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Proud to be Meeraasi
A few years ago, I was a guest on a private TV channel talking about my music, when we received a live caller on the show.“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” he said to me, “Coming from an educated...
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Hanging in shame: Pedophilia, masculinity and the media
The media is reeking of blood. They want to show it live – each moment of it. A frenzied audience has committed to stay tuned. They won’t go away from in front of the screens as reality unfolds scene...
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Pakistan cricket: A class, ethnic and sectarian history
The negative evolutionRight from the moment of its sudden inception in August 1947, Pakistan began to experience a number of socio-political fissures. The country constituted various distinct...
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Fake credentials, real wars
She has been faking it all along, but the middle-aged men couldn’t tell the difference. In their haste to wage yet another war, Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain readily endorsed an...
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Will death deter liars?
-Illustration by Faraz Aamer KhanThey are born in the crowded lanes of bursting cities and by the wells of village dwellings. Life is lived close in these places, and the success of another means the...
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A conversation between Pakistan and the TTP
-Illustration by Khuda Bux AbroShame on those who think talks between Islamabad and the TTP are a bad idea. On the contrary, it’s the perfect time for a thoughtful exchange between uncompromisingly...
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We earned love; we earned all
We bowed our heads and moved forward to surrender. But we were not ready yet. So when we stretched our hands, we only hit the wall. It was hollow, like us. We could hear our empty hearts pounding...
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In search of the Victoria Museum
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.A...
View ArticleJimmy nay socha: Taliban
Talks with Taliban; Mein nay socha, tere kiya banayga Jimmy? But since I was already in a hotspot because of my 'name', I thought I’d go further. Dialogue is called that for a reason, it is not a...
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The accidental cities
The story of urbanisation in Pakistan is the story of accidental, unplanned growth. The massive influx of humanity as refugees and displaced people created unprecedented demand for urban services and...
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Movie Review: Krrish 3
The woes of a superhero hits home and turns bad to worse in "Krrish 3", the artificial, yet familiar tent-pole destined for massive ticket sales. In the middle of "Krrish 3", the perplexingly titled...
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The Iran-Pakistan pipeline: Finding the win-win for Pakistan
The government’s strategy on the IP pipeline has been dominated by the issue of financing the Pakistani leg of the pipeline, public pressure stemming out of acute power shortages and a political...
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NOTA is an Option
India’s Supreme Court has presented the country’s voters with an option few had thought possible at election time. By a judgement delivered on September 27, the Court ordered the Election Commission to...
View ArticleIs the mullah-military nexus crumbling?
The latest statement from the military blasting chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami Munawar Hasan for undermining the sacrifices made by the soldiers fighting terrorists has shocked many in the capital. The...
View ArticleHe sent home his shirt buttons to tell us he was alive
Her face covered with a shawl, feet swollen, eyes dried, holding a picture of her brother tightly in her hands, Farzana Majeed is slowly and painfully covering the 450 mile distance from Quetta to...
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The famous Four – Part II
For whom the bell tollsThe 16th day of April in 1853 is special in the Indian history. The day was a public holiday. At 3:30 pm, as the 21 guns roared together, the first train carrying Lady Falkland,...
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The accidental garden of Darra Adam Khel
There are places in this country where life is one of the least important things. Cheap weapons have become a commodity, and life a liability. But then, there are misunderstood places. Places for which...
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We are no ordinary kids, we wash thanedar saheb’s car
Read part 1 of this blog here. The story of the two kids I met at a shopping plaza in Islamabad is as ordinary as most such stories are. Nothing extraordinary happened. I met them during a visit to...
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It’s only cricket?
Cricket according to Munawar Hassan and Maulana Fazalur Rehman … Bowled if playing against fellow Muslim countries’ teams … … Shaheed if playing against non-Muslim countries’ teams.If Misbah was a...
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Confusing terrorists for martyrs
The Jamaat-e-Islami never misses an opportunity to be on the wrong side of history. Since its inception, it has acted against the interests of the very people it pretends to serve.Last week Syed...
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