D Asghar

Four years ago, when a junior senator from Illinois shocked the entire world by leaving many contenders behind and came to the top, it was unbelievable. Everyone, including this scribe, was sceptical about him really reaching the finish line. Little did his detractors know, despite his supposedly ‘funny’ name, he was the man destined to […]

So when the Soviets moved into Afghanistan in the late 1970s, was it ‘America’s war’? Perhaps not, but we all know why the US had to get involved; and yes, Pakistan was used as a conduit to supply the arms and assistance to the Mujahideen. Then did we show two thumbs to the mighty US […]

If you have been to a school, (which I am certain most people reading my gibberish have), you can recall your childhood squabbles with your classmates. When the fallout of the Kargil misadventure hit the nation, the Prime Minister (PM) at that time and his Chief of Army Staff (COAS), reminded us of two quarreling […]

A very well known and astute writer, who writes in an English daily, gave his analysis praising the new civil military dichotomy. Of course, with a tilt giving kudos to the uniformed general who has been extremely vital in shaping the new landscape if you will. According to his take, it does not really matter […]

The perfect example of when idiots — oops — I meant patriots, have nothing better to do is when they compete with one another to gain ‘one upmanship’. God knows why this junior nawab of ‘Grocersland’ has this desi James Bond and Chuck Norris fetish. He tried it in the past and now has done […]

I try to keep my mouth shut at most desi social gatherings. I try to act like a clueless and detached person and try very hard not to engage in political conversations. Honestly, I try very hard. You gather a few expatriate Pakistanis around a dinner table and they just repeat the usual lines — […]

It is that time of the year again. Glitter and glow is in vogue. It is time to celebrate Independence Day. Each year we cross this path and each year, besides getting a year older, what do we do? Do we assess whether we are where we are supposed to be or is it still […]

What! The Judicial Commission (JC) to probe alleged rigging was not able to find any evidence of organised and planned wrongdoing — also known as rigging — in the 2013 elections? Hard to believe! The buildup before the historic ‘azaadi’ (freedom) and ‘inqilab’ (tsunami) march that was sold to the people as the ultimate analgesic […]

The daredevil is perhaps having a moment of relief after all. He was shackled for almost a full month and finally gets to be back in business. What an easy job he has on his hands: to sway people from the righteous path. All he has to do is create a tiny bit of doubt. […]

Oft repeated here and in the Twitter sphere is the reality of life that the usual invisible hands are in motion to sling whatever mud they can towards the usual suspects. Oft repeated here and in other spaces is my total admiration for a man who predicted all of this many decades ago. The audio […]