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Cola wars: A social and political history
‘Cola Wars’ is a term which emerged in the US in the early 1980s. It was coined to describe the advertising and marketing tactics of The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo against each other. Coca-Cola has...
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Mashal's death is a result of the regression of our student politics
Much has been said about what the lynching of Mashal Khan revealed about Pakistani society – from the brutal consequences of mob hysteria to the degree to which fanaticism has seeped into the social...
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Occupational injury: How Pakistan is failing its 56 million labourers
This article was originally published on December 5, 2015.A serious physical injury could put an enormous financial burden on a labourer and his family — which is exacerbated if he is the sole...
View ArticleFrom Akbar to Modi, Kashmiris have a history of pelting stones at oppressors
In 1586, the Mughal imperial army finally entered the valley of Kashmir, after being defeated twice by Kashmiri forces. The Kashmiri emperor, Sultan Yusuf Chak, had already been taken prisoner by Akbar...
View ArticleIndia is losing Kashmir in the virtual world like it is in the streets
Struggling to retain control of the streets and college campuses here, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti went to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. Something had to be done to...
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Tense moments of 1987: how Pakistan won its first-ever Test series in India
30 years ago, Pakistan won a most famous Test victory against India. It was Pakistan’s first Test win against its arch-rivals on Indian soil since 1952. The win also heralded Pakistan’s first-ever Test...
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Walking past the coast of Rio de Janeiro reminded me of Karachi
On the face of it, very little seems to be in common between Karachi and Rio de Janeiro. But after having visited Rio and Karachi, I realised that the two cities have commonalities. Both the...
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Mistrust and hostility: A Pakistani journalist in Afghanistan
This article was originally published on October 7, 2015. As a TV anchor, I'll readily admit that our electronic media neglects covering Pak-Afghan relations. Why? Because it will not bring in...
View ArticleSaeed had no family until his donkey Raju gave him companionship
As a thinker in the Marxist tradition, I am interested in labour and fighting for its fair compensation. However, too often, the question of labour within and without the Marxist tradition has focused...
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Despite the dangers, I took the risk to visit Afghanistan and it was a...
Our paths crossed at the arrival hall of the Islamabad airport, next to a baggage conveyor belt. No, we were not arriving passengers, but outgoing passengers whose PIA flight to Kabul had been...
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Pakistan: A history through posters, papers and assorted paraphernalia
Photo: TIME archives. Future founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on the April 1946 cover of TIME. He is shown in the midst of a geopolitical struggle in British India. Photo: Akbar Ali. Cover of...
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Walking through Rawalpindi's Bhabra Bazaar was a journey into a majestic past
The streets of Rawalpindi's Banni Chowk sight a chaos at one o'clock in the afternoon. The area once identified for enticing edifices and captivating designs is now tarnished with unfettered traffic...
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When census officials came to my home, they didn’t know what a Parsi was
A policeman, an army ranger and a government schoolteacher come to the home of a Parsi married to a Christian. If you think that sounds like the beginning of a joke, you are partially right.My driver...
View ArticleI was a victim of verbal sexual harassment at work and blamed myself for it
“Read this interesting one-liner by Manto,” said my boss from one of my former workplaces as he nudged his smartphone in my direction. Knowing who Saadat Hasan Manto was, and well-acquainted with the...
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My visits to India made me realise how easy it is to be friends
The only time I met the late Om Puri was in 2004, when he came to participate in the Kara Film Festival in Karachi. That was his first visit to Pakistan. I was introduced to him at a dinner hosted by...
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Sweden may have come under attack, but it will never be overpowered
On Friday, April 7, an Uzbek suspect hijacked a delivery truck and rammed the vehicle into the Åhlens City department store on Drottninggatan, a busy, crowded, partially pedestrian street in Stockholm,...
View ArticleTerrorists aren't always 'brainwashed', they commit murder in a rational state
I wonder which comes first: Does a bigoted society influence the government and the state; or does a bigoted state and government influence a society? Some experts suggest that (in a democracy) no...
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How I discovered the hidden springs of Khuzdar in Balochistan
The sky at Moola Chotook lights up with the planet Venus and Jupiter and the constellation Orion’s belt. Curiosity can be a powerful driving force; the need to constantly seek and discover. The one...
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Once populated with temples, only traces of Hinduism remain in Laki
Earlier this year, I went to Laki, which is about 18 kilometres from Sehwan. Laki is famous for its natural streams, but once I got there, I also realised how important Hinduism has been to Sindh and...
View ArticleOnly memories are left of Mashal, the idealist who always wanted to learn more
A mob lynched Mashal Khan last week at the premises of his university on the allegation of blasphemy. Factually, the statement is accurate, but reducing the incident to newspeak is simplistic and...
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