The ‘weaker sex’ still contends with limited work on September 1, 2018There was something unusual in a picture published a few months ago, at least for Pakistan: a man handcuffed, escorted by female police officers. Why was it unusual, you might ask? Because even after seven decades of independence, misogyny is still very much rampant in Pakistani society. Although in the case of this classic camera […]
Dear government, stop shrugging off your responsibility of educating children on July 10, 2018It started a few years back with parents’exasperation over‘exorbitant’tuition fees. Some took to the streets, to express their anger – while others went to the courts. A case settled in one province reared up its head in another; and from Sindh to Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the issue lingered, only to worsen with time. […]
To the writers — listen to the voices in your head on June 13, 2018‘What is it with the urge to write at 2am?’ A friend posted in a common group of writers and bloggers. For some, her dilemma may be difficult to comprehend – a compulsive drive to pen words at crazy hours. But any writer – whether an author, a journalist or a poet – understands. Writers […]
Being a woman in Pakistan is not easy on June 11, 2018We have been taught and told many times that in the pre-Islamic Arabia, girls were not wanted as a child. They practiced a shocking custom of burying a female child alive. It was with the advent of Islam that Arab as well as other women were liberated. They were recognised and treated as equals and […]
To the writers — listen to the voices in your head on June 9, 2018‘What is it with the urge to write at 2am?’ A friend posted in a common group of writers and bloggers. For some, her dilemma may be difficult to comprehend – a compulsive drive to pen words at crazy hours. But any writer – whether an author, a journalist or a poet – understands. Writers […]
Who wants to live forever? on April 28, 2018A recurring theme – search for immortality – appears in most of the literary works and lives of men. Many have set out in search of some elixir which could help them defeat death and enable them to witness life forever. The quest is still alive in the hearts of some eager men, when ironically; […]
When honour is killed on April 2, 2018 A former religious cleric may soon be indicted in a nearly two years old case of honour killing, which not only brought a wave of shock and fury in the nation but also prompted a stricter law against honour killing in the country. Mufti Qavi, along with three other accused,is expected to be indicted […]
The case of increasing tuition fees on March 16, 2018It is a common sight we see daily of young children carrying oversized school bagsloaded with books and their backs burdened with the accumulated load of knowledge. In turn the schools, where they go to seek education, are burdened with the responsibility of promoting literacy in the society, but it is the parents of the […]
Turmoil in the garb of religion on March 5, 2018Brutally assaulted beyond our imaginations, Sajid Masih was a picture of pain and helplessness. Pain because his body had to endure harsh and near fatal injuries. There was helplessness because his faith is dominated by another who is privileged enough to have an overwhelming number of followers. While both faiths preach peace and harmony, the […]
In Pakistan, love was not in the air on Valentine’s on February 16, 2018Just like anywhere else in the world, on Valentine’s Day, a peek at anyone’s Facebook page in Pakistan would have revealed messages of love: hearts fluttering around like butterflies amid floral backgrounds. Happy couples – engaged, married or just a bunch of two in love – shared pictures. Some extended their mushy feelings to all […]