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You can kill anyone, son
When I was a teenager, back when the world was young and the television had one channel, an event took place that I, barring senile dementia, will be hard-pressed to forget. A friend’s younger brother,...
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Holy wars, unholy media
Caught face-to-face in the melee, I looked at him and smiled nervously. Holding a huge stick, he smiled back and took aim at my head. I ducked and ran. The stick hit me in the shoulder, leaving me...
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A purposeful education
‘We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control…’These are lyrics of the famous song from Pink Floyd’s epic album ‘The Wall’ released in the 70s. In the song whenever the presumably...
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Karachi's Ranchor Line: Where red chilli is no more
Akhtar Balouch, also known as the *Kiranchi Wala, ventures out to bring back to Dawn.com’s readers the long forgotten heritage of Karachi. Stay tuned to this space for his weekly fascinating...
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Food Stories: 'Tis the season
It’s that time of the year again when we find ourselves replacing meals with the indulgent sweetness of mangoes. A delicious variety of chutneys and achaars (pickle) too, become a merry accompaniment...
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Movie Review: Dekh Tamasha Dekh will not disappoint you
In the most traditional of terms, they say: a live elephant is worth a hundred thousand, but a dead one will make you a million and half. Bring in a bit of society and religion, and the deal will earn...
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There is a mini Boko Haram thriving in every Muslim society
We know them as al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Taliban. Their branding may differ, but their misogynist ideologies do not. These so-called Islamists have promoted discrimination against women for...
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Is it over for Congress in the Indian Elections 2014?
After an explosive month-long carnival of general elections, a wave of anticipation has swept India as it braces for the results on May 16. Which party will emerge with the largest vote-share? What...
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Movie Review: Revolver Rani is the 'art of dark comedy’
At first, I thought Revolver Rani was another average Bollywood movie. I think it was because the first half was quite long. The screen shots, the politics, the hooligans, the commotion and the...
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12 songs from Pakistan’s mountains, deserts, shrines and streets
Kharee neem kay neechey by Mai BhagiMai Bhagi’s ‘Kharee neem kay neechey’ (underneath a neem tree) is one of the most famous songs ever to emerge from the desert expanse of Tharparker (in the Sindh...
View ArticleMy dearest Risa, I can hardly breathe
My dearest Risa,I am well. Though, I have some trouble breathing – as I do usually whenever the weather turns and you have to bring me my inhaler. But it isn’t the weather that’s changed. It is as...
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The aesthetics of extremism
They look like they don’t care. Each time the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or their various specks and splinters conduct one of their acts of medieval barbarism, they pretend a disregard for appearances....
View ArticleWhat made Modi win
In a grand culmination of the world’s largest democratic exercise, the Bharatiya Janata Party – led by its firebrand leader Narendra Modi – will form the next government of India, having decimated the...
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Rs400,000, or hand over your son to the madrassa
It is one of the weirdest school enrolment drives ever: Surrender a son to the madrassa (religious seminary), or pay 400,000 rupees (US$4,000) instead. The militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas are...
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The night of retribution is upon you
Today, I wanted to write about the media but I cannot. Not when the media traps itself into a blasphemy dispute, in which there is no reprieve. If you are quiet, you are admitting your guilt. If you...
View ArticleVacancy: Ministry of Speedy Justice
To, Directorate of Judicial Inquiry Commissions, Ministry of Speedy Justice, Government of TargetistanSubject: Situation VacantDue to the high prevalence of targeted killings, non-targeted killings,...
View ArticleWhat Pemra got wrong
I’m not sure if anyone understands the events involving the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and Geo Network which unfolded on Tuesday evening.Since the announcement Geo News was...
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2 protest classics from Pakistan
Khuda ki Basti (Novel)The partition of India in 1947 was a bloody affair. Thousands of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs lost their lives in the unprecedented riots and clashes that erupted just as the British...
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Movie Review: Snowpiercer – drastic measures in the new ice age
Assuming for a second that the unbelievable, and thoroughly science fiction, premise of Snowpiercer has settled in and stopped the more logical of us from questioning its flimsiness, then the movie...
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Arabicising Pakistan
In an official function held in the ancient city of Taxila, this past Saturday, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf had some important news for the country. Speaking to...
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