Top Gun Maverick on January 12, 2023The producers of Top Gun Maverick had low expectations for the film. However, they minted almost $1.5 billion from a sequel that premiered 36 years after the original classic. Top Gun Maverick is filmmaking at its best. Tom Cruise’s personal passion for aviation shines through in the film, because he pushed the actors to go […]
Counter-Terrorism Strategy on January 5, 2023In April 2022, Shari Baloch, a suicide bomber, killed three Chinese language teachers and a Pakistani driver inside the premises of Karachi University. Shari’s educated parents claimed ignorance, but her dentist husband initially expressed pride over his late wife’s actions on Twitter. However, after being arrested by the authorities, he changed his stance and declared […]
The Making of Jihadis on December 28, 2022My father read every day, and he inculcated in me, the reading habit, which has benefitted me tremendously in life. In my childhood, I enjoyed reading both English books and Urdu story books, which was a great blessing. If Enid Blyton’s enchanting fictional world was full of engaging characters then Dastaan Ameer Hamza with Umro […]
75 Years of Independence on August 11, 2022Pakistan’s 75th anniversary is approaching. What should be an occasion of fanfare and celebration has been marred by the political chaos that has engulfed the country. Quaid-e-Azam, with his foresight viz-a-viz the two-nation theory, bequeathed us a sovereign nation. Looking at India today, we should all be immensely grateful to the Quaid-e-Azam. Prime Minister Narendra […]
Russia, US, China, Iran, Turkiye, India et al on August 4, 2022The Covid lockdown and restrictions confined the world to their homes. Global powers are now posturing for dominance and almost all flashpoints are presently triggered. Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the west, similar to Iran. Facing an economic crisis, Russia initially reached out to its long-time ally, India. Seeing India being held back by […]
Pakistan Close to Sovereign Default on July 28, 2022Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his political ally Asif Ali Zardari, were very keen to oust Imran Khan after the latter tried his best to cancel them. In his haste to oust Khan and assume office, Shahbaz Sharif took over a bankrupt nation, heading towards sovereign default. A sovereign default occurs when a country is […]
Lessons from 2022 Karachi Rains on July 21, 2022Rains are always a welcome sight in southern Pakistan, which is sunny and hot for most of the year. There is poetry and romance associated with the rainy season. The monsoon rains offer a respite from the scorching sun. This year, the heat was unbearable as unprecedented temperatures were experienced due to climate change. The […]
Amazon.com Testing the Waters in Pakistan on July 14, 2022The retailer Amazon, claiming to hold the earth’s largest collection, has started doing business with a few select manufacturers in Pakistan, to test the waters. This has opened new doors of freelancing opportunities for Pakistanis, many of whom are working as virtual assistants on Amazon, who service sellers. Certain small retailers are making back door […]
The Freelance and Gig Economy on July 7, 2022Genius lies in seeing opportunity in crisis. This is why in the Mandarin language, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters, one representing danger (Wei) and the other, changing point (Ji). The Pak Rupee has touched a new low, reaching parity of 200 with the United States Dollar. While the falling value of the […]
A Novel Economic Plan for Pakistan on June 30, 2022Pakistan’s economy is tanking. The rising fuel cost is a cause of tremendous concern because it would lead to hyperinflation, which carries the risk of massive civil unrest. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the Pakistani political leadership is calling for a meeting for joint action. This would aim to handle the economic crisis, […]