Raza Rumi
While the ‘easy-white-woman’ stereotype is being reinforced, how can Pakistan become a tourist destination?

Conversing with Charlotte is always a pleasure. She’s original and witty; each encounter with her is memorable - regrettably, the last one for all the wrong reasons. She told me some stories about her visits to Pakistan that left me [...]

August 26, 2007 was the 250th urs of Bulleh Shah. ATP had this post on the same occasion last year. This year we are bringing Raza’s wonderful writing on Bulleh Shah below.
Raza Rumi
The need to be understood has always remained integral to human existence. It is through the expression of “humanness” and the [...]

Raza Rumi
William Dalrymple’s article published in the Guardian is an insightful piece that attempts to be unbiased and reflects on some pertinent issues that afflict Pakistan. The piece examines the media stereotype - successful India and failed Pakistan - a little deeper and identifies a creaky education system as one of the major issues with [...]

by Raza Rumi
I have been upset the entire day. Perhaps it does not matter in the larger scheme of things. But this is a sad, sad day. Qurratulain Hyder, the literary giant of our times is no more. At a personal level it is not just the death of another literary figure but it is [...]

Raza Rumi
The current controversy on Rushdie’s knighthood has several dimensions. Amid the knee-jerk reactions alluding to the grand-conspiracy-against-Islam, it brings out various layers and levels of literature’s role and position in societies and now in the globalized world.
I was once a fan of Rushdie and avidly devoured his books with great admiration. From Grimus to [...]

Raza Rumi
The passions of Khalid Hasan, a noted journalist and writer, are well known. The life and persona of Madame Noor Jehan have been celebrated in his writings for years. He has translated several leading lights of Urdu literature including Manto, Abbas, and Faiz. However, it is Faiz who has been a prominent subject of [...]