Author: Hafeez Khan
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SELF RESPECT OVER SUBMISSION – PART II
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Writing in English has its benefits and challenges. The audience is limited; however it is quality readers with their own spheres of influence. I experienced that in my last article. It had a huge footprint by my standards, and I got great feedback from many friends. They agreed with my…
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SELF RESPECT OVER SUBMISSION
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Short cuts have become embedded in our national psyche. Both as individuals and at the national level. We seek expediency to gain wealth, success, or status legitimate or illegal. No one cares whether the chosen path is causing pain or depriving others, everyone is out to grab. Simply put, for…
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AFGHANS AT A CROSSROAD
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Afghan Baba migrated from Afghanistan accompanying an estranged cousin of King Zahir Shah. The family had settled in Abbottabad residing in homes built on the foothills of “Chir Pahari” translates to “Pine Mountain”. We lived a few houses down the street. Despite being out of favor, the family head was…
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PARLIAMENT: A CIRCUS OF INCOMPETENCE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Winters in Lyallpur, aka Faisalabad, were fun times after the rigors of straitlaced Burn Hall in Abbottabad. Many festivities used to happen around that time. My uncle Dr. Abdul Majeed Khan, a veterinarian, worked for Lyallpur District Council. He was in charge of the annual horse and cattle show…
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THE CURSE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was a beautiful summer day last Sunday in London, Ontario. Syed Salman Afzaal, his Mom Talaat Kidwai, wife Madiha, their 15 year old daughter Yumna and 9 year old son Faaiz had finished dinner and prepared for a walk in the park across the street from their home, as…
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EMERGENCE OF POLITICAL PREDATORS IN PAKISTAN
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan While chatting with a friend deeply entrenched in media a very interesting point came up. Whenever high performing kids are interviewed about their future plans they opt for professions like medicine, engineering, law, business or becoming a pilot. No one wants to be a politician! Why so? Because politicians are…
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SHARING THE INTENSE PAIN OF COVID
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It is human nature to share joy and success. We internalize our pain and put up a brave face. Everyone likes to bask in the glory of success and we all enjoy a good time. Pain is an orphan few want to own. However this pandemic has inflicted so much…
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THE INDESTRUCTIBLE SPIRIT OF AFGHANS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A quiet storm is brewing in our front yard that will impact the future configuration of the entire region. The Americans are committed to leave Afghanistan by September 11th, 2021, twenty years after their stormy entry. They will leave a void and a power vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum.…
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THE BUMPY ROAD TO MAKKAH
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia reminded me of an incident during my stay in the Kingdom. Our Chairman Abdul Latif Al-Sheikh had a close friend who was an engineer. It was early eighties and we were developing our agricultural project in Al Kharaj, south of Riyadh.…
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COVID will lead to a New World Order
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The wide-bodied Boeing 787 nicknamed “Dreamliner” entered Toronto airspace and circled down to land. There was no line up in the air corridor to delay the landing. Like most international airports, Toronto’s Pearson International is quite expansive. The walk from the gate in terminal 3 to the immigration counters is…