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But who will stand up for Balochistan’s Jibran Jogezai?
Muhammad Jibran Khan Jogezai first came to our house in Karachi somewhere in 2006, courtesy of his classmate and my brother, Muhammad Saad. He had a heart of gold, a handsome countenance, a million...
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Dear uninformed author, your list of the “Top 10 schools of Pakistan” is...
A few days ago, a publication listed the ‘Top 10 Schools of Pakistan’ on its website. The write-up in question, which was an anonymous contribution to the publication, went viral. I saw the article...
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Why do I have to pretend to fast when my “monthly friend” is visiting?
I sit in the room at the end of the hallway. The door is closed. My head is bent. I am waiting to be called. I was six-years-old. I stood on the balcony with my mother, father and cousin as we tried to...
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Please let Pakistan’s national anthem be as it is – powerful and poignant
In 2011, while attending the opening ceremony of a Model United Nations (MUN) conference in Karachi, I came to an odd yet poignant moment. Before the ceremony officially began, it was announced that...
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Through the eyes of an American: The beauty that Pakistan and its people have...
“Bhabi ke liye hee hans do!” (Smile for the sake of our sister-in-law) The Empress Market shopkeepers teased the stoic sabzi wala (vegetable vendor), encouraging him to smile for my camera. This was my...
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The tales of Karachi’s love for old books
We’ve heard stories about their utilisation plenty of times. You can see exactly where the fingerprints grazed the pages. You can deduce how long it was held by the depth of the finger stains. This is...
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PPP claims to be cleaning up Karachi, but the looming stench in the city...
The Karachi I grew up in was a city where garbage was picked up regularly. Swarms of jamadarnis (women sweepers) descended each morning to sweep the dusty streets in our neighbourhood in PECHS, picking...
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Love at first Careem? Uh, no thanks, but perhaps Careem should focus on...
There are two things Pakistani’s are unabashedly and unapologetically obsessed with – discounts and shaadi (marriage). By combining these two, I have to admit that Careem’s new rishta aunty service is...
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Quaid’s mausoleum may soon be replaced by high-rises, and we’re not doing...
I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the present Sindh government, like its predecessors, is also selling whatever open land is left in Karachi to interested developers. I’m referring to the...
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You should expect nothing
There are days of glee and sorrow, There are days of wonder and freight, There are days of worry, insecurity — Thoughts that you’ve been victimised. There are protruding, menacing, cutting eyes,...
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30 years of pop and patriotism: How ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ became Pakistan’s...
In June 1987, an obscure Pakistani pop band, the Vital Signs were contacted by the then 36-year-old TV producer, Shoaib Mansoor. Mansoor had already made a name for himself for conceiving and producing...
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Donald Trump’s America is awfully racist and discriminatory, but is Pakistan...
Q: Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the biggest racist of them all? A: The human race Recently, I came across a video which showed a young Palestinian-American Muslim mother talking about the struggle...
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The realisation of a dream – cricket comes home, this time to stay hopefully
There was definitely some fiery magic in the air before Elton Chigumbura, accompanied by his troops, marched on to the newly painted and redecorated Gaddafi Stadium. You could sense that something...
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“Nothing will happen to you as long as you are in this car!”
Born and raised in Karachi, I take great pride in my city of lights. You’ll always find me in the middle of a heated argument (mostly with Lahoris) about why Karachi is the best city in Pakistan....
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Why droves of Pakistani women are leaving their misogynistic country
When I started my first job, a cousin told me, “All the noble reasons a woman might have for earning her own living don’t matter. Once you start spending time outside the boundary of your house, you...
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Looking for new Chinese eateries in Karachi? Fret not, because Bam-Bou brings...
Bam-Bou, derived from the word bamboo, which is considered lucky in China, is situated in the heart of Sindhi Muslim, Karachi, and is a welcome addition to the ever-growing eatery options. After a...
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Pakistan does not need more thieves, harassers or mobs – its police officers...
Recently, I came across a news article about senior police officers breaking down the door of a house in Rawalpindi to arrest a murder suspect. The house they raided belonged to the cousin of the man...
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PPP claims to be cleaning up Karachi, but the looming stench in the city...
The Karachi I grew up in was a city where garbage was picked up regularly. Swarms of jamadarnis (women sweepers) descended each morning to sweep the dusty streets in our neighbourhood in PECHS, picking...
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The women of Kohistan suffer in silence as they search for water that doesn’t...
Hazoora, a 24-year-old native of Kohistan (an arid piece of land located near Thatta), complains that her hair is falling due to transporting heavy cans of water on her head since she was...
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When we’re told to “limit ourselves to the imambargah or shift these...
Recently, I came across a post on Facebook which stated the following: “Roads blocked, no mobile networks and markets are closed. Please stop bothering your fellow countrymen and limit yourselves to...
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