State of violence on January 21, 2011The way to begin an op-ed piece is to have what is called a ‘peg’ on which to hang the rest of the article. This peg is usually some newsworthy event or issue, giving the piece a sense of immediate relevance, which draws the reader to consider the views of the columnist. Thus, the reader […]
The evil that men do on December 31, 2010The month of January was named after the Roman deity Janus by Julius Caesar, who devised the calendar still in use the world over. Janus had two faces, one looking backward and one looking forward. This month also looks simultaneously back at sorrows past, and forward towards the emerging possibilities. This New Year’s Day is […]
Our northwestern neighbour on October 31, 2008“Good fences,” wrote the poet Robert Frost, “Make good neighbours,” meaning thereby that it is wise to stay off your neighbours’ property and out of their affairs. Alas, this has seldom been true of the dealings between Pakistan and our northwestern neighbour Afghanistan.Right back in 1947, Pakistan’s appearance on the world map was first recognised […]
Of Transitionists and Transformationists on November 30, 2007Over the last couple of days, we have seen General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf shedding, with considerable pomp and circumstance, what he called his ‘second skin’, and emerging as the elected civilian President of the Republic. This, for the retired General, was a major transition. But, look around. The sun will still rise in the east […]