A CLIP from a recent television talk show is doing the rounds on the banned platform, X. In it, a journalist/ commentator discusses how rumours of a possible extension for the Supreme Court chief justice have cropped up time and again. The option was ‘discussed’ during the tenures of Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa,...
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April 20, 2024September 5, 2024Columns
Empowerment is Expensive: My Unfolding Story of Social Entrepreneurship
What could be more joyous than to see some of the wishes coming true in your lifetime? Within the list of many wishes, a foremost and prioritized wish within my generation of crazy changemakers was to see the understanding of “social entrepreneurship.” Being a witness to a time when the mere word ‘entrepreneurship’ was not...
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April 17, 2024April 17, 2024Columns
Rising Temperatures Threaten Global Fruit Cultivation: A Shift in Orchard Dynamic
Environmental stresses pose significant threats to global food security and have detrimental effects on crop production worldwide, particularly impacting fruit cultivation. Abiotic stresses, such as rising temperatures, reduced precipitation, heat waves, and cold temperatures, disrupt the timing of flowering, fruit set, and harvesting, leading to decreased productivity and compromised fruit quality, especially in arid and...
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World Health Day: Health is a Right- But for whom?
Health is recognized as a constitutional right in 140 countries worldwide. However, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is not among them. It is even more surprising to consider the disregard for this “value” assigned to health in a country that ranks 164th out of 193 nations on the Human Development Index. The theme of World...
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March 21, 2024March 21, 2024Columns
Women’s Day Celebrations: Recognizing Achievements, Inspiring Future Generations
International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8th, is a worldwide acknowledgement of women’s social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments. It serves as a tribute to the significant impact women have made throughout history and as a platform to champion gender equality. Over the years, from the suffragette movements to the #MeToo era. women have...
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March 20, 2024March 20, 2024Columns
Dowries, Daughters, and Democracy
While certain terms and concepts have assumed the status of regular add-ons in prime-time TV shows, social media news, and print media editorials and opinions, any serious student of social development with an intersectional perspective would be puzzled. The devil lies in the details. Under the heavy weight of umbrella terms like SDGs, Elite Capture,...
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March 13, 2024March 13, 2024Columns
Education Interrupted: Gaza Students Struggle as Schools and Universities Become Targets of Conflict
An Israeli airstrike devastated Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, along with several other educational institutions in the occupied territory. The Israelis damaged nine university buildings in Gaza and two in the West Bank. This resulted in over 227,335 Palestinian students, including 555 with scholarships abroad. It also experiences disruptions to their higher education. Then, on Jan. 18,...
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March 9, 2024March 9, 2024Columns
Empowerment Exploited: The Feminist Concussions
A contemplation of the complexities and contradictions inherent in the pursuit of women’s empowerment Abuse is not confined to vulnerable women alone. The victims or survivors can include various labels, dictums, and watchwords. One such impactful term is ’empowerment,’ especially concerning women’s emancipation. Both academic literature and discourse beyond academia have extensively utilized this expression...
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February 28, 2024February 28, 2024Columns
Sharif dynasty’s new face
SHE had long been groomed as heir apparent to the country’s most prominent political dynasty and her election as Punjab’s chief minister this week marked her crowning. Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, now holds one of the most powerful political positions in the country. With uncle Shehbaz Sharif assured of...
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February 28, 2024February 28, 2024Columns
Good examples
IN Pakistan, we do things family style, and politics is a part of family. Elections are contested family style — brothers, uncles, sons and daughters all running from different constituencies. The most eminent families have entire political parties available at their disposal, and heading them means a decent shot at the best, highest and most...