A daddy’s letter to his little girl (about her future husband)
Dear Cutie-Pie, Recently, your mother and I were searching for an answer on Google. Halfway through entering the question, Google returned a list of the most popular searches in the world. Perched at the top of the list was “How to keep him interested.” It startled me. I scanned several of the countless articles about how to be sexy and sexual, when to bring him a beer versus a sandwich, and the ways to make him feel smart and superior. And I got angry. Little One, it is not, has never been, and never will be your job to “keep him interested.” Little One, your only task is to know ...
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The other side of the coin
Looking at the current state of Pakistan’s electoral politics, one side of the coin portrays the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and his idea to change the way traditional political outfits operate in the country. Imran Khan has undoubtedly put Pakistan’s politics on a new course, attempting to inject fresh blood in the system, which may eventually enter parliament. But looking at the other side of the same coin, one sees dynastic politics remaining dominant in the country. I witnessed its prime example in south Punjab when our former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar announced the withdrawal of her nomination ...
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When the devil takes over
“I can’t arrange the funds!” Lucifer said curtly. “Maybe later?” His wife, Delilah, spoke softly, but firmly. “Can’t promise you anything.” His face disappeared somewhere in the smoke of the cigarette. “You loved me. I mattered to you. Once.” Her eyes had a covert, but profound temper. “Once, everything was different. You weren’t so materialistic, once.” He glared back at her. “Materialistic? All that we have ever had is a physical relationship – that’s all. Isn’t that materialistic?” Her voice was sorrowful. “And still you stick around. You know why? Because of the money that I had.” Her husband replied spitefully as he bent down, and ...
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My experience at the not-so-swift NADRA offices
“What’s so special about this special Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC)?” I asked. The man wearing the volunteer card replied, “It will give you small privileges over the rest of the people.” “Such as?” I asked, curious. “You won’t have to wait in any long lines, for instance, and all of your work will be done on fast track.” Having visited a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office once before, I had learned not to trust any claim of this agency. But this was not any Nadra office — it was a camp organised by an NGO at a local university in Karachi for ...
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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 dad-to-be is affected a lot more due to the added pressure of looking after two people now, from when the test comes positive to the time of the baby’s delivery. I remember collecting the pregnancy test results on the way home from work in 2003. ‘Positive’ it read. I immediately felt an adrenaline rush on reading it. As was expected, my wife turned into the eighth wonder of the ...
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Am I normal?
My parents think I repress my feelings . They say that I need to be more assertive and understand that my feelings count. If they knew the degree to which my brain has gone haywire, they would probably search for the nearest asylum to chuck me into. They say that I have not been honest with them, so I should either start talking or be prepared for weekly sessions with a shrink. Cruel, isn’t it? All I did was hide my monthly report card which showed my poor academic performance and questioned my intelligence quotient. It isn’t the most uncommon thing to do, but ...
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Abboo always on my mind, forever in my heart
Abboo passed away last week. He was in the ICU for almost five months and eventually after fighting like the resilient man we all knew, he met his Creator at the age of 73. My father was an extremely ordinary man by all accounts, but he was a superman as far as my sisters and I are concerned. I excused my mother because it is my impression that he was a normal husband however, he was an extraordinary father. I don’t want this piece to be a cliché ridden ode from a son, because I have always felt that if all fathers were good ...
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The expat
Hammad Khan, a young aspiring Information Technology (IT) professional from Karachi, moved abroad leaving behind his family and friends in the search for a better future. The young man acquired a bachelor’s degree in IT and joined a US-based software company; his arrival in the USA was like a dream that had come true. Hammad planned on staying in the US for about ten years, so he could make enough money to settle down comfortably in Pakistan. As the son of a civil servant – who could only manage to earn himself a one-bedroom apartment after his retirement – Hammad aimed to ...
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Children who make plans
There are always children who make plans, For what they’ll become when they grow up, What profession to get into, what home, and what family they’ll have, What they will do in the world, when as adults they show up. There was this child, 12-years-old Who was named Vladimir Kovaskin, He was the son of a rising merchant, Whose progress to higher ranks was being seen, He wanted to be higher than his dad, And become a business owner, He wanted to move to Ukraine, And there become a father, But first, he hoped to go to a big college, For which he was saving money, To take up studies in economics, To manage ...
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My father was 1984′s long-forgotten Shahzeb Khan
My father was murdered in Karachi in 1984. He was shot dead. Some 28 years later, Shahzeb Khan met the same fate. Cause of death? They were trying to protect a woman’s honour. My father, Syed Rabbani Zamir, was trying to prevent the harassment of an unknown woman at the hands of a Saudi naval cadet who had come to Pakistan for training and was shot dead. My family pushed long and hard for justice and ultimately it was served. The offender was court-martialled and ended up serving some time in jail as well. Regardless of what happened to the culprit, the end result was the same ...
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