Columns

Finally, they're all out. The Chilean miners, whose fate had the world waiting with baited breath, have been lifted out of their rocky underground prison in a truly gripping human drama. One that made for good press as well, as an estimated 1500 journalists were at the scene of this rescue of 33 miners. It is a time of celebration in Chile, as well as the end of a harrowing two-and-a-half months for the families of the trapped miners.
Amongst the nations glued to their screens

Indian legislatures have been a spectacle of hooliganism, members fighting on the floor of the house, forcibly removing the Speaker from his chair or raising slogans to drown the proceedings in the noise engineered. But never before did any assembly make a sham of no-confidence vote to save the government.
This happened a few days ago in the state of Karnataka, which is equal to Germany in area. The vote of no-confidence was against the ruling BJP. The government summoned the

Deluding ourselves is our national past-time. The inability to separate wishes with facts which makes us make wrong diagnoses of the ills afflicting our society. This, in turn, exacerbates our daily lives by making us feel more helpless at our present state of affairs. The following are a couple of examples of the collective delusions that afflict us.
Delusion: Pakistan is a sovereign country.
Reality: Really, do you think so? And just what was it that you put down as

It's been a string of them, Octobers filled with darkness. The first such October was witnessed by our nation in 1951 when Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in Rawalpindi. This set in motion a tradition such that Pindi became a monument to the martyrdom of elected Prime Ministers. It was the city of choice for the martyrdom of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir. All three of them belonged to Sindh. This is, ofcourse, only to count the successful attempts, not all the other

Amongst the Mughals of yore, the story of Aurangzeb and the brutal manner in which he treated his own family stands alone.
As legend has it, Aurangzeb served his brother Dara Shikoh's head on a platter to his father, Shah Jahan, who he imprisoned in a fort overlooking the glorious Taj Majal which he had built in honor of the love of his life, the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal.
It wasn't enough, apparently, for Aurangzeb to hate his immediate family members. He had to torture

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are mostly fictitious, except when they're not. The publication does not take any responsibility for the views and opinions expressed herein. Batteries sold separately.
News is a funny business. I'm not just saying that because this is supposed to be a humour column, but because it's the truth. But if precedent is anything to go by, there's not a lot of room in the nine o' clock news for the truth.
Those of you who had the misfortune

Societal harmony and state stability cannot be ensured in an environment of religious and cultural intolerance and the attempts by some individuals or groups to impose their religio-cultural choices on others by the use or threat of violence and intimidation.
Religious and cultural intolerance and terrorism are the most destructive threats to Pakistani state and society that has ethnic, linguistic, regional and Islamic-sectarian diversity. Any attempt to steamroll these

I do not believe, as so many do, that we are a people given by nature to deliberate close-mindedness, malicious falsehoods and injurious self-deceit.
But I do believe we have allowed stories to seep into our very blood.
We are a people of storytellers. The oral tradition flows strong in the veins of our society and traditions. It is a wonderful gift, with a terrible hidden darkness.
Stories are not only alive, but immortal. Anything can happen in their generous ambit,