gun

A life which, after his retirement kept him on edge, surprised in a world that had changed so drastically since he had entered the service so many years ago. His wife was the biggest surprise.

Some of My Mentors in Professional Life

When I opened his paper, my heart jumped into my throat and I was overcome by excitement. The point of departure of Henderson’s paper was the same as that of mine (Einstein’s bed load formula)...

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

When Vagina met Viagra

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

The Hazardous Mix: A Peculiar Act and the Perilous Energy

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

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.

Jirga injustice

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

Women, Conflict and Conflict Prevention

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

Fahrenheit With a Silent H

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

What is Freedom After All?

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

Employment Equity in India’s Private Sector

While I am indeed in favour of introducing greater employment equity, I believe that there is a better alternative to the government enforced quotas.

You Can’t Strip The Army

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

No Compromise on Murder

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

History of the World

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

The Commonality of ’Fundamentalisms’

Lalit Vachani documentary will resonate in Pakistan -- and other societies traumatized by ideologically-motivated violence -- due to the insight it gives into the minds of those involved in organizations that contribute to such violence.

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

Of Nostalgia in Saudi Arabia

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

Films, Television and Women

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

Tight-fisted Urban Development!

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

Atiqa Odho

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

Dear Sisters, Meet Maria Sharapova

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

Stout!

They say God is the wisest. But why do this God appeal to the most exploitative and the most stupid, and the most sadistic, and the most idiotic.

Origins of Hijab

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

Some Mother’s Son

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

Politics of De-veiling

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

Cuts Both Ways

Did you see the way they chopped down all those wonderful old trees in front of the Karachi Marriot.

Elucidation from the Loony Side

I am a victim of madness, brought upon by very powerful media. Madness, as you may have realized, is a nature. It has been termed as a disease of the brain but eventually it acquires the attributes of disposition.

Education and the Nazim

It has been just been a couple of short years that local self-governments were introduced in Pakistan. This initiative is bound to have major long term affects...

Facing the Music

President of the United States of America is the most powerful person in our planet. However, the American system of governance is even more powerful....

Just Another Day On the Job

The CEO of Pakistan strode in masterfully to chair the Wednesday weekly cabinet meeting at the CEO’s office in Islamabad. It was a weighty responsibility, but he knew he was man enough for the job. He had achieved a high level of fitness from carryi

Civilisation That Isn’t

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

Shahla Haeri: Changing Perceptions

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

Criminals -- or Victims of an Unjust System?

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

Past

Night was never so long,
Hopes, never so waned.
Lost unto death’s deep valley
A face, I truly loved.

Whither Hath This Winter Gone

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

Rights (un)Defined

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

Pakistan’s Hudood Laws: Extremely Misused

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

Honour Killing: Understanding The Legal Background

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

Spam, Popup Blockers and Britney Spears

That cheap website has enough money to advertise prominently on one of the geek-world’s major websites. And trust me, geek websites are expensive to advertise at, because geeks have major buying power (usually also in corporate capacities). Therefor

Reviving Lahore

“Have you seen any tower cranes in Lahore? You know those things that they use to build high rise buildings!” I have asked many audiences this question and always received the same answer: “NO!”

Moving Beyond Talk: A Roadmap for Quality Education

This proposal provides a pragmatic mechanism aligned with the role of HEC (Higher Education Commission) as a supportive watchdog - providing reason, resources, and recognition for quality higher education in Pakistan.

Oh Myopia, Thy Name is Pakistan

Wisdom is the ability to achieve desired results in the long run; foolishness is the propensity to grab the immediate opportunity today and harm oneself tomorrow. Enlightened self-interest is not as dazzling as street-smart wizardry but it prevails in the

French Not the Only Offenders on Hijab

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

Bapsi Sidhwa: From The Pakistani Bride to Earth

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

A-Okay

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

Now it’s mannequins

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

Mehreen Jabbar

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

Why is Santa Not a Woman?

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

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

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

Karo Kari

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

Miss Hoor-e-Pakistan

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

Environmental Goods and Services

Given the size, growth, and trade implications of the environmental goods and services sector, it would be unwise to treat the EGS negotiations as a minor issue

Founding Mothers

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

Learning in Saffron: RSS Schools Orissa

At the intersections of globalisation and hyper nationalism, Hindutva intervenes, unravelling the fragile fabric of democracy.

Blank Fate

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

Razia Bondrey Bhatti: A Woman of Courage

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

Widows of Banares

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

Gardens of Secularism and Soapboxes for Orators

The fact that I jogged in Kannur, Kerala in the early mornings before traffic got heavy was a matter for constant and amused comment

The Diva as Devi

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

Being a Girl...

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

To the Gallows

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

Waiting For Fatwa

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

The Largest City

Their wounds and scars speak to us in code
We are deafened by their quiet moans

Parveen and Asad

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

Call to Action for Oil Spill

Please cut and paste the following text and email it to the Karachi Nazim, the Prime Minister and the Presidents offices. This is a call to sign a petition

LFO, Security Council and then Bijli Gaee...

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

Black Days in Karachi

The Black Days have returned to Karachi, but this time they have nothing to do with politics, but a slowly widening oil slick, that grows day by day to destroy everything that Karachi holds dear.

Women of Substance

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

The Vagina Monologues

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

Women and Divine Decrees

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

Justice for Half a Man

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

Terminate This

How ironic is it that Arnold Schwarzenegger was sent on a morale-boosting tour of US bases in Iraq.

The Razor’s Edge

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

Monsoon Days

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

The Blackboards

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

On the Miltary Farms, Okara

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

The Conversion Chiaroscuro

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

President Pervez Musharaff’s Views

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

Lanka - A Small Sashay

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

Many Questions, No Answers

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

The Jihad of a Humanist

Eighteen years ago today, the Air India Kanishka plane flew from Toronto enroute to London with its full load of over three hundred passengers. It never made it to its destination. Kanishka was blown to bits in mid-air above the Atlantic Ocean off the coa

Education

While going through some of the articles on Chowk on the educational system in Pakistan, I was not very-surprised to notice the standard criticism and even more standard solutions that were on offer. The outdated courses / the lack of properly trained tea

Meet Me at The Gym!

Lahoris have found a new hobby and they like to call it ’working out’ which is definitely cooler than plain old exercise. Everybody who’s anybody goes to a health or fitness club, a fancy name for plain old gym where you work up a sweat

The Scandal of Fake and Madrassa Degrees

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

The Follies of the Natives

A circus called Pakistan

We Cut When Asked -- PTCL’s New Censoring Role

Our telephone company, the monopoly holder for conveying Internet traffic, has lately been working overtime as the morality policeman.

Yesterday and Tomorrow in India Today

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

For Better or Worse

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

O Karachi. Part II

This is my passion what is yours?

Trembling Camera Flare on a Column Within a Column

women who end up in this exclusive club-like section

How to kill your Wife (Unedited)

for killing women, a plethora of options are available

Women in Religious Scriptures

Gender relationships in religious frame-work

The Beginning of the End of the Kashmir Problem

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

Takht-e-Bahi

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

Mutant Muslims

Another case of art imitating life?

On the Assertion of Rights

Why Pakistan’s institutions are ass backwards

Ali G and his Bling - Bling

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

Pakistan and India - Lets Compromise

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

Air Cdre Rizwanullah Khan Shaheed Memorial Trust

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

Saddam Hussein Lives!

The Future of America’s Occupation is Failure

When Democracy Failed: The Warnings of History

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

Survival of the Fittest

If Pakistan is next then what are the options?

Doctors or the Disease

Analysis of the khaki-clad messiahs of Pakistan

Thank you Meester Bush

As an side note does anyone know how the 'Shock and awe' campaign got its name?

Origins of the Modern World Capitalist Economy

An Answer to the Pro War Surrealists

If you feel that your way of life is better than us, than live it, but stop trying to impose it upon us.

A Stable Political Order in Post-War Iraq?

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

The Wages Of Death

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

My Beautiful Rizwan

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

The Great Game for Central Asian Oil

The Imperialist Ring from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan

Loitering with Intent in Ayodhya

My basic contention is that Indian Muslims never had a claim to the Babri mosque...

Kashmir: Time for a Radical Approach?

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

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

We call ourselves citizens of the world.

They Shoot Kashmiri Pandits, Dont They?

They say they will act as a “buffer against the export of jehad into India”. They who ran away?

As the Bald Eagle Tries to Rule

I knew some guys who hitch-hiked this route.

Pakistan The Land of the pure - A Myth or Reality

Land of the Pure

From Childhood to Youth

translation

Under the Hill (part 2)

short story--part II

Three Arguments Against a War

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

The Tyson Who Didn't Fight Lewis

Why were you insulting Hinduism in there?

Under the Hill (part 1)

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

Dear Aliya!

Dear Aliya

Muslims in India: Communalism vs. Backwardness-Minority Syndrome

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

Eye Opening Facts: Steel Sector

Pakistan steel sector

Revolution of Regression

Establishing an Islamic Caliphate in New York

Basant in Lahore

Lahore Lahore Hai!

In Search of Peace and Flowers

personal perspective on the January rally

Preventing Military Take Overs

Military Reforms

Living Abroad

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

Dam it?

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

Rightsizing of the Armed Forces

the huge Pak Army fulfils few strategic functions

A Day In The Bazaar

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

The Urdu Press in New York

We never thought we would flee America

Towards Greater Tolerance

Anti-Pakistanism and neo-Indian Nationalism

Shaping the Grayness

The way she saw it, everyone was full of darkness

The March of Folly

Life with Wife

The only mysteries left in each other's anatomy are perhaps lungs and liver.

Resurrection

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

USA and Muslims

Muslim extremists generally dislike non-Muslims and they hate various people at local level

Standing Up to a Bully

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

Tying The Knot - Village Style

maids who can conveniently meet their boyfriends

A Work In Progress

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

Death

she died long before her life ended

Serendipity in Sri Lanka

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

Parveen

Between the muffled sensation of her oblique breast

Midnight's Knights?

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

The Case For and Against The Satanic Verses

Evaluating Diatribe and Dialectic as Art

Creation of Hindu ’madrasas’

Is this the sort of education we Indians want in our school system?

Fair and Lovely

She's a little on the dark side

Wanderings in the Twilight Zone

Serialized Novel

The Kashmir Committee: Ram in U.S

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

Shammo’s Curse

falling out of love is easy if the foundations are weak

Husain Haqqani at UC Berkeley

Pakistan has to revisit its relationship with India

The Diary of a Pretty Young Thing

I smiled charmingly at the visa officer

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

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

Changing The Thana Culture

as time passes land holdings of Feudals continue to decrease through an ongoing evolutionary process

Towards a Ramzaan Sunset

The world is getting ready to open the fast.

Games Generals Play

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

Hypocrisy Big

Is America an Empire? Is the Pope Catholic?

The Endangered Species

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

Failure of Democracy in Pakistan

Time for a Change

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee

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

Teasing or Torture?

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

The Sad Reality of Arranged Marriages in South Asia

Arranged Marriages are Racist and prevent Social Mobility

Islamic Utopia?

Reconciling Islam and Modernity

Lessons from Constitutional History

But we never seem to learn from history

Sir Syed Day in Northern Calfornia

Event Coverage

Banning cable TV

the MMA’s premise is that this spreads “vulgarity” and hence is considered inherently un-Islamic

Mable and Me

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

Perfect Women. Imperfect Men

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

Analysis of Stunning Gains by Religious Parties in Pakistan’s Elections

Pakistan’s Elections: An Unintended Consequence of US War against Terrorism?

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

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

Our Landlord System...Good or Bad?

Government of Pakistan helped Landlords producing more crops.

Sobho: the struggle continues

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

The Election Burp

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

Northern California Premiere of 'The Long Night'

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

From London to Sydney

The greatest thing we have learned is that people across the world are remarkably similar

Ahmedabad. Sept 23, 2002

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

Myopic, Malevolent, Megalomaniac

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

Unraveling Pakistan: Taming The Shrew-Mare

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

The Politics of Rape

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

Democracy is Like Virginity

The Kal Aaj Aur Kal of Secularism

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

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

Story of a middle class family of Nepal

What I Saw In Okara

An investigation into the Okara land dispute

Dubai - The Red Light City

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

The Death of Patriotism

Conversations with Pakistanis

The Day Of All Days

Pakistan will re-take its first fledging steps towards democracy

Don Shultz

He was a thin dangling creature nearing eighty

Organized Irrelevance

Are Muslims hopeless? With the OIC, they are...

Return of the Blob

Mothers hold the key to heaven.

Action To Support Displaced Community in Gujrat

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

Piece of What?

I left home for a gathering of peaceniks and ended up at the social event of the year. The card in my hand said ‘Arundhati Roy: keynote speaker: seminar on peace and freedom in south Asia’

The April Fool Referendum

a critique of the April 30 referendum and what it may mean for the coming elections

Peace in South Asia

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

India’s Potential Lose-Lose-Lose Scenario

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

The Hindu Right

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

The Right To Bigotry

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

The Myth of Autonomy

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

The Riverbank

Mahmood felt as if he was choking. Choking in the polluted environment of our society.

Does a Bachelor’s degree mean education in politics

Can an election that disqualifies 98% of the country’s citizens be legitimate?

Worldwide India-Pakistan peace movement begins?

It is time for Indians and Pakistanis worldwide to re-humanize their enemies

Of Evil Zionists and the Great Satan

The impotent fury of the Muslim world

Kashmir Fatigue

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

Of Errant Politicians And The Kashmir Cause

In politics being good is not necessarily good enough

DIL’s Caravan of Hope

DIL has already changed the lives of over 8000 underprivileged children

On the Nature of the Principal Civic Contracts

Is anyone amongst the current world leadership dreaming with us

Removed From Reality

The reality is that no Caucasian in his/her right (and white) mind is going to be coming to Pakistan anytime soon.

The Last Crusade

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

The Pattern of Violence

if the man at the helm sees the larger picture

The April Fool Referendum

The military may win this battle but it will destroy the very nation it is so proud to rule

Another One Bites The Dust

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

The Aga Khani

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

Cry, the Beloved Country

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

The Red Dress

With the mountainous weight of forty-three years

The Evolution of The Burqa

It literally draws a curtain around a woman

Caesar, Mata Hari, and Mirza

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

We, The Muslim Americans

We envisioned a happy co-existence

Riots

Here are people afraid of their own

The Panel of Vendettas at UC Berkley

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

After Pearl, Which Journalist is Next?

So the press in Pakistan is free

The Wages of Obedience

The systemic failure of a whole class of people to think honestly and seriously, in short a failure to do their job as political analysts

An Insight Into the Way Shiv Sena Functions

This political sex appeal of Thackerey is the reason that Shiv Sena shakhaas have sprung up in Haryana and Punjab

The Place of Debate

He said there was also a need for debating on the concept of secularism, whether it is contrary to Islamic teachings and concept?

Empty Vessels And All That Jazz

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

Pakistanis in Afghanistan, Nothing New

The more the government cuts back on the opportunities available to the Mullah to interact with the citizen, the more the government is cutting back on the Mullahs sources of revenue

The Future Is Another Country: 2050 And Beyond

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

Patthar Ka Sheher (City of Stone)

The closer you get to the coast the richer you get

1971: A Forgotten Story

We ‘forgot’ to ask for our men to be returned

A New Year Eve In Kabul’s Ruins

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

Indian Diplomacy : Time To Recheck

The year saw a marked upswing in new Delhi’s relations with the US, Russia, Japan, Germany and France

Taliban : An Analysis

an ideal Islamic society.

A Reason For Change

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

Borders are Made of These

if I join this ideological war, the blood will only congeal in my heart

Forced Marriages in the UK

Parents don’t listen to what their children want

Look Ma, No Pants!

any user of a public domain name like Osama Bin Laden is neither a ’trademark’ thief nor a ’patent’ pickpocket...

The Brahmin Warrior

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

An International Failure

do the Pakistanis know who they are themselves

The Clash Of Un-Civilizations And Osama-ism

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

Here Are the Muslim Feminist Voices, Mr. Rushdie!

Muslim women HAVE been speaking out against the obscurantist Islam he decries

When the Lights Hurt the Eyes

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

A Journey Into Afghanistan

Aside to President Bush: Afghans have been conquered and made to submit by only two men

In Search of the Moderate Muslim

Indian society’s latest fad

Journalists or Americans?

Is Islamist even a word?

A Decision to Regret

the Afghans have always resisted a government imposed from abroad

India’s Communal Gamble

What sells best in India?

An Alternate View

Who has the belly for that?

Jihad: Paradoxes and Defining Moments

There will always be a lunatic fringe in the Muslim society

Explaining it to an American Friend

godspeed and prudence in this time of grieving

Black Tuesday: The View From Islamabad

CNN and the US media have so far made little attempt to understand this affliction

Open Letter to O. B. Laden

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

Crisis and Opportunity

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

A Conversation with Om Puri in New York City

Other than acting I think I can only be best as a farmer

A Pakistani School’s Visit to India

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

The Real Jehad

Birth control and Education together should be the focus of our Jehad.

The Virgin Bride

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

Why I am leaving

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

Coming Home to a Foreign Land

Kirtida Oza recently crossed the border from Ahmedabad for a three week trip to Pakistan

A Medley of Internal Contradictions

Shedding tears for the plight of Indian Muslims is also a case of internal contradictions

Devi Dies ...

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

Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry, SJ

An interview with a war hero ...

The Indus that Strayed

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

An Eulogy For The Hawks

Your administrations’ talks with President Musharraf

The Quest for Power

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

White Charade

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

Roshanara Begum in Lahore Karachi ISLAAMABAD

So you think I can tempt a nun

Talking to Vajpayee

Vajpayee has demonstrated that he can be different

Reforming the Armed Forces

Like any institution in a status quo society, the Armed Forces badly need reforms as well.

Welcome to the Dark Side

Uncensored .... But until we openly debate and denounce the corruption in journalism, we cannot really condemn it in other institutions.

Once a Paindoo, Always a Paindoo

Yes, I am a paindoo

Across the River

Why are the poor poor?

The Chicken Hawks Of Pakistan

The military should accept the fact that it is a dictatorship

Refusing the Sitara-I-Imtiaz

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

Just Another Stupid Love Story

Women show varying degrees of interest in my wrists

Our Blind Nuclear Prophets

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

This Visit To Pakistan

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

Hands Across The Border

we all must plant our saplings of peace today

Brocade

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

What Constitutes Blasphemy?

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

Eathquake Hits India And Pakistan

At least 15,000 people are feared dead

The Day When God Died

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

Marital Rape

A man can’t rape his wife

Defending the Indefensible

a lazy and heartless educational bureaucracy

The Killing Fields of Karachi

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

Democracy in Pakistan: The Missing Link?

Democracy has long been a buzzword in Pakistan

The Mandir Mirage

The Babri Masjid may itself not be important to the Muslims in India, but where will this end? A Holocaust?

Remembering Mushtaq Gazdar

In the memory of Mushtaq Gazdar

The Soft Option

How can we say that Pakistan is misrepresenting the term ’jehad’ with regard to Kashmir when we Indians are doing the same?

When Pinky Broke My Heart

I am sorry I couldn’t save you.

DOST of the Hopeless

there, but for the grace of God, go I

Yet Another South Asian Story

The rapist was convicted for seven years... the victim to solitary confinement for life

Headache and Heartburn

I did not want to witness the hell breaking loose as the young Pakistanis started dancing

Anything But Vacant

I would like some thighs, cut the fat, I want it lean

New Yaark New Yaark

2 a.m.: Rekha, cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other is on the dance floor

Education Reforms: Yet Another Sham

In the hands of a semi-literate bureaucracy, which couldn’t care less about education

Ismat Chughtai’s Autobiography -- A Transalation

Let her, said my father

Elections, Pakistani Style

One moment we were leading, the next we fell behind

I Am Wierd

I seem to overflow from them all

The Young Philosopher

who can resist a Pakistani philosopher

A Different Story

The winds of change are slowly whispering their way across the South Asian sub-continent

Should Pakistan Honor the Lahore Resolution?

why Pakistan failed to become a confederation in accordance with the spirit and content of the Lahore resolution?.

The Autonomy is for India

greater autonomy for states is the only way

Defend the Country, not its Government

What are the responsibilities of citizens when governments lie to them?

Hidden Hindus

What is it like?

Never go to Chaanga Maanga

Chaanga Maanga; what a name!

Negotiating Human Rights

arrested in Pakistan for saving the life of a battered woman

Women in India: Are We Better Off?

What should the wife do if her husband beats her and troubles her?

Would Devolution Empower “We the People”?

Musharraf’s devolution plan is likely to empower the people of Pakistan. But, how?

Reflections Of Shame

These questions will haunt me till the day I die

Is the Language of New Fiction Androgynous?

Does literature too have sex?

Banyan Tree

a lone boat on the sea of the universe

1971 in 2000

... this singular event is consigned to the dustbin of history.

Piecing Together Old Bahawalpur

A call to preserve Bahawalpur’s architecture is long overdue

Faith, Religion and National Direction

A winner makes commitments, a loser makes promises

Lahore Notes, March 2000

I took the famous Bus to Lahore

Lahore Diaries XI

one is always driving behind a lorry carrying hay

No More Hiroshimas Anywhere, Ever

Fat Boy and Thin Man, created atomic hell on August 6 and August 9, 1945

Facts O-level and facts low level

the matric textbook reads like a badly done PR job by a government spokesman

Where Mountains Move

The Story of Chagai

Protest against Kalabagh Dam

Please urge Pakistani Government

A Third World Crow and a First World Wren

I will give you water if you raise my level!

The Flip Side of Democracy

The US public allows its government to make decisions that can alienate a billion people

Khuda Hafiz, Kashmir?

I am a militant. According to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member ...

The People’s Initiative

Exposure to ordinary people serves as a powerful perception changer ...

Indians and Pakistanis Must Start Anew

The richest resource on the earth can only be human resources

Crickety Shickety

There can be no greater sin than desire for attention

Family Laws in Bangladesh

family law codes are inconsistent with the Constituion on three counts

Looking for Razia

Razia (Zafar) Chaudhury, are you out there?

Just another cry in the dark

In our 53 years of turbulent history the country has seen nothing but thieves and self righteous leaders

A Rumor Of Lies

Pakistan, as a nation, seems to have entered a political terra incognita from which it is unlikely to return

Where did Pakistan go wrong?

...you will find that in the course of time Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims...

Touch

In the West, by the way, that is where our son will eventually go to study...they brutally electrocute an animal to death...

A Nation of Beggars

The irony is that the poverty myth has itself become a barrier to reducing poverty

Unsettling Rain

their capitalist eyes glazed over

Eqbal Ahmad: Post - Pokhran Days

The mountain had turned white. I wondered how much pain had been felt by nature ...

Pakistan - The Way Forward

An Activist’s Appeal

ALIF - The Way Ahead?

to build the Kingdom of God out of scraps

Lahore Diaries V: Twilight in Lahore

What they have done is build the roads of Gulberg, the financial district and the center of shopping

A Full Belly Speaks Persian

I resented the hill-folk the luxury of modern technology

Why Clinton should visit Pakistan

The Americans simply cannot sideline Pakistan...

Roses and Broken China

A fragrant look at yesterday

Study in Black

Why did a man get to wear white and a woman black?

Boundaries or Bridges?

We didn’t find the Pakistan we were looking for

Let us Not be Foolish

Mistakes, misunderstandings and downright hate have led us too long in India-Pakistan relations...

Music?

...love as defined by a 15 year old..

Goodbye, yellow brick road..

today is the first day of my last week as a teacher...

In the Supreme National Interest

the days of loot and plunder are over

Pakistan: A Failed State?

If Sethi’s diagnosis has some merit, Pakistan is a potentially failed state.

Buffalo

Dreadful, the mother-in-law shrieked!

International Monetary Fund (IMF) __ Friend or Foe?

The friendship of IMF is like that of a bear. Its embrace will kill you.

The Millenium Manifesto or ’Ikeesween Sadi Dastoor’

Kashmir does not belong to Pakistan regardless of historical events during partition...

Twosome Troubles of Troublesome Two

The adolescent behavior of both the Indian and Pakistani elites and their awry management of bilateral relations has become a matter of international notoriety

Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats?

A scathing look at journalism in Pakistan

Unnoticed Invisibility

I am nothing more than a plain woman.
The one sitting next to you, that you never notice

Resolving the Hijack Crisis

The timing of the IC-814 hijack crisis portends several things

An Effort to get the Cutting Edge to Deliver: Shivpuri Vikas Express

It doesn’t take much to get government moving in a way that makes a real difference to the average citizen

Hegemony of the Ruling Elite in Pakistan

We have a chequered past in our experiments with democracy

The Case for De jure Legalization

A Rs.1000 excise tax on an imported bottle of Scotch could easily net additional daily revenues

In Defence of Benevolent Dictators

More democracy ? More of the same ? No thanks

Farce

I think I’ll smoke anyway

Scandalising the Pakistani Courts

Ardeshir Cowasjee has been hauled into court again on contempt charges ...

Pakistan: Rapprochement with India ‘unstoppable’

One thing is clear: people want peace with India

Compilation of Opinions on the Military Takeover in Pakistan

Peoples opinions and reactions

Text of Speech by Gen. Pervez Musharraf

The choice before us on Oct 12th was between saving the body - that is the nation, at the cost of a limb - which is the Constitution, or saving the limb and losing the whole body

Our Man From Delhi

saade dilli daa mundaa hai jee

Compilation of Articles on the Military Takeover in Pakistan

Views and reviews on the recent events in Pakistan

Pakistan Alert: Revolution in the Making?

Perhaps, this will be the beginning of the World War III

Diary of a Coup

A coup d’etat had taken place and everything was going on as if nothing had happened?

Why An Interim Civilian Government will Fail

Putting up a front government will achieve simply nothing

An Open Letter to Gen. Pervaiz Musharaff

In your one action, you have violated and trashed the Constitution of Pakistan

Time for a fresh start

Where do we go from here?

Fears of a Military Coup in Pakistan

Army moves in Pakistan

A Recipe For Unbridled Pak-India Competition

Independent thinking on foreign and defence policies has virtually ceased to exist

Pak-Millennium Conference 1999

Setting the stage for the new millenium.

Thwarting Big Tobacco

Can a third world country defeat tobacco Goliaths? Lessons we can learn from Thai activists.

ADB Cancels Sewerage Loan

An article welcoming the cancellation of a $70 million Asian Development Bank loan for the Korangi-Landhi area.

A State of Confusion

Will Pakistan benefit from a change of government?

Connected to: Harsh Kapoor

SPIDER talks to Cyber Warrior Harsh Kapoor about his stance on the recent blocking of the Dawn Internet Edition in India

Of Boylove and Boylovers

We (even in the oh-so-liberal West) live in a more conformist society that we are led to believe

Threads - Part 2

the city she would greedily crave for after she left

Honour!

So let us rejoice

Deprivation

This is my story. Leave me and you die

Kargil and the Myth of Losing the Media War

Consider for a moment that you are NOT a Pakistani

My Ode to Rishtay

I-think-I’m-in-a-bad-Indian-movie-with-Amitabachan

Save India

A martial law administration has to take over the country

Kargil: A view from Pakistan

What gives in the mountains?

After the defeat

An analysis of the Kargil conflict and the ensuing defeat for Pakistan.

Reshma: Voice of Mother Earth

The voice of Reshma is the voice of Mother Earth

Straight From the Heart: Dushman Kaun?

Moderates of our world unite. Silent majority speak up

Falsehoods Galore

Pakistan has thus turned into an oligarchy well versed in the art of making things disappear

India’s Failure of Imagination

No one in India, it seems, has a clue what people across the border in Pakistan are thinking

Loyal to Pakistan? Why?

But what does Pakistan really stand for?

Marriage from a Man’s Point of View

I have three words for other men about to take the plunge, when in doubt, smile and nod

A Visit to Pakistan

Could it be that there is a feeling that India does not accept the existence of Pakistan?

Threads (Part I)

He wasn’t that bad, for a desi man.

Water of Life

What has happened to all the drinking water in India?

Pokhran-Chaghi audit: Winners and losers

India and Pakistan conducted their nuclear tests one year ago.

Why Not This One?

Of Sharifs, Bhuttos, missiles and carrots.

An Inward Journey to Pakistan - Part 1

An introspective travlelogue of a journey to Pakistan after 16 years of absence.

Nuclear powers can count too!

Can we implement a new census at the dawn of the new millenium?

The Man who would be King

A look inside the mind of Nawaz Sharif.

The Dark Tower

The editor of Pakistani most outspoken English weekly was arrested in a most undemocratic manner for going abroad and saying what we all say in our living rooms

The Decline and Fall of Pakistan

Pakistan on the crossroads of a dilemma

Face to face with the Indian Muslims

How are the Muslims faring in India?

Make ’Nobody’ Indian Prime Minister

Keep away from politics and electricity, cautions an Ethiopian proverb

Nawaz Sharif Plays Lady Macbeth

Pakistan government is an accomplice in domestic violence and the death of Samia Sarwar.

Balkan Tragedy: A Re-enactment of the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh

The escalating human tragedy in Kosovo gives me a sense of deja vu

WW III? An Analysis of Yugoslavia

The media has been lying to the world about the crisis in Kosova

Don’t Worry Mr. Milosevic, America is With You

the killers of Guclukonak will...punish the killers of Racak

Snakebite

From the hole, a large hissing sound escapes, and she shrieks..

Looking Through Glass

... he serves on M.A Jinnah and, yes, pops the question ...

Accident

Who is going to pay the human cost of suffering?

Shaam Ki Biathaak

A place almost completely secluded from the rest of the world.

Ashamed of India

We still kiss white ... even on our own terms

Why The War On Ghosts Was Lost

The scourge will be eradicated from its roots, thundered Mr. Shahbaz Sharif

Buta, Pattey and Allah Chowrangi

In a lonely December night four men died in the city of Karachi ...

Rise and Fall of a Silver Screen Hero

Of the late, great Waheed Murad

His Decision

A short story about a gay man.

Why Vajpayee’s Trip to Lahore Was a Failure

Vajpayee’s bus trip can be described in one word: nothing

Getting Ready for ‘Bus Diplomacy’

Vajpayee and Sharif get creative. First bombs then bus rides.

Full Moon on the Ganges

Night time on a cremation ground, among the bones and the spirits.

A Matter of Principle

Anatomy of the governments vendetta against a leading newspaper in Pakistan

An Interview with Deepa Mehta

Of partition, hybrid filmmaking and the lack of inhibitions

Dust and Color

From the world of glass and gray to a world of dust and color.

The Never-Ending Story

A womans take on being a ’druggie’ in Pakistan

The Marriage Trap

Why aren’t we getting M-A-R-R-I-E-D?

A Forgotten Incident

India and Pakistan go to war!

The Environmental Impact of a Nuclear Explosion

What happens after a nuclear detonation?

Pakistan: Pressure on the Press

Executing orders from the top

Killing Iraqis Before Ramadan Starts

US bombs Iraq following Clinton’s go-ahead wednesday morning

Just Another Woman

They used you as a guinea pig, an experimental drug.

Fire Alarm

As religious fundamentalists turn movie critics, what’s next for women?

India is South Asia’s Natural Hegemon

Pakistan is more an army with a state than a state with an army.

The Weakest Link

An individual in a crowd is a grain of sand...

The Bride Burning

Mankind will not stand by and witness our burning:  Mankind will not immolate truth.

A Ray of Hope

An eye-witness account of a fund-raising dinner by Imran Khan.

Seasonal Swings

The city’s notorious matchmakers get down to business and tie up the loose ends...

The Gentleman Must Go

Crisis in the shadows of power: Is Pakistan entering an institutional crisis acknowledging Nawaz Sharif’s imperial designs?

Talking of Talks

...the Prime Ministers have had a telephone talk

Evil Spirits Travel in Straight Lines

Two French scientists go to Senegal to fight a resistant strain of malaria.

A Nobel for Development Studies

Amartya Sen wins Nobel prize in economics

What Price Sharif Propaganda?

The marriage of Bollywood and Pakistani politics. What will the kids look like?

And now, the army!

A scathing commentary with strong opinions

Changing of the Guard

Price for dissent?

The Unedited Fairy Tale of Safina and Zordar

And they lived happily ever after… well, not quite…

What Is Your Caste?

Caste is South Asia’s apartheid

From Zharkent to Laguna Pueblo

We are still suffering from the radiation effects of tests done by China and Russia

Human Rights Groups Slam Sharif

Women are often the first victims of such moves

Afghanistan: The Next War

asking Afghanistan’s neighbors to desist from an attack within two-weeks of having done exactly that

Giving Way to Intolerance

During the last many years, religious intolerance and sectarian fanaticism have created a war-like situation in Pakistan

Communists and Congress Should Give Birth to ’Red Indians’

The Communist parties and the Congress (I) are toying with the idea of coming closer to form an alternative political dispensation

Vanishing Point

... if by chance our lives, unmolested, had been allowed to continue

Modern Armies and Their Invincible Plans

The minister was apparently on lunch break and had been for some years

Repercussions of Nuclearization

The question of women and public space in the nuclear debate hardly exists in the popular imagination

A Pakistani Teenager in Canada

A 14 year old Pakistani teenager gets some things off his chest

Reconfiguration of the South Asian Polities

Mr. Sharif wants to transform himself into Amir-ul-Momineen....a title used by the Taliban chief.

Cry my Beloved Country

Thoughts on the nature of democracy in Pakistan.

India Day Parade on Madison Avenue

it is special here every day.

The Wrong Side of the Border

I hate them. It is because of them that we are tied down in this mess...

Dow and NASDAQ set new records

A bull market that bears watching.

International War Crimes Court

The US finds itself allied with Cuba, Libya, Iran and the Sudan!

Sanctions - the carrot follows the stick.

A crack in the door - sanctions may be lifted soon.

Japanese Premier Resigns

Following the humiliation of a crushing defeat, the Japanese PM steps down

Nuclear Bomb for Sale

the demand for nuclear bombs outstripped that of mangoes, movies, health services, designer labels, paan, clean water,

Nuclear Strike Warning or Green Card Application?

A Pakistani Nuclear Scientist defects to the US with dire warnings

Extra-judicial Executions

Romilia Hernandez was an innocent 21 year old woman...

Damming Kalabagh

Is the state acting wisely in its insistence upon building Kalabagh Dam?

The Judge

It was an ordinary summer in a very hot country. Life was full of possibilities and poetry.

Onwards to the Nuclear Abyss

India, Pakistan and the March of Folly

Letter from Nagasaki

I am the grand daughter of a survivor of Nagasaki, and I bear the scars of that living hell

Junooni

from Wall Street to the streets of New York

A Wedding with the Divine

let us, oh Khusro, return home now, the dark dusk settles...

The Life Hereafter

And just when we shelter under death, life comes at us sideways

Getting to Yes

Not to test was to permanently accept Indian domination.

The Hard Choice

A Pakistani physicist’s view on the eve of the Pakistani N-tests

The Quranic Concept of Love

A Quranic perspective on love, choosing one’s life partner, and intimate relations amongst the sexes.

Pakistan in State of Emergency

President Tarar promulgates state of emergency in the country

So, We Are Nuclear Too!!

Scenes from a nuclear world

A Day with an Orthodox Rabbi

Hebrew for God willing also sounds like insha’allah.

Statesmanship Needed

Mr. Bhutto’’s decision to go nuclear would prove pivotal quarter of a century later

Recollections of my Grandfather

They deserve their complete rest, after a simple, kind, and honourable life

Patriot Games

Pass out the barfis. It could be a hockey match. A Tendulkar century. A riot or a nuclear blast.

Say No to Indian and Pakistani Bombs

...against the ideologies of hate created and promoted by our governments

To Quota or Not to Quota

A look at the divisive quota issue.

Cash for Vote

An Expatriate Bill.

Calligraphy of Coils

A conversation with Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali

The Intellectual Imperative

As a people and a nation, Pakistan’s need for intellectual direction has never been greater. So where are the intellectuals?

The Plight of Rural Women in Pakistan

Years of submission and sacrifice by the poorer women of the communities has conditioned them to accept their fate, to not raise their voice lest they be abused more...

For My Love

...mullah wife gadding about in a dodge ’em car, quaking with full blooded mirth.

Raj and I

A complete sense of certainty prevails in our country. There is nothing to panic about.

Pre-Eid Fireworks in Pakistan

On Monday April 06, Pakistan successfully tested a surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying nuclear payload over a range of 1100 km.

Art Festival to Explore Web Communities

This year’s Art/Culture Festival in Toronto, Canada holds special appeal for South Asian Web Citizens.

Azadi

A woman in Tehran intervenes when her husband becomes a smuggler of alcohol

The Bitter Taste of Milk: A Novel

Chowk showcases the work of a young writer with the weekly serialization of his first novel

Dodging the Law of Extradition

A look at extradition treaties in the context of the Aimal Kansi case.

Imperatives For Economic Development Of Pakistan

So how can we hammer out a consensus around the proposition that we have to rapidly raise the standard of living of the people in Pakistan?

Economic Development Conference at MIT

Integrating Pakistan Into the New Global Economy conference to be held at MIT Sloan on March 07: the event to be covered live at the Chowk Chatroom.

Dreams and Promises

Young Riaz had come to Karachi with the hope of a better life and a brighter future for his family.

The Ehtesaab Gold Medal

He got the offender out of the lock up, collected all seized evidence of the offence, and walked out of the police station triumphantly, but not before finishing his cup of tea...

Funding Lower Education

On the eve of the announcement of a new Education Policy by the Nawaz Sharif Govt. comes a sequel to Educational Apartheid.

Pirani

The mother broke down, her heart crushed, her very vitals cut into pieces. She screamed, Pirani, oh, my little Pirani! The girl shrieked back...

UN Sanctions Against Iraq: 10 Myths

Economic sanctions against industrialized countries, which include a ban on foreign trade, can be more lethal than limited military attacks.

Excuse Me but Can ANP Spell Pakhtoonkhwa?

What difference would a name change make any way?

The Exploding Cities of the Developing World

With ever-increasing global integration, problems that arise in one city can quickly spread throughout its region and even worldwide.

Madeleine’s ’Deadly Delusions’

Well over 6 million Indian and Pakistani citizens live in the Middle East and Washington’s apparent indifference towards their safety has roundly ticked off nations who generally need little reason to feel offended.

The Basanti Dye

By four-o clock in the morning the whole sky became Basanti. It seemed as if mustard was flowering in the eyes of the sky….

ATA: A Terrifying Act

There are numerous silly, but harmless laws, as well as a few really dangerous ones. One such well-intentioned but seriously flawed law, is the Anti-Terrorism Act.

On The Other Hand

I have spent five of my twenty-nine years in Pakistan ... They were the best years of my life.

Calling a Spade a Spade

Thus a new historical precedent was established where 53% of the population were denounced as traitors

Entry Tests for Medical Colleges

...the emphasis being not on the marks obtained in intermediate exams, but on the entry tests

The Good, the Bad and the Anxiety

Can’t we make choices about how to lead our lives without someone out there thinking that we are breaking a religious or cultural law? Who decides what these laws are anyway?

Phool Na Loon to Kiya Karoon?

This article or rather bunch of ideas was inspired by the debate on capitalism and inequitable distribution of wealth raging on Chowk...

Women and Police

No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you... - Jinnah

The Overlooked Problem of Pakistani Racism.

Discrimination based on ethnic and provincial loyalties is eating away at our country. Why has it not become the issue that it should be?

Bihari Refugees

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for Bihari refugees?

Massacre in Lahore

Besides the mostly shia victims (present for prayer, fateha, and qurankhwani), also killed were a flower vendor and a beggar.

Poet Sheikh Ayaz

He was incarcerated many times for his seditious writings and was also sentenced to death, but escaped gallows due to the sudden change of government.

Bebee Phool Nahin Lo

Can this poor, raped, ravaged, depleted, sick earth take the burden of industrializing China, India, Pakistan and other third world countries?

Gender and Literacy in Pakistan

By looking at agendas and practices of some organizations involved with women’s literacy in Pakistan this paper attempts to clarify ideas related to gender, assumed or consciously advocated in their various approaches.

Copyright: A Source of Revenue Generation

A discussion on the advantages of protecting intellectual property rights in Pakistan.

Chowkwalas Interview Pak. Law Minister

Chowk readers conduct a cyber interview with Law Minister Khalid Anwer

The Harsh Truth

The first topic of conversation is always Pakistan. Karachi mein kya ho raha hay? The discourse begins ...

President Leghari Resigns, SC in conflict

When right is wrong and wrong is right then who can tell right from wrong?

Time For Contempt

In today’s Pakistan, the word Contempt is what the Government of Pakistan thinks of the people of Pakistan.

Tania

Tania. He has looks, he has a BMW, he has all the girls he can handle, said Saadia beginning to wrap the phone cord around her fingers.

SC to PM: Do You Plead Guilty?

Is the fall of the nine-month old government of Nawaz Sharif eminent ?

As the Rupee Plunges

Is it too late to link the Pakistani Rupee to the U.S. dollar as it used to be?

Constitutional Chess Game Nearing Climax

If Supreme Court invokes Article 63(g) of constitution, it is empowered to disqualify the prime minister from being a member of the parliament.

Death of the Raj: Subcontinent in the Third Millennium

The second of two articles outlining a new definition of Pakistan and the Indian sub-continent. Ready your pens for aggressive interaction.

My Crimson Reality

In which the poet, in the best traditions of Meer, Dard, Ghalib, seems to prefer reality in an intoxicating red shade.

Almost Live in Concert

It is important for us to understand more about DAT’s and Sequencers and how they work because paying $10 or more for a live performance where as only 10% of that is live, in my opinion, is making a fool out of people.

The Old Pakistan is Dead, Long Live New Pakistan

On December 16, 1971 Pakistan ceased to exist during a well celebrated ceremony when Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi and Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Arora signed an armistice document.

As Long As It Does Not Affect You

So a woman needs to get married but a man doesn’t?

A Letter to T.H.E Chowkwala

Perhaps the small humans over by the side of the Naali don’t exist because they don’t ’think’ and are therefore powerless. Society has discarded them as negligible noise.

An Ignorable Passion

The strong silent type speaks out.

The Bird

Down went the bird, revelling in light as it had revelled in darkness, glowing in the praise of its suitors who marvelled how high it flew, not knowing it was the lowest the bird had ever flown.

Imran Khan Succumbs to Conventional Politicians

...has the transfusion of tainted, decrepit haemoglobin officially and permanently diseased what was seen by many as the last hope for Pakistani Politics?

Government vs Supreme Court: Game Over?

Now our Prime Minister wishes the National Assembly to reduce the strength of judges on Supreme Court... exactly what the President’s notification called for...

Sahara Cup: A Preview

However much the authorities in the sub-continent try to kill the whole bribery affair, the fact is that it will not die...

Akbar Mai

Ramzan had offered to have her as his second wife but Akbar Mai had refused.

On the Costs of Self-Reliance

and we can’t build in brick because we keep stealing each other’s bricks. There’s a little twist to this tale. The wolves aren’t at the door. The werewolves walk among us...

My Fallible Lord

And do you think the big man upstairs is satisfied with his creation?

From the Continuum

Get an omniscient alien race’s view of our little world in general and of the land of the pure, in particular.