Poetic resistance to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s murder
As a young student I obtained a tattered copy of ‘Khushboo ki Shahadat’ from an old bookstall in Lahore’s Urdu bazaar. This was the…
Paradigm Shift? Reassessing Pakistan’s Security
Published in The News on Sunday The Pakistan army has reportedly revised its security assessment and is now placing more emphasis on ‘internal threats’…
Azad Jammu & Kashmir – Ruling from Islamabad
It is time that we focus on what happens in the midst of our polity rather than churn out propaganda as to how India…
Save Rimsha Now
My piece which was published a fortnight ago. Today Rimsha was released on bail by a judge. Thank God sanity prevailed. But Rimsha and…
The killings of Shias is a rude wake-up call for the saner elements in our state and society
My piece published today in TNS “The joke is that those who raise the slogan of Islam in the loudest voices have nothing to…
Would you permit me?
Nizar Qabbani In a country where thinkers are assassinated, and writers are considered infidels and books are burnt, in societies that refuse the other,…
Finally Pakistani state honours Manto
“Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie buried all the secrets and mysteries of the art of story writing. Under mounds of…
Taj Mahal – a poem by Sahir Ludhianvi (reposted)
Today is Sahir Ludhianvi’s death anniversary. Am reposting this poem for the readers. Sahir Ludhianvi’s immortal poem Taj Mahal has always fascinated me. It…
‘1978’
Grief’s circles extend and extend. The country teeters like a slowing top. The way is down, down. I cannot see the miracle that will…
Af-Pak: End this End Game
Image Credits: AFP/Stringer Published last month here Pakistan will have to focus on bilateral trust building: with US, Afghanistan and India. This sounds daunting…
Ghoom Taana by Junoon
Great that I discovered this music video on Youtube. This may not be the best of compositions but it has the magical voice of…
When India meets Pakistan
I just returned home to Lahore after spending two days at the Pakistan-India Social Media Mela organised by a Karachi-based peace organisation. Many Indian…
Independent policy research is direly needed
My interview published in the Business Recorder, Pakistan: Raza Ahmed, popularly known by his pen name, Raza Rumi, is a policy adviser and development…
What if Bulleh Shah were alive today?
Another tragic day. A mob attacks a Christian couple after accusing them of desecration of the Holy Quran and then burn their bodies at…
Qasmi – Urdu literature mourns a giant
Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi (1916-2006) Ab aik baar to qudrat javaabdeh thehre hazaar baar ham insaan aazmaaye gaye Now Nature must be held accountable at…
The Music Doesn’t Stop in Peshawar
A story that I co-authored with Manzoor Ali, published here On June 18, celebrated Pashto singer Ghazala Javed and her father were murdered in…
Is Pakistan heading for early elections?
Published in India’s leading weekly Tehelka Deep political instability immediately before the elections makes it difficult for a smooth transfer of power Just when…
Pakistan: Prime Minister Gilani’s ouster – what next?
My recent analysis for Express Tribune published yesterday: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s inevitable ouster has created another storm in Pakistani politics reminding us…
Mehdi Hasan: A bridge over the troubled divide
My tribute to Mehdi Hasan published here He was the musical Midas who transcended borders with the same mastery that he transcended genres Mehdi…