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The pipeline of greed ON October 29, 1994, a convoy of 30 military trucks manned by ex-army drivers, supervised by a senior ISI official and guarded by Taliban fighters set off on a long journey...		Including the excluded NOT many new faces in and around the assemblage, neither the issues under discussion were new, nor the aspiration and suggestions to resolve the problems were put up for the first...
Suicide: the escapist route Everybody was shocked after Sabina had attempted to take her life. On the outset, this vivacious girl of fifteen had everything going for her — she was topping in school, captaining...		Crackling humour with real charity Karwan-i-Hayat, with its motto “for better mental health”, could not have chosen a better time to come up with a lively fund-raiser. With too few parties to attend and several of...
A happy homecoming, or was it? WHEN I got back from Shanghai, there was, as they say, both good news and bad news waiting for me. The good news was that Mr Sultan Ahmed, the Ambassador, had...		IT: bane or boon? We feel proud to live in this modern world where everything keeps getting better than before. As we read the latest books or magazines and watch television programmes, we reach the...
Child beggars: the lost generation Our future generation comprises the children of today. When talking about children, we do not mean only the educated lot. The generation encompasses both literates and illiterates. So it’s a pity...		Blowing things out of proportion Pakistan’s politicians and administrations have a history of involvement in farcical skirmishes and dedication to treating the general public as wanting in comprehension even of see through developments but the pathetically...
The charms of Thar Thar, the southeast district of Sindh province, is the largest desert of the country. Having a population of about one million, it comprises more than 2,000 villages....		At the funeral I was so deeply involved in my work that I became oblivious to the surroundings till the afflicted “mew” broke the sequence. It was “Sweety”, my cat, who mewed so hurtly....
Cellular capers The party is in full swing and the boom box blares out wild music. Suddenly the music gives way and everybody on the dance floor freeze-frames to a sudden stop in...		No family custom Dubai is tremendously growing: spiral flyovers, roads flooded with lights, clean meticulously trimmed flower beds along the road and lush green isles of grass at the cross-roads. I wondered if this...
A lesson in time “Never ever forget your roots, Hassan! You are the grandson of a very noble man, a simple farmer. A man who worked hard his entire life just to see us at...		Proud Pakistani The news that our uncle was coming from France led to a mixed weather forecast at home. The higher altitudes recorded a sudden fall in temperature with chances of gusty winds...
Portraits of a kind THERE is no denying the fact that the light of Islam was showered on South Asia not by Muslim conquerors, rulers, kings and scholars, but by the miracles of Muslim saints...		Graffiti of civilization Archaeologists all over the world have been digging to find early traces of civilization. In this respect Egypt has been the happy hunting ground because of the pyramids in which the...
CHAPTERS FROM HISTORY: Jinnah and Azad Historical fatalism lays down that “before he (the great man) can remake his society, his society must make him”. This is the classical exposition of the role of environment versus the...		POINT OF VIEW: No ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ with Malik Is it not unusual to find a writer traversing from literary criticism to political writing? Fateh Mohammad Malik was hitherto known to us as a literary critic. But in his newly-published...
Ramazan Cricket is alive and kicking CLUB cricket happens to be the backbone of any national cricket structure, and the case in Pakistan is no different. In fact, in our environment cricket clubs happen to be the...		Like father, like son Chris Cairns is presently rated the world’s leading all-rounder. A match winner, more with the bat than with the ball sine he declared himself a batsman who bowls. He hits hard...
THROUGH THE COVERS: Zimbabwean to Australia’s rescue WHAT a match it was! The way the Kiwis pushed the mighty Australians on the back foot was a bit hard to digest. In the final analysis, it was indeed the...		The tragic children’s crusade On May 12, 1212, King Philip of France was holding court at Saint-Dennis in the abbey of that town. Suddenly, a ragged shepherd boy of about twelve evaded the guards and...
A young Afghan’s dilemma IT was in the wee hours of the morning when our house was set ablaze in the South of Kabul. I tightly clung to my dad’s robe while my mum held...		NEWSMAKER SOME eight years ago, Crown Princess Masako took on the role of the designated heir-maker for the legendary Japanese dynasty that goes back 125 generations...