Fighting climate change through the courtroom
Climate change is a ‘hot’ button issue in Pakistan. Both literally and figuratively. Summer 2022’s disastrous floods submerged almost a third of the country under water, affecting 33 million people,...
View ArticleIs Pakistan’s N-CPEC+ vision finally beginning to take shape?
Pakistan’s unique geostrategic location at the crossroads of East, South, West, and Central Asia enables it to function as the “Zipper of Eurasia”, as I wrote over half a decade ago in September 2015...
View ArticleSea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini: A father’s lament of the barbarity we call...
“My dear Marwan, I look at your profile, In the glow of this three-quarter moon, my boy, Your eyelashes like calligraphy, Closed in guileless sleep. I said to you, ‘Hold my hand. Nothing bad will...
View ArticleRaw and poignant, A Place for Us beautifully sheds light on familial love
It had been some time since I cried while reading a book. And A Place for Us changed that. Fatima Farheen Mirza’s dazzling debut novel tells the story of a South Asian Muslim family living in America....
View ArticleRawalpindi: A chaotic labyrinth, caught between heritage and heresy
In the post-modern world, the topography of the city has undergone a drastic shift. Rapid urbanisation and growing job opportunities have resulted in many cities in the developing world being swamped...
View ArticleIran and Iraq may not be tourist hot spots, but they offer a spiritual...
I was recently invited to a trip to Iran and Iraq by a group of close friends from Lahore, and as I had never been to these states before, I decided to take the opportunity to visit the shrines...
View ArticleWhen khudkushi became her only freedom
The sky was a pool of black ink, dusted with stars at midnight. Arsh looked out from the window — she saw many little streets sprawled out below. She had only known these streets from inside the walls...
View ArticleIndia’s ‘Operation Isolation’ and the soft power of sports
“Our message is stronger than ever. Please stop the fighting. Please stop the killing. Please drop your guns.” Juan Antonio Samaranch, President International Olympic Committee speaking at the Winter...
View ArticleKnock knock! Annabelle is coming home and things are about to get real scary
Following the Marvel path, The Conjuring universe has grown steadily over the last six years through both, the increasing returns that most films in the franchise have delivered and in stature through...
View ArticleWhy is the US making a mountain out of the Masood Azhar molehill?
The United States has introduced a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution to blacklist Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. Azhar is the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (banned in Pakistan...
View ArticleSarmad Khoosat unveils 'Manduva', a curation on Pakistani cinema
Kamli director-producer Sarmad Khoosat has unveiled his recent curated project, titled Manduva, on his Instagram. The curation, in collaboration with the Lahore Biennale Foundation and British Council...
View ArticleAjoka Theatre takes ‘Manto Online’
Renowned performing arts group Ajoka Theatre streamed an online play this weekend. Produced entirely on the cloud meeting platform Zoom, the play was called Manto Online and based on Shahid Nadeem’s...
View ArticleI am not excited by TV anymore: Sarmad Khoosat
Critically acclaimed director Sarmad Khoosat opened up about his woes with the local entertainment industry. In a live session with director and producer Rafay Rashdi, Khoosat expressed his...
View ArticleCultural departments turn a blind eye to Manto's 65th death anniversary
The 65th death anniversary of legendary author and playwright Saadat Hasan Manto was observed on Saturday. While fans and well-wishers of the late writer took the opportunity to celebrate his literary...
View ArticleShahid Nadeem to speak at World Theatre Day event
Renowned Pakistani playwright Shahid Nadeem has been invited to deliver the official message on World Theatre Day 2020 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) in Paris. The event will be held at...
View ArticleI have the right to respectfully talk about things connected to religion:...
The term political correctness has found new meaning in the past few years, perhaps a rather extreme one. As far as art is concerned, some would argue that the realm of acceptability has shrunk...
View ArticleZindgai Tamasha: Sarmad Khoosat clears the air on recent controversy
Sarmad Khoosat recently went live on his socials to address the recent controversy related to his upcoming film Zindagi Tamasha. The director maintained that the trailer was taken down by Khoosat...
View ArticleI knew not many would understand 'Manto': Nawazuddin Siddiqui
For Bollywood's unconventional hero, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, it's never about making a commercial film. Maybe that's why when his films don't mint numbers at the box office, it doesn't really affect him....
View ArticleBollywood actor Shekhar Suman to portray Manto in a play
Actor Shekhar Suman will be essaying the role of late Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto in Randhir Ranjan Roys play Ek Haan, reported Times of India. Manto, who died in 1955 at the age of 43, penned an...
View ArticleLLF session discovers ‘a rebel inside Manto’
The speakers at Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) on Sunday dissected the different aspects of the relevance of Manto’s work in a contemporary setting at a session, “Manto and the Recovery of...
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