Qamar Rafiq

I’m in the children’s section of Marks and Spencer (M&S) to buy a uniform for my four-year-old son who will be going to school for the first time this week. This shopping experience has prompted the pure national tragedy of hundreds of extremely vulnerable Christian children who have stopped going to school after blasphemy riots […]

As we walk along the winding paths of history, it is not difficult to feel the sheer horror of forced conversion, religious aggression, misuse of blasphemy law and mob violence against faith communities. But unfortunately, almost everywhere in Pakistan, violence in the name of religion and government’s lack of interest are peddling religious minorities to […]

I have quit relationships, jobs and even some social beliefs – but by far, the most painful thing I ever quit was a hope that one of the most important institutions of Pakistan can maintain the judicial integrity to deliver justice to avoid both constitutional and political crises. Recent events have highlighted the brutal truth: […]

Bruises of terrorism, fault lines of a dysfunctional system, sea of external debts, custom-made political chaos, and vultures of internal and regional conflicts have left a flawless trail of my utter destruction. I have lived all of my life in a time of great menace in the experience of both tragedy and comedy. I am […]

I had been trying so hard not to cry, but my recent visit to Pakistan unfolded how the bespoke political instability has left Pakistan badly wounded. No regrets, others have spent more than seven decades judging who is more patriotic and who less is. I am haunted by the notion of struggling parents in such […]

It is true that Christmas isn’t really on my radar. I chose not to send Christmas cards to my Christian colleagues and friends this year. But, I got a card from an old friend today with a note, which said: “At Christmas, all roads lead to hope.” What good can come from this calendar year, […]

Delivery of quality health care always improves a nation’s well-being, mindfulness, and life expectancy, which could positively affect economic and social growth. That’s why health care in Pakistan is a subject of interest to me. One of my objectives is to edify how we can embed leadership and emotional intelligence in healthcare to patient-centred care. […]

After more than 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, was buried on September 19. The entire nation came together to salute their beloved Queen as Great Britain falls silent to say “Last Farewell” to Queen Elizabeth II. Her death marked the end of the second Elizabethan era and the beginning […]

The Black Mercedes Benz hearse pulled out from Balmoral Castle, revealing the oak coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth draped in the royal standard of Scotland. Queen was moved from Balmoral to Edinburgh and finally arrived in London to Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects. The State Funeral […]

The admiration for a woman, who has been an emblem of unity and devotion beyond nations for so many decades, is deeply sincere, and the grief of her loss, very genuine. The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon light of strength and duty in a fractured […]