Inqilab — when blood comes cheap
For the past 12 hours on television I have been seeing injured people being carried out of the Red Zone, their blood painting the Constitution Avenue red. The sights reminded me of a historic speech.In...
View ArticleShould we buy into Buycott?
On average, for the past month, most conversations quickly devolve into two broad themes: dharnas or Gaza. I have lost count of the number of times I have encountered the phrase ‘boycott Israel’ in the...
View ArticleLet sanity prevail, before its too late
Before any Khanista showers me with provocative and obscene profanities, let me urgently clear out that I am not a PML-N supporter, voter or even Mian Sahab's admirer.But today, when the Premier is...
View ArticleImagine a different Imran
This isn’t an exercise in point-scoring, satisfying as that is under most circumstances. This is a lament, and it’s written not with smug satisfaction, but with a heavy heart.It starts with a slogan,...
View ArticleIdeological purification: Understanding the TTP split
There is nothing new or surprising in the news of a split among ranks of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as it had been in the process since November last year, when TTP’s head Hakimullah Mehsud...
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20 days of revolution: From facebook to facepalm
20 days of revolution: From facebook to facepalmA compilation of memes created and posted by NFP on Facebook and Twitter during the PTI and PAT dharnas.TUQ arriving from Canada ...The seating...
View ArticleDharna dances — a parliamentary debate?
In my opinion, one can disagree with the ‘dharnistas’ on dozens of accounts, without any mention of the term 'vulgarity'. In Maulana Fazlur Rehman's opinion, not so.Yesterday, the JUI-F chief again...
View ArticleHow many refugees does it take to care?
It’s a struggle Pakistan may not win.More children are born to Afghan refugees each year in Pakistan than those who are repatriated to Afghanistan. Even with no new refugees arriving from Afghanistan,...
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Democracy 101: Think outside the container
Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri have often pointed to the example of protesters in front of 10 Downing Street to claim that demonstrating in front of the Prime Minister’s House is their democratic right....
View ArticleDon’t take the bait - don't click on celebrity nudes
The internet was taken by storm when nude pictures of over a 100 celebrities were leaked and published on the internet. They are everywhere.Twitter is abuzz with comments ranging from “don't take...
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Ahmed Shehzad - the traveling evangelist
Anyone who follows cricket in Pakistan would remember the disastrous tour of Australia in 2009-2010. Under the captaincy of Mohammed Yousuf, Pakistan lost all three Test matches, all five one-day...
View ArticlePower politics: 3 serious governance issues nobody is talking about
The game plan is public knowledge now. The audacity of the coup makers, this time, is flat-out impressive. There is no longer a pretense of ‘reforms’ or ‘cleansing of the system’. Instead, it is a...
View ArticleThe 10-book challenge: Where are the Pakistani authors?
The recent social media fervour over the 10-book challenge provided some slight relief from the “Ice Bucket Challenge”, but it highlighted a lacuna in the way literature is cherry-picked, taught and...
View ArticleIS and Pakistani terror groups: Where will the two meet?
Whatever the reality maybe, making up and breaking up is not something I associate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. With their grim beards and demeanour, they seem more like the staying together...
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Convergent views on Khushwant Singh
A portion of the ashes of the 99 year-old Khushwant Singh (who crossed the newly carved border in 1947), was brought by train from a crematorium in Delhi to Pakistan early this year, by one of his many...
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'Pakistan’s Hidden Shame': The director speaks
“The first time I sold my body was when I was eight years old,” Naeem says matter-of factly. Naeem is now 13, a runaway kid and a veteran of the streets of Peshawar, one of Pakistan’s most dangerous...
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Is 'Bulbulay' bad for comedy?
Writers are required to adhere to some semblance of neutrality and present an unbiased picture to our readers, all without enforcing our opinions. Sometimes though, painting a neutral picture is the...
View ArticlePolitics vs floods: The tide must turn
With the ongoing dharnas in Islamabad, the Zarb-e-Azb operation and now the super floods, there is no greater time to unite for Pakistan. The waters of the Ravi, Chenab, Sutlej and Indus rivers will...
View Article100 days of Modi: Between rhetoric and reality
The dichotomy between perception and reality appears more pronounced when one starts assessing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his performance in the first 100 days of his government. Is Modi...
View ArticleThe tax Pakistan must pay
As I began writing this post from the security of my home, I caught a glimpse of the television from the corner of my eye. The news channel showed images of thousands of people from across the country...
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