The intolerant country on July 10, 2016This Ramazan has been a gory one indeed. From Bangladesh to Baghdad, Istanbul to Orlando, Islamic State — or those inspired by them — has killed 480 people, most of them Muslim. Of all the commandments we choose to follow, the ones against murder seem to be the most easily ignored. We kill in the […]
The price of Panama on April 11, 2016The country is agog with revelations of prime ministerial misdeeds, with the Panama Papers revealing an array of political figures with various permutations of tax-evasion, and ill-gotten-gains-hiding mechanisms. The list of Pakistanis with companies domiciled in tax havens includes politicians and businesspersons. While it is true that owning an off-shore company (or two, or four) […]
Reactions and reactionaries on March 16, 2016It has been a busy time for Pakistan. A convicted murderer was executed, an Oscar was won, and a drought in Thar continued to kill. The reactions to these three events are telling. Mumtaz Qadri’s execution was met with rioting and rage against the establishment. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Oscar-win resulted in a mix of jubilation and […]