Adil Najam

We write here often about corruption games and misappropriation deals by politicians and others. But we also want to honestly depict the actions of those many — many, many, many, in fact — who live by the principles of hard work and honesty that we all cherish. I am convinced that despite the cynicism that we all exude, the good amongst us are far more than the bad amongst us.

Owais Mughal

I’ve discussed the neighbourhood I grew up at quite a few times. For example here and here. Today I’ve brought another story from it. In our neighborhood there used to live a crow. Although the neighborhood was filled with thousands of resident crows, this one crow was special. He was special because in an unknown accident it had lost one of his legs.

Seeing this crow flying around with one limping leg had given rise to many legends and myths in the neighborhood. The children who played in the street openly talked about these legends. According to some, the crow lost his leg while rescuing his female from the clutches of a hungry ‘cheel’ (a kind of an eagle which is very common in Karachi), some said he lost his leg after falling from his nest while asleep, some said he lost his leg while trying to walk ‘huNs ki chaal’ (an Urdu idiom- if a crow tries to walk like a crane, he loses his own walk) etc.

Gues Post By Athar Osama

In October 1999, when General Musharraf came to power in a coup and declared himself the Chief Executive of the country, he was met by a silent nod of approval by his 150 million compatriots. Many of us thought, quite naively though, that he would fix what was wrong with our political system. Today, as he wheels and deals to secure another term in office, he hardly has the support of the masses to lean on.

What has gone wrong in these last 8 years for him is quite reminiscent of what went wrong with his predecessors. Today, as Musharraf seeks to have himself elected for a second term, it is useful to ask a question: Is military rule the solution to Pakistan’s problems? Is Musharraf any different than his predecessor generals?