Stuck on hot: Earth breaks 12th straight monthly heat record on May 19, 2016WASHINGTON: Earth’s heat is stuck on high. Thanks to a combination of global warming and an El Nino, the planet shattered monthly heat records for an unprecedented 12th straight month, as April smashed the old record by half a degree, according to federal scientists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) monthly climate calculation said […]
Rebranding Faiz Ahmad Faiz on April 24, 2016February 13 marked the birth anniversary of one of the most prolific Urdu poets, Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Faiz sahib stands out in the rich tradition of Urdu poetry as an ideologue who never shied away from taking up the momentous task of conveying the message mainly inspired by politics of the Left. That too in […]
Quick-fix Khan on May 12, 2014Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri’s calls for revolution appear to be the cries of men who have never faced hardship. Their parties’ joint protest in Islamabad on Sunday brought thousands of people onto the streets, but the message was less heartening and the turnout less significant than at previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) rallies. The participation […]
Journalists under threat on May 9, 2014Sir: Journalism in Pakistan has always been a risky profession marked with hurdles and state restrictions. Though earlier journalists were threatened, incarcerated and at times sent into exile, the latest trend of killing them is new and has created an atmosphere of fear and trepidation. In past 12 years around 100 journalists have been killed […]
DGMOs meeting on December 24, 2013For the first time, after more than 14 years, the leading military commanders from both India and Pakistan have met face to face at the Wagah border post near Lahore. The Director Generals Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries — Major General Aamer Riaz from Pakistan and Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia from India — decided […]
The book that heals and unites on June 8, 2013On February 17, 2013, the fourth and final day of the prestigious Karachi Literature Festival, the awards for different creative and intellectual contributions climaxed with the jury announcing the Best Non-Fiction Book of 2012. The citation read as follows: “We, the members of the jury, have unanimously selected The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed by […]
Deal-making with the enemy on May 31, 2013Back in April 2009, this commentator had this to say in these pages: “A convoy of vehicles, full of Taliban fighters openly sporting heavy weaponry, drove down from the Buner valley all the way through the Swabi district…Swabi district abuts the Tarbela Dam on the east (yes, the Tarbela Dam!) and comes down to the […]