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Looking down: The smartphone generation
Looking Down: The smartphone generationBy Rubab Paracha'Looking Down' They call us the “instagram” and “smartphone” generation. They say we can’t see the beauty around us because we are so absorbed in...
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Let's not use Ebola for sensationalism
The Ebola Virus has given a lot of us a real fright, having claimed around 7,000 lives, and infected over 16,000 people in just short of a year. Like previous epidemics such as SARS and Swine Flu,...
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Could you name this place after me, please?
—Photo by Shiraz HassanIf you do not have a couple of universities, a national scheme, a road, a 'chowk', an income support program or at least a couple of highways named after you, you are basically a...
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News fits
PTI to launch Plan E: After Pakistan it will shut down the US, UK, Russia and FijiIslamabad: At a press conference in Islamabad last evening, chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan,...
View ArticleCan the tsunami really shut Lahore down?
Many have dreamt of conquering Lahore, and why wouldn’t they? The crown jewel of Punjab; the city of gardens has always fascinated travellers, conquerors, emperors and other assorted power-hungry...
View ArticleIndignity and death in Saudi Arabia
Many years ago, an uncle of mine, since deceased, was employed in the Baldia of Riyadh — capital of the land of the very pure, Saudi Arabia. During his annual trips back home, he had many stories to...
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Curing thalassemia... with tainted blood
A hospital is supposed to be an institution that treats you; it is supposed to be a safe haven. A place where death lurks, but hope, medication and treatment come first. What horror then to realise...
View ArticleFrom the ISIS cookbook: Mushy date balls and misogyny
There are the chefs of foreign food channels that shop at picturesque farmers markets for delectable fruits and vegetables; whipping them up into drool worthy creations in shiny pots and pans; dipping...
View ArticlePunjab police: To (not) serve and protect
'Jinnah', the movie by Jamil Dehlavi, documents a scene from the pre-independence days, wherein a group of protesters walking towards the Governor’s House are rounded up by an agitated English...
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If Harry Potter had taken place in Pakistan
If Harry Potter had taken place in PakistanBy Shehzad GhiasRecently, Buzzfeed came out with a list of 68 things that would’ve gone differently if Harry Potter had taken place in India. Although, some...
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Children giving birth to children in Pakistan
These girls could have also become Malala Yousafzai or Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, but they didn’t. They were married off in their early teens, and before they could escape childhood, some gave birth to...
View Article6 areas where Pakistani BBA and MBA degrees fall short
The trouble with BBAs and MBAs popping out of Pakistani universities today is that most of them have undergone hardly any interaction with the real world, whereas business is all about the real world....
View ArticleIn Thar: ‘But not a drop to drink ...’
Every day, Ali Akbar and his team drive from village to village to check on how the villagers are faring in this remote part of Thar. They are determined to provide clean drinking water to countless...
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Fame ≠ fortune: Pakistani musicians in the post-CD age
I've always been fascinated by the tendency to conflate fame with wealth. The hackneyed phrase, ‘fame and fortune’ seems to imply that they're one and the same thing, or more confusingly, that they go...
View ArticlePakistan on the brink of an economic transformation?
Pakistan’s 67 years of suffering can be attributed to one tragic flaw: Failure of imagination.A country so gifted with great potential, suppressed and stymied to a point where day to day survival is a...
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Food Stories: Roghan Josh
I’ve had Roghan Josh once in my life; I vividly remember the unforgettable mehhek and deliciously tender melt-in-your-mouth texture of the meat. My second time was last week when I made the Roghan Josh...
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From Canada to Pakistan: Haris Khan cracks people up for a cause
When he steps onstage in Canada, he smiles and starts off: “Hellooooo every one. My name is Haris Waqar Khan Mohamad Ali Sultan Khalifa Osama bin Jackson. I know, I know ... it’s quite long, that’s...
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The untold story of Pakistan’s blasphemy law
A few days ago, a video of erstwhile pop icon and widely heard Islamic evangelist, Junaid Jamshed went viral on the Internet, in which his remarks were perceived as blasphemy against the Prophet...
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Say hello to iJihad
Not to be outdone by the rest in the Internet age, the Jihadists have readily embraced modern communication technologies. From their recruitment videos on YouTube to timely tweets of their vicious...
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In Karachi: Bombay, not Mumbai, meri jaan
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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