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There is no need for players who betray their country
The spot fixing scandal which shook the foundations of Pakistan cricket in 2010 has become, as it seems, a never ending nightmare. Most of us thought it ended after the culprits, Salman Butt, Muhammad...
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Special 26: One of Akshay’s best performances!
Neeraj Pandey waited for three years after the release of his debut film so that he could release Special 26 (S26) with his first choice lead actor, Akshay Kumar. Three years is a long time, but it...
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Afzal Guru: How India made a militant out of a med-student
Afzal Guru was hung on Saturday. As predicted, the Indian political fraternity and intelligentsia not only welcomed, but applauded the development. They saw it as a culmination of the legal process-the...
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Say yes to Valentine’s day
There is no better indicator to how little Pakistan has done to prevent the nation slipping down the extremism rabbit hole than the increasingly visible outcry against Valentine’s day. Back in the 90s,...
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Metro Bus Service: A loud, proud day for Lahore?
Every day for four weeks, I have slept to the sound of traffic in Lahore. And I wake up to it, every single day. The blaring of horns of which there are variations you could possibly never imagine or...
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The rishta brigade
The show started around 10am. The room wore a very neat look with the curtains being freshly washed and couches from the adjacent room placed next to the sofas. The arrivals comprised an elderly woman...
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Sindh will be a much better place than Sind!
It was a very proud moment for the Sind(h) assembly when the members “unanimously” agreed that an amendment bill be passed officially correcting the spelling of the province of ‘Sindh’ which was...
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Mind your language: Chal Parha’s take on language in schools
Chal Parha is a brilliant TV show, recently launched on Geo, hosted by Shehzad Roy to reform the government education system in Pakistan. The second episode was a thought provoking insight into the...
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The chubby drone
A favourite lyric of mine is by octogenarian soul man BB King in a ditty called Better Not Look Down. He describes a beautiful woman walking by “If the arrows from cupid's bow, that had passed...
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Sights and sounds of Valentine’s day in Pakistan
Valentine’s day is here! Love it or hate it, live in Pakistan or England, you cannot ignore Valentine’s day. I am not too big on this ‘day of lovers’, and it has nothing to do with my relationship...
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What is love?
Love is want. Love is need. Love is impossibly imperfect. Love always pays the bills on time but forgets your anniversary. It gets you frozen yogurt on the way home but leaves it in the car. It refuses...
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North Korea’s third nuclear test: Will the after-effects be in their favour?
North Korea’s third nuclear test has put the tiny, virtually isolated nation back on the map. The recent test did not come as a surprise as satellite reconnaissance had shown high activity at its...
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Why butcher the English language? Just speak in Urdu
Walking towards the Select mart at the petrol pump today, I saw a sign on the wall that read “Select Gate” with an arrow pointing towards the right. It took me a while to figure out that they really...
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Item songs and flirting with danger
Item songs have an interesting history. Our parents still remember item numbers such as, Eena meena deeka and Kaho ji tum kya kya khareedo gaay from the 50s for their catchy tunes, interesting lyrics...
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Being a dual national does not make Tahirul Qadri a traitor
Most Pakistani’s would have loved that scene in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ where Cat-woman tells the Batman to run away, having given Gotham everything and owing it nothing more, to which he replies that...
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Tired of cricket? Try gulli danda, pitthu or baander killa!
Growing up in the streets of Punjab, we enjoyed playing popular sports such as cricket, hockey and football, but the real flavour of street games was in our local folk games. This piece is dedicated to...
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Afghan Burgers: A moody cook’s way to success
I am a moody cook who lazes around as much as possible before entering the kitchen. I would rather resort to last night’s leftovers than make something from scratch. Thus, when I actually make the...
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What men can expect when a woman is expecting
The news of conception can be kind of alarming for many fathers-to-be. While the mother-to-be is busy enjoying the extra attention, the poor father isn't given the time of day. I believe that the...
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Art should transcend politics: Gulzar Saheb and Shobha De, you have...
There is always a disconnect between artist and establishment. It is in the nature of the state to control and put limitations on freedom, to tag artistic expression with national interest. Yet art...
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My first visit to a lawn exhibition in Pakistan
I don’t quite understand how it happened, but 15 hours after landing in Karachi on a beautiful sunny day, I found myself at my first designer lawn exhibition. Over the last few years, I’d heard a lot...
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