Author Archives: Hajrah Mumtaz
20th May, 2013
The leviathan stirred
THE revolution happened. And it happened on Facebook. Well, well, well.
THE revolution happened. And it happened on Facebook. Well, well, well.
6th May, 2013
The sound and fury
THE crucial issues the next government will face — internal security, foreign policy and the economy, for example — are conspicuous by their absence from the speeches being delivered these days. There’s no
THE crucial issues the next government will face — internal security, foreign policy and the economy, for example — are conspicuous by their absence from the speeches being delivered these days. There’s no
29th April, 2013
The medium and the message
MUCH is being made about the historical significance of the upcoming elections, and not without reason.
MUCH is being made about the historical significance of the upcoming elections, and not without reason.
22nd April, 2013
Pride and prejudice
BEFORE the hair-raising dénouement of the hunt for the young men suspected of having perpetrated the bombings at the Boston Marathon last week, the interim couple of days during which there were no leads and no information were illustrative of a problem that several are convinced has become entrenched.
BEFORE the hair-raising dénouement of the hunt for the young men suspected of having perpetrated the bombings at the Boston Marathon last week, the interim couple of days during which there were no leads and no information were illustrative of a problem that several are convinced has become entrenched.
8th April, 2013
She who came before
NAZIA Hassan would have turned 48 last week. Despite the passage of time, what was special about her remains so.
NAZIA Hassan would have turned 48 last week. Despite the passage of time, what was special about her remains so.
1st April, 2013
Cyberspace and mischief
HERE in Pakistan, we’ve unfortunately had to become used to horrifying images and advertising intruding upon our online lives. Many of the violent extremist groups…
HERE in Pakistan, we’ve unfortunately had to become used to horrifying images and advertising intruding upon our online lives. Many of the violent extremist groups…
25th March, 2013
Living on air
HERE in Pakistan, we have more tales of grief and loss than many of us can bear, but some tragedies stand out with particular starkness.
HERE in Pakistan, we have more tales of grief and loss than many of us can bear, but some tragedies stand out with particular starkness.
18th March, 2013
Bands that play on
MORE than 15 years ago, I met a theatre actor from Bosnia; the years during which he made the transition from amateur to professional overlapped with the Bosnian war in the early 1990s.
MORE than 15 years ago, I met a theatre actor from Bosnia; the years during which he made the transition from amateur to professional overlapped with the Bosnian war in the early 1990s.
11th March, 2013
Social media pitfalls
TO every action there is an opposite and equal reaction; these days, a caveat is being added: except in the media, where you’ll find overreaction.
TO every action there is an opposite and equal reaction; these days, a caveat is being added: except in the media, where you’ll find overreaction.
4th March, 2013
Getting there
THERE’S no denying that it does have a certain wow factor.
THERE’S no denying that it does have a certain wow factor.
18th February, 2013
The new normal
IT may well be grotesque, but the face of the next generation of Pakistanis is going to make for an interesting study.
IT may well be grotesque, but the face of the next generation of Pakistanis is going to make for an interesting study.
11th February, 2013
Mona Lisa with toothpaste
FINE, so it’s common practice. But are we unthinkingly embarking on a road where Pakistan’s arts industry will one day find itself held hostage by the commercial concerns of giants? Will this road take it to a point
FINE, so it’s common practice. But are we unthinkingly embarking on a road where Pakistan’s arts industry will one day find itself held hostage by the commercial concerns of giants? Will this road take it to a point
4th February, 2013
Food for thought
AN article published on these pages last Sunday, How Hungry is Pakistan? by Niaz Murtaza, brought up an issue that has increasingly held my attention hostage.
AN article published on these pages last Sunday, How Hungry is Pakistan? by Niaz Murtaza, brought up an issue that has increasingly held my attention hostage.
28th January, 2013
Mirror to the soul
THERE is enough in Pakistan to signal that the problem is not that we get it wrong all the time, but that we do get it right. Inconsistently.
THERE is enough in Pakistan to signal that the problem is not that we get it wrong all the time, but that we do get it right. Inconsistently.
21st January, 2013
Losing the plot
THE term punch-drunk, used particularly with reference to boxing, refers to the confusion and bewilderment, sometimes brain damage, suffered by a person as a consequence of repeated blows to the head.
THE term punch-drunk, used particularly with reference to boxing, refers to the confusion and bewilderment, sometimes brain damage, suffered by a person as a consequence of repeated blows to the head.
14th January, 2013
A gloomy prognosis
WHEN I was in school, the day would start with row upon row of shiny early morning faces attending assembly, singing the national anthem.
WHEN I was in school, the day would start with row upon row of shiny early morning faces attending assembly, singing the national anthem.
7th January, 2013
A place in time
LET the eye of the imagination pan out from the complicated climes of Pakistan and focus on another place that has, like this part of the planet, seen much bloodshed and many tears wept over the sins of men.
LET the eye of the imagination pan out from the complicated climes of Pakistan and focus on another place that has, like this part of the planet, seen much bloodshed and many tears wept over the sins of men.
1st January, 2013
GENDER (DIS)PARITY: Long climb ahead
WHILE many of the sitting government’s initiatives have seen varying degrees of success, to its credit it has presided over a number of legislative efforts…
WHILE many of the sitting government’s initiatives have seen varying degrees of success, to its credit it has presided over a number of legislative efforts…
24th December, 2012
At our own peril…
IN recent months and years, news reports about the discovery of new polio cases have been trickling into the public domain with increasing frequency.
IN recent months and years, news reports about the discovery of new polio cases have been trickling into the public domain with increasing frequency.
17th December, 2012
Institutionalising the arts
ANYONE who has lived in Lahore for any appreciable length of time will be familiar with the benevolent and immediate shadow cast over the city by its past.
ANYONE who has lived in Lahore for any appreciable length of time will be familiar with the benevolent and immediate shadow cast over the city by its past.
