In religious societies such as ours, a constant tension is observed between the afterlife and the here and now.... Published Jul 15, 2018 06:25am

The French poet, essayist and thinker Paul Valery (1871-1945) captured his readers’ imagination like few would.... Published Jul 08, 2018 07:16am

I am in Lahore when Professor Yousuf Hassan is being laid to rest in Rawalpindi. I cannot make it to his funeral, ... Published Jul 01, 2018 07:07am

There is a country and there is a country’s conscience. When we witness India going through times comparable with... Published Jun 24, 2018 07:06am

The elites in our society have the ability to first co-opt and then eulogise icons of resistance once the brand of... Published Jun 15, 2018 07:05am

There is an old Arabic adage: The death of a scholar is the death of the world. Falling well within the tradition of... Published Jun 10, 2018 06:53am

Argentinean poet and writer Jorge Luis Borges had almost lost his eyesight in the latter years of his life. Once he... Published Jun 03, 2018 07:05am

It is an important book for a Pakistani to read and to take seriously. Published May 27, 2018 08:37am

American musician Tom Waits beautifully said once that this world is a hellish place and bad writing is destroying... Published May 20, 2018 08:02am

After a three-hour delay in departure from Islamabad, it was a turbulent flight to Quetta. The faint-hearted ... Published May 13, 2018 07:20am

Even after centuries have passed, the charm and enigma of great verse from anywhere has the strength to move someone... Published May 06, 2018 07:05am

In Pakistan today, we face a renewed challenge to both freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression, coupled with a... Published Apr 22, 2018 07:20am

The poise, the grace, the detached analysis of the political trajectory of the country and the unique... Published Apr 15, 2018 06:28am

To the utter dismay of a few quintessential lamenters with liberal leanings in our midst, we were successful in... Published Apr 01, 2018 06:49am

It is perhaps their inherent sense of pride and overtly masculine demeanour that prevents the Pakhtun from crying ... Published Mar 25, 2018 06:15am

Paul Auster, one of my favourite American writers, says that we are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.... Published Mar 18, 2018 07:09am

With the passing of Jam Saqi an era comes to an end. During my undergraduate years in Karachi, I lived in a room ... Published Mar 11, 2018 06:56am

What an absolute delight it was to hear Adrian A. Husain read from his collection of sonnets, Italian Window, at a... Published Mar 04, 2018 07:04am

In the popular romances constituting the folklore of the Indus Valley, women are the real heroes. In these ... Published Feb 25, 2018 07:11am

Since being introduced to her at a rather early age, I have always felt proximity with Jamila Hashmi’s works of... Published Feb 11, 2018 06:38am