Imdad Ali and the law
Every 40 seconds one person is lost to suicide. Mental health issues have been invisible for too long. In a recent judicial conference on Mental Health and Mens Rea, Honourable…
Colonialism and the environment
Decolonization under the Trusteeship Council was finally concluded on November 1, 1994 after the last UN trust territory Palau gained independence. However, almost two decades later, colonialism still haunts various…
Mental health and justice
FORENSIC psychiatry, the nexus between psychology and law, has undergone a transformation within Pakistan’s judicial system. Arising from the foundations set by the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Criminal…
PMDC officials accused of provisionally recognising colleges get clean chit
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has exonerated five officers of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Colleges (PMDC) who were accused of provisional recognition of 15 medical and dental colleges in…
Mental health rights
SOME years ago, in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court issued a transformative decision in the Safia Bano case, significantly advancing the integration of mental health considerations into the country’s…
Literary losses of Sindh
Being a cornucopia of ethnic and linguistic diversity, Pakistan presents a rich cultural and literary variety. But somehow if you conduct a survey with university students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and…
Defending the mentally ill
A YEAR ago, I stood in front of a five-member bench of the Supreme Court and witnessed it pass a landmark judgement which changed the course of legal justice in…
A verdict for the vulnerable
In August 1989, a young girl was taken into police custody and ruthlessly tortured for 15 days. Her father, who was her only caretaker since the death of her mother…
Tyranny of the mind
At one point during his time in prison, Khizer Hayat thought the world was coming to an end. He believed that the Americans landing on the moon was having a…
This is not justice
Schizophrenia builds an entire world that exists only inside your head. It can often be a dangerous place. Voices echo over each other, often telling you to hurt yourself, or…
