The Bold and the Ugly on February 5, 2023Fix these ugly. Teach them a lesson that they never forget. This is the “strategic thinking” going on in the power corridors. With the provincial assemblies back in the opposition camps, the visible stepping up of oppression is not unexpected. The country is in a whirlwind of downers. Economy tanking. Businesses closing. Terrorism spiking. Lawlessness […]
Corruption, Confession, Redemption on January 29, 2023Daku Raaj was a Punjabi movie of Sultan Rahi that was released in 1992. The movie starts with the scene of a very powerful man using his power and gangsters to make money. When his servant warns him of being caught by police, he laughs and says why would a partner-in-crime catch him. The three-decades-old […]
Shifting Balance- From Power to People on January 22, 2023No way. This was the response whenever the question of free and fair elections was posed. Independent policies. Never. This was the instant reaction when foreign policy or economic decisions were concerned. Effective state-run institutions run by top professionals. This was the reaction when appointments to key state organizations were debated. These reactions and responses […]
All in the Family on January 15, 2023Yes, the economy is bleeding, but little can be done as the Finance Minister is the father-in-law of Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. This is not fake news on social media. This is not an attempt by the opposition to score political points. This is not a meme by a troll. This is an ex-finance minister of […]
More of the Same on January 8, 2023‘Pakistan is going through a very critical period”. Really? Yes, of course. But when was it not so? That is the common reaction to the common comment made by uncommon people now and then. Such comments are either dealt with with a yawn or a “next” command. The year has started on a sombre note. […]
Moguls, Mughals and Media on January 1, 2023Open sesame. Command and happen. Say and believe. The said word is ultimate. The raising of a finger or an eyebrow is enough. We are not talking of kings and queens. We are talking about the common themes that are formed repeatedly in various forms of communication to impact the thinking of people. Malcolm X […]
When Insecurity becomes Security on December 25, 2022Armed attack. Daylight terror. Hostages. Killings. Blasts in Quetta, Wana and Bannu. This is not 2012 but 2022. They are back. They are threatening. They are spreading. Islamabad-based institute PIPS (Pakistan institute of Peace studies) has published a paper that claims that a 51 per cent increase in terrorism has occurred in Pakistan since the […]
Return of the Fugitives on December 18, 2022Emotional scenes. Live cut. A yearning father. An anxious son. Staff ready with flower garlands. A hero’s welcome. This is not a welcome back to a martyr who laid his life for his country. This is a welcome back for a citizen who escaped the country four years ago when he was asked by the […]
Facts, Fiction and Farce on December 11, 2022Murder in the Kenyan Safari. Seems like the title of an Agatha Christie novel. Her famous best seller “Murder on the Orient Express” got so much notice that it was turned into a movie that is still talked about, watched and followed. The tragic murder of Arshad Shareef in the back and beyond of Kenya […]
Thou Shall Do—Software Update on December 4, 2022It is hacked. It is hung. It has crashed. It has a virus. These are all terms from the world of computing technology. These describe the messing up of the system. Such computers are then sent for repair. Such computers are then scanned with detectors and run with software to make them virus free. Such […]