What Brand Pakistan can learn from Brand India
Let’s face it, Pakistan has an image problem.Every year we seem to make a new ‘worst place in the world for’ list and as luck would have it, Pakistan is consistently in the top 10. This year alone,...
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After the Trump win, anything is possible in the US…
Jar Jar Binks wins an Oscar … The Klu Klux Klan begins to lead the annual Macy’s Parade. Through a referendum, a majority of Americans vote for a gender-change for the Statue of Liberty. Washington DC,...
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Celebrating Heer, the medieval heroine who challenged patriarchy in Punjab
The legend of Heer-Ranjha is believed to have played out in real life on the banks of the river Chenab, way back in the second half of the 15th century. This was the site that many poets chose to tell...
View ArticleTrump Cards and Trump Questions
It is rather surreal when one thinks about it - how deeply something that is happening on the other end of the world can affect the rest of it. After all, an American election, while of deep...
View ArticleWhy my family in the US wants to return to Pakistan
As soon as I woke up after the election night in America, messages from my relatives living in the US began to pour in. The one that struck me most was my aunt’s: “This is like a bad dream — I think I...
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My trip to the dreamlike, wondrous Faroe Islands
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to visit some of the most remote 18 islands in the world, called the Faroe Islands. They are located off the coast of northern Europe, between the Norwegian...
View ArticleFrom the CII man cave: Why the men's protection bill is a joke
They say despair gives courage to the coward. True to form the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has paired convenience with their churlish conviction that men are now, finally, under attack. After the...
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The Panamagate case: A fly-on-the-wall review
There is now enough evidence for the courts to send PM Nawaz packing. The PM’s lawyers are simply overwhelmed by the size of the evidence. They are trying their best to delay court proceedings by...
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Living the good life in Alaçatı, Turkey’s chic seaside town
“Why Alaçatı?” That's the question most people ask me after “Where is Alaçatı?” when they learn of my seaside holiday. They list a number of other popular and beautiful destinations in Turkey —...
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Karakoram's unsung heroes
I recently had the pleasure of completing the famous Gondogoro La trek in the Karakoram mountains. The trek has on offer stunning views of peaks, glaciers and valleys, but the journey comes with having...
View ArticleWhy women like Aasi will continue to die in Pakistan
Aasi was 26 when she he arrived at the hospital emaciated, frail and in poor health. As her doctor, I tried to elicit a response but she was too dazed. She had finally reached a tertiary care hospital...
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In Pakistan, the efforts of a few have preserved fragments of forgotten Hindu...
There is quiet struggle going on in the city of Nankana Sahib in Pakistan — the birthplace of Guru Nanak.Facing Gurudwara Janam Asthan, built on the spot where the first Sikh guru’s home once was, is a...
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How chicken tikka masala played a role in US-Pak ties
The United States established diplomatic relations with Pakistan on 20 October 1947, even though it wasn’t quite sure exactly where Pakistan was. The relationship since then has been based primarily on...
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The passageways of Delhi’s Zafar Mahal echo a forgotten past
"Ya mujhe afsare e shahaana banaya hota Ya mera taaj gadayana banaya hota."(Either I should have been made the chief of kingsor my crown should not have been made miserable.)– Zafar “Seedha seedha...
View ArticleThe harsh reality of Pakistanis living in Canada
Zara is four years old and a face of child poverty in Canada. Her parents are immigrants from Pakistan whose financial struggles continue even after toiling for 12 years in their adopted country.Zara’s...
View ArticleFake bomb detectors? Yes, Pakistan is still using them
How much longer must we keep pretending that a toy with an antenna is actually detecting bombs? How can we take solace in the illusion of security it offers?We have all seen this device and its equally...
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I was sexually abused and discovered my friends were too
A class of fifth graders are enjoying recess in a middle school in Karachi. Laughing. Playing. Not a care in the world — as fifth graders should be.11 AM — the bell rings. The children are herded...
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49 years of the PPP: A visual journey
The renegade son The seeding of an idea: In 1966 after being eased out from the Ayub Khan regime, Z.A. Bhutto came in contact with Marxist ideologue, J.A. Rahim (front right). Both began discussing the...
View ArticleAn 'I love you' and a phone call: Breaking down the Nawaz-Trump 'bromance'
We Washington analysts are such a smug lot.First we arrogantly asserted that Donald Trump would never be a serious presidential candidate.Then we haughtily harangued those who predicted he’d win the...
View ArticleI am disabled and do not get up every day to inspire people
Last month I went to an event at a local hotel. After it ended, an elderly man whom I did not know —probably one of the organisers — thanked me for attending the event. I thought he was being...
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