Clik here to view.
US playing Call of Duty…in FATA
The ever so popular first-person shooter game has a new instalment. As the world awaits the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the excitement builds as gamers prepare for the chance to get...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polio peace
On June 16, the Taliban shura in North Waziristan Agency, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, banned polio drops. Then, in the south, a Maulvi Nazir-led shura also banned polio vaccinations until drone strikes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
All I ask for is two drops
They whisper of demons that lurk in water the secrets it holds, the lies I thirst... The oasis knocks at my door, With the two drops I seek But my water, I'm denied By the whispers of the unknowing I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
US-Af-Pak tripartite interests: Time is running out!
Amidst reports of an anti-Taliban insurgency in the provinces of Ghazni, Paktia, Kunar, Nuristan and Laghman gaining strength, time for Pakistan’s clay-footed policymakers is running out fast. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reporting from FATA: A difficult feat and not enough in return
The tribal areas of Pakistan, from where news outflow makes headlines all over the world, focuses largely on the war on terror. Journalists reporting from the region say they are being neglected, even...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Has Hindi become our national language?
Recently, interviews were held for admission at the newly established Cadet College Sarwakai in South Waziristan. It was then that a tribal child, being interviewed by an army officer in Urdu, shocked...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Imran Khan, knowingly or unknowingly ‘Taliban’ Khan
Imran Khan is guilty of one of two things. He is either guilty of deliberately and knowingly legitimising the Pakistani Taliban as a political force for what he perceives to be his own populist gain,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PTI’s Peace March: Give credit where it is due
Waziristan, a centre point for drone attacks by US-led NATO forces, is a place from where thousands of residents were misplaced internally and had to lodge their families to safer places of Pakistan....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drone strikes kill militants, others kill the innocent
While the whole nation is engrossed in the drama being performed by Dr Tahirul Qadri in Blue Area, something more serious and disgraceful is going on in our beloved country. I don’t really know what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Once upon a time in Waziristan: The ‘chota London’ of Pakistan
Unforgettable and joyful memories sum up my 30 years spent in the exotic valley of Razmak. This valley lies within the northern region of Waziristan and was famously known as “Chota London” during the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pakistani reactions to breaking news (explained through cats)
When visiting US diplomats talk about Pakistan being a key ally in the War on terror....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Peace talks or muscle power, that is the question
Pakistan may finally be getting more serious about tackling its militancy problem. But don’t get your hopes up. For years, the US government has pushed Pakistan to crack down harder on militancy and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
North Waziristan operation: Peace talks were never going to work anyway!
After much hue and cry about the peace talks, things ended up as most people predicted - the militant group would not let go of its savage ways and the federal government’s peace initiation would...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Journalism in Pakistan: Where the sword is mightier than the pen…
“How was your weekend?” a colleague asked me. “Terrible.” I answered. “Oh! Why so?” he inquired. I was sad and nostalgic. I told him that on Friday evening, I had received a message on Skype which said...
View ArticleClik here to view.
All the best, Pakistan, we are with you!
What do you do when your neighbour’s house catches fire? Do you sit by, try to extinguish the fire using water or hasten its destruction by throwing petrol in it? Pakistan, our neighbour, my dear...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Understanding the ‘good Taliban’ and ‘bad Taliban’
Just as social media flooded with a surprisingly positive wave of military operation support, there were a few who did not quite seem happy. One of them, ironically, happens to be my friend. “Don’t be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Here’s why Pakistan may not win this fight against the militants
After many rumours and false starts, and after years of requests from US officials, Pakistan has finally launched a major military offensive in North Waziristan, ground zero for militancy in that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don’t ignore your IDPs, Pakistan!
The military operation in Swat five-years-ago led to the displacement of approximately two million Pakistanis, who had to abandon their homes, commodities and lives overnight to a bleak and uncertain...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pakistan needs a revolution
‘Allama doctor Tahirul Qadri Canadian’ For many, the word ‘Canadian’ might seem unpleasant here, but I am sure no one will object to the word ‘Allama’. That is how Pakistanis are; they only see what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I am from FATA and, today, I don’t feel Pakistani at all
I was shocked when I heard that the governments of Punjab and Sindh have barred Waziristan’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from entering their provinces. Belonging to the tribal areas, I know how...
View Article
