The left is dead? on May 22, 2015Centre right political parties are doing rather well. The PML-N, the archetypal centre right conservative political party won the mandate in Pakistan’s elections two years ago. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) essentially decimated the centre left Indian Congress last year. In the US, the Republican Party won both houses of Congress and the […]
Why the killing of innocents? on May 15, 2015I was almost all set with a puff piece about how ecstatic our Prime Minister (PM) looks as he drags around a reluctant and most put upon looking Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to meet important foreign leaders. But then events caught up. The massacre of unarmed, normal people going around doing normal things just […]
Daydreams about load shedding on May 8, 2015This year, I finally broke down and decided to get a backup generator for my home. The price of petrol is low enough that having a petrol run generator will not break the bank. So, here I was calling different people about the nitty-gritty of getting a generator when something happened that made me change […]
Why I will support Hillary Clinton on May 1, 2015On November 8, 2016, if circumstances permit, I will vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton to become the next president of the US. Even though the nomination process for presidential candidates has just started and the actual election is still a long ways away, so far, Hillary Clinton seems to be a favourite for becoming the […]
Load shedding or Yemen? on April 10, 2015Summer is creeping up on us, and what are the big boys and the not so big boys all in thrall of? Yemen of all places. Of course Mian sahib the elder and the Mian sahib the younger will try their best to keep the Yemen situation on the boil as long as possible. The […]
I love PIA and its nepotism on April 3, 2015Coming to the US is always great fun. As I write this, it is a sunny day outside and the temperature is trying to cross over into acceptable (for a Lahori) levels. In another day or so I will get to see my new grandson and then participate in the valima celebrations for my nephew […]
Why Pakistan could not be allowed to win on March 27, 2015Something very strange went on in the world cup cricket matches. The Pakistani team played so erratically that such erraticism could not possibly be predicted even by ‘game theory’ (whatever that might be). The performance reminded me of the nursery rhyme, “There was a little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead; […]
Horses or members of provincial Assemblies? on February 27, 2015The Senate elections are upon us. Yes, the Senate of Pakistan, remember that one? About half the members of the Senate are gone and done with and so their seats are vacant and need to be filled. For this, there will be an election. And Mian sahib, the Prime Minister (PM), is extremely worried about […]
Vengeance with a purpose on February 9, 2015Personally, I oppose the death penalty and believe that killing perpetrators of even heinous crimes is just an act of collective societal vengeance. However, now it seems that our Prime Minister (PM) has decided that killing people who do bad things is a must. I may not agree but I feel that if execution of […]
Clarity and exalted expectations on February 6, 2015A few things are becoming clear if they were not already clear. First and most importantly, it is now clear that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government at the Centre or in Punjab cannot be accused under any circumstances of ‘good’ governance. The second thing that is pretty clear is the identity of the sectarian […]