The Greene obsession
A review of Pico Iyer's latest book, The Man Within My Head
Some writers have the spirit of a voyeur — perhaps no one exemplified this better than Graham Greene, the British novelist, playwright and critic who delighted in his lifelong role as the outsider looking in. His characters, like him, are …
Interview: Kainaz Amaria
NPR photojournalist talks about diversity in her work
The truth of the matter is that at6 amwhen one has not slept for more than 18 hours, there are not many voices that can make a sleepless crank into an interested journalist. Kainaz Amaria has such a magical voice …
Not everyone’s cup of tea
The reopening of Lahore’s Pak Tea House is not generating the excitement the government hoped for
Lahore’s iconic Pak Tea House, witness to some of the most fiery literary debates and passionate political arguments back in its heyday, is evoking strong sentiment once again. This time, however, the catalyst is not a controversial literary subject or …
Finished, nearly finished
Efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan
It begins innocuously enough: fever, congestion, sore joints — for all you know, the child may just have the flu. But then his legs will start to wobble. He will find it difficult to stand. The fever, instead of subsiding, …
Mob rule
The perils of public rage in Punjab
An enraged crowd sets two vehicles on fire and beats the drivers black and blue after a road accident; when the police try to intervene, the mob assails them with bricks, stones, steel rods and clubs. They want instant justice: …
Preparing for free and fair elections
Holding a fully democratic election takes much more than selecting the best man for the job
The appointment of Justice (retired) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has been hailed throughout the country as a good augury for a proper general election. He has made a series of extremely heartening statements about the …
