Pakistan future fraught with perilous possibilities

Nearly two months after the Peshawar attack, it is unclear if Pakistan direction has changed. The unprecedented grief and anger over the tragedy has…

The vicious cycle of hate and violence

The recent issue to have riled up a good number of Pakistanis including jihadi networks is the alleged blasphemy against Islam committed by the…

Raza Rumi Talk in USIP After Peshawar- Domestic Security in Pakistan

My talk at USIP after the APS attack in Peshawar, Pakistan. The U.S. Institute of Peace held a panel discussion assessing Pakistan’s domestic security…

Raza Rumi’s speech on one month of Peshawar School attack – Dupont Circle – Washington

Today marked the first month of the ghastly incident when the Army Public School was attacked by the terrorists in Peshawar. Raza Rumi says…

No exit

The US must not forget the importance of a democratic, pluralist Pakistan   The recent visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to…

Blasphemy Divide: Insults to Religion Remain a Capital Crime in Muslim Lands

Excerpt of My statements: The issue of blasphemy is about the political insecurity of the Muslims, and about the Muslim public reaction to the…

Countering the terror menace

Ten days after the ghastly attack on the military-run school, Pakistan’s prime minister (PM) finally appeared on national television and announced a set of…

Don’t expect a miracle to happen

The state has responded by ending the moratorium on the death penalty and convicted terrorists are now being hanged. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has…

The Perils of Reporting in Pakistan

The toll of Taliban attacks is measured in more than bodies. By MARY LOUISE KELLY Stay in the news business long enough, and you…

Kal bhi woh darte the

A few lines I wrote after Malala’s Nobel and some of the reactions of Pakistanis on social media (English translit. below) Kal bhi woh…

Remembering Shahbaz Bhatti, an unsung hero of Pakistan

It has been over three years that Pakistan lost a brave Christian citizen Shahbaz Bhatti for his relentless advocacy of human rights and in…

The Rise of Religious Intolerance in Pakistan: Implications for Democratic Development and Human Rights

My talk at the National Endowment for Democracy on religious intolerance in Pakistan. In early November 2014, a mob in Kasur, Pakistan burned a…

Pakistan’s beleaguered Hazaras

The attack on the Hazara community in Quetta last month, which left 10 dead and many injured, comes amidst the recent spate of violence…

Pakistan: Hiding state failure by invoking the ‘foreign hand’ theory

1) Repetitive trends. When Sri Lanka’s cricket team was attacked in Lahore the civil administration and police on TV said India did it. Raza…

Meena Kumari, the poet

After my earlier article on the life of Meena Kumari, I explored the iconic actor’s prowess in an entirely different area of personal expression…

In Pakistan, ‘Blasphemers’ Like Me Receive Militant Justice

Like so many others, I was recently targeted in a cold-blooded assassination for speaking out against extremism. Pakistan has acquired a strong reputation of…

Reclaiming the legacy of ZA Bukhari

By Raza Rumi Defining ‘Pakistani’ culture has been a problematic endeavour right from the inception of the country. Pakistan has straddled between 5,000 years…

Prioritising polio eradication

Nothing exemplifies the state of Pakistani society and its governance better the resurgence of the polio virus. Here is a country boasting of world’s…

The Hindus of Pakistan

A seminal book on the Hindu temples of Pakistan should be read by all Pakistanis. Journalist Reema Abbasi and photographer Madiha Aijaz have done…

‘Lahore broke my heart’

Author Reema Abbasi spoke to me about her travels across the country while researching for “Historic Temples in Pakistan”. Some excerpts from the conversation.…
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