Syed Kamran Hashmi

Let me share a big secret with you today. It is about my recent contact with a high profile miscreant who I have been meeting secretively. Trust me, he is not an ordinary local thug; he is an extremely resourceful person, a man with deep pockets and long powerful hands. God bless his soul, he […]

Irrefutably contentious and ignominious, water boarding is a form of torture infamously associated with the CIA as one of its principal technique to extricate ‘important’ information from suspected terrorists. The procedure simulates drowning — a near death experience — with severe respiratory distress, lung damage and intense discomfort. During the process, water is poured over […]

Being a young medical graduate is not easy in Pakistan. It is incredibly difficult. A dreadful future looms over your head all the time if you planned to stay in the country. There is no one in the administration who can stretch out a hand for help, step forward to support or even lend an […]

For some people, names carry esoteric implications but for others, they are just syllables without any hidden meanings. Shakespeare belonged to the second group when he declared, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose; by any other name would smell as sweet.” We, on the other hand, belong to the first group […]

Mian Nawaz Sharif (MNS) was ecstatic in 1997 over his overwhelming victory in the general elections. He had ultimately seized a two-thirds majority in the national assembly for the first time and had been sworn in as one of the most powerful prime ministers of Pakistan. In the first few weeks, his priority was to […]

The ‘almighty’ anchor started ‘sobbing’ in front of the television camera, just like a little girl who had lost her new Barbie doll. Tonight, the omnipotent talk show host was not wearing his usual professional attire (the crown of self-rectitude) and had made a deliberate effort to tone himself down to be identified with the […]

Patriotism is on sale in Pakistan. According to the latest survey conducted by the national armed forces, the only reliable representatives of public opinion, most Pakistanis have displayed interest in sharing secrets of their motherland at a fair price. They are also amenable to work for foreign spy agencies in return for appropriate compensation. Furthermore, […]

The concept of deposit multiplication in fractional reserve banking has led to enormous economic growth globally in the last two centuries. Concomitantly, the landmark Bank Charter Act of 1844 by British parliament paved the way to establish a central bank and to introduce paper currency as legal tenders. These measures, through their ingenuity, productivity and […]

It is undoubtedly rude and may actually be considered blasphemous to emphasise upon it in Pakistan. At a personal level, the consequences could be dire in the current circumstances when society is religiously polarised and emotions are running high. Therefore I have decided to refrain from mentioning it by name for now. It is the […]

As Pakistanis, we sympathise with Iran in the time of her economic and political crises. We are religiously compelled to offer support to our Persian Muslim brothers and certainly we stand behind them. Our solidarity with Iran is unwavering, even when the Shiite Muslims are unsafe, unprotected and unguarded here in Pakistan — when the […]