Sikhs in Canada: A Tale Spread Over Centuries on August 5, 2023It is as if the history of highly humane Canadian conscience is repeating its noble act after more than two centuries. Members of the Sikh community, oppressed terrorized and tormented in the Indian-held Punjab, are finding solace and freedom to live and express their grievances and speak out their political aspirations in Canada just as […]
Pakistan’s Chai Wala in London, now on July 22, 2023From an ordinary run-of-the-mill tea stall in Sunday Bazaar to London’s Illford Lane, Arshad Khan, most affectionately known as Pakistan’s chaiwala has had a spectacular roller coaster ride in the last several years. Just seven years ago, Arshad Khan was a poor teenager selling Chai at an Islamabad roadside stall (Dhabba) with no prospects of […]
Londoners’ love for ‘Cha Sha’ on July 5, 2023Take a break and recharge yourself with the perfect blend of English and South Asian flavours served alongside a cup of freshly brewed tea. If you’re lucky, you might find your soulmate along the way. A Pakistani couple from Karachi made waves in Britain when it popularised a home-grown delicacy, Matka Chai. People queued outside […]
Would Mr Khan Learn his Lesson? on May 24, 2023History tends to repeat itself. If former prime minister Imran Khan ever wishes to write the second volume of his “personal history,” he would be better off starting with a tirade against those who stop their ears to this outstanding lesson. Because the messiahs and their unwavering belief in being above reproach have driven a […]
Where child sex abuse is the norm on April 30, 2023A sickening photomontage started making rounds on social media earlier this week. On one hand, a man garlanded with currency notes stood triumphantly outside the Khairpur district jail. However, sending shockwaves across the nation, the other half featured him in a very graphic screenshot of a video of alleged sodomy. The heart-wrenching lines of sorrow […]
An Unnecessary Diversion on April 14, 2023Remember when an inconvenient moment of truth saw a senior puisne judge request people to “judge us, not the institutions?” Well, the message has clearly been received albeit a little late. Justice Qazi Faez Isa might not see the irony in being the sole representative of the higher judiciary in the house of the Legislature, […]
14-year-old pulls back societal drapes on April 10, 2023Patriarchy in Pakistan enjoys the front-row view; sitting on irony’s edge. Lines become blurred as tragedy is tinged with rib-tickling comedy. Basking in the privilege handed by his genes on a silver platter, a young man is making rounds on social media as he comes down hard on supporters of women’s education and empowerment; branding […]
Hina Butt: speak up and be heard on March 15, 2023Everyone loves to brag. It is for this reason alone that a country so fixated on keeping an entire half of its population under chadar-char deewari wraps occasionally finds pleasure in talking about its first female prime minister in the Muslim world. Still, enjoying the showers of praise and paving the way for other just […]
Mafia proposes, public disposes on February 13, 2023Imran Khan is known for calling a spade by no other name but what it truly is: a spade. So, when he dubbed the coalition umbrella Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as a sinister mafia, he was quick to point out the illegal tactics in its arsenal against the higher judiciary. In an exclusive conversation with […]
Politician by fate, leader by choice on January 26, 2023With more than its fair share of sticky floors and glass ceilings, Pakistan was never an easy country for its women to thrive in. The situation gets progressively worse when politics comes into the equation. Known to be a gentleman’s club for as far as one may remember, the dirty politicking, crass exchange of fiery […]