How instability is garnered
My latest analysis published by The News We continue to bemoan the failure of democratic norms to take root in our governance culture. True,…
Why a Pakistani Ambassador is not acceptable to Saudi Arabia
Now this is truly funny – Saudis have rejected the credentials of our Ambassador designate on not-so-flimsy grounds Read here -The post at Cafe…
Rakhshanda Jalil – Panchlight and other stories
My friend Rakhshanda Jalil is singlemindedly pursuing her interests and dreams. Her latest book of translation has attracted attention from critics as well as…
Farewell Haqqani Saheb – forgive your peers and colleagues
A personal favourite, Irshad Ahmad Haqqani is dead. This is a huge loss to Urdu journalism as he was the last of sane voices…
No priests needed – search of a Pakistani identity
With a demographic revolution in the making, a depressed and cynical youth is a time bomb that we are living with. Things will have…
Should we bid farewell to democracy in Pakistan?
Published in The NEWS It is still not too late that PML-N and PPP and the regional parties sit together and agree on the…
Farida Khanum Singing Raga Kamod – Manna for the Soul
I am cross-posting my dear friend Fawad’s excellent post from here. The links here are worth visiting and the music is fabulous for those who…
To undo the vicious past
Published in the News on Sunday It’s about time a civilian Pakistan functions as a peaceful country with fair share of resources put into…
In Memory Of The Inimitable Madam Nur Jehan
A common Punjabi aphorism, loosely translated, states that there never was and never will be anyone like Nur Jehan. With her incredible talent, fiercely…
The tender tea house
I was quite pleased to read this piece. Aside from fact that it talks about me, the constant rememberance of Pak Tea House is…
What is the threat? What is the way out?
In these times, when the country is burning and militancy is at its peak, the priorities of the unelected institutions are curiously different. Peshawar…
Let the cynics froth and fume
This is the magic of Lahore and its deep-rooted cultural mores. No other city can boast of such individuals, movements and trends. Hopefully, the…
Sub-Continent’s Berlin Wall
I am posting Shivani Mohan's article where I have been quoted with reference to the recent folklore festival held under the aegis of SAARC.…
Folklore sans frontiers
I was part of a delegation from Pakistan that was driving to Chandigarh to attend the SAARC folklore festival organized by Punjab’s legendary writer…
Anchorless rambling
We did it again. A hallmark of Hillary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan was her meeting with the stars of the Pakistani media – the…
Remembering Parveen Shakir (1952-1994)
Parveen Shakir (1952-1994) has defined the sensibilities of several generations and beyond. At the relatively young age of 42 years, Parveen Shakir died on…
Extracts from Empires of the Indus by Alice Albinia
From The Guardian In a land where it seldom rains, a river is as precious as gold. Water is potent: it trickles through human…
Jinnah Unfairly Demonised for Partition
Jinnah was a “great leader†and was unfairly “demonised†by India for his role in the Partition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh…
Book review: Challenging martial histories
This book review was published in The Friday Times (June 19-25 2009 issue) This was a hot May afternoon when I found myself at…
This is a long war
This is a critical moment in our history perhaps unmatched for its severity and its brutal reality. The experiential nightmare that our country is…