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Roots of aggression Although cleverest amongst all the beings inhabiting the planet, why is Man the only one who inflicts pain, kills his own species and destroys the environment his life depends upon?...		Political alienation In Pakistan, slowly and gradually, a large proportion of the electorate feels politically powerless because it believes that the community is controlled by a small group of powerful and selfish individuals who use public office for personal gain....
The silent treatment Once, I asked my previous doctor what she thought about alternate treatments. She just remained silent. I told her that there are quite a few treatments today, like homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture...		A spirited challenger She is a consistent campaigner for the rights of women in Islam. She wants to challenge and disprove many of the old notions about Islam, unfounded assumptions and baseless beliefs, particularly...
A moment of triumph for PIA The confidence that the Chinese had shown in 1956 was more in the nature of defiance, but China had not felt alone. There was back-up support from the Soviet Union. The...		Cell shock Sometime back, I attended a family get-together where more than 50 per cent of the people had cell phones. What shocked me most was that a majority of the men had...
A nagging habit Nagging is a small word, but most unwelcome. To nag is to continuously find fault and complain. It becomes a characteristic of women, specially when their youth is departing. Most life...		The INS and hopeless Pakistanis A photograph on the dashboard of a friend’s car attracted my attention the other day; he was himself at the steering. The friend is to remain unidentified on his request. The...
Phundar: a boon for anglers I CHANCED to go to Phundar by pure chance. While returning after seeing the exciting annual Summer Polo match at Shandur in Chitral, I decided to go by a somewhat less-used...		Ashoka’s rock edicts Ashoka (d. 273-236BC), the Mauryan emperor, is closely associated with Gandhara, the ancient name of the Peshawar valley. He sent Madhyantika, a saint, who converted people of the area to Buddhism....
Intoxication of freedom Remember Walter Cronkite, the CBS anchor of Evening News whose commentary about the first man on the moon was relayed live all over the world in July of 1969? He even...		Life’s little absurdities This is not an excerpt from a Shakespearean dialect or a piece of wit by some 100-year-old scholar of convictions....
The power of semi-precious stones If you are walking on the footpath adjacent to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce of Industry’s office, you will notice a man sitting with about seven showcases full of silver rings...		The wonderful world of books I may not belong to a family of writers and poets, but I opened eyes among books and book readers. Almost everyone of my maternal relatives is an avid reader. My...
Women in Shah Latif’s poetry Shah Abdul Latif (1690-1752) was a genius whose contribution to human thought and poetry has left an abiding legacy. The most significant aspect of his poetry is his mystical thought which...		CHAPTERS FROM HISTORY: Charity and society Charity is regarded one of the best solutions to minimize the effects of poverty and to give relief to needy people. Individuals as well as institutions undertake the task to distribute...
POINT OF VIEW: Islam and freedom of expression FROM its very beginning, Islam has been, according to Taha Husain, averse to the freedom of thought and expression. He argued that in the early phase of our faith, restrictions had...		A formidable batsman If any cricketer exemplifies Australian cricket, it is Steve Rodger Waugh. Tough, determined, competitive and ruthless, he has also proved himself to be one of the most formidable batsmen in Test history....
Career opportunities are important AT the time of writing these lines, the National Hockey Championship is still under way. So there is hardly any point in talking about it at this stage. But there has...		THROUGH THE COVERSGlorious, not ridiculous AS we approach the end of our World Cup form assessment, it is time now to take a look at teams that are not likely to start out as pre-tournament favourites....
The circus comes to town The circus came to town again this fall. We were asked to queue up under the mild autumn sun, smile into the cameras for the benefit of satellite viewers, and inform the international news media that, as tried and tested democrats...		NEWSMAKER FOR many subcontinental immigrants, life in the US or Canada means working long hours at burger stands for little remuneration. They have only one purpose in life and that is to send money back home....