Journey to Pakistan
Memories of the creation of a homeland In his spacious and tastefully decorated home at Karachi, Iqbal Jafar, retired from service with the government of Pakistan and column writing, views the developments…
Getting away with murder
Can a ‘tabdeeli’ come against misuse of blasphemy law? A young artist living away from his city is killed. There is no mention in the news. About three weeks later, accusations of…
Musings on Naya Pakistan
How do we endeavour? Once upon a time, a nation struggled to carve an independent state for itself. Although it did succeed, but from its inception, faced many troubles. It fought wars…
From Hindu Rashtra to Trump’s ‘Caliphate’
A global shift towards theocracy? An Indian member of parliament and opposition party leader struck a controversy recently when he blamed the ruling party of destroying the country’s policy of secular government,…
If wishes were horses…
What Pakistanis hope from the elections? The most awaited day of the year has almost come. On that day, Pakistanis would exercise their right to choose the person to lead their nation,…
The measure of humanity
A dire need exists for refugee resettlement Every day, we see tear streaked faces of Rohingya Muslims or Syrians escaping injustice. Often in the background of their poignant photographs, we see rubbles…
Being reserved
Proportional representation of minorities taking its toll While occasional incidents of blasphemy charges, vandalism, forced conversions and even life threatening situations for non-Muslims in Pakistan continue to be heard, the minorities of…
Saudi women join country’s ‘driving’ force
How much will the lifting of a ban accelerate progress? After decades of forcibly obliging the country’s ban on women to drive, Saudi girls are now behind the wheels. It has been…
Eid under the shadow of fear
How Muslims celebrated as persecuted minorities? As Muslims around the world celebrated Eid with feasting and gift-giving, festivities were marred by prolonged conflict in hot spots such as Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and…
In education, it’s time to move forward
Both sides of the coin should be seen Each time I write on this subject, I feel this would be my last. But a growing environment of rage and animosity and increasing…
No more silence
For women, revolution has just begun For women, #metoo movement is gaining recognition across the world as a source of not only creating awareness, but also for breaking barriers by talking about…
The humdrum of elections
Who would bring the real change? A feeling of numbness has taken over the mind these days. Although with the announcement of the date for elections in the country, the frame of…
Alternate choices
Why Pakistan lags behind in promoting solar, wind energy projects? The day Orange Line Metro Train thundered in Lahore on its first test run, a massive power breakdown hit large swathes of…
A settlement in Sindh’s education row
And setback in KPK Some headway seems to have been made in Sindh’s education row in the form of an agreement between parents and schools. The entire country appears to be embroiled…
Education row in KPK
Defacto nationalisation in the offing? Parents deplore exorbitant fees and schools protest regulatory actions, meanwhile the students wait and suffer. A series of chain reactions in this pattern has been engulfing the…
To probe a rocking act
Is harassment in showbiz more difficult to prove? The recent #Metoo scandal involving artists Meesha Shafi and Ali Zafar has rocked the nation. Opinion is split and both celebrities are being supported…
The key to a successful protest
Khadim Hussain style He did it – again. Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who gained much fame by crippling the country’s capital city with his sit-in last year and emerged quite victorious having struck…