Aliya Anjum

The Barbie movie was a delight to watch at the movie theatre. Vicariously reliving the Barbie world, brought back pleasant memories of my childhood days. That Barbie was special, is proven by the fact that I have carefully preserved my Barbie world to this day. I was not alone in this sentiment, as proven by […]

A few years ago, Pakistan pinned its hopes on one man to change its destiny and that man is now languishing in jail – ironically on petty theft charges. In my June 2, 2022 op-ed column I had written: “IK’s main goal is to eliminate all political rivals to monopolise the Pakistani political landscape. A […]

The United States of America and Pakistan seem to be nations very unlike each other, yet if we look closely then they have a lot in common. One such commonality is the Capitol Insurrection in the US on January 6, 2021, and the mob attacks on the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army on May […]

I often turn to social media if I have to gauge public opinion or listen to voices that shape public opinion. Pakistani social media leaves me horrified, to say the least. The dominant theme that runs across Pakistani social media is domestic politics or rather conjecture, the blame game and conspiracy theories surrounding domestic politics. […]

A young man burned the Holy Quran under the aegis of the Swedish authorities. This time round, the global ummah did not respond as violently and militantly as it had in the past. Pakistan called for action by the United Nations and a meeting was hence convened. There were peaceful demonstrations in Pakistan and abroad, […]

These days, Indians are basking in the glory brought by the Russia-Ukraine war. The US and Europe are courting India. From the common Youtuber to India’s foreign minister, tongues are rolling against Pakistan. Indians seem to be gloating over Pakistan’s financial situation — smug in the false belief that India is now far ahead of […]

Indian PM Modi recently visited the US and the optics were very good. POTUS Biden hosted a state dinner for Modi and the latter got the rare opportunity to address the Joint session of the American Congress for the second time. Only Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill previously held this rare honour. Sanjay Mehrotra, the […]

The common Pakistani is full of either angst or despair. PML-N created their power base by giving them ample panem et circenses (bread and circus) in Lahore and northern Punjab. Punjab got preferential treatment in resource allocation and opportunities. However, there was little for the common man beyond populist measures. Unsurprisingly, on May 9, 2023, […]

Hydrogels are three-dimensional water-swollen polymeric materials that exist naturally in the form of collagen or gelatin. They can also be made synthetically. The everyday jelly made with custard at home is an example of the hydrogel. The seemingly innocuous hydrogel now has very diverse and sophisticated usage. Hydrogels are used in a wide range of […]

The late Ambrose Bierce, a prolific American author, said, “The partisan strife in which the people of the country are permitted to periodically engage does not tend to the development of ugly traits of character, but merely discloses those that preexist.” This sums up the events of May 9, 2023, which will forever be marked […]