The tragedy of this nation is that no tragedy ever seems enough to sensitize it to reflect on its problematic behaviours and mindsets that are a root cause of many tragedies that occur here as a matter of routine. Nothing ever appears to suffice to compel the denizens of this country to look inwardly, shed […]
You are free to go to your temples
When Jinnah said, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the state,” […]
Seeing Kaaba
The black cube that was once dyed in purple and red, has been a part of our lives ever since we are born. Once known as a universal shrine, it housed every recognised god of pre-Islamic Arabia. The religious life around it dates to the 6th century C.E. It is a center point of worship […]
India yearns for Rang De Basanti
Just when the whole country was oozing the stink of fascism; just when the saffron colour was dyeing everything black; just when the spine of an entire nation was missing; just when the fear was reigning supreme; just when the country ran out of hope, the courage of a few girls as they braved baton […]
If you want to save your girls, save your boys
Imagine, an entire gender (women) is raised having a fear of the other gender (men). Imagine, an entire gender (women) is raised on the caution to be wary of the other gender (men). Imagine, an entire gender (women) is hated and wronged for centuries by the other gender (men). Imagine, an entire gender (women) to […]
Birth of Indian fascist state and annexation of Kashmir: challenges faced by Pakistan
Every society has its dark side. But when its members make it to roads to defend a rapist, we know it has reduced to an ugly, hopeless place inhabited by conscienceless souls. In January 2018, an 8-year-old Kashmiri-Muslim girl named Asifa Bano was ganged raped for four days and later strangled to death in a […]
Sindh needs Bilawal
Tragedies are believed to soften hearts and induce empathy. In the land of Sindh, however, tragedies seem to evoke numbness and apathy. In the last four-and-a-half years, 2,564 children–mostly under the age of five–have gone to the mouth of death in Tharparkar. The catastrophe that began with famine soon transformed into an unmitigated carnage due […]
Post-Pulwama conflict: Pakistan has knocked India down and out
You can’t fool all the people all the time and certainly not in 2019. With each passing day, the Pulwama attack is being exposed as an indigenous act of barbarism purely carried out by the powers who wanted to gain political mileage for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in general and Narendra Modi in particular. The […]
Child sexual abuse in Pakistan and our criminal negligence
In 2015, Pakistan’s biggest child molestation scandal from Hussain Khanwala, a village of Kasur, Punjab came to light. About 280 children, between 10-14 years, were sexually abused and videotaped by a gang of 20-25 men. Later, hundreds of these video clippings were sold on porn sites and made available in the local market to be […]
The evil of harassment and our collective denial
About more than 80 percent of women in Pakistan face harassment every day that includes physical, verbal and sexual harassment whether it is at the workplace or at a public place or at home. Yet, this reality has been ignored and rejected for long. However, the recent worldwide campaign of ‘Me Too’ has sparked a […]