The 18th Amendment Order – more questions than answers
The short and interim order has disappointed many quarters that had been lobbying for a grand showdown between the judiciary and the parliament. Institutional…
Fables of Nationalism
Published here: The recent hullabaloo over the Delhi Commonwealth Games has been followed with much interest in Pakistan. Many have gloated over the inability…
Beo Zafar – Pakistan’s ace-comediane
A short piece that I wrote on Beo, Pakistan’s ace-comediane whose talents are diverse and ever-blooming. Beo [Khala] as I have known her for…
The other way
Today’s The NEWS: civil service structure must deliver and there should be many models such as the Jhang variety. Much has been written about…
Pakistan’s crumbling institutions
Published in The News (Sunday) Pakistan’s instability is a clichè, almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. All the theoretical ingredients for stability are there: an elected…
Two poems from the work of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) was a prominent revolutionary Indo-Pakistani poet. In a brief career with the British Indian Army he was promoted to the…
UK Election: Yasmin Qureshi, MP
Yasmin Qureshi, a barrister in the UK, is one of the few Muslim women of Pakistani origin to have entered the British Parliament. Despite…
Music sans frontiers
By GEETA NANDAKUMAR Song of the soul Farida Khanum ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo, haaye mar jaayenge ham to lut jaaenge, aisii baatein…
Democracy – the only option
Much has been elaborated on the binding constraints faced by Pakistani democracy. Conventional wisdom suggests that the civil-military imbalance has left little space for…
Rickshaw and truck poetry from Pakistan
My old friend Raza Bokhari sent me these golden lines used by our rickshaw & truck drivers to express their angst, emotion and sense…
Farida Khanum Singing Raga Kamod – Manna for the Soul
I am cross-posting my dear friend Fawad’s excellent post from here. The links here are worth visiting and the music is fabulous for those who…
The Speech of Mr. Sris Chandra Chattopadhya (Opposition to Objectives Resolution, Constitutent Assembly of Pak, 12 March 1949)
This is a historic speech and a document that posterity will re-examine. Seldom has one piece of legislation caused so much trepidation. Thanks to…
Saadat Hasan Manto – part II
After partition of India Saadat Hassan Manto arrived in Lahore sometime in early 1948. In Bombay his friends had tried to stop him from…
Iqbal – The Universal Reformer
It takes thousands of year for a genious of the highest class to be born. Iqbal believed in habitual vision of greatness. He had…
Loveable Murree
I was recently asked to write where I would spend my summer. For a few minutes I kept my anguish at Pakistan’s situation…
Godless Bullets
Salman Taseer’s killing reflects the fight over Pakistan’s soul (OUTLOOK INDIA) AMIR MIR When Punjab governor Salman Taseer stepped out of the Table Talk…
From Lahore To Gwadar: Flawed Development Model Undermines Citizens’ Rights
For years, the local Baloch population has been complaining about their non-inclusion in the medium- and long-term development plans. Towards the end of 2021,…
Will Sialkot Tragedy Change The State Policy Of Appeasing Religious Fanatics?
The Sialkot tragedy should be a wakeup call for the incumbent government as well as the all powerful establishment. The brutal lynching and burning of…
The Spectacular Rise Of TLP And The Challenges Ahead
Even without a wider platform or broad agenda to achieve victory in the polls, groups such as TLP are poised to exploit the grievances…
Civil Services Reform: Pakistan’s Lingering Challenge
There is widespread consensus in Pakistan that the bureaucracy needs reform. However, focusing on the federal level alone and ignoring the requisite changes needed…