A cry for more safety for our children By: Zaresh Ernest on March 30, 2019In this age of technology and fast access to every kind of information it is impossible to strain out things that we do not wish to see. An abrupt, unannounced and a graphic video on the newsfeed can leave us disturbed for days. We are left speechless and in tears over videos of violence and […]
The Colours of Holi with the Hindus of Cholistan By: Kashif Jamil on March 21, 2019The Hindus of Pakistan celebrate the colorful festival of Holi with the same enthusiasm as Indians, spreading the message of peace, love and happiness through vibrant and colourful celebration. In the days leading up to the festival, the Hindu tribes of Cholistan play a game called “Khido” in the open desert. It is believed that […]
An open letter to Imran Khan By: Gurmeet Kaur on March 9, 2019While the Pulwama attack and its aftermath have had a grave impact on the state of relations between India and Pakistan, it is heartening to note that progress has been made to open Katarpur Corridor. A meeting will be held to discuss the progress of the draft agreement on the corridor on March 14 in […]
I did it for my daughter, says woman arrested for headscarf protest in Iran By: Reuters on February 14, 2019Azam Jangravi’s heart was pounding when she climbed atop an electricity transformer box on Tehran’s busy Revolution Street a year ago. She raised her headscarf in the air and waved it above her head. A crowd formed. People shouted at her to come down. She knew all along she was going to be arrested. But […]
Our blindfolded youth By: Taha Najeeb on January 30, 2019Imagine a young boy, in his early teens, who lives in a ghetto of a big city. Every day he goes to a run-down government school where he is asked, often by an uninspiring underpaid teacher, to learn everything by rote. On exam day, this poor soul is expected to reproduce, verbatim, all the Urdu […]
I am not myself either! By: Ali Jan Maqsood on January 30, 2019I had heard as a child lot that chameleons always sit on a branch of a tree and start counting the days of the week. It wonders, “When the ninth day of the week comes, I will eat the entire humanity and finish it off.” It wanted to be the sole king of the entire […]
A good deed always pays By: Adnan Maqsood on January 30, 2019Once there lived a man named Khalid with his wife Gulatoon and their two children Munib and Fatima. Khalid was an engineer and one of the richest persons in the society. Mahwish was Khalid’s neighbour who was working in Khalid’s home. She used to cook for the small family. She also had a son named […]
Ajoka Theatre pays tribute to Saadat Hasan Manto By: Arsalan Haider on January 30, 2019Ajoka Theatre presented a befitting tribute to legend of Urdu short stories Saadat Hasan Manto with the performance of the classic Toba Tek Singh based on a famous short story written by him at Alhamra Arts Council on Tuesday. This was the inaugural performance of Day 2 of the Manto Drama Festival arranged by Lahore […]
Celebrating Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti’s message of love, peace and generosity By: Afza Raheel on January 29, 2019Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti (RA) was born to a respected family who were descendants of Hazrat Ali (RA) through his sons Hazrat Imam Hassan and Hazrat Imam Hussain. He was born birth in the village of Sanjar in 537AH which still exists today. His father’s name was Khawaja Ghayasuddin and his mother was Bibi Umulvara. She […]
A message to Pakistani liberals By: Taha Najeeb on January 29, 2019I commend your spirit of introspection. Self-criticism is the primary instrument of course-correction for a society, especially a society as large and as troubled as ours. It is commendable when you roll up your sleeves, say every anniversary of the 1965 or ’71 – wars we fought with India – and point to our follies […]