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…
Europe faces a huge challenge in dealing with its Muslim citizens
Mannequins dressed in brightly coloured headscarves at a shop in Cite, France I talked to Akbar S. Ahmed about the perception of Islam…
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…
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.…
‘I know how men in exile feed on dreams’
To the accompaniment of songs, poetry and history, Raza Rumi spent a bittersweet evening with fellow exiles exploring the state of his banishment “Our…
Long live Malaysia
Malaysia has entered the fifty first year of its existence. This has been a half-century of determination, progress and keeping a fine balance between…
TALAASH WITH RAZA RUMI
Raza Rumi’s analysis on the political unstability in Pakistan in the wake of 2014 dharna and protests. Rumi says that the incumbent government has…
Will a new power-sharing arrangement emerge from this crisis?
Since early August, Pakistan has been battling itself, once again. Two opposition groups have paralysed the federal government and the capital for weeks through…
Watching the watchdog
Democracy is like an infertile woman that cannot produce anything, thundered a popular columnist (a real opinion-maker) at the Association of Physicians of Pakistani…
Directionless: trapped in a vicious cycle
The image below is that of a painting by the amazing Pakistani artist Saira Wasim and it relates to the theme of my piece…
On the divided media of Pakistan (Urdu video)
My analysis on the division of Media in Pakistan. There are several important issues associated with Pakistan’s Media. Here I highlight three of the most…
Challenges for the PML-N
In early June, the PML-N completed one year in office and presented its second budget before the Parliament. Both these events were overshadowed by…
Aftermath of Taliban’s deadly attack on Karachi airport
A deadly attack on Karachi’s International Airport has raised questions about Pakistan’s security and the government’s ability to thwart terrorist attacks. Pakistan was shaken…
Farzana Parveen and the death of the state
Farzana’s brutal murder represents all that is wrong with us. It has become a useless routine to condemn the most ghastly acts of violence…
Pakistan’s journalists under siege – my interview
Recently I talked with ” ABC news” (Australia) and explained how Journalism is under siege in Pakistan. Here is the audio-link. The transcript of…
Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s trip to New Delhi sent multiple signals
Narendra Modi’s swearing-in as India’s prime minister coincided with a major diplomatic initiative. By inviting SAARC leaders, especially Pakistan’s prime minister, a new beginning…