Courts and the Complex Issue of Mentally Disordered Offenders on December 15, 2021The relationship between psychiatric illness and criminality has been the topic of intense debate and scrutiny in the recent past in light of the Noor Mukadam murder case. While the renewed focus and media attention on the importance of mental health in the aftermath of such tragedies is a positive development, the relationship between mental […]
The politics of denial on December 12, 2017Of course, not only Nawaz Sharif has a denial problem. If politicians were not widely seen as hard-hearted, ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wouldn’t have billed himself as a compassionate leader. If politicians’ self-awareness is encouraging, it would mean he is determined to avoid his past political errors. Or might it be discouraging? It is, […]
PMDCs new system is flawed on September 23, 2017The admission process to higher education is the mechanism by which inputs to the system are regulated. Effective admission procedures are a critical component of an institution’s ability to fulfill its mission and goals, and on a greater scale, of the capacity of higher education to contribute to a nation’s economic and social goals. At […]
Violence against women and the meaning of rape on July 29, 2017Horrific cases of violence against women seem to happen with disturbing regularity, with many of them occurring in Punjab. A teenage girl was subjected to sexual assault on the orders of a panchayat in the Muzaffarabad area of Multan district. The rape had been ordered as ‘punishment’ for a rape committed earlier by Kaneez Mai’s […]
Murder and suicide all terrorism in the name of God on June 9, 2017The Old Testament describes how Samson in a single act of vengeance caused the death of about 3000 Philistines, knowing that he himself would die with his victims. Samson used his extraordinary power to bring down the two pillars that supported the temple, crushing his enemies, in the name of God. In a tragically similar […]
Truth is all politicians lie on May 22, 2017There are two kinds of lies that corrupt politicians’ discourse. The lie that is intended to deceive is easy to understand, but the lie that is intended to be recognised as a lie is much more dangerous, because it carries a clear message about power. Lies told by politicians are fictional but the dangers they […]
How to talk about clinical depression on April 8, 2017Although mental health is a sensitive topic the world over, the prevalence of mental illness and its consequences can no longer be overlooked. While mental disorders include a range of illnesses such as anxiety, schizophrenia, and autism, depression is the most common and is pervasive worldwide. Clinical depression is considered to be the “common cold” […]
NAB is fast losing legitimacy fix it Now on April 2, 2017The challenge was set to be more accountable for what the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) actually did. This call to account for transparent performance achieved a new insult in wake of recent criticisms. A three-member bench, headed by Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, has ordered NAB’s chairman to present the option of an early retirement […]
Shrines, shackles and schizophrenia on March 27, 2017Physical restraint of people with mental illness has a long and inglorious history. Philippe Pinel is credited with having released the mentally ill from their chains at the Bicêtre and the Salpêtrière hospitals in Paris at the end of the 18th century. Yet physical restraint has continued in mental hospitals, in religious shrines and healing […]
Troll wars on social media on March 19, 2017Social media war rooms set up by political parties have become a battleground to troll rivals. Political parties are using several methods including Facebook page likes, Twitter followers, digital campaigns, videos and statements against rivals to establish that they are the most trusted and followed party in the digital space. These parties used to place […]