Saad Hafiz

Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai, two girls from different eras, share a certain kinship. They lived under fear and terror. Their ability to read and write allowed them to share their stories with the world. Both are regarded as symbols of defiance against the forces of cruelty and darkness. Anne died of typhus with her […]

There is a pent-up demand, especially in the developing world, for what the citizens of a few developing countries have achieved because of transformative leadership. To be a transformational leader, one has to work for a greater purpose and not for one’s own personal gain; that requires vision and discipline. Alas, such leaders are rare […]

Pakistan has become a favourite international punching bag. One critical portrayal of the country is that it is far from being the ‘land of the pure’; instead, it is one of the clearest demonstrations of the futility of defining a nation by religion and one of the textbook failures of a state and society, doomed […]

The recent murder of Dr Mohammad Shakil Auj, the dean of Islamic Studies at the University of Karachi, is yet another atrocity in Pakistan’s seemingly unending sectarian conflict. Apparently, Dr Auj, known for his liberal religious views, was targeted for speaking out against sectarian killings. Since the 1970s, the country has been wracked by violence, […]

Prior to and since independence, both India and Pakistan have challenged and manipulated their joint histories for both political and social reasons. Evidently different nationalist ideologies also shape the message in textbooks that India and Pakistan seek to convey to their future citizens. Stark contrasts emerge in the portrayal of political leaders, as well as […]

As was the case in the 1930s, the global forces of reaction are emerging with populist appeals directed against immigrants, ethnic and sectarian minorities. Society’s seemingly permanent infatuation with xenophobic demagogy is alive and well. It is a conducive environment for the most reactionary and chauvinistic elements in society to prosper. They are egged on […]

Some newspaper reports indicate that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has made an appeal to the local population in the border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan to support its struggle for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. It has also been reported that a number of hardline groups operating in the area […]

Pakistan is in the grip of the political dysfunction that seems to manifest itself again and again. For six decades, power in Pakistan has teetered between military dictatorship and civilian rule. As usual, there is a lack of ideas and sense of direction despite the abundance of rhetoric. Any forced change is unlikely to address […]

John Adams, the US’s second president, once pronounced: “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” He was clearly wrong. Democracy remains the most powerful and successful political idea — the great victor of the ideological clashes of the 20th century […]

In yet another manifestation of the hate that appears to be deeply ingrained in Pakistan, four members of the Ahmedi community in Gujranwala were murdered last week by a mob protesting an allegedly blasphemous post on Facebook by an Ahmedi youth. A mob incited by the pulpit, feeding on suspicion and rumour, killed the defenceless […]