THERE is much talk of the ‘winds of change’, but where are they blowing from? Well-briefed sections of the media and well-connected cabinet ministers tell us that some form of administrative restructuring to create new provinces is inevitable, and that it may come sooner rather than later. We are told it is ‘the will of...
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August 18, 2026August 18, 2026Columns
The Stalwart of Urdu Who Transformed a Language into an Institution
Let us summon before the mind’s eye that Karachi evening of 16 August 1961, when an aged scholar, having traversed the final confines of his mortal existence, departed upon the irreversible journey towards eternity. The city, indifferent to the magnitude of the moment, continued its accustomed rhythm: traffic coursed along its thoroughfares, markets remained animated,...
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August 18, 2026August 18, 2026Columns
Independence Day: A Renewal of Our National Pledge
August 14 is far more than a date on the calendar. It is a defining chapter in Pakistan’s national story a story written in the blood, tears, sacrifices, migrations, courage and unwavering faith of millions. It was on this historic day that a nation broke the chains of colonial rule and emerged on the world...
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August 17, 2026August 17, 2026Columns
Night Cream & Empty Chairs
I often imagine lying in my parents’ bed, spooned against Amma, her one arm and one leg draped over me, I can still smell her night cream. The softness of her clothes, the quiet warmth of her body, the familiar scent that has always meant safety. I play with her bangles until sleep pulls me...
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August 13, 2026August 13, 2026Columns
August 14: From Celebration to a Journey of Reflection
Every year as the month of August dawns, the air fills with an inexplicable surge of enthusiasm and emotional fervor. Green and white crescent flags fluttering in the streets, small paper flags held tightly in children’s hands, and buildings glowing under night lights proclaim that a nation is celebrating the birthday of its homeland. August...
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August 13, 2026August 13, 2026Columns
Why Doesn’t Pakistan’s Gen Z protest?
We are huge in numbers, educated, skilled, ambitious and full of passion. We carry degrees, build careers, learn new skills, create businesses, make art, produce content and dream of lives bigger than the circumstances we were born into. We are talented, deeply connected and eager to build lives that mean something. Yet beneath all that...
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August 6, 2026August 6, 2026Columns
More Than a Tradition: The Guru–Chela System, Khwaja Sira Culture, and the History of Chosen Families
Long before the words transgender or LGBTQ+ entered public conversation in South Asia, Khwaja Siras had already built communities rooted in care, dignity, and survival. Our history is not a recent one. It stretches across centuries, carrying memories of royal courts, Sufi shrines, neighbourhood gatherings, and chosen families that protected one another when the rest...
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August 5, 2026August 5, 2026Columns
Traditional Thinking : The Foundation of Human Progress
Today, almost everyone talks about leaving old ways behind to make room for progress. In Sindhi, this old-fashioned mindset is called Rawayati Soch (روائتي سوچ), which means “traditional thinking” or “conventional thought.” Most of the time, people use this phrase as an insult. They use it to describe someone who is stubborn, backward, or afraid...
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August 4, 2026August 4, 2026Columns
Painting Resistance: The First Transgender Woman on Scaffolding in Peshawar
In a city where transgender women are too often pushed to the margins, I climbed a scaffold. Not to hide. Not to survive. But to paint. For the first time in Peshawar, a transgender woman stood high above the street on scaffolding, transforming a towering 25-by-25-foot wall into a public artwork. Every brushstroke became an...
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The War That Exposed The Double Standards Of The Progressive Left
The Iran conflict has done more than reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics: It has exposed deeper contradictions in contemporary political discourse and become a revealing test of the consistency with which universal principles are applied. Governments have reacted largely as expected: Israel through the prism of security, Iran as the self-styled standard-bearer of “resistance,” the...