End of conflict, or end of the way? II on February 19, 2019Khan is temperamentally not a person to take such kind lying down. He responded through a sequence of tweets highlighting the role that Pakistan had played and the damage it had suffered because of being a part of the US war on terror: “No Pakistani was involved in 9/11, but it decided to participate in […]
End of conflict, or end of the way? part I on February 18, 2019“Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It […]
The deepening emptiness on February 10, 2019“Or when, under ether, the mind is conscious but conscious of nothing – I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love […]
Seeking the truth on February 3, 2019“A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left is the truth of who and what we really are.” —Teal Scott Much has been documented on the phenomenon of the demise of truth. It is a […]
The ones who would (not) be king(s) on January 27, 2019“The country isn’t half worked out because those that govern it won’t let you touch it. They spend all their blessed time in governing it and you can’t lift a spade, nor chip a rock, nor look for oil, nor anything like that without all the government saying, ‘leave it alone and let us govern’. […]
Oh, Democracy? Now, what is that? on January 20, 2019“Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation.” Atifete Jahjaga Democracy is construed as a system that would advance […]
The hovering shadows on January 13, 2019“With despair, true optimism begins: the optimism of the man who expects nothing, who knows he has no rights and nothing is coming to him, who rejoices in counting on himself alone and in acting alone for the good of all.” Jean Paul Sartre There comes a time in the history of nations when hope […]
Puppets on the strings on January 6, 2019Pakistan is caught up in this nauseating puppet show which goes on remorselessly. The word shame has virtually disappeared from the lexicon prevalent among the political elite. They also suffer from a denial syndrome that has no parallel in the context of legal or public discourse. They are enamoured by the prospect that, by repeating […]
Offering it on a silver platter on December 30, 2018In a recent piece published in this paper titled “Supping with the devil”, I had raised the prospect of the eventual Afghanistan. I had written: “Are we headed for another Taliban government in Afghanistan? Under the existing circumstances, and keeping abreast of the recent developments, it may just be so. The escalating Taliban influence and […]
Let the colours of spring float across the sky on December 23, 2018It makes for such a sad commentary that the few celebrations we are left with are clouded in the hues of bias and prejudice, mostly emanating from our respective interpretations of their beginnings, or the motivating spirit that gave birth to some of these joyous occasions. Basant is one such festival which has been marred […]