It’s not just the sun which kills you in Karachi; it’s the wet and humid wind which does it. Accompanying you in the crowded buses, long walks and power outages, your sweat is one of your few loyal companions in the summers. The last thing a sane person would do in this weather is to … Continue reading
The Robinhoods
I was not shocked. The room did not look like that of an undercover agent. Adequately lit, curtains open, handful furniture; most noticeable of which was the center table decorated by an unlit candle. You would be surprised that crime reporting is not as dramatic as it seems from the one hour investigation shows on … Continue reading
Bright in Barcelona
Sobs. Silence. Sobs … but this time the noise woke me up. Ever thought of the perfect sound you would want to wake up in the morning? I thought as I opened my eyes. An unknown girl crying in your dorm is not one of those. She was alone, legs sprawled on the floor, back … Continue reading
A suicide as basic as life itself
Someone continuously needs to remind us of the basics to life. Some things so simple that forgetting these is an innocent’s mistake, not bringing these into conversations a perfectly normal gentleman’s convention. I felt parched this morning, perhaps I forgot to drink water last night, an innocent mistake. On my way to kitchen I might … Continue reading
Dreams of a 14 year old orphan
Last year this time around, I conducted a career counselling and motivation session for an NGO entrusted with orphans. The main idea was to let these children’s imagination run free and reach for something which goes beyond the shackles of daily routine. An idea that their past doesn’t matter, a dream that tomorrow is everything … Continue reading
Terrorists do have a country
When Plato interpreted ‘justice’ as a power tool of mighty in his famous work ‘The Republic’, I thought it to be only an interesting read and imagined a barbaric world of long forgotten times where the theory would apply. Perhaps, a king sitting on his marble throne ordering people to be butchered if they deserve … Continue reading
A white ‘colour’ life
White December 2001 “White is the color of peace and purity”. He spoke these words stroking his white beard. “And these hair my children are the signs of wisdom”… some things are universally liked… no one can hate them. White is one of them”. It was already sunset. The class had gone past its usual … Continue reading
A love so strong that it burns the city?
20 is the latest number on deaths on the ‘Ishq-e-Rasool (SAW)’ day. We have gone past that stage where numbers can traumatize us since Karachi has seen days where blood came even cheaper. The first day after BB death claimed 47 lives, 12th May 2007 alone claimed some 40 persons. But what is traumatizing for … Continue reading
Engineer who runs on controversies: Isolation of the intellectuals
So, it’s been more than a month since a ‘messiah’ from the underprivileged led people to believe that he can cure the energy crises of not only the nation but the entire world. Engineer Agha Waqar from Pakistan spoke of a car that runs only on water as fuel. Some called him crazy; many more … Continue reading
Obama and Gilani need a slap from their mothers
My mom did not attain a formal doctorate in foreign affairs. Although, she would have loved that but then she couldn’t see the use of it in running the household affairs and domesticating four wild children. But what she did know was how to balance the conflicts of me and my brother who would often … Continue reading
Why Imran Khan should not win the elections
Noted Columnist Thomas L Friedman recently wrote a piece in New York Times where he advocated why Michael Bloomberg (the current Mayor of New York) should run for US elections. Not for winning, not for fame but to give a fresh perspective to an election debate which is hijacked by corporate agenda and doesn’t give … Continue reading
Where there is no sun, there is fire
Winter has come. It first came in 1984 when politics hijacked humanity and strategic gains outpaced the efforts for social benefits. It was then, when India and Pakistan first sent their military expeditions to the second largest non polar glacier ‘Siachen’ and crowned the area as the highest battlefield in the world. Many marched; many … Continue reading
A lesson unlearned…a ‘greek’ debt deal
Some historians argue that World War 2 was never a war of its own, it was an offspring of World War 1. European nations battling over for global domination were borrowing vast sums of money to finance the First World War. The debt burden later fell on the defeated Germany which was thrust a … Continue reading
Syria: waiting for the ‘spring’
Dreams invoke in a person what he is not capable of. They inspire and help us achieve what seems beyond us. But for the worse part, they disappoint, as a human might be naive enough to dream of world peace and harmony all over. This is what my Syrian friends are dreaming in the … Continue reading
think big...write small 