‘IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN LAHORE...’
'Smog' is not only limited to Lahore; in fact, all of Pakistan is at serious risk from high levels of air pollution
HERITAGE: KARACHI’S POLITICAL FORTRESSES
Party headquarters are as good as homes for their partisans. Is anyone looking after these emblems of political history?
FOOTBALL: HOW WORLD SOCCER STARS GOT RED CARDED
Why did the two much-hyped exhibition matches organised by World Soccer Stars fail to gather any crowds in a football
SOCIETY: THE LURE OF ‘COMMITTEES’
As the banking system remains inaccessible for lower classes, particularly poor women, informal savings and pooling
KB19: A BIENNALE OF DISCONTENT
The Karachi Biennale proved to be a disappointing case of policing art by the very municipalities which were supposed
EXHIBITION: SITTING IN PROTEST
An artist tactfully yet boldly questions social constructs around the female form
SMOKERS’ CORNER: THE LANGUAGE OF THE AZAAN
There is a long history of rebellion against state-imposed religious practices.
EPICURIOUS: A TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM ORANGE
Gajar ka halwa is the perfect winter delight. Enjoy this rich and delicious warm halwa on a frosty day before or after a
ADVICE: AUNTIE AGNI
‘My ex dumped me because of his parents’
GARDENING: SOW AND YOU SHALL REAP
There’s nothing more satisfying than growing your garden all the way from seed to harvest. So, get ready to flex your
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE SILENT WOMEN
In conversations surrounding the 'forced conversions' of Hindu girls, the voices of the girls are missing
SOCIETY: STRIKING A DEAL
The used car industry is changing. Is it time for salesmen and agents to change with it?
CRICKET: THE NEW BALL CHALLENGE
It is not easy for any batsman in the world to open the batting on Australia’s bouncy and pacy tracks. Pakistani
HEALTH: THEY NEED EMPATHY, NOT SYMPATHY
Although it is a lifelong condition, with the right exposure, children with Down syndrome can enjoy healthy, happy and
EXHIBITION: SITE OF DISLOCATION
Khalil Chishtee’s aesthetics blur the line between text and image
ARTSPEAK: ART AND CENSORSHIP
As a norm, society does not take art or artists very seriously — entertaining, stimulating, thought-provoking and...
SMOKERS’ CORNER: THE NUTSHELL VERSION OF HISTORY
In analysing historical events, context provides uncomfortable perspectives.
NON-FICTION: 9/11 AND ITS DISCONTENTS
A book of essays presents insights into the seminal event and its repercussions from a wide range of academic and
NON-FICTION: UP THE TOILET
With November 19 being World Toilet Day, a book from Indian Gujarat charts the challenges and success of a programme to
COLUMN: RETURN OF THE NATIVE
Back in the 1970s and ’80s, at a fairly young age, it was in his native Lahore that he joined the political...
FEATURE: THE DAMMED BOOKS
The ban on import of books from India is having a disastrous effect, not only on the business of bookshops, but also on
NON-FICTION: PAKISTAN’S SHIA DYNAMICS
An authoritative book looks at the transnational transformation of Shia thought and religious authority in the country
BOOKS IN BRIEF
Described as an “ode to exploring the unbound beauty of the universe and its beings”, these minimalistic poems often
FICTION: BEYOND THE PALE
Zadie Smith’s first short story collection occupies a remote corner of a universe in which conventional notions of time
FICTION: THE COLOUR OF THE FUTURE
Multiple sci-fi award-winning author puts out her first collection of short stories that cements her position as a
PRIME TIME: ART IMITATING LIFE?
Why is infidelity in marriage the theme du jour on television screens? Are unhappy, spiteful women with malicious intent
CINEMASCOPE: A CHEESIER PEARL HARBOUR
Director Roland Emmerich’s expensive Midway suffers from the same problems his previous blockbusters did: action at the
THE GRAPEVINE
It is hard to imagine the Dabangg franchise starring Salman Khan without a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song — Tere mast mast do
THE TUBE
Ayeza Khan and Imran Abbas are an intriguing lead pair but the intrigue ends right here in this soppy story of cousins
STYLE: MARCHING TO HER OWN DRUMBEAT
In an industry where many designers have shifted gears towards more commercial routes, creating beautiful, sellable but
STREAMING: THE STARS OF YOUTUBE
For Pakistani celebrities hoping to fight off stereotypes or waiting for that one role that will finally prove their
SOUNDCHECK: A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE
Naseer and Shahab’s latest track Kaghaz Ki Kashti is a moody take on our more darker emotions
THE GRAPEVINE
Season 12 of Coke Studio continues to impress us for more reasons than one. The producers of the show were to release
CINEMASCOPE: THE END OF TERMINATOR?
Despite some well-placed social commentary, nostalgic chemistry and fairly decent action, Terminator: Dark Fate comes
THE TUBE
All four friends Shahzain (Osman Khalid Butt), Shehryar (Ahmed Ali Akbar), Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) and Shariq (Wahaj Ali)
PRIME TIME: SLOW AND STEADY
Actor Junaid Khan is in no hurry to reach the top or to partake in the rat-race to stardom. He would much rather make it
STYLE: FASHION’S FADING DREAMS
“The times they are a-changin’,” rasped Bob Dylan. He could be singing the soundtrack to the story of Pakistani fashion.
CINEMASCOPE: THE RETURN OF MALEFICENT
The visuals are spectacular but Angelina Jolie is criminally underused and the director of this sequel is not skillful
THE GRAPEVINE
This is something genuinely to look forward to. Actor Mehwish Hayat — who seems to be everywhere these days — has
THE ICON REVIEW: TWO RAWS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT
Two Pakistani films just released. In Durj the characters eat people in an uncooked story. In Kaaf Kangana the
THE TUBE
The only novelty about this done-to-death storyline, where rich boy Asad (Junaid Khan) loves poor girl Zara (Hira Mani)
The weirdest study courses in the world
We all have wishes and dreams, but not many of us have a clear vision of what we are going to do in the future or...
The reasons for my failure
The reasons for my failure
Poet's Corner
Published in Dawn, Young World, November 16th, 2019
Opinion: An act of kindness
We have all seen beggars on streets.
Wonder Craft: Surprise cake
We often wonder how to surprise our friends with a unique present or something which could amaze them.
Spotlight
Miley Cyrus undergoes vocal cord surgery
The weekly weird
Tapeworm removed from brain
Story Time: The lion rider
Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer in a village. His name was Ahmed and he was an orphan.