From the Editorial Desk — Asking the right questions
How do individuals, communities and nations try to cope with adversity? History books throw up answers that are bewilderingly various: short and long, simple and complex, academic and practical, philosophical and psychological, ethical and political. There is, however, one thing …
Dialogue of the deaf
On why long-term peace remains elusive in conflict-ridden Balochistan
Let us move towards some solutions, says Quetta-based historian and writer Dr Shah Muhammad Marri, pointing out that there has already been enough storytelling on Balochistan’s bloodshed. The question now is where to look for a solution. One thing that …
Boundary disputes
The story of an election commission buckling under external pressures
Attorney general Irfan Qadir was categorical in his September 25 letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim: “the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has the exclusive obligation to determine the questions of disqualifications … [it is not …
Leap of faith
Conversions, discrimination and isolation – the state of Hindus in Pakistan
Ram Kori, a young Hindu girl, fell in love and eloped with Amir Noor Ali, a Muslim boy. Her mother approached the courts, pleading that her under-age daughter had been abducted and forcibly converted. The government subsequently arrested Ali and …
The desert in watercolour
In Thar, lives remain inextricably linked to rainwater
The old thakur looks wilted and weary but as soon as he spies the camera, he straightens up, straight as an arrow. He reties his turban and adjusts his shirt; he spits twice, once on the flat of each palm, …
A cut above the rest
An interview with Nomi Ansari on his latest digital prints and his collection in Ensemble
We are on the ritzy fashion avenue of Dubai Mall and as we step into Tory Burch, two women – apparently Lebanese, with a distant South Asian connection – start gushing over Nomi Ansari and how much they love his …
