No, I don’t want ‘fraandship’ with you
Most people reading this, especially women, probably already know the drill. If you happen to be a female in Pakistan and if your age just so happens to fall between the range of 16- 30, then you are liable to have already accumulated a respectable (sic) variety of cell-phone stalkers and perhaps a handful of the corporeal variety. The jury is out on which brand tends to be more abhorrent. What is particularly interesting about cellphone and/or Facebook stalkers in Pakistan is the consistency of their attack and the belligerence with which they continue to assume that the word ‘no’ means ...
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A lullaby for you, my daughter
Allaho is a traditional lullaby that is culturally addressed to sons. However, with the help of Pashto and Dari poets, we made a lullaby for girls too. “Allaho - a lullaby for you my daughter” breaks away from being male- oriented as it is directed towards the female child. This video was made when girls schools were being targeted in the different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Afghanistan. The aim behind it was to challenge the mindset that girls should not be allowed to get an education. In shooting this video, I wanted to highlight the positive role that fathers and teachers play in the empowerment of ...
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She’s my girl ‘friend’ not my ‘girlfriend’
I have a friend who happens to be a girl, but isn’t my girlfriend. No, the ‘scene’ is not ‘on’. Don’t give me that mischievous smile and stop calling her ‘bhabhi’. If you attempt to high-five me, I will leave you hanging. Life is not a Bollywood movie where a man and a woman who spend enough time together will inevitably, inescapably, unequivocally fall in love with each other and enunciate their mutual affection to the world through a hilariously choreographed musical number. A platonic relationship between two individuals of opposite gender can, and does, exist. It’s not uncommon for a college boy ...
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Raped on Christmas
A 12-year-old Christian girl was gang raped repeatedly, forced to convert to Islam and was then married to one of her attackers in Lahore. I got to know about this case a few days ago, and since then, I have not been able to overcome feelings of disgust and sorrow. I have been unable to sleep. An FIR was filed against unknown people on January 5, 2011 – FIR No 18/11, to the Factory Area Police Station, district Shaikhupura, Lahore. When I called the concerned police station to make inquiries the sub-inspector was hesitant to talk about the incident. However, when I strictly asked him ...
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Blasphemy for 8th graders
If we were wondering whether Pakistan could sink any lower as a nation where morals are concerned, I must say we definitely exceeded our expectations this past week. All issues related to the blasphemy law and its effect on the fabric of the current mindset in Pakistan can probably take a backseat to the idiocy that raised its head this week. In a spate of vivid defence of religion against the evil world, a teacher accused a 13-year-old Christian girl of blasphemy, alleging that a misspelt word had turned from praise to curse. Of course, the initial reaction from all corners ...
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Ayaz Amir versus a 15-year-old
To crush and bypass the law is an everyday phenomenon in this luckless land, but when the law is trampled upon by someone who urges the nation to respect it every Friday in his verbose columns, one worries. This is happening in my beloved Chakwal where well-known columnist and MNA of PML-N Ayaz Amir dwells. Let me first say I have considered Amir a great teacher but even the greatest teacher is not a divine figure who is above wrongdoing or exempt from criticism. A local court on Tuesday ordered City Police of Chakwal to register a criminal case against Ayaz Amir ...
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I was not hired because I wear a hijab
As I stood outside the glass door, gathering my confidence I took a deep breath. “This has got to be it,” I thought. I prayed one last time before entering the world I wanted to be a part of. I was a recent advertising graduate, a position holder, the favourite of almost all my teachers. I was about to enter the office of a renowned advertising agency to interview for a copywriting position. This was where I had always seen myself when I closed my eyes. I was ready to give it my best. I stepped inside and took in the surroundings. Done ...
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A daughter’s burden
Over the past decades so much has changed in this world from the foreign relations of Pakistan to the allies of the United States, however one unfortunate thing is still the same, and will perhaps stay this way forever. No, I am not referring to Ms Meera’s age. The point in consideration here is the mindset of most Pakistani parents. I belong to a moderate upper middle-class family in Pakistan but I have had to sacrifice a lot of opportunities because of my parents, mostly my dad. However, I feel my sacrifices were small compared to many others. I have seen my friends give ...
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A ‘beta’ for Bruni
Life in the upper echelons of European society can sometimes be as gender biased as it is on our side of the globe. On the one hand, there are Drottningholm Palace of Sweden, that has followed equal primogeniture in their law of succession since 1980, and the Buckingham Palace that plans to do the same to enable William and Kate’s firstborn boy or girl to succeed to the throne after the future King William. On the other hand, there’s Èlysée Palace, home to President Sarkozy of the Republic of France, where (as reports suggest) the First Lady, Ms Carla ...
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Friends don’t let friends lose weight
“Oh my God! You have lost so much weight!” A shrill voice fell sharply on my sensitive ear drums, confirming my worst fear. My always-perfect friend stood there in all her glory, scrutinising my once-fat friend, who was no longer fat but quite slim. To be honest, her flab used to provide me with a sort of satisfaction, as I was a pound or two over my ideal weight (okay maybe five pounds, but you get the drift.) Eyeing my school friends who had now shed their gaucheness for a more refined look, with their flawless skin and designer outfits ...
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