Poetic License

Ironically, we, the critics of the Pakistan government at home were defending its policies. I think this is what really took us by surprise. India is still suffering from trauma because of the Mumbai attack. Their sense of outrage as a nation has not subsided. And they expect us, as paroosis to do something about it.

No foreign business would want to invest in a country represented by fake politicians, who cheat their own system. Rulers must calm the 'lion' which has come out of his cage sensing mid-term elections and is posing as Mr. Nice Guy.

Primary education has been allocated Rs3.2 billion while higher education has been allocated Rs252.1 billion – many, many times that of primary education spending. This lopsided allocation makes one wonder who the government thinks would enter universities, kids that never went to proper primary school?

When I saw that familar Facebook logo on the menu of a corner-side fast food restaurant, I realized that SMEs are starting to understand the real potential of social media, which will lead the new industry to thrive in Pakistan - sooner or later. If a restaurateur can understand the potential of social media for his small business, why can't other businesses?

How did we think we would be safe visiting a Sufi shrine on July 2? What was I thinking? My family could have been killed. I would never have forgiven myself. One of our elder family friends seated on the sofa interrupts my contemplation: "Well sometimes such attacks should take place. How else will these ignorant people learn that what they are practicing is shirk?”

As a content producer for a current affairs program, these clauses are an ambiguous and scary proposition. The vaguer the law, the more prone it is to abuse. In fact, it’s even possible that if I talked about my puppy Buffy, who was kidnapped a while ago, I could face prison since I depressed readers and 'hurt national sentiment!'

I am a firm believer in the dictum ‘personal is political’ (don’t know who said it and I can’t be bothered to Google it and include the reference here) and even a piece which on the face of it may seem frivolous and magazine-ish, it can still say a lot