Author: Hafeez Khan
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TRUMP’S LIES TAKE USA TO NEW LOWS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Fifties and sixties were an era of Hollywood classics dominated by Cowboy movies. The stories revolved around good versus evil. Upright underdog standing up to the big bad greedy rich. These action, drama and exciting flicks impacted the young. Good prevailed over evil. It shaped behaviors and promoted a value…
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FIFTY YEARS OF SPILT AFGHAN BLOOD Part 2
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was approaching dusk when we reached the Mujahid camp in Attock. Our hosts had arranged a tour of the facility. It was a Spartan tent city serving as a base for training and recovery for groups returning after four to six weeks in combat zone. We talked to a…
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FIFTY YEARS OF SPILT AFGHAN BLOOD Part 1
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was early 70’s and my friend, late Ajmal Malik, had landed a job with the information department in Peshawar. A brilliant mind, he was a successful journalist and a carefree loving soul. We communicated via booking trunk calls thanks to Ajmal’s access to official phones. We chatted regularly reminiscing…
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CCPO TRIGGERS IGP CHANGE- BAD OMEN FOR PTI
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Tail wagging the head”. An idiom that befits the present situation. A fifth Inspector General of Police has been posted in two years of PTI Government. Is it normal? Most definitely not. It seems like the trigger is stuck on a rapid fire weapon. The gun should be aimed at…
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UAE MATES ISRAEL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Houbara Bustard (Tilor) was the bird of choice for the Emarati Sheikhs in the seventies. Their new found oil wealth allowed them to hunt it to their hearts contents in the arid areas of Pakistan. They stop on their migratory journey in the deserts of Cholistan. Rahim Yar Khan with…
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KARACHI IN ICU AGAIN
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Karachi is in ICU. It is not the first time; it has suffered multiple ailments before brought on by different regimes. This time it is different. There is a clear and present danger of suffocation and possibly drowning Karachi. Watching the relentless downpour and flooding even from a distance is…
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2 YEARS OF PREP AND 3 TO DEPLOY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pakistan just completed 73 years of existence. We have been through some good, bad and dreadful times. We learn from the past, live in the present and work for the future. There are multiple lessons we can draw on. Without getting bogged down in details we have lived through stalemates,…
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THE EMERGING NEW MUSLIM ORDER
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I moved to Saudi Arabia in 1979. The fruits of oil wealth were beginning to show. Development was happening at a frantic pace all over the country. Based in the capital, Riyadh, the skyline was full of construction cranes. Those were the heady days of a new frontier attracting intense…
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PM IK KEEP AN EYE ON HISTORY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan My friend Hassan Nisar narrated a very interesting anecdote. During British Raj it was a tradition amongst the notables to congregate in the Governor’s House Lahore on the first day of the year. It included the Tumandars, Nawabs, Sardars, Nawabzadas, Maliks and prominent landlords. They would assemble in the sprawling…
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“NEUTER NAB” APC DEMANDS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Idioms and sayings have a global ancestry. You have universal truths and wisdoms stated in most ancient languages and cultures. Example, “lies have no legs” or “truth ultimately prevails” and many more. However Urdu and Punjabi sometimes have a uniqueness of expression difficult to replicate. It must be my lack…