Kahar Zalmay  

The blast at the Tableeghi Jamaat Markaz in Peshawar last week should be an eye-opener for our myopic rulers who still believe that the Taliban are some kind of disgruntled elements of society who can be brought back into the mainstream through talks. The leadership fails to understand that, over the years, power and influence […]

At the age of 15, Aitzaz Hussain Bangash did what the leadership of this country, both civilians and men in uniform, has failed to do. He died a hero’s death so that his schoolmates could live on and realise their worldly dreams. He cut his life short so others could blossom. Aitzaz could have listened […]

On July 4, 2011, Pakistan lost a man; nay, it shot itself in the foot. On that day, a religious fanatic did not murder a man — we killed an ideology, an inspiration, a narrative that could have held this country together. The philosophy for which Salmaan Taseer shaheed laid down his life values individual […]

“Because hypocrisy stinks in the nostrils, one is likely to rate it as a more powerful agent for destruction than it is” — Rebecca West. The politicians are in the news yet again. It is a ritual that is being observed every year since the so-called media freedom in Pakistan, portraying politicians as villains with […]

Mirali, a town in the North Waziristan tribal Agency, has been under siege for the last few days. A curfew was imposed after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, followed by a suicide attack on a check post at Khajori, which killed five security officials. We hear two different narratives: one, the military in retaliation […]

Who would have thought 60 odd years ago that a country created for Muslims would become unliveable for Muslims? And who would have known that right after independence, Muslims would be struggling to prove themselves as Muslims for fear of being persecuted when the state decided to embrace a particular sect? Those who struggled to […]

Analysing Imran Khan’s politics, one notices a clear disconnect from ground realities. His opposition to drone strikes, rather fixation on them, is beyond the understanding of thinking Pakistani citizens who have started questioning his stance on drones and militancy. Imran Khan’s quick fix solution to all the ills of Pakistan is, one, halting drone strikes […]

Pashtuns are traditionalists and pride themselves for being connected to their traditions. Like the Jews they have traditions for everything and that is how they kept a balance in society for many years. But the recent wave of religiosity and militancy has shattered what they tried to keep for centuries. Change was supposed to come […]

I met several teenagers who, with little preaching, fell easily into the terrorism trap. This raises a few questions: why are they readily and easily drifting towards militancy? Is it because the Taliban propaganda machine is so appealing and rich in its contents? Or is it the culture and the environment that works like a […]

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” — John Fitzgerald Kennedy. No section of society has suffered more than children in this ongoing war on terror. Apart from the hundreds of children who were killed or maimed as a result of three decades’ long militancy, millions are affected […]