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…
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…
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…
Mehdi Hasan: King of kings
Mehdi Hasan died today. There are no words to capture his influence on my generation and the ones before me. I am posting a…
‘The government should investigate the source and nature of threats to Asma Jahangir’s life, and take appropriate action’
‘The government should investigate the source and nature of threats to Asma Jahangir’s life, and take appropriate action’ Here is an interview with Ali…
‘On the wings of time, grief flies away’
Salma Mahmud’s new book is not a just a readable memoir, it sets a standard for fine writing. Perhaps the most memorable time of…
Book Review: Indian Mass Media and the Politics of Change
Making sense of the rising Indian mass media and its ubiquitous nature, its articulation of a middle class vision, and how through this process…
Book review: “Lahore -Topophilia of Space and Place”
There is no city like Lahore/ Everything that is wrong is set right here It is a mystery as to how a layered city…
‘Greater rights abuses will ensue unless Pakistan’s elected institutions assert themselves’
An interview of – Ali Dayan Hasan (Director, Human Rights Watch) taken by me, published in TFT December 30 – January 05, 2012 –…
History’s ghetto – (Geneva Camp, Dhaka)
My recent piece for the The Friday Times – about the bitterness and destitution in a Dhaka camp for Biharis It was almost by…
Khalifa Abdul Hakim (1896-1959)
For years I had been planning to write about Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim (1896-1959), the great philosopher and intellectual of the twentieth century. Last…
A universe with four moons
Neelam Ahmad Basheer is best known as a short story writer with a new voice in Urdu fiction. She has been writing all her…
Book review: A psycho-social perspective on terror
The launch of Dr Unaiza Niaz’s excellent book in September was most symbolic, as the world commemorated the ghastly incident of 9/11 and the…
Pakistan’s foreign policy: Escaping India?
As Pakistan negotiates with a critical moment of its 64-year-old existence, there is nothing more urgent than to review its foreign policy goals and…
Interview with Mohammad Hanif: “Love is not yet a taboo in Pakistan”
In a few days, Mohammad Hanif’s new novel will be available in Pakistan. Last week, I met him at his house in Karachi. The…
The lives of others
The first half of the 20th century witnessed a transformation in Urdu literature with the emergence of the short story as the choicest medium…
Pakistan’s budget: Policy sans public
The government should involve the media and civil society in raising awareness and building consensus on reform. In several parts of the world, accessible…
The spectre of Islamist infiltration
The recent attacks on the Karachi naval base have once again sparked a debate concerning the much-feared radicalisation within the armed forces. Declan Walsh…
The Mohali exchange did not take place in a policy vacuum – Sherry Rehman
An interview with Sherry Rehman who visited India with Pakistan’s Prime Minister to enjoy cricket and build bridges with India. It was the first…