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When the Okara police made a father and son rape each other
It was one of those foreboding nights; the power had gone out and I was sitting on the roof on my charpai. With the atmosphere already grim from stories of jinn possessions and cannibal witches, my...
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So, you want to be a doctor? Think again!
Dear prospective, to-be doctors, this article contains stuff you may consider sadistic or full of spoilers. Read at your own discretion. Don’t say you were not warned! Let’s observe some reasons why...
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Sharam karo Pakistan, Sharam karo Facebook
While the pictures sparked a feeling of uneasiness, it was the accompanying comments from the online Pakistani crowd that left me feeling quite disgusted. I was on sharamkaro.com - a website that...
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Soliloquy of an on-looker
The haze slowly cleared out and I regained consciousness. As I became aware of my existence, I gradually began to recall what had brought me here in the first place. My mind felt like an old desktop...
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From Egypt to Pakistan: Why are we infatuated by the Army?
After a halting transition to democracy that was hailed around the globe, Egypt is once again under military rule. The generals claim to have intervened in the national interest, citing the massive...
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The Burka Avenger versus liberal patriarchy
If you live under a rock and are still unaware of the phenomenon that is the “Burka Avenger”, please check it out. The cartoon series is the story of a teacher, Jiya, who dons a stylised burka costume,...
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Chicken Liver Pâté: Dip it, spread it – just enjoy it!
We have been eating sautéed, grilled or fried chicken liver with different spices for ages, now it’s time to try it in a different way. Yes the French way, in the form of a creamy, smooth delicately...
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Drugged infants on the streets of Pakistan
I’ve seen newborns on drugs and so have you. Unfortunately, so has every MPA, MNA, human rights activist, police official, mother and father. Recently, a woman holding a newborn came to my window to...
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The day I was stranded in Hyderabad
Feeling like a rat surrounded by a dozen cats, I stood there on an empty street near the famous Rani Bagh, Hyderabad. I dreaded the moment I had decided to step out of the Daewoo bus. “Aagay Latifabad...
View Article#ShiaGenocide is a reality, not just a ‘fab’ Twitter trend
Another sectarian attack in Parachinar. The infamous hashtag Shia Genocide, however, only lasts momentarily on Twitter before being taken over by more worthy trends like #replaceMovieNameWithSharamnak....
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Charles Bennett: The one and only ‘gora’ cricket umpire in Pakistan!
“Howzat!” yells an energetic and enthusiastic young handicapped bowler, looking at an American umpire, at a friendly cricket match played at a local ground in Islamabad this summer. The American umpire...
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When the song ‘Get Lucky’ is inappropriate only in Ramazan
Around a week ago, as I was listening to the radio while weaving my way through Pindi’s traffic en route to work, an interesting development caught me by surprise. The radio jockey announced the song...
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Adoption, it appears, is for TV ratings
It takes a long time to come to terms with some diagnoses, and the fact that you may be unable to conceive a child is one of them, but there is a solution: adoption. It offers couples the opportunity...
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Triggering sectarian violence in Kashmir won’t help, India, we still want...
The wave of sectarian clashes struck occupied Kashmir in the already troubled times when many were mourning the martyrs of the Ramban killings. It was a few weeks ago when news from occupied Kashmir...
View ArticleDear CNN: Lailat al-Qadr is not a ‘security risk’
I was putting my shoes on, leaving for my evening prayers, when my phone buzzed with a text: “Saw a CNN byline linking ‘Night of Power’ to the recent terror alert. Talk of sensationalism.” You know how...
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What 17-year-old artist Maliha Abbas has accomplished
Art is what gives a society its soul. It creates a shared communal feeling and transcends borders, classes and religions. If art gives society its soul, it’s the artists who give art its soul. The way...
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Monsoon rains in Karachi: Forget your cars, bring out the boats
This Saturday seemed like any other ordinary day to me and I continued my day as usual; the sky was not very clear, but I never anticipated the havoc that was to soon come my way. The weather forecast...
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After the Kerry visit: Dialogue may commence, but drones will continue
It was scheduled, then postponed. Then it was rescheduled—only to be postponed again. Then, on July 31, it finally happened—US Secretary of State John Kerry made his long-awaited trip to Pakistan....
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The Burka Avenger: Offended by a fictional superhero’s clothes
Disclaimer: Like the majority of those with ridiculously strong polarising opinions about Burka Avenger, I have yet to see the darned thing and haven’t the slightest clue what channel it’s on or when...
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A commuter’s plea: Revive the Karachi Circular Railway!
I can still remember the days of my childhood in the mid 90s when I would sit in front of my father on the oil tank of his Yamaha motorcycle, en route to my uncle’s place. I can still hear myself...
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