We lost an iconic son of Larkana on 15 December 2025. His death ended a long era of a nationalist and ideological trajectory of over eight decades. He remained loyal to his political and ideological beliefs to the last breath. I came to know him in 1972 when I joined the Larkana Municipal Corporation. He […]
Escalation on the Durand Line
The tension that was brewing between Islamabad and Kabul over the cross border terrorist attacks on Pakistan by TTP from its sanctuaries located close to the Duran Line, flared up into serious clashes. Pakistan carried on airstrikes on the residential quarters of Noor Wali Mahsud the leader of TTP. Afghanistan retaliated by launching ground attacks […]
Ominous Era of Narendra Modi
The assumption of the leadership of Bhartia Janta Party (BJP) by a protégé of RSS, Narendra Modi, was ominous for India. Riding on a crest of populism, his swift ascendancy to power in 2014 precipitated the rise of Hindu Rashtra from the ashes of secularism, plural democracy, rule of law and equality before law – […]
78 years of Independence
On 14 August, the common populace of Pakistan celebrated the 78th birthday of their beloved land with traditional fervour. The elite and ruling class, blending their claims of patriotism with somewhat hollow commitments to the ideals of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, pledged loyalty to the country he bequeathed to us. They have been doing this rhetorically […]
Endless Grief: Silent Tears Fall
No warning, no hint, no insinuation, and you are gone – within 45 minutes – Azam. The doctors were helpless; the angel of mortality was quicker. The call was final; it defied all efforts to stop you from flying to the unknown world. The will of the Supreme, the pull of the celestial living, the […]
Unconventional Way of President Donald Trump
I had titled one of my earlier articles in February as ‘The unorthodox Donald Trump’ highlighting his unorthodox re-orientation of the US relations with many countries and giving sleepless nights to many leaders. I had also visualized that Pakistan’s relations with USA would be re-oriented if ever when the cooperation of the former was needed […]
Najmuddin Shaikh: A Diplomat Par Excellence.
This is how I have described Ambassador Najmuddin Shaikh in my Reminiscences published in 2017. “Mr. Shaharyar Khan retired in April 1994 after a long and brilliant career in the Foreign Service of Pakistan. He was replaced as Foreign Secretary by Ambassador Najmuddin Shaikh. Mustachioed, with thick hair, always dressed in his make-to-measure pinstripe three […]