I have always maintained that Pathans are a savvy and pragmatic race. Mine is not a random observation, but a result of having been professionally associated with what was once the North West ...
The nation has just been through a historic general election. Historic in the sense that it was the first instance, thanks to some charismatic new political leadership that the ‘silent ...
On the day this week’s column gets into print, the entire nation would be sitting on the edge of their seats and glued to television sets to see if salvation was at hand for Jinnah’s ...
With just a week left for the nation to choose their new government, the election fever is rising to a crescendo. The general elections are like a celebration, for they herald change - and a change ...
There is at last feel-good news coming out of Karachi that gives us a ray of hope. The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), an entity plagued with ineptitude and controversy, has, reportedly, ...
A colleague of mine returned from a weekend jaunt to the Punjab capital in a state of excitement. His reasons for being upbeat prompted me to take a trip to Lahore and see things for myself. I am now ...
I am often inspired by Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s famous words exhorting Pakistanis to “work, work and work…” The electricity and commitment in the Founding Father’s voice ...
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would witness what is now happening. Many years of being alternately ruled by military dictators and corrupt politicians had left us numb and resigned to ...
It is a well known fact that the court of the great Moghul Emperor, Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, was adorned with nine extraordinary courtiers, referred to in their own right as the ‘Nau ...
As I sit in my study writing this week’s piece, I hear the old grandfather clock in the hallway chime the hour of midnight. I turn on the television in the hope that, perhaps, our political ...
A comment mailed by a reader on last week’s column, prompted me to begin this piece on a philosophical note. As a journalist and a student of history, I have always endeavored to understand the ...
I am ecstatic with joy these days at the emails my readers post on my column. I am grateful to those who have expressed their appreciation at what I write, but I am more grateful to the many that do ...
The sight of PTI workers grappling with one another during the recent intra-party elections and two words “doob maro” uttered by a friend, who happens to be an avid Imran Khan supporter, ...
I have of late been road and air bound very frequently, in pursuit of my professional commitments. I rather enjoy doing this, notwithstanding the fact that I look tired and somewhat dishevelled on ...
A female television talk show host reputed for her peppery style and the ability to handle any situation with ease, found herself at a loss for words during a recent show featuring a panel of ...
They have a tough job to do as each hour they spend standing at their checkpoints is fraught with danger. They have lost hundreds of their colleagues in terror related attacks and yet they are at the ...
The nation at large had heaved a sigh of relief as Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march came to end and the residents of the twin cities resumed their livelihood. We have now heard with dismay that ...
Sane elements in and outside Pakistan heaved a big sigh of relief, as Dr Tahirul Qadri ordered his followers to disperse. I visited the venue of the sit-in more than once, to satisfy my journalistic ...
This week is a columnist’s dream, thanks to a long march (which has morphed the nifty slogan “Zalimo Qazi aa rahaa hai” into “Zalimo Qadri aa raha hai”), the political ...
As we welcome the New Year, my thoughts go back in time to take stock of where we stand as a nation. What I see is not encouraging in any sense of the word,for I see a peoplesuffering from multiple ...
It was bitterly cold and windy as I stepped aboard the KLM flight from St Petersburg to Amsterdam via Helsinki. As I settled myself in my seat for the short journey, a robust-looking Westerner ...
Let’s face it - the US (in the opinion of many) may be Machiavellian and hegemonic in terms of its foreign policy, but the recently concluded presidential election has once again provided ample ...
A man grappling with another individual in a bid to be the first to reach the huge dish heaped with rice; another person dressed in Western clothes hitting the one next to him with a plate to clear ...
I have just been told that another friend of ours has been granted immigration status to a western land and we would soon be wishing him bon voyage. Their departure would not have caused me so much ...
It is now three thirty in the afternoon and my column is due in the editor’s mail box within the next two hours. I am running late because I have been out in search of happiness - in the form ...
I selected the topic for this column with reluctance as my thoughts may not find resonance with some readers, particularly the younger ones. I have of late come across a mushrooming of incidents ...
On a recent visit to a friend’s house in Islamabad, I met a few people, who lived in close proximity of the road that links the scenic Simly Dam with Islamabad. One such community located just ...
At last the nation has a great pastime created for it by the party that rules the roost in Islamabad. It may soon be that visitors to the ‘land of the pure’ will see Pakistanis walking ...
Saner elements of the Pakistani nation watched with undisguised abhorrence as thousands of their country men went on the rampage, destroying and burning government and private property on the streets ...
Since the time that I began writing my weekly column, I have received innumerable comments from home and abroad. I value these inputs from readers as they are critical to honing whatever meagre ...
Sunday, 26 May, 2013
May 19, 2013, 7:37 pmAltaf Hussain slams PTI leader's murder
May 20, 2013, 12:14 pmPTI will hold protest demo in Karachi on Monday: Imran
May 20, 2013Man of Steel to feature Supergirl?
May 19, 2013, 3:25 pmKarzai seeks Indian military aid amid tensions with Pakistan
May 24, 2013, 7:50 pmTwo arrests after UK fighter jets escort Pakistani plane
