D Asghar

There has been a lot of noise in the media ever since the Peshawar massacre. The dialogues are very high pitched and sound bites meant for the ‘breaking’ news. Everyone is trying to look busy and think of something that will demonstrate their willingness to chime along with the government. A blessing in disguise is […]

“Look, the reason is because people are upset about Israel’s indifference towards the plight of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.” “It is all a reaction due to the lingering and unresolved Kashmir issue.” “Had Pervez Musharraf not participated in the US war, we would be in endless tranquillity.” I am sure all of us have […]

Amidst very young children in the audience stood the very smart and multi-talented scholar, the one and only Aamir Liaqat Hussain, hosting a morning show. Then came the shocking utterance that was based on his dismay in light of his views of a certain statement made by another religious personality, Mr Junaid Jamshed. The sentence […]

In politics, timing is everything. No matter how strong your position and convictions may be, if you do not maximise your benefits while the iron is hot, you eventually end up in a tight and precarious spot. Being an ordinary observer, I do not experience any exhilaration when my two cents worth of predictions come […]

It is often said that a picture speaks louder than a thousand words. If you have seen the visuals of the prime ministers of both India and Pakistan at the recent South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference, you will know exactly what this saying truly means. Based on media reports, both premiers shared […]

The countdown has begun. The idiot box is busy drumming up the usual nonsense that people were subjected to a few months back in August. This time it is being labelled the “decisive battle”. The last day of this month is supposed to alter the course of our history. As if we have not had […]

On a rational note, most societies enact laws to curb oppression and bring equity, justice and order. There is no debate or dispute about the anti-blasphemy law itself. If it is the derivation of a colonial law, then hats off to our former masters for enforcing it. At least in this scribe’s humble opinion, religion […]

After a bit of silence and lull, the ugly monster of terror struck at Wagah border. Devastating, as usual. As many as 60 plus dead and hundreds more wounded. Each passing day is a reminder of this fear that engulfs the nation, day in and day out. The television screens light up and the commentators, […]

No, I am not going to gloat nor am I going to say I told you so. The wrap-up of Dr Qadri’s circus did not come as a surprise to me nor did his prior stint in the same city back in 2013. There were some folks who were shocked, taken by surprise and some […]

Time has really flown. I cannot believe it has been 15 years already. I was calling on a customer, who was incidentally a Pakistani lady, on an October afternoon. She asked me in her accented Urdu with a Punjabi tone if I knew what had happened back home. I said to her, “No sister, I […]