Category: Articles
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A Q KHAN: WHY CAN’T WE RESPECT OUR HEROES?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan We live in the moment as a nation. Be it a national debacle like the loss of East Pakistan, or a glorious event like Pakistan becoming an atomic power. We grieve or rejoice the moment, and then discard it to the dust bin. Few people question this onset of amnesia.…
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PANDORA PAPERS: FURTHER PROOF OF ELITE CAPTURE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pandora Papers are a reality check. Really and truly the political divide is a façade. There are the takers and those who get taken every five years. Corruption, money laundering, bribes and loot have no ideology; this common thread runs across party lines. It does not end there. It has…
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PTI’s BIGGEST POLITICAL FOE IS FOOD INFLATION
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I was talking to Barkat Bibi. She goes around different households to cook food on a contract basis. Formerly she was a primary school teacher, raising four kids with her husband, Hanif, who owned a motorcycle repair shop. COVID hit her with a double whammy. She lost her job when…
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POWER BLOCS FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Those of us who have been around long enough would recollect the hijacking of an Indian aircraft “Ganga” in January 1971. A Fokker Friendship F27; it was one of the oldest plane in Indian Airlines fleet. It was decommissioned due to age and re-inducted days before the hijacking. It was…
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WILL CANADA VEER RIGHT DESPITE PITFALLS?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Elections in Canada can be boring when compared to the razzmatazz of a Pakistani campaign. The Canadian election writ period is much shorter than our minimum 3 months. There are no “Jalsas” with hundreds of thousands attendees or throngs of people and vehicles in a “jaloos”. There are hardly any…
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PREDICTIONS FAIL AS AFGHANS COME INTO THEIR OWN
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan September 6th was celebrated as the “Day of the Martyrs”, offering the ultimate sacrifice for the Motherland is a blessing. These tales of valor inspire those who stand on guard to protect the nation. The occasion was celebrated with dignity and honor in Rawalpindi and around the country. “Shahadat” and…
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TALIBAN NEED TO APPLY BALM TO BRUISED EGOS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan NATO forces landed in Afghanistan as “deliverers”; twenty years later they ended up being the occupiers. How did this happen? Post mortems will be done by multiple tiers of policy makers, analysts and historians. Blame game and finger pointing shall keep the public confused for years to come. USA will…
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RUFFIANS AND FRAUDSTERS IN A TOOTHLESS STATE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Desi drama serials are an integral part of our lives in the sub continent, especially amongst women. I have sat through some of them giving company to the family. Invariably, there is a main story and then some side plots as a distraction to prevent monotony and prolong drama. At…
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TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN. WHAT’S NEXT?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Author’s Note: I want to thank my readers and friends for their encouragement. It is an elixir that pushes me to research deeper, analyze and express better. Please keep your comments and suggestions coming. There is no way of safeguarding respect in a defeat unless the victor is gracious and…
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SERIOUS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL THREATS LOOMING
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was August 2002 when I last visited Kabul. I was accompanied by Niaz Ali Shah, a scion of the Syed family of Peshawar. His father, Syed Taj Mir Shah was a loving elder who mentored me when we were organizing PTI in KP in late nineties. He left us…