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Inder Vineet was a 10-year-old Pakistani Hindu and he was drowned in...
April 13th was the perfect day for 10-year-old Inder Vineet to go for a swim. His father had finally become a member of the Hyderabad Club, only after Inder had begged him a million times to do so. He...
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Despite re-verifying CNICs, the Mullah Akhtar Mansoors in Pakistan will...
What a strange country we live in! First you harbour terrorists from across the border, facilitate them and help them get a computerised national identity card (CNIC) and travel documents. Then when,...
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Aashi: The struggle of a transgender in a man’s world
Honour is taken as the sole prerogative of men in Pakistan; but a transgender managed to set a higher example of self-respect and honour in our narrow minded society. Aashi, a 45-year-old transgender...
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A ‘taroo’s treat’ in Karachi
Before I begin, there is something I want to say: My wife is a stupid woman. There I said it. I don’t know what goes on in that miniscule female brain of hers but she is really getting on my nerves...
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Why was Karachi’s Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah dismissed, Mr CM?
Whenever there is honey, there will be bees and wherever there are bees, there should be a beehive nearby. In other words, be careful of honey or the bees will sting you, not to mention the odd bear or...
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Why are arms and ammunitions so easily available in Pakistan?
As per a recent news report, over 170,000 of the total 352,000 licenses in Pakistan could not be verified by NADRA. Acquisition of arms and ammunition in Pakistan has never been a problem for...
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From Kakul to Hampshire: Will our team finally reap the benefits of the army...
The Pakistan Army and the game of cricket have one thing in common; both unite the country but while the soldiers are ‘revered’ from Karachi to Khyber our cricketers have in recent years brought the...
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Government officials will fast in their air-conditioned offices and the...
I remember the times when power outages were rare. This was before the widespread use of air conditioners. Today, in every government department, air conditioners are switched on long before the baboos...
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It’s good to be back…
There are expats and then there are people like me, returnees. I’m going to take a literary liberty – without meaning to offend any intellectuals – and call myself an ‘inpat’. I think people like me...
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He told his parents he was gay. They started grieving and looking for a “cure”
“I fell a-weeping, and I cried, ‘Sweet youth, Tell me why, sad and sighing, Thou dost rove These pleasant realms? I pray thee speak me sooth What is thy name?’ He said, ‘My name is Love.’ Then straight...
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My love affair with language (barriers) in Beijing
Beijing is a heady place for a tourist who can’t speak Mandarin. This was the uncontrived truth that surfaced during long conversations with friends and extensive Google searches on what to expect from...
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Thari culture, palla fish, Bombay bakery and my meethi journey through rural...
Quiet recently, I joined a small group of close friends on a trip to Tharparkar, Sindh. The three of us reached Karachi by air and went to Hyderabad by road, where two other group members joined us....
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Only in Karachi can a ‘police officer’ shoot an unarmed innocent civilian...
Whenever I go abroad, I see that in most cities, policemen are always courteous and helpful, and people are not afraid to go to the police if they are robbed or have a complaint. But not in Karachi....
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When honour lies in what happens between the legs of women
Qandeel Baloch is dead. Seems like the woman had earned the ire of way too many men. In Pakistan, the ire of one man is enough to claim your life or at least ruin your face forever with a splash of...
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A day in the life of a Pokémon Go addict in Karachi
When everyone around me started playing Pokémon Go, and it was all over social media, I couldn’t quite comprehend what all the hype was about, and I was curious to find out. It was my friend that got...
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The reactions to Qandeel’s death reveal no understanding of feminism in Pakistan
They call her a prostitute, a sex object, a joke and other degrading insults in an attempt to discredit her. The assumption that is made because they deem her to be all of the above and they felt she...
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Pop-up in the Park: Reclaiming public spaces in Karachi
Spoken Stage, in collaboration with Girls at Dhabas, hosted an event coined “Pop-up in the Park” at Frere Hall this Saturday in order to reclaim the public spaces in Karachi. Spoken Stage is an...
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Karachi, you used to be home
I walk out of the plane and I’m hit with humidity, heat, and a smell that I can’t even describe with words. This is home. The airport is packed as I trudge my way to get my overweight, large suitcases....
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Rowling’s birthday, my present
The first time I picked up a Harry Potter book was at the age of 12, when my elder brother threatened to sit on me if I did not try and read one his favourite series. Fearing for my life, I dejectedly...
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Going with the Flo: In conversation with Waqar Siddiqui
Recently, Facebook was taken by storm when a post by Waqar Siddiqui went viral. Below is the screenshot of the status he put up last night, when he was denied entry into Cafe Flo, a high end restaurant...
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