Self Talk

This time in Pakistan, Ramazan moon was sighted at the same time, which is a rare thing in itself. Although not starting to observe Ramazan or celebrating Eid on the same day doesn't hurt as a nation yet we are running desperately out of option to symbolize our nationhood. God may have mercy on us and the same national consensus be seen on next moon sighting too. Yet the land never runs out of controversies. Veena Malik hosting a religious show during the holy month of Ramazan was the latest one. A 30 second promo of that programme which most of people must have seen, emerged on youtube and as soon as it did so, there was a hue n cry everywhere about that programme. People talked about her character, her controversy from BIG BROTHER and the famous ISI tattoo. Then her next venture, the south Indian remake of The Dirty Picture came under discussion and so on and so forth. Conservatives as well as some liberals criticized Hero TV for coming up with such a publicity stunt. I myself...

Writing a doctoral thesis, or to put it right, starting to write a scientific doctoral thesis is a difficult job. This is due to several factors. You have to focus, FOCUS on one thing continuously for days, and sometimes for weeks..... Every single line in the whole stuff should be connected from front and behind with its neighbors and so on and so forth. And to focus becomes difficult when there are so many things happening around. Well, sometimes it seems as they have started to happen only when I started writing mine. I will quote few examples. As I started to make a plan for writing one, Roger Federer started winning his Wimbledon matches. And he went on to win the Grand Slam, making history. All of it was so exciting that even if I wasn't watching it, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate. So I watched.... live tennis.... And I skyped with my family...... Salaar.... Then, during the same time, we had seminar of our team...... seminar attended.... And I skyped...

None of the above as an option in coming elections Is putting none of the above going to be an option on the ballot paper in coming elections? What if a large number of people choose it? A constitutional amendment is on its way to give the president the authority to interpret it according to his own terms and conditions CJ, the joy breaker of political times CM Gillani was playing a watchful inning. Although he came under more than few threats in course of his time on the pitch, he handles all the variations very negatively and stayed dheet on the pitch. He went on with his score and almost made the history when he crossed the heighest runs days record of a former PM, yet the umpire re-visited one of his previous decisions and declared him out. Rest in peace the not-record-breaking broken innings. A change of bowler is imminent with a new ball, possibly from a by election and other scandals investigation end. Gillani gone, democracy under threat Was democracy under no thre...

Health services in public sector hospitals in Punjab have recently been disrupted by young doctors’ strikes, called by Young Doctors’ Association (YDA), which has emerged as a representative body of mostly postgraduate trainee doctors. The deliberate health service suspension is aimed to force the government to raise their salaries and approve a job structure. It has allegedly resulted in quite a bit of suffering for the patients. It has given rise to a heated debate in the media and social networks about the fairness of these demands and the actual method of getting them fulfilled. Critics have raised the point that though the doctors’ ‘cause’ is fair and their right to protest cannot be denied, yet it is in no way superior to the harm that can be inflicted to a sick person who is not given adequate and in time medical attention. Medical graduates have shared their part of the story that is unfortunately a matter of great neglect on the part of the state towards health sector. ...

Standing tall, the tankey I remembered the day when, in August 1998, when returning from Khanas Pur Ayubiya trip, we stopped at the then used-to-be bus stop near Moti Mahel cinema. Someone pointed to a water tankey barely visible in heavily pouring rain and said, “Can you see that? That is the campus of RMC”. Although I was in F.Sc. Pre Medical then and was a potential candidate of being a future doctor, I had hardly heard of a medical college in Rawalpindi other than AIMC. And a year later when I got the news of my admission there, the only image of the institution that flashed before my eyes was a tankey lost in the rain. When I finally walked into Rawalpindi Medical College, first time in my life, I came to know that I had seen the most prominent part of the building already, the tankey . I was carrying the loads of happiness of qualifying for admission, and bundles of countryside livelihood habits and styles. I can’t recall what I was putting on that day, but I am sure...

Sudden rise of Pakistan’s cricketer turned politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has been acknowledged worldwide. Although he himself calls it a tsunami of an awakened youth, many having the political know-how are still divided in their opinion. Some say that it is a continuation of Arab spring, where social and electronic media has made people aware of the wrongdoings of the seasoned politicians and establishment, by virtue of which they have turned to IK’s PTI. Others believe the refusal of mainstream political parties to play in the hands of military establishment to weaken the system has led the establishment to invest on Khan. While Khan remains a throbbing sensation for the youth even at his 60, for a person like me it is still difficult to decide which way to go. The problem is choice. Although Imran Khan is gathering points day by day, it is still not clear whether he is going to be a real agent of change, the one that will really be up to our e...

I am an ordinary fan of cricket and not an expert at all. Being honest with myself, I dislike Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (SRT) as a cricketer. The reasons are many, and being an Indian hero is not one of them at all. I don’t deny that I have adrenaline rush much higher when I see Pakistan vs. India as compared to Ashes, yet I never hate a sportsman for his nationality only. The reasons are quite diverse, but I feel better to realize that it is time finally to say good bye to the selfish cricketer and move forward. Sachin has stayed in international cricket far more than he actually should have had. His career started sometime when I don’t even remember but after few initial years when I enjoyed watching him, I started getting bored with his presence. The range of shots, the foot work and the ever piling up of records, even the commentary started feeling sick in his presence. There used to be a fresh feeling on the other end, a new face, learning process, mistakes, new shots, and ne...