Author: Hafeez Khan
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JUSTICE SYSTEM ON TRIAL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A seed only sprouts when the soil is prepared properly; planted at the appropriate time, the right depth and receives moisture. Till then it remains latent. That seems to be the condition of our nation too. Pakistanis are a talented lot, bold and enterprising but they lacked direction, sincere leadership…
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WITH SO MANY WOUNDS WHERE TO APPLY THE BALM
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Writing at times can be a curse. You have to think, feel and be sensitized to your surroundings. At times one feels overwhelmed by the weight of all the bad around you. I was talking to my friend, Afzal Ghauri about the wisdom of this self-inflicted wound. Why am doing…
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PM IMRAN KHAN KEEP AT IT, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It has been many years since I stayed in Lahore for an extended period. I am reminded of the age-old proverb “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” You really don’t get the dynamics and a realistic assessment of realities on the ground till you interact with a…
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Negative Drift Towards Alienating Minorities
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I grew up in the days of cowboy movies and comics. Invariably the non-conformist hero would stand up for the underdog. My formative years were spent alternating between the worlds of Clint Eastwood, Kirk Douglas and the Irish Priests of Burn Hall, Abbottabad and the rustic world of “Jagga” and…
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BIDEN INHERITS USA AT WAR WITH ITSELF
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Divisions within America have never been so intense since the American Civil War that nearly divided the North and South. The roots of this divide date back to the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery by President Lincoln on January 1st, 1863 as Civil War raged. It freed thousands of slaves each…
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LAHORE: A GARDEN TO GARBAGE CITY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The New Year brought glad tidings for Lahore from one of the most prominent and influential newspaper in the world, the New York Times. In its Travel section it selected “52 Places to Love in 2021” out of 2,000 possible locations recommended by their readers. They had asked them to…
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PAKISTAN HAS CHALLENGES BEYOND POLITICS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan During my university days in the late sixties and early seventies politics was reentering our civil discourse. After ten years under Ayub Khan, Pakistan transitioned from a “Basic Democracy” system to an “Adult Franchise”. The present borders of Pakistan were then known as West Pakistan where Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto…
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PDM IMPLOSION IS A NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan December 2020 was a tumultuous month in Pakistani politics. It started with thunder, threatening a severe storm but ended in a whimper despite intense rumblings. PML(N)’s de-facto leader Maryam loudly proclaimed a “now or never” agenda for PDM leaders. Lahore’s public meeting on December 13th would unravel PTI’s Government with…
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POLITICOS REMEMBER YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Rustic wisdom emanates from centuries of experience transferred from generation to generation. These universal truths are common amongst cultures and geography. In the subcontinent folklore, it goes as “jo beejo gay so kaato gay”. Yet our political leaders overlook this basic wisdom blinded by the shine and glamour of money…
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SAUDI BLOWBACK LEADS TO CHANGE OF GUARD
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter covers a third of the Arabian Peninsula. It hugs the belly of Saudi Arabia in the south linking it to Yemen, Oman and UAE. Our farm was on the edge of Rub al Khali, south of Riyadh close to an oasis town Al Kharj,…