Imran Khan and the Candy Crush saga
I know it is quite annoying but Imran Khan is addicted to Candy Crush and he can’t stop.He probably has lost all hope in reality and is fast becoming a victim of his own ‘virtual politics’. Politics in...
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It's a woman's world: Facebook and the sisterhood code
The feminine experience is a funny thing; it involves dodging, spluttering and plowing through to persevere in the circumstances best afforded to it. The privilege that patriarchy enjoys in Pakistan...
View ArticleShould Fawad Khan leave India? An open letter to Soumyadipta Banerjee
Dear Soumyadipta Banerjee,From the outset, let me clarify that I am not singling you out particularly. I am merely addressing this letter to you since you have emerged as the latest flag-bearer of the...
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What pellet guns have done to protesters in Kashmir
Another day dawns in Indian-administered Kashmir and people are rushed from different corners of the valley to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) in Srinagar. The ophthalmology ward is packed...
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Pulp friction: 'Dude, have you watched any Indian news channels lately?'
Sensitive Furniture These jingoists, they have no shame, whatsoever!Yes, I can hardly bear watching Indian TV channels anymore.What Indian TV channels? I’m talking about my fellow Pakistanis.Why, what...
View ArticleModi has become a prisoner of his own image
A war hysteria has gripped India. It has never happened that those who want peace have been so muted.The inflammatory commentary by politicians, experts, and journalists is a result of the mushrooming...
View ArticleIndia and Pakistan, can’t we convert our grudges into love?
I find myself increasingly upset at the abuse and hatred tossed from both sides of the border, with little rationale apart from the 69- year-old chips on our shoulders. These chips have, over time,...
View ArticleA train ride to India in better times
Some stories from my past are still clearly etched in my memory.In 1955, I travelled to Bombay as an accompanying child on my mother’s passport to visit my ailing grandfather.The following year, I went...
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Pakistani spy pigeon: The proof
Yesterday, Indian police detained a pigeon at the border with Pakistan, after it was found carrying a warning note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last year as well, India had arrested a pigeon, which...
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In pictures: How a Khairpur date is born and sold
Pakistan is the sixth largest producer of dates in the world. Thanks to suitable climate conditions, Khairpur in Sindh occupies central place in the country's date production. Agriculture is central to...
View ArticleWhat is 'Pakistani culture' anyway?
Navigating one’s way in Pakistani society often involves an encounter with two pertinent social check posts. Both of these markers are concerned with how individual behaviours intersect with what is...
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Ghutarghoon Khan: More proofs of Pakistani spy pigeon released
In May 2015, Indian authorities announced the capture of a Pakistani spy pigeon. The Indian intelligence agency, RAW, claimed that the pigeon, Ghutarghoon Khan (GK), was specially trained by the...
View ArticleThe 'enemy' is the handsome Pakistani guy dancing on an Indian screen
They call it an 'artistic bridge', but in truth, art in the subcontinent has never quite known a boundary in the first place.As cross-border tension escalates, authorities on both sides have aimed...
View ArticleAn end to (coercing) 'forgiveness' in honour killings
The parents of Qandeel Baloch no longer have a place to live. According to news reports, their landlord evicted them a few days ago. He isn’t the only one at their necks; most of the people in Basti...
View ArticleI am a Pakistani-American and Trump's rise threatens me
When Donald Trump first made the statement about banning Muslims from entering the United States, I did not take it as an abstract concern. I did not think he didn’t mean it or that he wouldn’t want to...
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Karbala: visiting the site of Islam's greatest tragedy
As I observed the roza of the Prophet Mohmmad's (PBUH) grandson Imam Hussain in Karbala, it seemed surreal that I was actually here. People visiting the haram can do as they please – eat, sleep, walk,...
View ArticleOrange Line Metro: Will the Supreme Court save Lahore's heritage?
The Lahore High Court's (LHC) decision this August to suspend construction on Lahore’s Orange Line Metro Train within 200 feet of 11 heritage sites is a critically important verdict given that the...
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Karachi won't be Karachi without the sea
Karachi is Pakistan’s largest and most populated metropolis. It is also the country’s busiest trading post and a highly pluralistic city. But the crime rates here have been the highest in the country;...
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The untold story of Pakistan’s blasphemy law
Note: This blog was first published on Dawn.com on January 15, 2015. A few days ago, a video of erstwhile pop icon and widely heard Islamic evangelist, Junaid Jamshed went viral on the Internet, in...
View ArticleI didn’t want them to think I was crazy...
It is 7:30 am. I reach out to turn off my alarm as the sun rays creep through my window. I have a quick breakfast and head outside for the university on foot. As I walk, I spot a familiar face, Sara....
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