Living by the sword on March 8, 2018Wherever I went in Pakistan, his name came up in conversations. He was accused of corruption, threatening behaviour, bias in promotions/postings of high officials, and other things including running the government on his own. By the time I reached Islamabad, I could not take it anymore. I called him for a meeting. We had met […]
Psychopathology of a serial killer on February 28, 2018As I introduced myself, he gave me the most charming smile from behind the bars. “You look different from all your photographs I have seen.” I said. “Do I really?” the master of disguise, now in a trendy overgrown beard, seemed pleased with his effort. I was assessing Imran Ali, aged 24, who had abducted […]
How to win elections on February 7, 2018The general elections will be upon us in only a few months. Keen observers would note that the last thing politicians want to talk about is politics. They are only concentrating on tactics which can help them grab your vote. Let me share some tricks that I have found through reliable research, which could influence […]
We the people of Pakistan on January 31, 2018We often feel about Pakistan the same way a genius felt about where I live — “I love England except the people who live in it”. On the other hand, even if we have a choice, we would never live anywhere else. Beyond familiarity, associations and sheer laziness, there must be things about Pakistan, which […]
Imran Khan weds again? on January 14, 2018Imran Khan is a hero and heroes can do no wrong. He has decided to marry again. Marriage is obviously his personal decision and a private matter but he is a public figure. Public figures in Pakistan have also engaged in multiple marriages without any fuss. Why are we picking on him? He seems proud […]
How to be happy in 2018 and beyond on January 9, 2018A person needs a few things to be truly happy — “someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for”. I wish it were that simple. Happiness means different things to different people. It can make them sociable and altruistic; increases earning and strengthens their immune systems. People around the world, term happiness […]
Medicine and politics — weird bedfellows? on December 31, 2017We were told in Medical School that a doctor, a teacher and a politician have no caste. Later, we found another common ground with politics from Rudolph Virchow (1948): “Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale.” Most doctors are prisoners of their medical education and are […]
The expat conundrum on December 19, 2017The expats have passed another year away from home. It brings on a convoluted sadness that is inseparable from a feeling of not wholly belonging somewhere and missing out from where you have left. This dichotomy of being, gives rise to a conflict where you see the best in your own and the worst among […]
Of New Year’s resolutions on December 3, 2017The New Year is upon us. It can only truly begin when this year ends, but most of us are already thinking about it. Some would approach it like a chapter to be written in the book of life; others wait for it to unwrap like an expensive box of chocolates. I do not make […]
State should keep standing on November 23, 2017When I refused to confirm a gossipy piece of information to one of the top female politicians during an encrypted chat, she accused me of being boring. As someone who gets heavily paid for talking to people, I told her that only bored people are boring; interesting people always find something interesting in all things. […]