The noxious den of corruption on May 15, 2018From casting deadly aspersions on the prospect of the next elections being held at all to these being delayed for differing periods of time, there is also much speculation about their possible outcome. Some insist that the PMLN narrative is selling while others contend that the Sharifs are past their heyday and it may now […]
The albatross hung around our neck on May 8, 2018“And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root; We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot. Ah! Well a-day! What evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, Albatross About my neck was hung.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge There is shame. […]
Look, there is blood on our hands on May 1, 2018The news of the daylight murder of another two Hazara men in Quetta sheds gloomy light on the widening fault lines which have bloodied our society along multiple hues and divides. But, as it were, with every such gruesome occurrence, we slump further back in our comfortable posture, mocking Voltaire’s genius: “To the living, we […]
Cleaning up the stables on April 24, 2018There is a contentious debate raging through certain tiers of the society regarding the menace of rampant perversion which has taken a hold, leaving indelible marks on almost all that transpires here. It is as if everything is coloured in the hues of this mortal ailment. Of a vast variety of perversions displayed in the […]
Stretching it a notch thinner on April 17, 2018At the crossroads of history, there are times when one has to take a position — a position which may not be quintessentially correct, but which may be the best option to exercise for the larger good of the state and its people. That’s exactly where Pakistan finds itself today. Pakistan is a land that […]
Penitence has no time bar on April 10, 2018Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the 35th President of Brazil. He served from 2003 to 2011. Lula was one of the most popular politicians in the history of Brazil. In 2010, he was featured in the Time‘s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” and was called “The Most Successful Politician of his […]
It changeth not until thou changeth thyself on April 3, 2018First a word about my piece published last week. Let me acknowledge an exception among the string of people appointed as heads of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the last one decade: Admiral (R) Fasih Bokhari. The fact that he was not allowed to complete his tenure and eased out prematurely makes for another […]
The nudge, the push on March 27, 2018The photograph of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) nudging Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the de-jure prime minister, to stand up during the Pakistan Day Parade in Islamabad has gone viral. He was either caught napping, or busy seeking permission from the de-facto prime minister whether he needed to stand up in compliance with the demands […]
Peace tidings on March 20, 2018Peace tidings may be on the horizon. But, then, it has been so in the past also! The document released on the occasion of the inauguration of the Kabul Peace Process on February 28, reflecting a major shift in the government’s approach to negotiations with the Taliban, also expressed the desire to engage with Pakistan […]
A litany of half-truths on March 13, 2018These days, much conscientious rumination is emanating from the floor of the parliament. Swansongs are being transformed into a litany of half-truths, choreographing only one side of the story. This can be misleading and dangerous. Farhatullah Babar chose the occasion to unleash a vicious tirade against virtually all institutions except the one whose floor he […]