Syed Kamran Hashmi

Where is Chaudhry Pervez Elahi nowadays? The former Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan has been absent from the arena for six months, and nobody seems to be missing him as if his presence had never mattered in real politics. Along with him, his brother, the former prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Pakistan […]

Even if the parents of Shahzeb Khan, the slain 20-year-old college student, have indeed agreed to receive Rs 350 million, as speculated by the media, from the family of the convicted murderer of their son Shahrukh Jatoi, I still do not censure them for making that decision. Although a great deal has been written on […]

Being a liberal in an increasingly conservative society like Pakistan is definitely not a praiseworthy characteristic. Although their political philosophy is to encourage equal opportunities for everyone and promote freedom for everybody, their whole struggle is fraught with danger in our society. Not only their physical being can be threatened, or their assets attacked or […]

Loyalty is a rare virtue in Pakistani politics, unappreciated, unnecessary, underestimated, and potentially dangerous. For instance, immediately after a coup d’état, the decision of any politician to stay loyal to his anti-establishment parent political party on ideological basis can be considered naive, incredulous, and probably suicidal. He should realise that because of his own callowness […]

He was helping his two-year-old son brush his teeth when someone rang the doorbell. It was a little late at night for someone to drop by his home without an appointment. Slightly concerned but certainly not worried, he walked towards the main entrance not knowing at all that every step he took in that direction […]

Everything is on sale in Pakistan. Human beings and their souls, their bodies, their loyalties, their honesty, their commitments, their professionalism, their ideas and even their faith has a price. The only prerequisite to get a good deal is the amount of dough that one is willing to put in, more the dough better are […]

Everything is on sale in Pakistan. Human beings and their souls, their bodies, their loyalties, their honesty, their commitments, their professionalism, their ideas and even their faith has a price. The only prerequisite to get a good deal is the amount of dough that one is willing to put in, more the dough better are […]

As soon as the official announcement about the commencement of Ramzan is made, people joyously start congratulating each other and the whole environment in Pakistan, without any exaggeration, is spiritually invigorated. Genuinely exhilarated with the news, a smile runs across their faces and their eyes twinkle with optimism. They call their friends, update their Facebook […]

Being mortals, we all live to die one day and be forgotten. But a few among us die to live forever and to be always eulogised. For them death is only a transition, a tunnel that ends in immortality. They are our real heroes, the martyrs (shaheed), who cross the great divide fighting for their […]

Imagine, we slaughter a pig strictly according to the Islamic principles complying with all the rules and regulations. After that, some people start debating if its meat was kosher for them or not. One of us asks if the butcher was a Muslim. The other enquires if he had recited the correct verse. Someone raises […]