Category: Articles
-
SECULARISM IN FULL RETREAT
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The first time I landed in Bombay, now Mumbai, was mid eighties. It was in the evening as the sun was going down. The view from the plane was breathtaking. The coastline with boats lined up conveyed vibrancy. I was excited. I was received by my host with his team.…
-
SAVE THE EARTH-DAVOS THEME 2020
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Davos, Switzerland is where the rich, powerful and famous come together and rub shoulders with each other every year at the World Economic Forum (WEF). It was started in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a business professor from University of Geneva. It is an NGO headquartered in a sprawling campus in…
-
WILL HUMANS DESTROY PLANET EARTH?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The sunset in Bali is renowned around the globe. There is a lot of glamour and romance attached to it. It attracts visitors from all over. I am in Bali with the family for a vacation. I witnessed the sunset standing in ankle deep water on the beach with the…
-
2020- SURVIVAL OR BANKRUPCY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The view from our apartment’s balcony is a golf course situated in the heart of bustling Jakarta. The view is so refreshing and soothing. I am here with my family to attend the wedding of my nephew, more like a son, Wasam Chaudhry. I am lucky to be in one…
-
GENERAL SULEIMANI – A HERO OR A VILLIAN
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The recent death of General Qasem Suleimani in a US drone attack has raised the temperatures in the Middle East conflict. It has evoked a very strong reaction from Iranian leaders. Imam Khamenei, the Supreme Leader has threatened “harsh revenge” from the perpetrators. On the other hand American President Trump…
-
2020 – WILL IK SHED HIS SHACKLES?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It is the wedding season in Lahore bringing multiple invites. The cold and fog lends coziness to the atmosphere. A word of caution before you accept, driving in fog/smog combined with long distances is a lethal, time consuming combo. Lahore now is an urban sprawl; fertile agricultural lands that supplied…
-
WHO IS THE TRAITOR?
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It’s in the air, Lahore does it to you. It does not matter wherever you are from, after how long you return to Lahore, the moment you land, you go care free. Your system stops taking stress, you join the Lahoris in their merry ways. Whatever will happen shall happen,…
-
DECENCY BUTCHERED
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Announcement was made over the intercom that the plane was about to land. Despite nearly four decades of international travel, landing in Lahore gives a flutter of excitement unmatched anywhere else. There is a feeling of belonging, a sense of owner ship. Too many memories and associations. However the Lahore…
-
Demise of Morality
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I grew up in the sixties in Abbottabad, a pretty and peaceful town nestled amongst pine trees in the foothills of Kashmir. It was named after Major James Abbott. A garrison city, Abbottabad was home to Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) and many Army units. My alma mater Burn Hall School…
-
GOVERNANCE ON TRIAL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan In my last post I had written about the “Great Escape” of Nawaz Sharif. I had commented about the emerging convergence between the institutions. I repeat the relevant portion. “For the first time in Pakistan’s 70 plus years of existence all the institutions were pulling in the same direction. They…