Democracy’s missing half
The global movement for gender equality has driven change across many sectors, but political representation remains one of the most formidable challenges. Although women make up nearly half of the…
Gone with the haze: can 35 by 35 help?
In South Asia, the moniker ‘fifth season’ aptly captures the air pollution and smog that returns annually to engulf urban and semi-urban regions, especially during the winter months. The season…
Curbs can’t beat narratives
WITH the passage of a bill to muzzle criticism of those in high offices, the Punjab Assembly has taken the lead in legislating fresh curbs on free speech with heavy penalties, even…
Case of the missing poet
YET another case of alleged enforced disappearance has demonstrated the impunity granted to certain forces in the country, which consider themselves above the law in an increasingly repressive dispensation. Ahmad…
Childcare challenge
DURING a spell of what feels like endless school holidays, a working mother’s mind inevitably turns to childcare. When faced with the great juggling act that is work and life,…
The plot sickens
REALITY TV shows are my on/ off guilty pleasure. I should be more embarrassed to admit this, but here we are. It began with a curiosity for The Kardashians and…
Punjabi in schools
THE chief minister of Punjab, Ms Maryam Nawaz, has said that Punjabi will be taught across schools in the province. This was announced at the Punjab Culture Day ceremony last…
Hybrid pitfalls for PML-N
HYBRID set-ups have internal power struggle built into them. Like me, if you find some of the statements confusing — signalling differences of opinion within the top tiers of the…
Fighting toxic talk
I HAD to step outside social media silos to understand what was happening in Lahore, because my trusted sources — ie, this newspaper and other legacy outlets — were reporting…
A Rubik’s Cube
IF you can recall the Rubik’s Cube, you are a child of the 1980s. Its inventor Ernő Rubik (a Hungarian professor of architecture) perfected his brainchild in 1979, intending it…
