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Food Stories: Mutton Dum Biryani
I sat in the January cold of Michigan craving biryani, the painful realisation that my migration from Pakistan had taken me away from most desi delights. Dejected, head bent I walked to the mailbox,...
View ArticleLiving in the shadows: A Hazara man finds solace in poetry
Quetta was once a beautiful garrison town with a thriving culture. Now, many of its residents do not even recognise its former self. A community that is intrinsically linked to that city is the Hazara...
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Betting on Afridi
Pakistan is 40-5 chasing 175 in a T20 competition as Shahid Afridi comes into bat. The game is all but over, but for many Pakistanis it has just started. I think of a particular gentleman who must be...
View ArticleWhen a poached lion gets more attention than the rape of a minor
The process of bringing rape victims justice is murky business in a country where the concept of consent is practically non-existent. We live in an honour-crazed society where little girls are...
View ArticleIs it safe to be a communal peace hero in India?
Over 1,000 people died in the horrific 2002 Gujarat violence. Subsequently, I visited different parts of Gujarat on a number of occasions, and got the opportunity to learn about two legendary youths...
View ArticleOccupational stress — what nobody tells you about teaching in Pakistan
The reactions I get from people on telling them I am a teacher can be categorised into three kinds: reactions from those who happen to find my profession admirable and praiseworthy; those who belittle...
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Food stories: Chicken tikka
Karachi does chicken tikka like no other city in the world. Hence growing up in the wonderful metropolis, I have had the luxury of tasting the best barbecue chicken tikka available to humanity, may it...
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Is the CDA bulldozing our constitutional rights?
I couldn’t sleep last night. We’ve become immune to horror stories on a regular basis in Pakistan, but the death of a six-day old infant in the I-11 sector slums in Islamabad during a government drive...
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Let Pakistan's private schools fix the public ones
Trusting for-profit schools with improving literacy seems like a risky enterprise. Yet many, including The Economist magazine, argue for the same. The recent experience in Pakistan, however, suggests...
View ArticleWhy breastfeeding should be an essential parenting choice
“Didn’t you find breastfeeding hard?” my friend asks me casually, watching my son as he makes his way down the stairs of her home, towards us. She’s just had her first baby and we’re visiting with...
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Pak-Indo relations: An overview
India and Pakistan have had a long and complicated history with each other. When British India became independent, it was divided into two parts.Areas consisting of more than 75 per cent Muslims were...
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Thank you HONY, for telling Pakistan's story
“Do you Pakistanis really hate us Americans as much as they show on TV?”I was bowled over by this innocent question posed to me on a recent trip to New York. There was so much I wanted to tell this man...
View ArticleHiroshima 70 years on — The irony behind America's refusal to apologise
Exactly 70 years ago, on August 6, 1945, at 08:15, a United States Air Force B-29 Superfortress bomber, Enola Gay, dropped a 16 kiloton atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat Boy” on the city of Hiroshima in...
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The real Munni, Geeta, still awaits Bajrangi Bhaijaan in Karachi
Mithadar, the otherwise hustling and bustling district of Karachi, is submerged in tranquility on the weekends and other holidays. You can easily drive through the streets and arrive at your...
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How a Pakistani's journey of studying in Kolkata changed his life
I once dreamed that I would discover that I have relatives in India, a sentimental romance of families who migrated to Pakistan along with their extended clan, from among those who survived the...
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Kalam — As memories of war fade...
This Eidul Fitr, I had the pleasure of visiting one of Swat’s most scenic towns: Kalam. A true gem of nature, words cannot truly describe the breathtaking beauty of this area, its gushing streams and...
View ArticleMental illness in Pakistan: Exorcising the jinn of stigma
“You’re a great student, you have good scores, you can apply for any specialty. You’re just selling yourself short.”“Oh! If you want to go into psychiatry, it must mean you need help yourself.”“If...
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Mir Sultan Khan — The errand boy who took the chess world by storm
The Austrian International Master of chess, Hans Kmoch was furious. In an international match, he had asked his opponent three times whether he wanted to concede the game or not, but the opponent would...
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How to deal with a home emergency while you're away
Let’s examine the following two situations and what you should do to minimise damage:Q: My young child is home during the day with the maid and an elderly relative. What can I can teach the child in...
View ArticleChild abuse scandal: Will Pakistan rise like India did?
On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old medical student got onto a bus in Delhi, where a group of men brutally assaulted and gang-raped her. She was then thrown off the moving bus and left to die on the...
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