12 stops: A Do-It-Yourself tour of Karachi, Part II
It is perhaps impossible to reach a consensus on which places to include on a list of top attractions in Karachi. The geographical spread of the metropolis makes it difficult for one individual to see...
View ArticleThe fear of Hindu Rashtra: Should India's Muslims keep away from electoral...
Four months before the Uttar Pradesh election results sent Muslims in India reeling in shock, former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Adeeb delivered a speech in Lucknow, which, in hindsight, might be called...
View ArticleA history of Karachi’s garbage outbreaks
Photo: File photo Karachi has witnessed at least three major garbage outbreaks. At the same time, ironically, the history of the city also suggests that it not only managed to eliminate these...
View ArticleThe colourful faces and celebrations of Holi in Umerkot
Holi has become one of the well-recognised cultural and religious events across the planet. While the global status it has received might be new, the festival of course has historical significance in...
View ArticleWhy I disagree with the censorship of social media and the imposition of hijab
Pakistani representatives seem to be getting their ankle-length trousers into quite a few unseemly knots these days over unprecedented ‘slights’ against our battle-hardened culture. Under attack (as it...
View ArticleContemplating suicide at age 8: How I grew up hiding my depression
When I was eight, I heard about a three-year-old who fell in a water tank and drowned. The news shattered mothers in the small community we lived in. My own mother told me to be more vigilant of myself...
View ArticleHow I raised my perfect child with Down Syndrome
For most parents, the day their first child is born is a special moment. It is the day that marks the start of a journey full of promises, dreams, and expectations. Parents hope that their newborn will...
View Article23rd March special: The resolutions after the Resolution
Picture: Archive 150 The first resolve: Head of the All India Muslim League (AIML), Muhammad Ali Jinnah, speaking to party members in Lahore on March 23, 1940. Jinnah was presiding a party session in...
View ArticleI found the mystic light I was seeking in the Broghil valley
I distinctly remember the photograph I saw of a child in a stone hut in the Broghil valley, close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. She had the most striking eyes and was wearing a traditional dress...
View ArticleExclusive | One moment in Perth changed our lives: Aaqib Javed
By Hafsa Adil This article was originally published on November 14, 2014. Despite the locks and the looks, Aaqib Javed was never the quintessential Pakistani fast bowler. Drafted into a team boasting...
View ArticleMoin Khan on the 1992 World Cup
25 years ago, on March 25th 1992, the Pakistan cricket team won the World Cup - the wicket keeper at the time - Moin Khan, reminisces about that great day in Pakistan cricketing history. This interview...
View ArticleHow a gurudwara in Nankana Sahib promoted Punjabi for centuries
Gurudwara Patti Sahib is relatively small, as far as Sikh places of worship go. The single-storey structure is surrounded by a courtyard, next to which there are several rooms. These were once reserved...
View ArticleStargazing in Balochistan took me to an infinite universe
“That constellation is the Big Bear, the one opposite it is the Little Bear. At the tail end of the Little Bear is Polaris, the North Star,” I was told. I was around 15 years old when one clear night...
View ArticleHelping an injured biker made me realise Karachi's traffic police isn’t...
My usual ride to the university each morning involves surfing through radio channels while I am half asleep. But this last Friday was different. I witnessed a traffic accident that jerked me out of my...
View ArticleSports are known for matches, but rarely for how they are used as political...
Recently a minister belonging to one of the island nations which make up the West Indies suggested that the Caribbean people should forget about the declining status of West Indian cricket and...
View ArticleThe spices and flavours of Marrakech will tickle your tastebuds
When people ask me if they should visit Marrakech, I quickly reply with an enthusiastic yes, shortly followed by “But it’s not for everyone”. With its dusty roads and confusing alleys, this historical...
View ArticleWhat is the Pakistani hockey player really worth?
— Photo courtesy FIH This article was originally published on August 5, 2015 Pakistan hockey. It is not unusual to talk about it in the past tense now.World Cup winners, Olympics giants; the kings of...
View ArticleHow I stopped hoping for my autistic son to become 'normal'
Yesterday marked the 10th World Autism Awareness Day. The United Nations, which passed a unanimous resolution in 2007 designating April 2nd for autism awareness, had Autonomy and Self-Determination as...
View ArticleJinnah wasn't born in Wazir Mansion, so where was his actual birthplace?
Wazir Mansion, the site which many have claimed to be the birthplace of Quaid-e-Azam. Photo: Farooq Soomro Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, like all major personalities in history, is a...
View ArticleModi adds cows to cricket team, PTI accuses Mountbatten of rigging
Indian government asks cricket board to select at least two cows in cricket team Photo: OBP New Delhi: The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Indian cricket board, the BCCI, to...
View Article