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Shooting Malala – again
Though Malala survived the Taliban’s bullets last year, she is now again under attack in Pakistan by the very same ideology. They attacked her physically then, and now they are out to get her soul....
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Malala returns to Pakistan
DISCLAIMER: Malala has not landed in Pakistan. Ignore the mind-blowing realism and true-to-life drawings - this is fiction.
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Mr Bilal Lakhani, Pakistan is not a dying nation
This is a rebuttal to Bilal Lakhani’s article titled “Pakistan’s Obituary”, published in The Express Tribune on November 6, 2003. The esteemed author has rendered the verdict that Pakistan had been...
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10 reasons why Malala is Pakistan’s very own Katniss Everdeen
Most of us Pakistanis who have seen Hunger Games had the same question in their mind. What if we had a Katniss Everdeen of our own? Who would it be? Well, for those who don’t already know, we do. We...
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A woman’s perspective: Pakistan must not negotiate!
As a woman, you grow up under the shadow of men. You look up to them to make important decisions for you. Ranging from how you have to eat and address your peers to what you should be studying, who you...
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Remembering Jalib, remembering his fight against dictatorship
There was a man who audaciously used to say, “Mai nahi Manta” (I refuse to accept) He was neither a bourgeois nor a feudal and surely, he was not patronised by any ‘third force’ (Teesri Quwwat) that...
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Shahid Afridi: The face of sexism?
In the land of the pure, apparently, one cannot be a man and a feminist at the same time. The two seem to be mutually exclusive. Usually, this disconnect is attributed to the misconception that...
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The problem with our drama industry and its depiction of Pakistani women
The troubled image of modern Pakistani women conjured up by Pakistani dramas is extremely distorted and single dimensional. Stories, it is said, are a subtle yet are the most influential way of...
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Yes, because we need Selena Gomez and a Jonas brother to promote Malala’s...
By now, most of us are well aware of the white saviour narrative that has become a ubiquitous component to the Malala Yousafzai story. By now, we have seen Malala be rightfully lauded around the world...
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Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and Sheikh Rasheed: Recipe for disaster?
In January 2013, Dr Tahirul Qadri, author of a renowned fatwa against terrorism, held Pakistan’s capital hostage for several days while making a categorical litany of demands that had to be met within...
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Terrorism ‘Bounces Back’: Apology not accepted!
We were all 14-years-old once and we remember those days with fond memories. All of us remember our carefree attitude towards life where the biggest worry in the world would be the result of our math...
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Overcoming adversity and reopening schools in Swat
As one travels, on the highway, from Peshawar to Swat, the lush green fields, dotted with tall poplar trees, appear breath-taking, and gradually the silhouette of the mountains become visible. The...
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Where did Jinnah’s Pakistan go?
On August 11, 1947, certain words echoed in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan with much emphasis. “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any...
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Why Malala is not a western puppet
I have always heard about how summer days and winter nights are exceptionally long in Norway. However, it was not until I visited the Scandinavian country myself that I understood the magnitude of...
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Happy Birthday, Malala
In a recent social media diatribe (the ones where everyone’s faith is fired up or as a friend once put it, ‘angrily typing curses and calls for Jihad from their mothers’ basements in Bradford’, and...
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Are we supposed to stop caring about Palestine?
Blood seeps from a man’s face, his features rendered unrecognisable by the beating he took from that merciless iron rod a few days back. A baby is snatched from the arms of his mother and mercilessly...
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Should Malala be blamed for Gaza too?
Consider this: Pakistan is in the midst of a war on terror. Swat is in control of Maulana Fazlullah, who is now the chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Radio is banned, schools have been...
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Is it a burden to have four daughters in a Pakistani society?
“Four daughters?” the woman asked, her eyes wide with a mix of horror, pity and fascination. Then, “Mashallah!” A sympathetic smile, followed by, “They are beautiful. May Allah (SWT) bless them with...
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A Muslim’s open letter to Bill Maher
Dear Bill (I hope you don’t mind if I call you Bill because it’s the nicest word I can use to describe you at this point), We get it. You are an aggressive atheist, you abhor religions. For you, it is...
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Who asked Imran Khan to address the LoC shelling?
Have you heard? There are rumours of Mr Shahid Khan Afridi poised to be the next Imran Khan. [embed...
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