Politics of fear on August 27, 2016Familiarity breeds contempt. The foul-mouth venom of the man from UK. The incensed, volatile workers. Mob attack. Destruction. Condemnation and a few arrests. An apology and back to normal. However, the happily-ever-after has turned into unhappily hereunder. The drama is the same but the story takes a new twist. The minus one and plus two […]
How low can you go? on August 20, 2016It is a historical moment. The prime minister and all his men have lined up for this mega development. The daughter of the prime minister (PM) daughter proudly tweets about this phenomenal accomplishment. The media hails it as breaking news. This is the fanfare that accompanies the launch of the Premier Service of PIA flights. […]
The poverty of security on August 13, 2016Do not send your children to school or outside to play. Do not take your family to park on a holiday. Do not go to hospital to visit a sick one. Any of these daily, routine and normal activities are now an invitation to kidnapping, injury, and death. Nearly every quarter we have a horrible […]
Women leading the world on August 6, 2016It’s a woman’s world. Finally, are we going to qualify this discriminatory statement, partially and politically? Maybe. These are unprecedented times. Times where the world is seeing more being invented, produced and developed than ever. Times where the world is technologically integrated yet culturally segregated. Times where information has disrupted industries, politics and policies. Times […]
The missing children in Punjab on July 30, 2016After the “score” crossed 600, action was taken. The score is not the English cricket team thrashing the Pakistani team in Old Trafford but 600 innocent children who have disappeared in the last six months in Punjab. Such is the state of apathy in this country. This is an atrocious number of disappearances, and in […]
The sweet and sour of democracy on July 23, 2016With democracy comes autocracy. However, democracy is for the people, with the people and by the people. This may be considered a hackneyed cliché but is perhaps the real test for any democracy. With the recent army coup in Turkey being defeated by the people of Turkey the true spirit of democracy is under debate […]
Confessions of a political hit man on July 16, 2016He was bent upon violence. Despite knowing that it could result in thousands of innocent people dying he decreed war on the opposing forces. He fabricated a skewed narrative to justify bloodshed. He rejected logical solutions in favour of fanatic actions. The above-given description would definitely be bringing to one’s mind the description of an […]
To judge or not to judge on July 9, 2016The bureaucrat is a strange missile: it does not work and it cannot be fired. This saying by a man of wisdom just about epitomises the inefficiency with which governments are run, especially in Pakistan. All over globally, special vocabulary has entered language, like red tape-ism and bureaucracy, to describe how work can be stalled […]
Brexit: the good, the bad, the ugly on July 2, 2016Divorce is painful. A relationship of over two decades has by its very length of time inbuilt separation issues. Britain’s separation from the EU for the next two years, and its ultimate divorce thereafter is at the moment creating widespread reactions in the world. Rightly so. In an increasingly global world we see an increasingly […]
The corruption/poverty nexus on June 25, 2016Corruption is not an issue of the poor. Corruption is also present in developed countries so it could mean that it does not hinder development. Corruption has nothing to do with the social development indicators. These are some of the arguments given by the intelligentsia as proofs that a pudding does not necessarily become bad […]