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Understanding tribalism THE Quaid-i-Azam was not only a brilliant political leader but also a master strategist. The policy that he identified for Pakistan at its creation rested on three interconnected assumptions...		There can be no quick-fix solutions SITTING under an old chinar tree in the lush-green lawns of the British-built residence of the political agent, one really wonders how would A.J. Grant, the first British political agent in South Waziristan, have felt....
Man’s search for superman An old and ailing woman in her late 80s came to the house of Abu Dada, the muscular macho of Bhimpura, one of the old localities in Karachi. “Nani, what brings you to Abu Dada’s abode?” He asked....		Family values IT was like any other December night in Karachi, cold, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Yet, sleep stubbornly eluded him as he lay stretched...
Online resources for kids Children are curious souls. Wanting to discover each and everything that don’t understand, their curiosity can at times get out of hand. Nevertheless, we are here to talk of the wonderful...		Urban mayhem “City is the ideal image of a civilization”. I read the globally idealistic statement somewhere, which in our context (that of local Pakistanis) sounds quite covertly mocking and stimulating enough to let me take some notice....
Of Bollywood in Pakistani homes Furqan, a Karachi-teenager and a student of A-levels is smitten by the charms Bollywood has to offer. He is an ardent fan of Aishwarya Rai, Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen. He...		A Costa Rican journey It was named the ‘rich coast’ by Christopher Columbus who arrived there in 1502 looking for gold. However, today, Costa Rica is a small country most of whose four million inhabitants speak Spanish as their first language....
The cradle of Pathan culture Pathans of all hues and colours, irrespective of their nationality, display special interest for Balochistan. Their interest in Balochistan is quite natural because the traditional home of Pathans lies within this...		A matter of heart Cardiovascular diseases are the number one human-killer in the West. And this trend is especially present in the 40-60 year age group....
HOT SEAT FOR Akber Zaidi, a man who has no dearth of favourites when it comes to music, films and books, asking him to name just a few that he is fond of...		A journey of reconciliation The recent visit, during the cricket ODIs, of the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s daughter, grandson and great-grandsons has received only fleeting media notice on the premise...
CHAPTER FROM HISTORY: Two maestros from Lahore It was a cold winter’s night in Lahore more than 50 years ago when this scribe came face to face with a living music legend at a gathering held in a...		POINT OF VIEW: Trotsky’s autobiography in Urdu AT one time, we had plenty of Stalinists and Maoists among us. But the variety known as Trotskyites was almost non-existent. It is now that this species has cropped up. And...
The maestro is happy with life Sachin Tendulkar, the name itself commands respect. Still not 31, Tendulkar is already an icon. Regarded as a world class batsman, he is inarguably, the best in his game....		THROUGH THE COVERS: The madness in Multan WATCHING one wicket fall after the other I really wondered if there was any team strategy worth its name in the Pakistani camp. From the nature of the pitch to team...
A month of miracles MARCH was truly a month of miracles. One need only take a superficial glance at remarkable deeds on the field of cricket across the globe to come to this conclusion. True...		Dare to dream Let’s clone Tom Friedman and beget a mouthpiece. Pakistan needs one badly. The New York Times foreign affairs’ czar is truly bowled over by Bangalore, devoting five, yes five...
The melting pot Sharing his ‘overwhelming experiences’ after his visit to Karachi for the first one-day cricket match, an Indian writes: “Imagine, 39,990 Pakistanis and 50 of us Indians cheering for each other. Quite...		Chicken run! Bird flu, the deadly epidemic that has infected millions of fowls (specially chickens) across Asia and is inexorably on the rise....
NEWSMAKER Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar for both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, has turned on his ex-boss, a year after stepping down as the cyber-security adviser charged with protecting America against an “electronic Pearl Harbour”....		Honour at stake With reference to the article, Honour at stake, (March 14), it is high time that the women of our country and the whole world in general find an identity of their...