Articles & Column

Hans Christian Anderson, a Danish author wrote scores of fairy tales impacting generations. I remember reading them as a child. “The Emperor Has No Clothes”’ was first published in 1837, with roots dating back centuries traceable to Indian folklore. An extremely vain, proud and ruthless […]

Prime Minister of Pakistan and COAS’s frequent visit to Balochistan in last few weeks signify the priority government and security agencies attach to peace in the province. COAS on Tuesday visited Balochistan and stated that the nexus between the internal collusive elements and external forces […]

In the early days of PTI, Akmal Mirza was President Rawalpindi. He was a committed and experienced political activist, liked by Imran Khan. It was important for the Partyto bring onboard members from diversified communities and professions. Akmal recruited a local lawyer, Aamer Kiyani, who […]

I was not even a teenager when I learnt one of the most important lessons in life. It became a part of my value system. Abbottabad was popular as a “hill station”, a legacy term from the British raj. Summers were mild as compared to […]

Folks let us keep it simple; it is bullet versus ballot. The barbaric commando style action to kidnap Imran Khan was shameful, demeaning and a gross violation of human dignity. IK was hit, pushed and manhandled like a sought after terrorist. For God’s sake he […]

Will Durant writes in his book, Lessons of History, that the first lesson of history is modesty and life is all about survival of the fittest. The global system also dictates that the security of a state is its own responsibility. Pakistan’s existence is the […]

The Chaudhries of Gujrat have been prominent in politics for three generations. I have known all three of them. Their patriarch was Chaudhry Zahur Ellahi emerging onto the national scene from rural Gujrat during Ayub Khan’s regime. He was a close associate of Zulfiqar Ali […]

I have vivid memories of PTI’s founding event at Holiday Inn, Lahore in April 1996. My late friend Ahsan Rashid, Mehmood Awan, and I drove to the venue ahead of IK to get a feel and flavor of the attendees. The hall was abuzz with […]

There are many versions regarding the final words of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto before he was led to the gallows. There is one, favored by his supporters. It narrates that as the noose was tightened, Bhutto was in a defiant mood andtold the highly nervous executioner, […]

One of my favorite pastimes on our farm was to have “poona,” an indigenous variety of sugarcane, harvested and have it squeezed for fresh “roh”, sugarcane juice. After sunset in autumn evenings we would sit under a banyan tree near a “karaha” an oval wide […]