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Roma Gypsies: The original travellers
‘In Gypsy culture, a ‘millionaire’ is not a person with a million in his bank account, but someone who has spent a million, though he might now be a pauper.’My first interaction with the Roma gypsies...
View ArticleKon banay ga Jangpati?
Namaste, Salam and Hello. I'm Agnipath Ghaznavi, your host for yet another episode of 'Kon Baney Ga Jangpati.' (KBGJ)Dear viewers, as you might have guessed by now, KBGJ is aired on Pakistani and...
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S for Stocks, S for Satta
Investments can be risky, but risk can’t be an investment. This fine distinction is, however, lost at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) that continues to flirt with risk and demonstrates unearned...
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The invisible partition of Sindh
Are all Pathans stupid? It can't be. Then why are they normally the butt of every other joke? Is there something sinister behind this stereotyping? Since most of these jokes are community creations, I...
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K-2: The Italian Connection
One hundred years ago, the first scientific expedition set out from Skardu into the high mountains of Baltistan, led by the Italian scientist Fillipo De Fillipi. This was an important scientific...
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To hate thy neighbour
Illustration by AbroJust as I sat down to write this, a new notification popped up on my Facebook feed – a friend had liked a page called ‘I bet Pakistan can get one million fans before India’. Now...
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No soldiers for sale
It was the early hours of August 14th 2013, and flags fluttered on flagpoles around Pakistan, as soldiers in Army bases prepared their customary gun salutes. It was a holiday and salaried men and...
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No burqa for women, veil the lecher
“O Lord, my girlfriend does not wear a burqa, she tells me, the faithful never look at a woman’s body with evil eyes … only the lechers and unfaithful shout for burqa, let Allah put a black blindfold...
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But judge we do
You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.– Harper LeePerveen washes my clothes, my dirty dishes and my bathrooms. She mops my floors and empties my trash and...
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Sawa Chauda August: Memoirs of our leaders
Anwar Maqsood is a powerhouse as a separate entity himself, so it is little surprise that he has such a purposefully promising cast in his orbit. Known for his PTV shows Studio Dhai (Studio 2:30) and...
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Security in the past tense
Not so long ago, a friend received a call on her mobile phone. She was in the market doing something as mundane as buying vegetables. It was her boss. I could give you the broad lines of their...
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The soul of Sevdah
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Hecegovina, was considered by many people to be the heart of Yugoslavia before the region was split up into seven countries. People from all the nationalities of...
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Economic development plan: A ‘vision’ that may turn into a nightmare
They are calling it a vision that may turn into a nightmare. Shabby planning and execution of the government’s economic development plan, named Vision 2025, may not only fail to deliver high economic...
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The ‘swinging seventies’ in Pakistan: An urban history
The shrine cultureOn December 9 and 17 of 1970, Pakistan held its very first elections on the basis of adult franchise. Participating political parties and independent politicians had been campaigning...
View ArticleTone it down ladies — Please lose the cake
Wearing your foundation wrong is one of the most common mistakes made by people on a daily basis; having said that, wrong foundation can make you look like a mess and ruin your entire look.The...
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The spinners of good news
You meet them every now and then at weddings and at funerals sometimes, or more frequently in the comments sections of blogs and the periphery of political discussions. They point their fingers and nod...
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Honor killing in polling stations
Though the entire polity, the media and the civil society were present at the scene of the crime and it all happened right in front of their eyes, nobody dared to stop the murderer. That's so typical...
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We have had more than our share of suffering
This is part 2 of a two-part series. Read part 1 here. Moni Mian’s eyes filled with tears again. This time I asked why.“Are you afraid of death?” he asked.“Perhaps not afraid but it is not a...
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Of journalism, licensed and otherwise
India’s Information Minister wants journalists to obtain a licence. But who will regulate owner-driven journalism? Manish Tewari is an articulate lawyer, often used by the ruling Congress-led...
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Inquisition: The Reign of Fear
In 1506, a light was seen shining brightly on one of the crucifixes in a Dominican monastery in Portugal. When crowds gathered to marvel at the miracle, one man wondered aloud how similar the sight...
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