Sowing despair and distrust in society on October 28, 2020We Pakistanis talk endlessly about corruption, profiteering, the black market, fake medicines and lawlessness. We trust no one ,except those with whom we have connections. Impersonal rules are viewed with suspicion and our first response is to get around them. The glue of morals and trust that binds societies is melting away from our public […]
Pakistan the day after the corona pandemic crisis: a vision on May 28, 2020A new world. How and when will the Corona virus pandemic end in Pakistan is an open question. It may end with hundreds of deaths and thousands of infections. Or the crisis may end with vast devastations of families, institutions and businesses. We do not know what it will be. Yet, one way or the […]
Living in the times of Corona virus on April 20, 2020A feeling of dread has come to pervade daily life. The thoughts of death and disease cycle in one’s mind, not only of one’s own but also of sons, daughters and in my case grandchildren. Everybody is vulnerable, though the old are both more susceptible to the infection and at high risk of dying. At […]
Muslims as nationals in North America on March 6, 2020Muslims in North America have relatively recently settled in sizable numbers to form minority communities. Estimates of Muslims range from 3 to-7 million in the US, depending on the method of counting. Canada has more than a million Muslims. Being a minority in liberal, secular and democratic societies is a new experience for Muslims. Besides […]
Furthering the discussion of higher education on June 23, 2019What should be the objectives of national higher education policy? Should it strengthen and advance undergraduate studies or continue to invest heavily in producing PhDs, as has been its priority in the past decade? This is the debate precipitated by Dr Tariq Banuri, the new chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), as he stated […]