Columns

What can one do when one when one is lucky enough to be showered with generous friends who in turn shower you with expensive gifts? Thank God, of course. We hear that in November a VVIP celebrated the valima of a son. Lo and behold, the prized invitations inspired many of his friends to give not just lafafas but many four wheelers as well. In fact some 22 cars, give or take a few. It is said that these considerate friends felt that the newlyweds would be in need of their own

As PML(N) Quaid was giving his agenda for improving the state of governance in the country, an assassin's bullets riddled through the body of Salmaan Taseer plunging the state into undeniable religious turmoil that would be hard to negotiate. Mian Nawaz Sharif's charter of demands may not contain one about reforming the existing blasphemy law that has often been misused ever since its proclamation during the draconian rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, it has assumed alarming relevance in

Zardari's ill-gotten pelf stacked away in Swiss banks has become the bane of the PPP and the entire political system. The PPP-led government which had an opportunity to rid itself of dependence on the MQM has reportedly accepted the ethnic outfit's demands instead of reaching an understanding with the PML(N) which could have consolidated the system and helped PPP complete its tenure.
Not that the PML(N) has not done its bit to push the PPP towards Altaf Hussain. Some of the

Governor Salmaan Taseer's assassination by a police guard has raised many questions. The issue of Blasphemy Laws will of course be debated, though the manner in which that debate has begun unfolding along entrenched positions shows how difficult it would be for us to find common ground and induce decency in the discourse.
Equally important, in the wake of this killing, are other questions. Are there people within the security forces that are motivated more by their religious

The assassination of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer by one of his security guards ostensibly for his views on the 'Blasphemy Law' in Pakistan has opened up several debates. The Governor never violated the law but he did criticise it and sought its amendment even as he championed the cause of a Christian woman sentenced to death under that law. This was enough to trigger the assassin's rage against him just as talk of considering a possible amendment to the law led to country wide

Within hours of arriving at a paradise resort, something I'd wanted to do all my life and finally found the inspiration that would bring me there, I heard the devastating news of Salmaan's dastardly assassination.
As I reeled out into the lawns to try and compose myself and collect my thoughts, I heard the Aza'an. Seconds later I was among the reveling guests, here to rejuvenate their thoughts, bodies and, I guess, their souls. "Allah O Akbar", escaped my lips.
The ironic

Even if one didn't like him, one still had to appreciate and acknowledge Salmaan Taseer's courage of conviction. And in these times of live telecast followed by endless repetition, in his last few years as the governor of Punjab, he gave one ample opportunity to take delight in his acerbic wit. Those at the receiving end though were definitely not amused by it. So he got as well as he gave, but he still could never be accused of pulling any punches or shying away from a verbal

Why does this always happen to us? Whenever we are in dire need of a stable elected government, we are deprived of it. If we review our brief history, it is surprising to note that on every occasion the tides of time turn, we are engulfed by a political crisis. Is this a coincidence? Our bad luck or the careful scheming of international stakeholders? During the Cold War, when the alignment of newly independent countries in the two camps was taking place, these nascent countries were

All his life Salmaan Taseer was a fighter for his work, his beliefs and his principles. He was a larger than life figure straight out of the Arabian Nights, the Illiad or the Baburnama. He was intensely human, loving, devastatingly handsome, a magnificent writer and speaker (people forget he wrote the first biography of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto), a man of the people who had the common touch but was equally at ease in a drawing room full of hundreds of his elite admirers. He was loved by

Even if history is a mere record of important events that happened to a country it has to be accurate and dispassionate. The official account of the 125-year-old Congress achievements is neither honest nor factual. The Indian nation may forget what the party leaders have said but it can never forget what they did.
The biggest blemish on the Congress is the suspension of the constitution during the emergency, from 1975-1977. I am a witness to the events of those days when the

My God, did you see that photograph on Page 9 of Pakistan Today on the 14th of December 2010? The photograph taken by Nadeem Ijaz at Akbari Mandi shows an LPG cylinder placed on bricks, a fire burning under it. Apparently this is how a street food vendor maintains gas flow to his stove.
That picture epitomises two very powerful things, or shall we say three, because the first of course is that bomb waiting to detonate. The second is the Pakistani state of mind at present, and

The street protest in support of the blasphemy law imposed by the military government of General Zia-ul-Haq is the latest attempt by Islamic orthodox and conservative political parties and groups to force their partisan political agenda and intimidate the political circles that do not share their perspective.
The orthodox and conservative religious circles have directly linked the retention of the current blasphemy law with respect for the Holy Prophet. They are casting the issue

It is widely believed that our problems in Pakistan have less to do with lack of resources and much more with poor governance. To adapt a quote from Shakespeare, "Our problems dear Gertrude (read 'Gilani') are not because of our stars but because we are dishonest". We squander public money, we stuff government departments which have the misfortune to be run by us with undeserving cronies, we create fiefdoms and we exhibit total contempt for regulations, merit and the public

The New Year didn't start well. On January 1, 2011, I got this mail from a Pakistan Today reader called Khota Punjabi:
"Hello mayank. Having an exotic name gives u no right to get published. I find ur articles in pak today to be rather silly and tedious. Please stop."
At least this hurts only me, and possibly the editors of this newspaper. But something more troublesome is taking place in my country.
One cold afternoon, a day after Christmas, I went to Jantar Mantar

It is a gross understatement to say that traveling as a Pakistani has become a liability in an American airport. Pakistanis and a list of several other "dangerous" nationalities face bigoted, invasive, and targeted security procedures anytime they travel to the United States as a result of the Department of Homeland Security's measures to allegedly prevent terrorism.
It was as recent as this past September that a group of nine Pakistani diplomats publicly protested the outrageous

Hardly anyone in Pakistan would disagree that: a) getting education right to ensure quality education for all children in Pakistan is a very important goal for our national survival and future, b) education is currently in a mess and needs major reforms, and c) this should have priority for our government.
The current governments - federal and provincial - have been in power for almost three years. If these governments wanted to do something in education sector, before their

'At a certain point in their historical lives, social classes become detached from their traditional parties. In other words, the traditional parties in that particular organisational form, with the particular men who constitute, represent and lead them, are no longer recognised by that class (or fraction of a class) as its expression. When such crises occur, the immediate situation becomes delicate and congerous, because the field is open for violent solutions...' (State and Civil