Curriculum concerns
EXPERTS and educationists broadly define curriculum as ‘all the learning that is planned and guided by the school, whether it is carried on in groups or individually, inside or outside…
Which Musalmans do we claim descent from?
Muslim rule in Hindustan was mainly Turkish rule – from Mahmud to Babur all Turkish conquerors or rulers – interspersed with episodes of Afghan rule as under the Lodhis and…
Freedom of speech versus freedom to insult
What triggered the attacks was Paris magazine's repeated publication of offensive cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam. In 2006, it reprinted cartoons published by Danish daily Jyllands-Posten depicting the…
The WMD threat
When former US President George W Bush was asked, “What is the single most serious threat to American national security?”, his answer was the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into…
Changing face of a holy city
The wall they were building crushed them when it fell. On Wednesday, Sept 10, six construction workers reported to be of Pakistani and Indian origin were killed under the 15-metre…
Lahore killings: Economic consequences
The inaction by the government is not understandable. All reasonable humans are furious at the various statements from the diehard loyalists of the PML-N. The issue is very simple and…
A household quarrel
All of this is a domestic spat. Setting aside either side’s fables of victimhood, claims of legitimacy, and tales of sacrifice, this is nothing more than an over-the-top household quarrel.…
Political parties and democracy
“Political parties make strong demands for the conduct of free and fair elections to legislative bodies, but choose to ignore the application of the same principles when it comes to…
Between Gaza and Gujranwala
On these very pages over the past week, a few writers have highlighted the disparity in response to two separate events — Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, and mob…
A diplomatic journey
Nicholas Barrington was an extraordinary diplomat who served in what were extraordinary times in the countries where he was posted. His engaging memoir, ‘Envoy’, takes the reader on a breezy…
