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When Ramazan became Ramadan: Our infatuation with Arab culture
Come the sighting of the moon and my inbox, cell phone and social media feed is inundated with greetings of ‘Ramadan Kareem Mubarak’. It’s a common phenomenon and I am not the only one to experience...
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Banish the CII
In a more civilised society where progress is equated with innovation, technological advancement and competitiveness, the recent ‘suggestions’ put forth by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and its...
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Everything is NOT Zia’s fault – here are 6 reasons why
In the 1980s, there was a grocery store in H-Block, Model Town Lahore, called ‘Blueberry Bakers’. Now that I think about it, I wish I had asked the owner, known to me only as ‘uncle’, why his...
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Brother, you are from Pakistan and you don’t speak Arabic?
One of the biggest advantages of living abroad is the chance to hear what people think about your country. I have been living in Germany for the last three months and during this short stay, I have...
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On Frida Deguise ‘nuding’ her fashion line
Being happy in one’s skin is not an easy task. Being happy in one’s clothing is an almost impossible adventure. I have been told that the greatest form of happiness is to be one’s true and natural...
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To save Pakistan, we have to let go of the idea of Pakistan
“We are fighting a fight for Pakistan.” This is an oft repeated statement from politicians, military personnel, bureaucrats and journalists. Let me tell you unequivocally, we are losing the fight for...
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Is a secular Pakistan the answer to our problems?
And now, since they have nothing better to do, the powers that be have fired another tester round in the sky out of the lame notion of keeping themselves busy in the business. A 17-judges bench headed...
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Dear Ziaul Haq, we are paying the price for your decisions today
Respected Sir, It has been almost 27 years since your death. The flesh and dismantled bones placed in your grave would have turned to dust by now. Many governments were formed since your death. Many...
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Should he stay silent just because he is a Hindu MNA in a Pakistani National...
Lal Malhi’s one minute and thirteen seconds on the National Assembly floor this past week summed up more than just the ignorance of our elected representatives; it spoke to an alarmingly prevalent...
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Can fundamentalism in Pakistan be traced back to madrassas?
In Pakistan, certain madrassas have a knack for producing terrorists. The government is aware of this yet it does not have a consistent stance regarding such madrassas. After the Peshawar school attack...
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With PCB and BCCI unable to set aside their differences, what happens to...
The story goes that the chef at Jaipur’s Rambagh Palace had 40 baby lambs slaughtered the day before Pakistan’s military dictator, and arguably the most hated man in his country, was to be hosted as...
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As a student of the Matric system, I can vouch that Pakistani textbooks are...
According to the World Bank data, in the years falling between 2011-2015, only 2.5 per cent of Pakistan’s total revenue was spent on education. This miserliness and misappropriation of the country’s...
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The National Action Plan has been as counter-productive as Pakistan’s...
Following the ghastly December 2014 Taliban attack on 132 schoolchildren, Pakistan’s government unanimously passed a National Action Plan (NAP) so that, “No room will be left for the extremism in any...
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In defence of Ziaul Haq
Pakistan’s liberal classes revile no other figure as much as Ziaul Haq. To them, he is the embodiment of whatever ails Pakistani society today. They put the onus of Pakistani Taliban on that sole grave...
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In defence of nationalising education
This post is a reply to a recent article’s attempt to blame nationalisation for the degradation of education in our country. There is absolutely no doubt that the standard of education in our country...
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Why does the state structure and narrative unfairly favour Punjab?
The selective way of presenting history in Pakistan conveniently ignores the fact that at the time of the country’s creation, there were two large movements which were sometimes contrasting and...
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Can Islam and democracy coexist in today’s world?
Germany has given its verdict and elected Angela Merkel for the fourth consecutive term. Her victory has relieved many as her popularity took a nosedive after her brave decision to take in refugees in...
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The Turkish Republic, as we know it, is dead
In perhaps the most important election of the past two decades, Turkey has given its verdict, electing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the president and also giving his party, Justice and Development Party...
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The fault in our minds: Bushra Maneka’s attire is her business and choice,...
While Pakistan’s political fate is changing, the people of this nation believe there is something more important that needs to be focused on. Yes, unfortunately, that topic is Bushra Maneka’s choice of...
View ArticleWith Zidane back on the sidelines, will Real Madrid make the most of the...
For much of the 2018-19 season, Real Madrid’s campaign has been driven by pessimism and trepidation. From mediocre performances on the field to a lack of purpose off it, the Los Blancos found...
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