ANP and the ghosts of Mashal and Bacha Khan
A war can result in many consequences. Perhaps no result can be more dreadful than turning into a mirror image of your own enemy. According to Michael Prescot: “When you…
Bacha Khan’s resistance
I have been writing in my column for these pages about different modes of resistance to the British Raj in India. Among these was a unique movement launched by Abdul…
Prince of the princes: Shamim Saifullah Khan
There was little in my time at Aitchison that felt as rewarding as my leaving of it. “Tell me about Aitchison. Tell me how we can be better. And not…
Discussing South Asian peace: Part – I
The Black Hole is a community centre in Islamabad that holds engaging discussions, conducts informative sessions, and offers entertaining performances nearly every day. Established in March 2022, it will soon…
The VC leadership crisis
A lot has been written about the non-appointment of vice chancellors (VCs) in public-sector universities. Universities’ performance can be measured in international rankings and research output. Two major companies publish…
The new higher-ed reality
A few days ago, pharmacy students at Bacha Khan University Charsadda (BKUC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protested that, even after years, their programme has not been registered and accredited by the…
Peshawar’s last sentinel
The grand old man of Peshawar, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, recently announced his retirement from parliamentary politics. At 84, Haji Bilour is the oldest surviving member of the Bilour family,…
Scapegoating the refugee
HERDED like cattle, over 1,700,000 Muslim refugees — more than twice the number of Palestinians evicted in 1948 by Zionist Israel — are presently being expelled from the Islamic Republic…
Godspeed Afghans
THERE is no getting away from them. Love them, do not love them, cannot ignore them? From the attacks across the Khyber Pass by the marauders of yore, to Bacha…
Our popular leaders
POPULAR leaders with non-elite roots, pro-poor agendas and origins in institutionalised grassroots political movements often deliver equitable and democratic progress. Non-elite roots obviously aid such agendas while a rise through…
