Myths, fables and lies: The murder of history in Pakistan

KK Aziz’s seminal study, – The Murder of History – is essential to understand what went wrong in Pakistan. The most worrying sign of…

Down melody lane

A book review published in DAWN mentions my piece on Mehdi Hasan: … Raza Rumi’s piece ‘The Melodious Age of Mehdi Hasan’ discusses in…

We’re all to blame for lawlessness

I have been quoted in this report – on law and order in Pakistan (the backdrop is World Justice Report). My quotes are slightly…

Living in Denialistan

The recent attack on Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine is another reminder of the plain truth that the Pakistani state needs to focus on its…

Pakistan: Addressing the challenges -the way forward

Strange things are happening. Two months after a natural disaster hit millions of people and created essential prerequisites for an economic meltdown, the focus…

Unpacking the governance debate

If the intent of the unregulated media and a recalcitrant establishment is to dismiss the government to achieve better governance then this is at…

Preparing an early recovery plan

Cumulative estimates of losses are increasing (initial estimates have gone beyond $15 billion) and over 20 million people have been displaced in 71 districts…

Mehdi Hasan: The Man & His Music

But this has been our tragic tradition. Our greatest artists, singers, poets and intellectuals have suffered at the hands of a conformist society and…

Ardent messiah lovers and regime change in Pakistan

Erosion of public institutions under authoritarian regimes is an undeniable lesson of our history. At a time when al Qaeda and its cohorts are…

Fighting corruption through digital technology

State accountability – all is not that bleak Much has been written about corruption and how there seems to be no way out of…

Failed prescriptions for a failing state

The cat is finally out of the bag. The MQM chief has issued a statement on how the country needs to be saved from…

Saints who ruled India

‘The War that Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan’ By Fatima Hussain Publisher: Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi Pages: 245 Book Review Last…

Post-floods: Pakistan must embrace a comprehensive reform agenda

Pakistan’s governance is a nightmare for its citizenry. More importantly, it is also an international issue now. The multi-dimensional disaster in Pakistan could lead…

Travelogue (final) Entangled destinies

Contrary to the Mall culture booming across India, Khan Market is a high street experience. I am claustrophobic in Malls and therefore a place…

Rescuing the Pakistani state

Pakistani, and by extension the global media, are regurgitating tiresome cliches about corruption without talking about reforming state institutions. For instance, not a single…

Travelogue (Part III): India’s Silicon Valley

The tragedy of this first-ever visit to Bangalore was its short duration. Having said that, it is always better to have seen a city…

Pakistan needs immediate assistance

I just wrote this on Pak Tea House: PTH is starting a series of posts devoted to the Pakistan’s current crisis effects of which…

Disaster management; which way now?

The NDMA also needs to be taken seriously by senior decision makers. Its capacity should be strengthened and the organization decentralized through investing financial…

Recognition is endearing, after all

NYT blog has noted the cyberzine – Pak Tea House – that I founded and manage. Each time it gets cited, I am encouraged…

Floods’ management: Perfect script for a black comedy

They say that individual and collective characters are exposed in times of crisis. Indeed the Pakistan ruling classes have exposed themselves for their historical…
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