Hateful whispers on February 24, 2011To lose a loved one is to tear off the veil of the world and see the face of hell. The Taseer family suffered through this, and in addition must now contend with the post-mortem demonisation of the late Punjab governor, and the perverse glorification of a murderer, Mumtaz Qadri. The petition to end his […]
Why is Veena Malik important? on February 3, 2011There is no occasion where the phrase “a star is born” would be so tempting and yet so inappropriate. Veena Malik was a star, but by virtue of one powerful defence of nothing but herself, on live television, has been reborn as something rather more. Stars, though they twinkle prettily and obsess our attention, ultimately […]
An age of smiling madmen? on January 20, 2011My heart was heavy that Salmaan Taseer, the governor of the Punjab, was killed in so barbaric a fashion; my prayers were and remain with his family. But what was shocking, what appalled me, what struck like a white-hot fist in my chest was the aftermath. It is as if the man’s death was a […]