The Mughal feminist
IT is the princesses and queens that get top billing. We know about the intelligence of the inimitable Nur Jehan, who assisted her husband in the management of a vast…
What kind of movement?
In recent years, Pakistani women and gender minorities have organised marches across the country on the International Working Women’s Day. Despite attacks from the patriarchal Right and Left, their resolve…
China is passé, learn from Nepal
ISLAMIC tradition advises Islam’s followers to travel to China to seek knowledge. India’s Hindus, particularly the ones combating the Hindutva juggernaut that seeks to turn the country into a theocratic…
A short walk to sanity
What will have to happen so that the little girl who begs at a traffic signal in Karachi – or Lahore – is able to grow up into a literate,…
An LLM of our own
In August, I had the opportunity to attend an AI journalism lab alongside many like-minded journalists. During the two-day training, we met an official from the National University of Sciences…
Pakistan’s missing stories
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Gender Parity Report places Pakistan at the very bottom – 148th out of 148 countries – with a gender parity score of 56.75 per cent.…
Between legal rights and lived realities
Despite legislative advances like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, the reality for most transgender Pakistanis is far removed from legal promises. From bullet-riddled bodies found on highways…
Did Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington work? It’s complicated
After mobilizing hundreds of federal agents and thousands of soldiers to the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump has declared victory over what he called a “crisis” of crime in Washington,…
What is the trad wives tradition?
A perfect platter of steaming biryani or a plate of dessert being served up by young women in impeccable clothing and a stylish haircut – this is an image becoming…
Village violence
FOR generations, the village has been romanticised as a haven of peace — a place of simple lives, strong communities and neighbourly bonds. But the reality unfolding in many rural…
