State accountability
My piece published in The Friday Times (June 18 issue) Leaving aside the political debate on the results of the recent Transparency International (TI)…
The time traveler’s life
Here’s something I wrote in TFT about Intizar Hussain saheb’s legacy, his life, and his significance. Intizar Hussain’s nomination for the Man Booker International…
Foreign policy directives
Here is another on-point editorial from ExTrib For those who thought that there would be monumental shifts in Pakistan’s foreign policy with the advent…
Welcome remarks
A worthwhile editorial published in Express Tribune The seasoned Congress leader and India’s well-known dove Mani Shankar Aiyar has made some bold remarks at…
Cover Story: Mahasin-i-Kalam-i-Ghalib by Abdur Rehman Bijnouri
A review I did for Dawn Such is the majesty of Urdu’s greatest poet Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) that his works continue to be interpreted…
Enthralled only by love
whenever you meet someone deep drunk yet full of wisdom be aware and watch this person is enthralled only by love anytime you see…
How long?
How long can i lament with this depressed heart and soul how long can i remain a sad autumn ever since my grief has…
Nawaz Sharif, a veteran of Pakistan’s political tumult
CNN’s Jethro Mullen weighs in on Nawaz Sharif The strongest contender to become the next Pakistani prime minister is hardly a newcomer to the…
A literary landmark
A review of the Islamabad Literature Festival for TFT Literature festival in Islamabad sounds a contradiction in terms. A city better known for politicos,…
What do you read, my lord?
My book will be launched this Saturday. I can say that its going to be a big day in my quest to become a…
In Love that Long
I am here, this moment, inside the beauty, the gift God has given, our love: this gold and circular sign means we are free…
The art of short story
A review of Irshad Abdul Kadir’s recently published collection of short stories written for TFT The gentle stories of Irshad Abdul Kadir have recently been…
A risky transition?
For The News on Sunday Only a democratic dispensation that enjoys people’s mandate will be able to handle the disastrous energy crisis, the spillover…
Intisaab- Faiz’s poem with translation
Intisaab by Faiz Ahmed Faiz Aaj ke naam Aur Aaj ke gham ke naam Aaj ka gham ke hai zindagi ke bhare gulistan se…
Farewell, Dear SM
TFT “Death, a necessary end, will come when it will come…” Salma Mahmud, or SM as we called her at TFT, quietly left us…
Book Review – Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi’s Red Light District
There is usually too much romance, tragedy or judgment in books about South Asia’s sex workers Writing about the lives of “fallen women” is…
The sign of intimate friendship
Rumi on the beauty of spiritually intimate associations.. It is a sign of intimate friendship when speech flows freely from the heart; without intimacy,…
Zia’s unfinished business
My latest for Express Tribune The ghost of General Ziaul Haq and his drive to turn Pakistan into a theocracy continues to haunt us.…
Different strands of violence
My piece on the elections for The News Holding a peaceful election in 2013 would, perhaps, be one of the important milestones in countering…
Pakistan: Ominous clouds of violence overshadow Elections 2013
Holding a peaceful election in 2013 would, perhaps, be one of the important milestones in countering the power and influence of the extremists Within…