Last week, in a blog titled ‘The Convenient Curtain of Myth‘, I tried to show the dangers of viewing international politics through popular mythological conceptions which produce theories like the India-US-Israel triangulation as a conspiracy to destroy Islam and Pakistan. Little did I know...

Recently, I met some jihadis who have been in the business of holy war since the 1990s. I was surprised to hear that even though they were in support of the jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir, they were opposed to the idea of destabilising Pakistan itself. When asked who was responsible for the suicide...

The day after the terrible terrorist attack at Islamabad’s Islamic University that took the lives of eight innocent students, certain TV news channels ran a footage of a dozen or so angered students of the university pelting stones. The first question that popped up in my mind after watching the spectacle...

Is there a connection between the absence of madressahs and guns and that of violence in the public sphere? The election campaign’s images coming out of Gilgit-Baltistan are just old world enthralling. The region is set to go to the polls on Nov 12, and big and small leaders of political parties like...

Could it be that President Asif Ali Zardari is finally ready to part with his power? Reports this week state that the president is ready to hand over some of the authority given under Article 58-2b to the parliament – sounds familiar? Perhaps it reminds you of the time Zardari first stated this well...

It’s worth remembering the adage ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the missing people’s case. Amina Masood Janjua, chairperson of the Defence of Human Rights in Pakistan – an independent organisation calling for the release of all citizens who have...

It seems the Pakistani media has learned a couple of new chic and trendy phrases like ‘charm offensive’ and ‘trust deficit’ from the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the highly skeptical and very paranoid Republic of Pakistan. The trip seemed to have been inspired by a long...

Amidst the mayhem gripping Pakistan today, there is also a deafening silence pervading the corridors of power and the ranks of the opposition on the prevailing security situation. That silence, too, is being heard now. Pakistan is at war, and this is a war that is being fought as much in our cities as...

Operation Rah-i-Nijat, ‘the path to deliverance’ is the name given to the military operation in South Waziristan. But as the military makes inroads in the tribal area, evoking a spirit of redemption amongst the locals seems to be the most challenging aspect. As military troops enter a decisive...

Schools in Karachi have been closed down before – or evacuated mid-session – after a hoax call threatening a bomb blast. Schools have also been closed down when heavy rains have left institutions flooded and streets inaccessible. Various strikes have caused schools to remain shut for a day every...