Malala: a symbol of courage and faith on June 6, 2021‘I know the power that a young girl carries in her heart when she has a vision and a mission’ — Malala Yousafzai Malala seems to be everywhere. And some of us are loving it. Indeed, it was a sight to see social media light up with beautifully photographed pictures of the once-upon-a-time little […]
COVAX saves the day on May 30, 2021America has pledged to share 80 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. This makes it the largest provider to COVAX, which, in turn, helps bring vaccines to Pakistan. The US is additionally the primary global sponsor for assistance via vaccination donations. Germany and the UK take second and third place, respectively, under the COVAX umbrella. […]
To be a Feminist on May 24, 2021I support all peaceful protest marches for women’s rights as I consider myself a feminist. That being said, there has to be a conversation, and most of all understanding, about the relationship between political ideology and human rights. Unless this is resolved, polarising viewpoints will continue to prevail, especially around the time of the International […]
Witch, grandmother, ink and eggs on May 9, 2021The title of this column might sound like that of a Dr Seuss book, but the context is more sinister. Political slander and smear campaigns have been the norm for years. This should not be the case but it is. History shows us that from as far back as ancient Rome, political rivals have employed […]
Riz Ahmed — breaking all stereotypes on April 28, 2021Riz Ahmed did not take home the Oscar this year for his lead role in ‘Sound of Metal’. That honour went to Sir Anthony Hopkins for ‘The Father’. But this doesn’t matter. For by becoming the first Muslim (of Pakistani origin, to boot) to have ever received an Oscar nomination in the best actor category […]
In favour of ‘vaccine passports’ on April 18, 2021Vaccine Passports have been a main topic of conversation in the past few days. Last year I was scoffed at for bringing this up and it was even denoted as being a conspiracy theory. However, they do make sense currently and the news on this is they might just become a reality very soon for […]
Battling loss and grief during Covid -19 in a South Asian landscape on April 5, 2021The therapist I spoke to told me that ‘channeling’ grief was not the first stage that we should be speaking about as far as mental health was concerned. Particularly in this cultural environment, ‘battling’ grief would be the terminology better used. To her, Covid survivors or Covid-loss related survivors are likened to warriors. Warriors who […]
Vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan – Building trust on March 20, 2021Viewing the World Economic Forum (WEF) webinar “Boosting Vaccine Confidence” earlier this year was quite educational. The focus of the webinar was to encourage vaccine administrations worldwide and build trust in the vaccines amongst their people by providing adequate knowledge to them. The Covid-19 vaccines have brought up some tough questions for Pakistan to answer, […]
Acknowledging Malala on March 7, 2021For International Women’s Day we highlight Malala Yousafzai as being one of the most powerful symbols of Women’s Empowerment in the world today The story of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot in 2012 by militants for expressing her opinions, is known across continents. After surviving the brutal attack, she went […]
FATF grey list — A bitter reality on March 7, 2021Politics! Cried the irate crowd. The recent announcement that Pakistan will remain on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list was met with disdain and denial of ground realities. The FATF President, Dr. Marcus Pleyer was significantly diplomatic yet very clear when he said there were “serious deficiencies in mechanisms to plug terrorism financing”. […]