Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

Into the war zone IN the aftermath of September 11, I started attending various seminars and meetings in London to acquaint myself with the campaign the dissident groups here launched against UK government’s “shoulder to...		The secret of charisma UNDOUBTEDLY, you have seen them — those special individuals whose mere presence can electrify an entire roomful of people. They exude confidence that commands attention. Others gravitate toward them...
Computers and old-timers WHEN people my age started their working life, in the early seventies, it was the era of the manual typewriters. People would dictate their business letters and notes to secretaries who...		Marketing the image of Pakistan IS the image of Pakistan abroad far worse than it ought to be or can be? Is the international media constantly presenting a distorted image of Pakistan? And is the national...
The metaphysics of New Delhi I ALMOST did not get to Delhi for the fifth and final test match. I went to see Nur Khan to fulfil the formality of letting him know that I was...		Desi volunteers VOLUNTEERS Services Overseas is an NGO which registers volunteers, of all ages and irrespective of sex, from Canada, Britain and other European countries. These volunteers are picked on the basis of...
Conspiracy time-theories IT’S quite interesting, and somewhat amusing as well, to note how people from different walks of life have reacted differently to the time change that took place in April. Though we are nearly three months into the ‘new’ timings, there are still many people who are clinging to the ‘old’ time. These people have a real mindset about switching...		And the race is on... THE dams built so labori ously by the government against politicians and political activities over the last two years and ten months seem headed for bursting, as the elections have started...
Islamic cities CITIES are rightfully defined as the engines of civilization. They are contexts of human progress, asylums for the emancipated in the normal sequence of descriptions. In contrast, Islamic cities, a term...		Dokri in a shambles DOKRI town is a taluka in Larkana district and is situated at a distance of about seven kilometres from Moenjodaro. It was once called Lab-e-Darya or a lip of the Indus....
Attaches with an attitude? HE got it right this time! Musharraf’s Aug 14 address had a generous sprinkling of English for Americans (who matter most), such as Condi Rice, to hear terrorism abused right from...		Shadows of the heart SHE felt as if she was standing in a blind ally, with nothing to look forward to and with no road leading backward to where she had started her journey. Why couldn’t she find contentment in her heart even if everything was done according to what she had thought was right, why couldn’t she live happily ever after when a pagan was killed...
Dhobi, the dying breed CLOTHING and dress, apart from being a basic essentiality of life like food and shelter, has a number of symbolic connotations as it reflects the personality of a man, as well...		Yusufi and literary humour go together MAN is a laughing animal but it is neither the definition of man nor laughter. According to Neitsche, man has invented laughter in order to bear the burden of tragedy of existence. His consciousness is a source of happiness and misery as well....
English in Pakistan ENGLISH is now language of the global village. From land of the Rising Sun to the Hudson Bay, English has bridged communication gaps amongst all civilizations. And along this stretch, there...		Translating Al-Jahiz and Ibn-i-Fazlan I DON’T think there is anything wrong with music.” So said Al-Jahiz, and then asked: “Why should we treat it as something which is haram (forbidden), when we can trace in the Holy Quran and Sunnah no such injunction against it?” Jahiz is a distinguished writer and thinker belonging to the third century of the Hijra....
Kabir the weaver ONE of the most popular and beloved bhagats of the Bhakti movement is Kabir whose poetry, out-passing all times and ages, still gives courage to the common people to challenge religious...		Fighting for women’s hockey in Pakistan THE Federal Minister for Local Government and Environment, Barrister Shahida Jamil, is a busy person these days. Not only is she taking care of her portfolio in Islamabad, she is also...
Walking: a wonderful sport for life IN today’s fast-paced world, more and more people are becoming health conscious. They are turning towards different methods which can keep them fit and healthy. Some of these methods include daily...		Moroccon dream stands shattered THERE came Morocco and there it went, taking the Pakistani dream away with it. But Pakistanis themselves stand to take the entire blame for putting up such an insipid performance, especially...
World’s best to lock horns soon WITH the Champions Trophy now just days away, it is pointless to talk about whether the PHF should have called back the team or not. I made my thoughts plain on...		Of false hopes and paradoxes Johannesburg will try to achieve what Rio failed to deliver. But in the ten years since the first Earth Summit, the challenges have grown to bigger proportions ...
A missed opportunity GENERAL elections are afoot. Expectations were galore that some adventurous foreign university would immediately rush to make capital of this opportunity and open up campuses in Pakistan, offering condensed crash graduate...		Emotional intelligence and literature THIS is with reference to Fatima Zia Dar’s article Emotional intelligence and literature (issue of July 14, 2002), wherein the writer has correctly mentioned that “New brain research suggests that emotions,...
MOSAIC: Bridging the gap A NEW centre for Islamic Studies, at the University of Abertay Dundee, has been hailed as a bridge between Scotland and the Muslim world. The institute was recently opened by the...		Newsmaker PEACE activist and a pretty successful author, Arundhati Roy was recently in Pakistan on a three-city tour of the country. Her travels took her to Lahore, Islamabad and eventually to Karachi. In all her three outings, she was the key speaker talking...