Mohenjo Daro could have been our Taj Mahal on August 3, 2016“No, I am not accompanying you there; once you step out of Karachi the only thing that would greet you is Sindhi dacoits,” scoffed a loved one years ago when I showed an inclination towards visiting the ruins of Mohenjo Daro. Seeing the historic site has always been on my bucket list, but getting there […]
The liberal, the mullah and the silent moderate on July 27, 2016An old man hollered while flipping through news channels, “Forget about Turkey, lekin Pakistan mein toh, mashallah, lagna chahiye,” (But in Pakistan, mashAllah, it should be imposed). I am certain that he meant martial law, but I’m also pretty sure that many common Pakistanis would breathe a sigh of relief, and exclaim subhanAllah (glory be […]
The 13th century Sufi confidant on July 20, 2016In the narrow dusty lanes of Mehrauli, a neighbourhood of Delhi, a few metres away from the famous Qutub Minar, is the small sanctuary of a Sufi saint known as Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, who lived more than 800 years ago. Cars and rickshaws are allowed only up to a certain point, as roads leading to […]
The remittance Pakistanis on July 13, 2016There are entire families in Pakistan who for a number of years have had a steady source of income coming in through remittance from family members living abroad. It is like a tax levied upon their siblings who managed to leave the country, and may be zooming ahead in life faster than their imagination. Their […]
My Pakistani Islam on July 8, 2016Oh, hey it’s you, the reader; give me a minute as I have some condemning to do online. You see last week I condemned the Turkish Airport blasts, a few days ago it was Dhaka I was standing with, and by the time this piece goes into publication, God forbid, there would be more attacks […]
The selfie-ish society on June 29, 2016The late Qawaal Amjad Sabri is said to have asked for some water from bystanders, as he bled to death, but his plea was ignored as people busied themselves in making videos of him dying. To upload later for some cheap Facebook likes and Twitter retweets. One can almost be certain that some of the […]
A walk down middle class lanes on June 22, 2016Parents often question their young ones about what they wish to become when they grow up, and if the child shows an inclination towards becoming a teacher, or in playful zest replies that he/she wants to be like the storekeeper they often visit at the corner of the street, Pakistani parents are quick to correct […]
Ramzan: a month to exhibit our greed on June 8, 2016Ramazan Mubarak. Ramadan Kareem. Ramzan Kareem. Ramadhan Mubarak. Sorry, I am just practising the various ways of wishing people on the commencement of this auspicious month. I do not wish to offend anyone — the ones who see themselves as ‘Bakistani’ or the ones who still say Khuda hafiz instead of the now-approved-by-most Allah hafiz. […]
The curse of item songs on June 1, 2016A few days ago aneight-year-old girl was sexually assaulted, and then thrown off the roof of her home in Karachi, resulting in her immediate death. Prior to that the ugly case of sexual crimes against young boys in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had made headlines. There was also a report of a rape that took place […]
Inbox-love on May 25, 2016“Hello, at least talk to me please. I’ll buy you a laptop, a new phone, anything you want. Please respond,” urged the contents of a text from a random number one night. Hello, I was born mute, how to reply dear brother; this is how I envisioned typing back in anger before blocking the number. […]