Failed first test on September 9, 2018I knew the bubble would burst, but didn’t think so soon. Perhaps in a generation, average Pakistanis were treated to hope, and then the delight of actually witnessing the rise of a party with a platform for viable, sincere change. As a Pakistani-American, I am used to rejoicing American successes. Lately, the gaffes of Donald […]
Mindsets, mercy and the qatra Effect on August 22, 2018We might be witnessing a tectonic shift in Pakistan’s socio-politics. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to the nation was so ambitious that some think he has promised the nation the moon. In individual lives and those of nations, idealism is a good thing, particularly when it is backed up with a solid action plan. In […]
Pakistanis bailing out Pakistan on August 11, 2018Any ray of hope for Pakistan seems quickly clouded by its dire financial straits. Not handled wisely the State Bank of Pakistan’s minuscule reserve of $9billion can pose as an existential threat for Pakistan. In May of 2018 the State Bank of Pakistan’s external debt was $91.8 billion, a whopping 50 percent increase over the […]
International organisation for hajj on October 8, 2015The world is already forgetting the hundreds (thousands) dead and the thousands injured during the hajj stampede at Mina this year. We must not move on so soon and specifically we must not allow the disaster to recur. Many, especially governments, have a callous attitude towards other people’s losses. But the world of survivors does […]
Parental anguish and the lone wolf on February 27, 2015The murder of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hit home on so many levels. My daughter is a student at the University of North Carolina. She just happened not to be in Chapel Hill that day. I think of those parents almost every day and how they lost two daughters and a […]
Rigidity of the two extremes on January 24, 2015The Charlie Hebdo magazine killings have had an immediate fallout and promise to make many serious and enduring changes, none of which will be positive for anyone. I remember the time that the Satanic Verses came out and how deeply hurt and offended I was. A liberal Muslim friend, in full condescension and pity mode, […]
The impetus of shock and sorrow on December 18, 2014Children are the Achilles heel of nations. Like parents, countries deal with tragedy but if it involves children, the issue becomes a catastrophe. And so it is for Pakistan and the loss of the 134 children killed by the savage Taliban in the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar. The government was busy […]
The tipping point in Pakistan on October 24, 2014The Sharif government has been weakened. Khatir Ghaznavi wrote so famously: “Go zara si baat par barsoan ke yaraaney gaye laikin itna to hua kuch loag pehchaney gaye” (years of friendship dissolved over a minor incident but served to expose some people). Dragging on this regime for another three and a half years seems difficult. […]
The polio and jalsa viruses in Pakistan on October 10, 2014Not only have the polio and jalsa (rally) viruses paralysed Pakistan, there are no credible plans to control them. Pakistan has this curious penchant to get chalked up in the various lists of infamy. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was started in 1988 and was based on vaccination and surveillance. Progress was tracked through surveillance […]
Corruption: comparison and consequences on September 12, 2014Pakistanis love to ape the US. Think of the recent Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Mother’s Day celebrations. It would be so nice if the US’s work ethic, punctuality, integrity, processes, legal recourse and fidelity to the state were also adopted. Most importantly, what the US does with corrupt members of government. Recently, former Virginia Governor […]