Gulmina Bilal Ahmad

The media tells me that I, and a few thousand fellow Pakistanis, have become ‘CIA agents’. It does not matter that we do not know it ourselves. After all, there are so many other things that we need the media to tell us. My new tag of being a CIA agent is just another one. […]

I keep telling myself that I have two options: one is to bury myself in a media black hole and the other to condition myself to be oblivious to the people, discussions and media around me. Thus close friends would be surprised to see my online history alternating between gardening and painting. Yet the brutal […]

Pakistanis are deeply religious people. The recent surge in religious television shows mirrors the growing religiosity amongst Pakistani citizens. Not just this, some of our beloved television show hosts oftentimes use religion to boost the viewership of their shows. At least that is what the television channels claim. Some of the religious shows’ hosts have […]

Local elections are again in vogue it seems with Balochistan becoming the first to conduct them last week. Other provinces are still contemplating. As the debate over the local bodies schedule goes on, my focus is on the ‘reservation’ debate. I have had my share of hot debates and deliberations but perhaps the debate about […]

After the army and politicians, the media has become our favourite whipping boy. Talk to a parent and he/she will complain of the ‘outside’ influence encouraged by the media. Talk to the police and they will complain about the alleged blackmailing tactics of the media. Talk to a social activist and he/she will declare that […]

By virtue of how he died, Hakeemullah Mehsud has been declared a martyr, at least by the populist media and vocal sections of the political class. According to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, even a dog will be declared a martyr if he is killed by the Americans. One is not surprised by this statement as this […]

Television is known as the idiot box. Pakistani electronic media is smarter, however. It is turning us into commodities that remain glued to witnessing abuse while raking in money on the pretext of ratings. Not only is it making us idiots that can be sold to the highest advertiser but also ensuring that we learn […]

Poverty is a curse. Poverty makes people vulnerable to disaster, disease and devastation. Even nature treats the poor indifferently. On Tuesday afternoon, a massive earthquake struck the Awaran district of Balochistan and its neighbouring areas. Sadly, Awaran is the poorest district of the province, where most of the population lives in mud brick houses. Due […]

A parent is told at a parent–teacher meeting that her daughter has been careless lately. When asked to describe and draw an eggplant in science class, she left the stem white. The parent reprimanded the child who in her defence stated, “The egg plant that I’ve seen at dadi’s house has a white stem.” In […]