In our PM’s words: And why don’t they leave then?
A video showing the true colours of the Pakistani leadership is being passed around on the web. This time it’s our Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who has shown the world why Pakistan is in such a sorry state. For the initial five minutes of this video, our prime minister makes the usual excuses that have become the trademark of the Pakistan government. In the last 15 seconds, interviewer Becky Anderson tells Gilani about poll results that reveal that about a third of Pakistanis want to leave the country. This is when the video gets really interesting. Following this remark come ...
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Did you buy Mohammad Amir’s story?
I want to. I really want to. I want to believe that Mohammad Amir is an innocent 18-year-old boy who was set up by his friend and captain – his fixer. But I can’t. There are a lot of things about Mohammad Amir’s interview that are bothering me. I feel like we are being told a story that is not true. I feel like we, Pakistani cricket fans, are being lied to… again. Since the interview aired, I’ve heard a wide variety of thoughts from the general public and Twitterati. One section feels sorry for the kid and believes that he was truly ...
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Outlandish Kamran Shahid
I’ll be honest; I don’t like Kamran Shahid one bit. He’s brash, uncouth and thoroughly ungentlemanly; and if I were a woman, I’d make a deal with the devil before allowing myself to be found within a 100 meter radius of the guy who conducts a “serious” journalistic talk-show with his chest hair on display like it’s still the 70s. Seriously. A man who seems to have made it his “purpose” to make women cry on cable television is not the kind of man I was brought up to respect. I’m positively tickled by the fact that of all the people ...
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The curse of the creative
Every creative person at one time or the other faces one of the most debilitating crises in his/her life: fear. It is the thing that makes them wake up at night drenched in cold sweat, threatening to leave them in a deep abiding funk. It comes in a variety of different flavours, from an idea that has been festering in their mind but is refusing to translate into reality to the fear that their work might be seen as trite and unacceptable but the worst is when one is just starting out and can’t come to terms with what ...
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The words that Sirajuddin Haqqani used
It couldn’t have been a coincidence. As I was surfing the internet today for my daily dose of khabrein, two stories appeared side by side. The first story was about the growing suspicions of theUS government that the Haqqani network had links to Islamabad. [[http://tribune.com.pk/multimedia/videos/263375/]] Yawn! On the not-so-other hand, the second story was about a recent statement of Sirajuddin Haqqani, in which he claimed that the group was no longer active in Pakistan. In his interview with Reuters, he claimed: “Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Now we consider ourselves more secure ...
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How to get your first job (hint: use the internet!)
I often get emails and calls from youngsters eagerly seeking to enter the job market. Even though most of these enquirers have MBA degrees, finding a job in this market is still challenging for them. Even though the economy is not particularly strong, one must bear in mind that companies are still hiring people, and these are many avenues for one to find a job. I strongly recommend registering on Rozee.pk which is the most enriched job search site in Pakistan. Those, however, looking for jobs in Gulf are recommended to consider the website, Byat. Getting an interview is only the first step towards ...
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Aalmi Mushaira 2011: Just another oldies affair?
In a candid interview with Pakistan and Gulf Economist in 2002, Azhar Abbas Hashmi claimed that the tradition of the Aalmi Mushaira in Karachi started as a means of improving the city’s image of genocide and lawlessness. Over the years, people of different nationalities, religions and political persuasions connect on an intellectual level and obtain what composite dialogue can never wholly impart: a feeling of unimpeded unity. The Aalmi Mushaira 2011 commenced with similar expectations at the Karachi Expo Centre under the auspices of the Sakinan-e-Shehar Quaid Karachi. The event was held against the backdrop of political tension and violence. And yet, ...
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Jobs: The plight of the foreign graduate
Welcome back to the land of the pure. The one question most recent graduates from foreign universities face while being interviewed by employers and relatives alike is, “What are you doing here? Why did you decide to come back?” The graduate, given he is not the heir to a large chunk of the country’s land or industry, must have been either an idealist or under some form of compulsion to return. Of course, no sane person could have made that choice without being under duress. If the country wishes to reverse the brain drain phenomenon to some extent, now is the ...
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What brand are you?
If you fell off the face of the earth tomorrow what would people around you say about you – once they got over the fact that you were gone? Would they remember any particular aspect of you? Would you be remembered as the guy that kept people entertained at the office? Would you be remembered as the girl who wouldn’t quit talking? How about the guy that kept taking too many pictures with his cell phone? Or just an annoying brat that asked too many questions? Or the guy that immediately adds you on Facebook after a brief meeting somewhere? Like ...
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15 stupid questions you’ll be asked at a job interview
Yesterday, I went for an interview at a software company, as I had applied for the position of a full-time writer. I was quite happy. I was supposed to reach the place at 3pm and I arrived at 2.45pm. The interview started and went on for about twenty minutes. This was not my first interview. I have been interviewed at several places. As the panel continues to ask me moronic question after moronic question, an idea for a blog post began to form in my mind. I tried to make a list of the fifteen most stupid questions that interviewers ask you. The list ...
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