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It is Pax Americana, stupid! ISRAEL has haughtily rejected the latest UN Security Council resolution, calling upon it to vacate its military occupation of the Palestinian towns as well as the trashed compound of Yasser Arafat...		Language divide “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains,” observed the famous French philosopher Rousseau, 240 years ago. All men are born equal in the constitutions of all democratic states...
Occult matters These days one hears and reads a lot about spiritual and occult matters and the abilities ascribed to spiritual masters and psychic mediums. There is much controversy and misunderstanding about these,...		Jogi’s predicament Jogi counted hundred thousand goats, lambs and rabbits, but he couldn’t sleep. He then began counting horses. Initially, the gimmick proved successful, but halfway the horses transformed into war-horses. Jogi gave...
A rational approach to Islam Women in hijab and other traditional gear symbolic of their modesty throng the meetings of Farhat Hashmi, and women in modern wear and reasoning men throng the meetings of Dr Riffat...		PIA enters the jet age The coercive apparatus of the government was available to keep the press obedient. One of the most effective ways of doing so was to withdraw patronage. The government itself was the...
Seeking fortunes For sometime now, I have been reading a lot on the thousands of Pakistanis who have left Pakistan or are in the process of doing so in search of greener pastures....		Saving lives SHE can well be described as a mother of 500 children who are suffering from tuberculosis. But they are just a fraction of the two million active cases of TB in...
An island in a sea of politics One did not expect political fireworks in the national capital; Islamabad’s status as an island cut off from the rest of the country is no secret. One did not know of...		A journey less traveled An expedition to an exotic island calls for a bona fide holiday spirit that lies, in its true essence, in the passion for adventure. This fervour for discovering new horizons took...
Forts of a princely state The forts of Kharan are considered the legacies of a princely state which unfortunately are fast disintegrating. And due to the under development of the area and lack of the care...		Authentic self versus fictional infection An intellectual is a person whose mind watches itself. So said the French existentialist, Albert Camus. In today’s jumble of life, how many of us can stand up and be counted...
The magic of cartoons Art is said to be an aesthetic activity which mimicks the creative power behind nature. The reason given for this assertion is that when something is very much desired but very...		This generation of mine I often hear my grandfather talk about how life was during his youth. He proudly called it “The good old days”. I am sure that the average reader who has a...
Karo-kari syndrome Every day we read about the sickening episodes of honour killing. Some times we also read statements and articles against such monstrous acts. Many social workers, feminist groups, human rights organizations...		Bhittai’s poetic women A ccording to the Arab, Persian and Turkish traditions, women are temptresses who distract the Sufi, usually a male, from his goal of union with God. That is why, in comparison,...
CHAPTERS FROM HISTORY: Gharib Nawaz Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, commonly known as Gharib Nawaz (Patron of the Poor), introduced Islamic mysticism in India in the 12th century. He heralded the advent of Muslim rule that commenced with...		POINT OF VIEW: A translator’s art NEXT to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, one more great work of fiction from Russian has been translated into Urdu. It is Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, but it is not big news. Or...
Historical account of Asian Games India hosted the first Asian Games in New Delhi, in 1951. Since then, the Games have been held every four years. Eleven countries took part in the inaugural Games. The 1951...		THROUGH THE COVERS: Clear-headedness is what we need A NUMBER of changes have been effected in the Pakistan team and its management. Even more are in the offing as I write these lines. But I hardly find it worthwhile...
Conflicting versions “I simply say that I don’t drink by choice,” Aafiya told me. That struck me as a strange statement coming from the 20-year-old. Even though her family has spent a major...		NEWSMAKER HE may have failed to live up to his promises, but the 61 million voters of Germany have given Gerhard Schroeder another opportunity....