Mehboob Qadir

India had decided to walk the talk of Brass Tacks in 1985. We were moved to Shakargarh salient in anticipation of the escalation. The unit was tucked in under different clumps of trees to avoid detection. I had put my office lean-to in a small clearing near the edge of an empty field where balmy […]

Life could go on uneventfully till a materially superior incident takes place, which tends to jerk one out of drift and a state like that of a tiny twig floating around aimlessly in a side eddy of the stream, going nowhere in particular. This occurrence could involve the subject in the build up and the […]

Compassion is a function of empathy, sensitivity and commitment. It is all about sharing, blossoming in many ways just as sensitivity has different shades. There are those who are well endowed and can spend to benefit the poor and the deserving. There are others who are motivated but not well off, and therefore generate funds […]

Dispensation of justice in time is the key to a society’s progress and harmony, and a state’s viability. Its absence or degradation can have horrible consequences, as it can not only jeopardise the integrity of the country but also seriously disillusion and distance the citizens from the state. It was not without reason when during […]

State systems under evolution or neglect, in both cases, have to stagger through a period of turbulence, dysfunction and friction, albeit at the cost of the plight of the ordinary citizen, efficiency and prompt delivery of services. This hodgepodge of state disjointedness and rising popular disappointment often leads to an environment of general anarchy. Closely […]

A nation’s social landscape at a given time in its history is not necessarily the index of her lasting basis of going about the business of life. It would be incorrect to shortlist an incident or a small series of incidents to draw any useful conclusions about how future events might unfold, going on to […]

An impoverished, nuclear-armed, madrassas-ridden country with an army trying to destabilise the neighbourhood for strategic depth and territorial ambitions, bequeathed by a string of dictators. A country’s description that could make one go potentially ballistic, indignant, or simply shrug one’s shoulders, but would be rarely reflective. The response would depend upon how much one has […]

A new breed of genetically engineered, flashy men and women who crave positions of prominence and authority without the ability and desire to shoulder and carry the burden of corresponding nobility and grace, has alarmingly begun to mushroom in our country. A decade or two ago, this particular variety was bred in glass houses under […]

Reverting to Shahaan’s dilemma, society, family laws, and over-arching Fiqh seem to have given a ham-handed treatment to the subject of this kind of ‘infanticide.’ This imperious troika makes a cosmetic effort to retard a monstrous male’s blows and then gift-wraps the hammer for the discarded wife and her child by allowing a measly maintenance […]

Sindhis generally are a friendly crowd. They are hospitable, mild mannered and cultured. All one needs to do is to be understanding, respectful and on the same plinth. Their response in most cases to genuine overtures of such solidarity is instant, laced with grace and thoughtfulness. Thereafter, a fascinating equation of mutual respect and affection […]