The country we forgot to meet
Even six and a half decades after it was created, we really know too little about the country we live in. How many of us, for instance, realised that thousands…
For better or for verse
In a national newspaper one of our leading intellectuals and historians celebrated for popularising pro-people history by writing scores of books in Urdu has very recently penned an article against…
Monsters of our own making
Watching the latest fun and games in Iraq and the fine mess that the empire has made of the fabled Mesopotamia is both edifying and sobering. This is where it…
The battle of Armageddon
The nineteenth century reformer, Jamal ad-Din Afghani (1838-1897), wrote, “Every Muslim is sick, and his only remedy is the Quran.” But to some writers in the west, notably the Irish…
Justice: a lost cause
Last week, I attended a performance of The Testament of Mary in London, a monologue about the life and crucifixion of Christ delivered from his mother’s perspective. Based on a…
Islamic history
This is a continuation of the abstracts from an excellent article by Mahnoor Khan, posted by Pak Tea House, Lahore and forwarded to me by Barrister Dr Muhammed Javed Iqbal…
Lessons from Indian polls
“According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, a crime is committed against a Dalit by a non-Dalit every 16 minutes; everyday, more than four ‘Untouchable’ women are raped…
Minorities and land predators
When future historians look back at Pakistan as it was in the early 21st century they will observe that this period was unparalleled when it came to repression of minorities.…
New York, New York
The United Nations located on the southern tip of Manhattan Island is a pastiche. The real UN is crowded in the rest of New York. Step into the street and…
Sectarian monster
A Recent report from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reiterates what we already know: sectarian violence in Pakistan has risen to unacceptable levels. The HRCP counts 687 killings in…
