Spotlight
Our essential reads for the week
The government’s project to ostensibly revitalise the river and “develop” its surrounding areas has drawn sharp criticism from local residents and activists
In contemporary America, the system of financing election campaigns has become a vast, institutionalised behemoth that ensures elected officials are more accountable to their wealthiest donors than to their constituents. Therein lies the not-so-secret to bipartisan, unconditional support for Israel
Universally recognised as the unofficial voice of Pakistan, it was his desire to instil the deep richness of our cultural heritage in the public imagination that will be his enduring legacy
From the cake wali aunty on speed dial for birthdays, weddings and Eid to the proud owner of a lovingly built and sprawling restaurant business, Rina Mohsin’s is a story of persistence and a commitment to excellence
Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang’s oeuvre may be be celebrated due to her status as a novelist “for the times”, but what separates her work from the rest is her filial devotion to other humans, especially women
Pakistani memes are arguably the gold standard and one of our finest cultural exports, but are in threat of disappearing
Columns
PAKISTAN EXPLORED
Stories, Cultures, and Landscapes
Comment
Reflecting on the Zeitgeist
Pakistan’s Cricket Anthems: A Love Song by Another Name (Part 2)
Somewhere between buffet-style star-studded extravaganzas to budget productions and to the relentless self-promotion of Ali Zafar, PSL anthems have still managed to strike the occasional gold
Mar 27, 2025
Pakistan’s Cricket Anthems: A Love Song by Another Name (PART 1)
Is there an almost mathematical formula to creating an effective cricket anthem, or is cracking the code to the popularity of this genre of song far more ambiguous?
Mar 19, 2025
Pakistan’s Cricket Anthems: A Love Song by Another Name (Part 2)
Somewhere between buffet-style star-studded extravaganzas to budget productions and to the relentless self-promotion of Ali Zafar, PSL anthems have still managed to strike the occasional gold
Mar 27, 2025
Pakistan’s Cricket Anthems: A Love Song by Another Name (PART 1)
Is there an almost mathematical formula to creating an effective cricket anthem, or is cracking the code to the popularity of this genre of song far more ambiguous?
Mar 19, 2025
Books
Dreaming Of A Different World
Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang’s oeuvre may be be celebrated due to her status as a novelist “for the times”, but what separates her work from the rest is her filial devotion to other humans, especially women
Book Review: Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan by Nile Green
A book that purports to fact-check the oeuvre and credibility of two Indian writers may very well be in need of fact-checking itself
Heart Tantrums by Aisha Sarwari
Sarwari lays it all bare in this clear-eyed memoir about the trials of her marriage, within which the lines between mother, partner, caregiver devolved into a messy blur
Book Review: Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha
Abu Toha, who has emerged as a significant voice during the genocide of his people, has written a harrowing testament to the interminable slaughter of Palestinians, and yet his poetry is also a fervent reclamation of Palestinian life