Hearing the deaf on January 20, 2019If you look from afar it seems like just another ordinary school; colorful posters adorn the walls, children sit on neatly arranged desks with their heads buried between books. Nothing seems unusual, except: there is no noise when someone scores a six, the little ones snap their fingers to a silent nursery rhyme and a […]
Whose ‘Pakistan’? on January 8, 2019A nation can only be as great as those to whom it belongs. Partition created it but politicians and generals governed it. Citizens suffered the consequences and fought to live another day in their Pakistan. Those branded with a 13 digit national identity card number belong to this land of the pure. They vote, drive […]
Mohenjo-Daro on January 3, 2019Born into a race for the highest pay,thenicest clothes, and the finest food, there is no time to look back. Any man pausing to admire a crumbling 5000 year old wall in Pakistanwill be called a fool. For the average citizen there is little use of history beyond 1947 and Defense Day. Government officials and […]
The corporal punishment challenge on December 22, 2018In the pages of history teaching has often been cited as noble work. From a courtesan to a King’s advisor, teachers have borne the duty of passing down knowledge and skills in every profession and generation. They are the silent and often overlooked makers of a civil society: individuals who taught the Prime Minister stealing […]
AIDS and Pakistan on December 15, 2018This month began by marking World AIDS Day. First December: an international day dedicated to raising awareness about the lethal condition in the hope of eradicating it. As per custom President Arif Alvi reiterated the promises every government makes to fight the epidemic by providing high impact prevention services to the public. Last year a […]
In Pakistan’s name on December 9, 2018My grandmother spent the last year chanting ‘Go Nawaz go’ sitting before her television screen. She even said an extra prayer for his departure the day the Panamagate verdict was due. Why? Because even today sometimes she can still see dead bodies spilling across train seats. Despite losing many of her family members and most […]
The Faisal Vawda Question on December 1, 2018As gun shots echoed through the walls inside, our Federal Minister for Water Resources tucked his gun into the back pocket of his jeans standing outside.Donning a bullet proof jacket over his black shirt, he was ready to take on the terrorists attacking the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. Speaking to the media he said: ‘This […]
An open letter to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting on November 20, 2018When PTI announced its cabinet upon coming into power, it came as no surprise that you, Mr Fawad Chaudhry, had been named Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting. Throughout the Panamagate hearings you stood at the frontline, simultaneously battling PML-N supporters and news reporters outside Supreme Court. It was you who translated the lengthy JIT […]
Making space for the third gender on November 3, 2018Across the world the birth of a child is considered a blessing. In Pakistan this blessing is halved if the child is a girl. And it is completely diminished if the child is transgender. While activists regularly fight for the rights of transgender persons in Pakistan, the focus is primarily adults. The difficulties of being […]
The death penalty conundrum on October 24, 2018The most certain occurrence in life is oddly the one most feared by us all: lying six feet under the soil. And this fear is so great that it has become the ultimate penalty for a sinner in our world. The legal system in many countries across the globe punishes bad deeds by death. But […]