Category: Articles
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
“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…
-
COVID FATIGUE REVIVES MEMORIES
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The human mind works in fascinating ways. Confinement frees the mind from the body and the soul wonders. Our memories are selective; they gravitate towards pleasant and fond memories. Recently I wrote on some heavy duty topics. It requires serious research and effort to convert to a readable format. This…
-
NEW WORLD ORDER
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The main arterial road in Tehran is named after the renowned Persian poet Firdowsi. The author of “Shanameh”, one of the longest epic poem created by a single author. Known as “Book of Kings”, written a thousand years ago, it comprises nearly 50,000 couplets. It captures the history of Persian…
-
JUSTICE SYSTEM ON TRAIL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Parveen was happily married. After completing 10th grade she was wedded to a cousin. She had four kids before she was twenty five. Her husband was an electrician earning a livable income. It was 1998. They were comfortable from working class standards. They owned a 2 marla house built on…
-
MINUS ONE – DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Following democracy in Pakistan is a roller coaster ride. It is exhilarating with all the screaming accompanying each rise and fall. When the ride ends you get out with rubbery legs. Rides have a short span and you overcome it soon. Imagine if the ride prolongs for years? It destroys…