Saadat Hasan Manto- Writer of Stark Realities
Saadat Hassan Manto (May 11, 1912 – January 18, 1955) was a Pakistani Urdu short story writer, most known for his Urdu short stories…
Redeeming our tryst with destiny
Raza Rumi took a group of Pakistani politicians to India where, amid food fests and conferences and emotionally charged mushairas, the first pages of a…
On Malala and ‘Who are the Pakistani Taliban’
I was quoted in these pieces at CNN. Attack on Pakistani schoolgirl galvanizes anti-Taliban feeling “There is a groundswell of sympathy for her and…
Fighting the existential battle
Published in The News, October 2012 What is the real, existential cause for concern – the imagined enemy, or a real, functional terror network…
River Indus: Flow of life – Part II
From ancient Vedic times to stories told by Sufi saints, the Indus continues to play a central role in the legends and folklore associated…
River Indus: Flow of life – Part I
Along its 1,800-mile course, the Indus joins cultures from the steppes of Central Asia to the arid plains of the South Asian subcontinent. It…
Civil service reform for state capacity
Only a meaningful civil service reforms can improve the state capacity to perform better Pakistan’s inability to provide security and justice to its citizens;…
Book review: 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…