Rehman Malik does not deserve a PhD
Our Interior Minister Rehman Malik has been awarded a PhD degree for his remarkable efforts in bringing peace to the country, specifically to Karachi. He now joins the ranks of 5,300 PhD scholars in Pakistan and sits amongt the top rung of the educated population. Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, who is also the Chancellor of the University of Karachi, conferred the degree on Senator Abdul Rehman Malik in a special convocation held at the Governor House. The degree was awarded by the syndicate of Karachi University who justified this award with the words: “(for providing) matchless services to the country in the war ...
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Video Blog: Of human bondage
This documentary is about a women named Hina. She tells the sad tale of her life in Khanewal, where she has been working at a brick kiln since childhood. She, and many others like her, have been accused of stealing and prostitution. They have been imprisoned, sexually harassed and beaten within an inch of their lives. Yet, they continue to work at the brick kiln since it is their only means of feeding their children and putting clothing on their backs. The men who work at this kiln are separated from the women. The women are raped by the owners, who make videos of ...
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Why I think women are stupid
Women, no matter how smart and intelligent they are professionally, are horrendously stupid and myopic where men are concerned. They can be very assertive with everyone, but place them opposite their lover and they start stuttering (it’s happened more than once with me). They are bosses at work, running their own business or office and yet will let a loser run their lives for them. Why? Why do they make monkeys of themselves repeatedly in their intimate relationships with men? The sheer stupidity displayed by otherwise sensible women in the presence of a man whom they love is baffling. Is it the way we are ...
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Guns n’ rozays
When my friend posted the line ‘guns and rozays’ as his status a couple of days ago I could not imagine how close to the truth it was going to be and how the phrase would be the only one appropriate to describe conditions after yesterday night’s shooting in Karachi. Last night my father was forced to return home before he reached the masjid. He did not pray tarawih. Why? Because of what a never ending sound of gunshots that rang out at the exact same time that my father and many others stepped out on the way to show God gratitude. Now, ...
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Her brothers killed her
I was on the phone with my mother who had left for Hyderabad a few days back, but ended up in our village in district Badin. Her voice shook as she spoke when I asked her if everything was fine. She replied: ‘Did nobody inform you? Shanu was killed by her brothers.’ I felt numb. Shanu, my mother’s second cousin had been shot dead. The thought of her lifeless face gave me goosebumps. Shanu was a middle-aged divorced woman and mother of three, whose two brothers shot nine bullets into her. She wanted to remarry but her family managed to persuade her against it. ...
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Cambridge result day: Anxiety and paranoia
Today I woke up in a state of pure anxiety and paranoia – much like most people my age at this time of the year. I saw my Facebook was full of scared remarks, some overly confident statuses (that add a bit more to the depression), and a variety of prayers. I have found myself praying a lot more than I usually would; making an extra effort, hoping for anything that would work. It’s the day thousands of students from Pakistan, and around the world mark on their calendars as D-Day. Cambridge O and A Level results are due today: Thursday, ...
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The disservice of forgetting
With school beginning in August, one plucky senior decided to send a farewell note to the new A-level final year class. He talked about how everything that would happen in the last year of school – petty rivalries, exams, and college applications both in and out of Pakistan – were completely pointless. There was no need to lose sleep over them. This much was standard high school speech protocol, except that he learnt all of this on the first day back to school, which was directly preceded by the AirBlue crash. It’s hard, he figured, to worry about those sorts of ...
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We who fight monsters
Remember that last scene in the movie Titanic when the ship is sinking but the band of musicians carries on playing the song “Nearer My God to Thee”? It’s routinely cited to illustrate the utter imbecility of men blinded from the obvious. I have thought of it the same way — except, now, when I try to write these lines. Now, I really wish I could do what those men did. Detach myself from the situation and go on to talk about poetry, and point out the niceties of form and imagery. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but ...
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Optimism, and the liberty to be free
Salman Taseer’s first birthday since his assassination, unsurprisingly brought back memories of a very dark day. Still ensnared in those thoughts, that quiet day turned on its head when news of the kidnapped journalist, Saleem Shahzad’s killing broke out. The investigative reporter was tortured and killed brutally. The feelings I felt put a sense of déjà vu in my conscience. Anger, disgust, fear and sadness all made their simultaneous entries into my mind, but felt strangely familiar. Soon I realised that these feelings actually hadn’t just entered my head, they were already there. I was already feeling all these emotions ...
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Do you care about my dead uncle?
My uncle was killed this month. But, you don’t care and, you’ll care even less as you read on. His death knell was sounded about two weeks ago – not by God but by six armed men. The headline of this sort of story, due to its lack of significance for the rest of the world, may read something like this: Shia doctor assassinated by militants Very conveniently, the media simplifies the most important event in his life, and the life of his family members, to a war between two groups. Out of the entire population of Pakistan, the number of people ...
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