Category: Articles

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pakistan is going through intensely traumatic times. Floods and rain has inundated half the country. Vast swaths of rural and urban spaces have been devastated. Millions of acres of standing crops and animals have been washed away. Homes, roads, bridges have been destroyed. Thousands of lives have been lost. Millions…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Habibullah Kalkani better known as “Bachai Saqao”, which means a water carrier, ruled Afghanistan from January 17th to October 1929. He forced King Amanullah to abdicate. He was thrown out by Nadir Shah. Kalkani, of Tajik origins, came from a humble background, earning his livelihood distributing water in buffalo skin…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Punjabi is a flamboyant language. Its one-liners convey more than a thousand words. The present situation bringsto mind “chor uchka Chaudhry tey gundee Run bardhan.”It translates “when the head of a clan is a rogue and a thief, his gangster counterpart reigns supreme.” I don’t need to indentify the head…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I used to farm in Kasur till I moved to Canada. In the earlynineties rural areas had limited TV access. To while away evenings, we would invariably congregate at “deras” of local landowners. Conversations would touch uponvarious topics, including local issues. It included stories about dealing with “mozairas”, farm workers,…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan ECP’s findings that PTI has done “prohibited fundraising” are bogus. They have thrown the kitchen sink at PTI full of falsehoods. PTI team has to go into overdrive to identify persons and companies wrongly named and debunk these assertions. PDM’s rejoicing is premature. Will it stand scrutiny by the Supreme…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan All the crap uttered in the last few days by PDM against Superior Judiciary was disgusting. This was backed by a well orchestrated social media campaign that was filthy and revolting. Their script and its formatting were similar to that seen in Godfather films, when Sicilian Mafia attemptsto discredit judges…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Burai de jarh”, “the root cause of all evil” arrived in Lahore a couple of days back. He quickly launched his “mandi mowaishian” or “animal auction” for sale and purchase of Punjabi MPAs. If there was a university program in Machiavellian manipulation, Mr. Zardari would have a PHD and would…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I was at a BBQ last weekend. A bright young Pakistani entrepreneur, Mujtaba Hameed came upto me for a chat. He said “Uncle I learn from your analysis based on substantive arguments. However what I really enjoy is the blend with events from your memory lane. Please keep doing it. I…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Rabb naray kay ghusun” is an unresolved dilemma spanning generations. It translates “Is God close or the punch thrown at you?” In this debate “God or the punch”, the pious claim that God is present in the main aorta, the arterial trunk that feeds the body. The realists state the…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A friend visited Canada recently. We spent quality time together enjoying the weather and visiting breathtaking,lush green sites. After two weeks he suddenly became restless and wanted to return to Pakistan. Sitting around a fire in my backyard I enquired why the rush? You look relaxed and seem to be…