Of blind spots
LJN, I can’t make it to office today, firing in our area.” This SMS came early Monday morning from a dear friend. I rushed to switch on the TV, expecting…
One who opted for change
“Human beings make their own history. They do not do it in circumstances of their own choosing. Their actions are framed by the economic, social and political structures of their…
Violence in the home
A Banker in New York aims a vase at his wife. She ducks and is not hit. She calls the police. The husband is arrested and spends five years in…
A culture of militancy
From the bustling, congested markets of Karachi, where violence is endemic in all its myriad forms, to Peshawar and Quetta, videos and audio messages of ‘martyrs’, and sermons and statements…
A judgment in Nankana
Is there anything common between that thunderous truck bomb blast in Karachi on Thursday evening and the death sentenced that was handed down to a Christian woman by an additional…
And pine for what is not
This is that time of the year when endings come together with beginnings. But some prophesied endings have failed to turn up. The Mayan apocalypse was not to be and…
The women from Kohistan
Four women clapping and two men dancing appeared in a grainy cellphone video from a remote village said to be in Kohistan. The ill-fated gathering was said to have occurred…
Viewpoint
Nawaz Sharif had to run for cover earlier this month after he was quoted to have made provocative remarks, during a party workers meeting in Karachi, about setting up military…
Health-sector reforms
Last month, a close relative who had a severe stomach ache was admitted to a hospital in a posh Karachi area. For two days, there was no proper diagnosis; she…
Return of Qadri
Few would have taken notice of 'Sheikhul Islam' Allama Tahirul Qadri's public meeting at the Minar-i-Pakistan had he not managed to put on as impressive a show as he did.…
