Match Point

A typical girly conversation will always include question like “What did she wear to the party? Was the outfit attractive? Was it from a boutique? Did she look good?”

Allama Muhammad Iqbal's philosophy is most relevant for Muslim community because of his understanding of the spirit of Islam as being essentially humanistic and reformative and for his formal arguments that satisfy the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. Iqbal finds ‘Ijma’ as an inherent principle for change in formal religious interpretations.

Tere Bin [Laden] is not releasing in Pakistan. No surprises. In a country with a collective “morality” but no collective “identity”, a film with this name cannot be screened in public.

The wanna-be Talibans are at it again. In Lahore their success with these crackers is the height of absurdity. Petty groups and moral police have been active since October 2008, hitting the very fabric of the way life is lived and they are succeeding.

I have been jolted into writing this painful blog by a social activist's answer to my query about why his organisation has not protested about her ordeal. He replied, "We can't speak up for everyone..."

As a silent rule of thumb in Pakistan, the uber-elite seldom interact with people belonging to rural backgrounds. Coke Studio has proven an exception to this rule, for here it is the mascots of the masses- the Arif Lohar, the Saeen Zahoor, the Abida Parveen stand as titans towering over us jeans-wearing, English speaking, educated elite.

In the garb of an Islamic identity, the state in Pakistan took pains to keep other kinds of associations at bay. First, we alienated ourselves from the Hindus because we were Muslims, and then we kept on alienating millions of our own.

On the very day speculations over his test future were rife, I telephoned Murali, a routine journalistic call to confirm if these rumours were indeed true. Honest as always, he categorically said, in true Murali fashion “After this Indian test, I am not playing test cricket anymore.” He went on to emphatically suggest that we have not seen the last of him. Of course, as a journalist, you were never away from a great quote any time you interviewed Murali.

Why are we hesitant to question or hold those who wield power and influence in the name of the country that we inhabit accountable? Is it because in our chaotic and somewhat dysfunctional state the military represents the only institution to be proud of? Is it because many people have relatives in the military and are hesitant to criticize them?