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Job interviews and inappropriate questions
Having recently joined the ranks of the unemployed, I can now relate to their dilemma of finding the perfect job. Amongst the many issues that one has to face, I find myself struggling with...
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Talks with the Taliban and sleeping with the enemy
The charged air of “change” in recent elections caused many political parties to promise an end to terrorism and a return to peace, albeit without a clear strategy as to how this would be achieved. The...
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Why Karachi police fails to convict its criminals
Karachi is at siege by an array of criminals such as the Taliban and from splinter groups with political support. Over 2,200 people were victims of homicide in the city last year – the highest number...
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How thieves on a bus ruined my birthday
It is no secret that public buses are not safe. Speeding, overloading, harassment and reckless driving aside, the recent rise of robberies inside the vehicles while they are still moving has added to...
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Iron man 3: Suit up for a grand spectacle
Marvel Studios’ decision to hand Iron Man 3’s throttle to a second time director seemed risky at best, but thankfully Robert Downey, Jr (Tony Stark) and Director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) have...
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Istanbul: A glimpse into what a secular state can accomplish
On a recent assignment, I had a few hours layover in Istanbul, en route to Pakistan. The human landscape at Ataturk Airport was thought-provoking. Over the past decade, Istanbul has been making rapid...
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‘Who did your hair and makeup?’ The mockery that was our oath-taking coverage
Oath-taking ceremonies are usually boring affairs. A bunch of men and women stand up for the national anthem, take the oath and then go home. This is not exactly amazing material for the media -...
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Why should I become a doctor when I can be a nurse?
Beta, nurse kyun, doctor kyun nahee? (Why do you want to be a nurse and not a doctor?) “Nursing? Woh choro, doctor banjao” (Nursing? Leave that and become a doctor) These were some of the things I had...
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Being hooked on anti-depressants is no cure!
I was completing an internship program at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where I came across numerous people suffering from various behavioural and mental illnesses. Their visits to the...
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Zain Ghaffar: The lawyer who law could not save
The sweltering heat on May 21, 2013, was nauseating. This is when my senior Mr Shahid Ikram Siddiqui asked me and another colleague to sit in the court where his case was to be heard after the judges’...
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An open letter to the British Council
To whomever it may concern, I write this to you in hopes of finding answers to my queries. We have been informed that there was a breach in security of the Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies exams, outside...
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Gearing up for the ICC Champions Trophy: Are we prepared?
Soon, we will be cheering for our national heroes as they gear up for the final edition of the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England and Wales between June 6, 2013 and June 23, 2013. Let us...
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A Lahori in Perth
Moving is hard - we all know it. Packing, unpacking, settling down in a new place, adjusting to the new neighbourhood and surroundings is all exhausting and takes a significant toll. However all of...
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Drone strikes: For better or for worse?
Drones are effective; they kill the most-wanted militants, reduce operational costs, minimise collateral damage and President Obama calls them “legal”. So where is the problem? Why are they so widely...
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The Gujrat bus tragedy: Who is responsible?
Every second day, we hear of gas cylinder explosions in buses, wagons and rickshaws, causing injuries to their passengers. In more severe cases, innocent victims are sometimes burnt to death. As a...
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Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: Spend your money on a better movie!
Stunning locales, gorgeous people with well-sculpted bodies, a big fat Indian ‘destination’ wedding, the predictable song and dance routines and an item number with the heartthrob of the yesteryears,...
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Turkish Protests: What I saw at Taksim square
I was a regular tourist, a museum buff, landing in Istanbul with little more than a working knowledge of Turkey’s political past and present. That was until the district I was staying in became...
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Lessons from the past: The O-Level retake is in your benefit
Every teenager who took Part 1 of his or her O-level exams this year is in a state of shock. The British Council has announced “a breach of security”. Because of a few low cheats, all students will...
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How I became one of the ‘namaloom afrad’
I was never really the brightest kid in my class. Going to school meant tolerating the teacher’s taunts as he caught me trying to distract my mates from the last bench. It also meant getting kicked out...
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Pakistan needs more men like Mirza Ali!
In 1856 when Mount Everest was definitively identified as the world’s highest mountain what began was a series of early Everest expeditions, mostly led by the British, which, in 1933, included efforts...
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