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Battling on the roof of the world
Relatively few people seem to be aware that every year in Pakistan, an epic polo festival is held at an altitude of over 12,000 feet, at a location befittingly known as the 'roof of the world'....
View ArticleDreams of an Islamic caliphate
“O God do not allow us to go stray after showing the right path. Remove our differences. End our miseries. Teach us to love each other,” prayed the Imam at a Friday congregation in Virginia.“Ameen,”...
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Where did all the music go?
“If you happen to be an Isloo-ite and want to pursue music professionally, you should shift to either Karachi or Lahore.” That’s the advice most people would give an aspiring musician.For the most...
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Enabling Pakistan's disabled requires more than a tax-cut
Taxation without representation– is a phrase that has echoed through centuries, notably as a statement of resistance against colonialism and more recently visible as a tagline by aggrieved residents of...
View ArticleWorld Cup 2014: A death, a redemption and a false dawn
The greatest tales mankind tells itself are those of immortality – of gods and heroes who achieved something so significant, it prevailed till long after its first witnesses had been reduced to dust....
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Living in Gaza as the bombs fall - my story
The last two nights have been terrible. So many explosions have occurred close by that there is now a constant ringing in my ears.But I can’t complain too much, especially when entire families around...
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Movie Review: Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania – aka DDLJ
Debutant writer-director Shashank Khaitan’s Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania may be an adaptation of 1995 romantic super-hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaynge (DDLJ)– but it has a lot more to offer. Mainly shot in...
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Time to build new cities for North Waziristan's IDPs?
These are large numbers to begin with, but even larger if you consider the context. To date, almost a million internally displaced persons (IDP) from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) have registered with...
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The truth behind Karachi's Freemasons
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 findings.In...
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Dawn.com exclusive news scoops
UN calls for ceasefire in Gaza. Asks Palestinian women and children to halt airstrikesNew York: The United Nations Security Council has urged Israeli armed forces and Palestinian fighters in Gaza to...
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Food Stories: Murgh Musallam
I have enjoyed a fine meal of roast chicken countless times but never Murgh Musallam in the true sense, as referred to by the royals of centuries past. In my observation the hosts serving a whole...
View Article'Traitor of Sindh' Seth Naomal: A case of blasphemy in 1832
When talking about the history of Sindh, Seth Naomal Hotchand is a name which simply cannot be left out.Sindh's is an ancient history, one that countless historians have played a part in documenting....
View ArticlePakistan's most well-kept secret
Run out of holiday destinations? Here's a beautiful corner in the northern areas you probably still haven't been to: Shigar.Shigar is a place in Gilgit-Baltistan where you will find a desert with...
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We're dying from apathy, not terrorism
Thousands have been targeted, but only a few have lived to tell the tale. Sitting in the semi-lit lounge at the Washington Plaza Hotel, Raza Rumi narrated the details of the fateful Friday in March...
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Student politics in Pakistan: A celebration, lament & history
This is an abridged version of a detailed paper written by the author in 2009. The paper has been frequently used by various western and local academics as a reference tool to trace the history and...
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What ISIS and the 'caliphate' mean for Pakistan
Among many factors, the Pakistani state's protracted apathy and inaction on the issue of security has provided non-state actors the spaces to grow and expand their influence. They used these spaces not...
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From Bannu: Writing the saddest lines...
As I walk through this relief camp in Bannu, the midday sun emits fire, the heat waves are palpable as they rise off the concrete road, adding a haze to the scenes of desperation among thousands of...
View ArticleBreaking up with China?
It has been a long-standing love affair and there are numbers to prove it.According to a Pew Research Center survey done just last year, the only country that loves China more than China itself, is...
View ArticlePolitical Islam: Why militants now symbolise Muslims
(continued from 'Political Islam: Theory and reality')The most recognizable face of political Islam today is neither a mullah nor a religious scholar. It is a militant.Until 2001, spellchecks did not...
View ArticleThe 'good faith' of police will protect you now
The Protection of Pakistan bill was approved by the National Assembly on July 2, 2014. This bill states that a grade-15 officer has the full permission to enter and search the premises of a suspected...
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