Opinion

Those who see honour in the nation-state for its warlike nature should realise that dishonour lies in being poor.

The debate over the proposed construction of the Islamic centre near Ground Zero shows an intolerant side of America.

Indian-held Kashmir is once again reverberating with the sound of gunfire and chants of the youth demanding rights.

It's about time that the media fixed problems of professionalism to thwart the threat from the agencies.

For the first time in history more than one billion people go to bed hungry each night.

Priori­ties in this Islamic Republic tend to be wonky. There is little concept of what should be first and last.

Journalists acknowledge that bias affects decisions regarding what news people want to – and should – know about.

The voices of moderation from the Islamic world are given scant attention by the international media.

What I’m trying to accomplish here is point out areas you can get involved in.

The purpose of the ban is not a personal attack on Muslims. The crucial point appears to have been misunderstood.

For every misfortune that falls on our country, there is a scapegoat at hand, and we all love a scapegoat.

The silliness of the economic team knows no bounds. Or is there a method to their madness?

Moon-sighting has become a complicated affair and it should be handed over to the army.

The more vulnerable and marginalised segments of society are often side-lined when sharing the incoming resources.

A dictator proposes to come out of retirement to do politics on the strength of a Facebook page.

The covenants of the IMF and the World Bank rule out the possibility of any debt write-off or rescheduling.

There still exists a loud cacophony of voices in our midst which seeks to deny that we have a problem with extremism.

The thinking man has been replaced by the conspicuous consumer who accepts everything and questions nothing.

The floods might be an opportunity for the minorities who are otherwise forgotten to become marginally less invisible.

Critics say in a time of financial crisis billions for the Benazir monument is callous, clearly they lack vision.

Political and social scientists have a consensus that without food people either revolt, migrate or starve.

“The system will kill your dreams” he said, still in disbelief over my answer. “You will soon want out too.”

There was a cartoonish parade of one ‘leader’ after the other giving ‘Eidee’ to and ‘spending Eid’ with...

Salman should not have said what he did because he is not qualified. However, does this make him anti-national?

In the world of VIP culture, MQM politicians are a remarkably down-to-earth lot.

The message going out to the people from all the bad news is that you can get away with anything in Pakistan.

The present system is counter-productive to having reserved representation for marginalised sections in society.

Sindhi IDPs have just as much right to migrate to Karachi than the population already in residence.

Life in Pakistan has become hazardous for journalists, there is too much to report on and too little protection.

Finally, ordinary women were represented at the Beijing women’s conference, at Huairou, China, if only on the fringes.

Despite the association of hur with females, the fact is that the term is plural referring to both males and females.

Walking through posh areas of Lahore it does not seem like 20 million people recently became homeless. But should it?

Ramazan was not observed - the usual greed and selfishness that afflicts the nation from top to bottom prevails.

In between ruling groups of elite networks held together by mutual political needs, there is no political worker.

Whoever wants protection, wants to possess a gun because they are against a force with weapons.

Do we ever wonder what it is that keeps us where we are, which incidentally is down? It’s us.

If Haiti recently can have its debt written-off in the wake of devastating natural calamities, why can't we?

Those who offloaded our star-studded military delegation from an American airliner did us a huge favour.

The strongest argument for land reforms is the enormous burden of rural poverty, associated with rising landlessness.

Meet the sweet-mouthed, smiley-faced, tightly-clothed host and an obese, near-geriatric lady - the culinary expert.

Used to be that carpetwallahs hauled the real thing about. These are now replaced by synthetic apologies for carpets.

Despite significant improvements, at current rates, the world will likely miss the 2015 MDG target for sanitation.

Who decides whether we've failed as a state anyway? And once they decide, do they just revoke your license?

A state of functional anarchy has existed for a number of years and there is little the govt can do to stem the tide.

First Fasi calls me a cockroach, then George attacks Maula Jatt. Wait, the whole flood thing is still going on?

Public-sector employees are stuck in moribund entities where service and efficiency have long ceased to be goals.

It seems that terrorists have decided on intensifying the impact of the disastrous floods.

This flood has been a divider not a unifier. Neither the govt nor opposition has any unified or common approach.

Perhaps people believe only Muslims can kill themselves for a purported Islamic cause. This is a myopic view.

Every year televangelists cash in on the fervent religiosity that grips Pakistanis in this holier-than-thou month.