Fourth estate or first estate?
Whenever I turn on Indian TV channels, I see nothing but jingoism, braggadocio, flag waving, gasconade, hot air, rodomontade, bluster, cacophony and Goebbelsian bombast – instead of cool, rational discussion…
Bracing for avoidable blunders
AS India and Pakistan brace for a fresh round of their hop-on, hop-off military stand-off, which some say could be more grievous this time than before, the words of Noam Chomsky from…
Death of secular India
On the otherwise a soulful soil of the sub-continent, where peace and tranquillity prevailed, Evil was born on September 17th, 1950. This date is celebrated by bigots as the birthday…
We watch them die – every time
Another man is dead. This time in Karachi, outside a shop. Allegedly an Ahmadi, allegedly accused of something, but very certainly murdered. How? Dragged, kicked, beaten, filmed and left lifeless…
Sindhu’s roar
MIKHAIL Sholokhov, the great Russian writer of Quiet Flows the Don, perhaps never knew that there are rivers that do not flow quietly, whose roars are heard in the skies. The…
Fulfilling Pakistan’s promise
The political landscape of British India in the early 20th century was shaped by a complex interplay of colonial rule, emerging nationalist sentiments, and communal tensions. The formation of the…
Do we need a Tehreek-e-Aligarh 2.0 now?
It was the year 1859 and the War of Independence had just ended. Since Muslims were in a position of power before the British took over, they were already being…
A peoples’ quest for peace – Part – I
In my previous column series, ‘Discussing South Asian Peace’, we talked about the evolution of people’s initiatives for restoring peace in South Asia. From the Pak-India Peace Forum to Himal…
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…
New scholarship on religion and reform: Part – II
'The latest contribution by Ali Usman Qasmi to the existing scholarship on the history of Pakistan and how religion has influenced citizenship and other issues in the country is Qaum,…
