Opinions

January 19, 2017

Show your faces…

Last week, officials from Morocco’s interior ministry took to the markets. There they visited some merchants and handed them a letter. “We notice that you sell […]
January 18, 2017

Tapestry Pakistan’s thriving culture of corruption

Ziaullah Khan Toru has a high pitch voice which becomes even louder when he gets into an argument. In his early forties, he is both passionate […]
January 18, 2017

Forbidden fruit: Corporate control over Pakistan’s seed economy

Growing up in Pakistan, one knew what real fruit looked like, and how good it tasted. It was only when one travelled to countries like the […]
January 18, 2017

The perils of Pakistani migrants heading to Europe

When Mohammed Ismail was 11 years old, his maternal uncle disappeared from their village in Gujrat. Nobody heard from him; nobody knew where he had gone. […]
January 18, 2017

Acts of faith: Why people get killed over blasphemy in Pakistan

PART ONE: LOVE Even though the rally had ended late, even though the night sky over Gangapur was turning translucent, Falak Sher’s wife insisted we stop […]
January 17, 2017

Why divorce is close to impossible for Christians in Pakistan

It was on May 29, 2016, that Safia Bibi’s husband, Safdar Masih, hit her the last time. She died on the same day. Saleem Bhatti, her […]
January 17, 2017

Of law and lore: Criminalising violence against women

Waris Shah’s epic on Heer’s life and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary on Saba Qaiser’s plight are about two protagonists who have many things in common, a river […]
January 17, 2017

The missing daughters of Pakistan

Ambreen Riasat woke up one summer morning and realised she was getting late for school. Her elder brother, Nauman, was already awake and she could hear […]