Category: Articles

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Yakay Wali” starring the top heroine of her times,Musarrat Nazir was a blockbuster of its times. Released in 1957, it broke all records of popularity, running for 50 weeks in one cinema. Producer Bari Malik raked in tons of money enabling him to buy a film studio named Bari Studios.…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan There is a saying in Punjabi “ek boti laye bakra mar ditta”. It translates “killing a whole sheep to eat one piece of meat.” That is exactly what happened in Pakistan. Sharifs and Zardari wanted to end accountability. PM Shahbaz Sharif and CM Hamza were on the verge of indictment…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Iqbal alias Bala was a hardened criminal reputed to be a top “rasageer”, acronym for a cattle thief, around Lyallpur. My uncle Dr. Abdul Majeed Khan, a veterinarian, was a dedicated cattle breeder. He went to great lengths to assemble his flock of milking buffaloes. A big burly gentleman, it…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan 23rd March 1973 I participated in a joint opposition’s jalsa organized in Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi. It was meant to be an event wherein parties opposed to Bhutto’s rule gathered to express their positions. That was not how Bhutto regime viewed it. They decided to teach their opponents a lesson. The…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan In my younger days I have been at the receiving end of a police “lathi’. Believe me it really hurts. The semi-literate constable acts on command. The viciousness of his strike depends on the meanness of his superior’s orders. There are two distinct patterns. A regular “lathi charge” aims to…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Sau Ganday we khaday tay chittar wee” is a popular Punjabi saying. A conceptual translation would be “indecision and stupidity cause great suffering”. This folklore is associated with Ranjit Singh. While rendering decision on a misdemeanor by a poor farmer, he punished the perpetuator to either eat 100 onions or…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Majha and Saja were in business together. Majha had lent money to Saja who kept reneging on his promises to repay. Majha got fed up and complained to area elders. They were summoned to the council (Pariya) in a nearby village. Both boarded a bus to attend. En route their…

“Gatka” is a form of martial art associated with Punjab. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century. It is popular among rural Sikh communities and adopted by many in the region, including Hindko speakers. Wooden swords are painstakingly carved and used in this sport. I attended Burn Hall School run by Irish…

CONSIPARCY OR INTERVENTION – A USELESS DEBATE STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Hina Rabbani Khar, in her 2nd term in Foreign Ministry, came up with a novel explanation about the intervention memo. As reported, she stated it was Donald Lu’s personal opinion! Those of us who have an understanding of the workings of institutions like…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was a warm sunny day. Excitement and anticipation was in the air on this 25th day of April 1996. Chairman Imran Khan was to launch Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf at an event in a local hotel in Lahore. There was huge presence of local and foreign media. A cricket icon turned…