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When women talk, men are heard – but hopefully not for long
India’s daughters have long been discriminated against. They are taught to be subservient, docile, and self-sacrificing and the whole social structure is designed to keep them suppressed. The parents...
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In Thar, crops wait in their beds of soil for the rain to come
The desert of Tharparkar spreads over 19638 sq km in southern Sindh, Pakistan. It’s known for its rich culture, religious harmony and arid lands that turn green after the yearly rainfall. Since its...
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Churchill’s face on the new £5 note is an insult to the Commonwealth
Like 2.5 million others from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal and millions more from Africa and South East Asia, my grandfather fought with the British military in World War II. Tens of millions...
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Ek Thi Marium – this is what empowerment looks like
Steering away from the melodramatic genre of our drama industry – which continually encircles around the ‘bechari aurat’ (oppressed woman) – projects like Ek Thi Marium attempt to bring about a much...
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What’s going wrong with José Mourinho’s United?
Manchester United – a team consisting of extra-ordinary individuals but performing below the ordinary level of expectations. After the disastrous derby day defeat, no one thought things with someone...
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Should the internet be the one teaching our children about ‘the birds and the...
You know they say that ‘hormonal teenagers’ is a cliché? And do you know what they say about clichés? They say that most clichés are true. And they are. And hormonal teenagers are the truest clichés...
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Are there any ‘liberal extremists’ in Pakistan?
One of the phrases being used repeatedly in the Pakistani mainstream, as well as social media, is of ‘liberal extremism.’ I have repeatedly heard and read that Pakistani society is polarised – and both...
View ArticleOur minorities have found a voice in Pakistani cinema
I still remember when I was first introduced to The Mindy Project by a friend while sitting in her apartment in DC back in 2014. We started binge-watching it for a few nights after dinner during my...
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Pink: No, she does not want to have sex with you
How do you break a woman who has the audacity to have a spine to stand up for herself? What does it take to knock her down if she has the gall and gumption to fight against all that’s wrong? How do you...
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Parenting in Pakistan: An unhealthy mix of care and competition
Having lived abroad for nearly five years, I have become a keen observer of certain behavioural differences between Pakistani children, and those raised in the US or the UK. I firmly believe that...
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When life gives you guavas, make guava mousse!
Guava season is almost over, but it is always good to have an easy recipe in hand for those ‘guests out of the blue’ times. A friend gifted me some guavas recently and suggested that I make guava...
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Misbah isn’t Imran Khan, Afridi, or Wasim Akram – he’s better
He made Pakistani cricket boring, but our team became predictably consistent with their performances under his leadership. Fortunately, the flamboyance that rode on erraticism is now missing from our...
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The onus to end the Syrian crisis now lies on Russia and the US
The Syrian crisis is becoming increasingly complex and intractable due to the civil war – which was triggered by a repressive government led by Bashar al Assad – who let loose a reign of terror on...
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Is Modi’s pride more important than Kashmiri lives?
It’s not a good sign for democracy when the government and media start speaking the same language and begin complimenting each other. The media has never been as compromised and irresponsible as it is...
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Hala Madrid? Not anymore!
The stage was set, popcorn ready and the browser switched to the right streaming website. This after all was supposed to be a momentous night, a date when I would watch history being re-written, and a...
View ArticleWhat if Brangelina were a Pakistani couple?
Just heard the horrendous news that you two have decided to split up. I would really like to sympathise with you but got tied up with pulling in all my winning bets that your marriage wouldn’t last...
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Being a Lady 101: Don’t sit like that, don’t wear makeup, don’t play sports
In our part of the world, our society comes equipped with a ‘sorting hat’ of sorts. When a girl is born, the hat is placed on her head and she is given an instant identity of a daughter, niece or a...
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Raman Raghav 2.0: Violence with a mix of dark humour
After directing his commercial and critical flop Bombay Velvet (2015) last year, Anurag Kashyap is back again in the lowlife underbelly of Mumbai with his crime-thriller Raman Raghav 2.0. Raman...
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Why is our criminal justice system punishing a paranoid schizophrenic?
The mere mention of a crime engages our natural thought process into gauging a punishment for it. Some would just ask what punishment a specific crime entails, some of us would delve into arguing what...
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Series 6 Was I a threat? Part 2 ‘Red candies’
“May I come in, Taya Abba?” Saira had somehow dragged herself to his house. Her dislike for him had turned into hatred ever since he made her quit school. She even hated staying in the same room as...
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