Words that slay, words that heal on February 1, 2019“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then” —Alice in Wonderland Words are the stock-in-trade of psychiatrists (and other mental health professionals). The work we do involves a lot of listening and some talking. As such, we know the importance of words; what they convey as well as what […]
Ramzan misdeeds on May 29, 2018On the eve of Ramzan, I was bombarded by hundreds of WhatsApp messages (most of them from unknown numbers) wishing me ‘Ramzan (or Ramadan) Mubarak’. The next morning, my wife informed me that our maid, who has worked in our house for over a decade had come crying to her. Apparently, her brother had been […]
Pashtuns and Shopping Malls on May 7, 2018On April 22, I went to my first political jalsa in more than 30 years. In 1986, on a similarly warm April day, my parents had taken me (then all of 17 years old) to welcome Benazir Bhutto as she returned from exile during the waning days of the Zia era. I still remember walking […]
The real patriots on April 9, 2018Sitting at home on March 23rd, idly browsing through my social media, I came across a stunning photograph. The picture showed a bedraggled young girl rummaging among smoking ruins. The caption identified her as a resident of one of the shanties that caught fire somewhere in Karachi. She was wearing mismatched clothes; her hair was […]
Past and future on March 17, 2018I recently asked a group of my students why they wanted to become doctors. They were initially hesitant, probably because they had never been asked this question before but after some coaxing, they came up with the generic answers. Some said they wanted to help people, others said their parents had made the choice for […]
Murder in Kasur on February 26, 2018Recently, I was asked by a reporter to comment on the recent case of rape and murder of a young girl in Kasur. Our exchange may be of some help to those struggling to understand the regular cases of child abuse and murder in Pakistan. We first discussed whether the feelings of revulsion and sorrow […]
Denigrating Faiz on November 24, 2017The third Faiz International Festival 2017 concluded recently in Lahore. By all accounts it was a roaring success attended, in all, by several hundred thousand people over two days. Every session was packed with audience members standing at the back. There was a near riot on the second day when several dozen young men were […]
The relationship that heals on July 11, 2017People come to see psychiatrists for all kinds of reasons. They may be going through a divorce or unemployment. They may have lost a parent or a child. They may be unhappy in their marriage or with their family of origin. No one comes to see a psychiatrist because they are happy or content with […]