Marvi Sirmed

By now we all know what Memogate is, and what memo we are referring to here. Without going into the details of what happened or did not happen between Mr Husain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz, one has to admit that the contents of the memo represent a most pressing issue that Pakistan faces today. It […]

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan saw yet another moment of national shame right on the day of Eid-ul-Azha when four Hindus, including three doctors, were brutally killed in broad daylight. Conflicting media messages and false claims about the motive are but an ugly attempt to justify the crime. According to the story given out to […]

It has been a week since the blogerati, TV anchors and the Op-Ed community started nervous ‘wake-up calls’ for two big parties after the ‘successful’ jalsa by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on October 30. While one cannot disagree on major changes both the bigger parties need to bring to their structure, approach and ways […]

Last week marked the death anniversary of General Ziaul Haq whose martial law rule is known to be the most brutal and ruthless in Pakistan. It was during his black period that any non-compliance meant death, prison or lashes. The defiant media elements were specifically eliminated from professional space through either jails or forced asylums. […]

As a firm believer in cultural roots rather than oneness through religion, August gives me hope. Flags adorn the cities and marketplaces fill up with the echoes of milli naghmas (patriotic songs) sung in the 1960s and 70s. The country is engulfed by a sense of patriotic love for the soil. One, however, enjoys the […]

It was probably early 2005 when I first met Osama. With a pleasant smile, soft demeanour but a bit reserved, Osama was quite likeable. What shocked me was his strong repulsion to music and girls (yes!). As soon as we switched on the music, a famous Mohammad Rafi song, Osama was quick to put both […]

“Even the worst democracy is better than the best of dictatorships.” Have you ever felt like breaking your TV screen while listening to this famous statement made by Prime Minister Gilani in a desperate attempt to defend his government? In a state of extreme hopelessness after facing a new trouble every day, it creates a […]

In an op-ed in a British paper, a man claims to have communicated a message from a diplomat to the American establishment. After an aggressive media trial, the diplomat in question has to resign while the heat approached the head of the state whose supposed treason is being heard in the Supreme Court on the […]

When your favourite songs are labelled under ‘old music’, it reminds one of changing times and trends. From the vintage black telephone sets transfigured into sleek smartphones, to big noisy typewriters metamorphosed into iPads, everything has changed. Guest-lists at the White House have changed dramatically from President Reagan hosting the mujahideen with flowing beards to […]

A place where you can understand the dynamics of international relations and make judgements about an entire nation just by going through Twitter ‘timelines’ of some columnists: welcome to Indo-Pak subcontinent! In a simplistically written article in The Asian Age (and Deccan Chronicle) on July 21, Shashi Tharoor — one of the most refined and […]