Category: Articles

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Since April 2022, there is only one way to describe Pakistan; hostile. Tensions and fears have taken root in everyday life for Pakistanis. They emanate from putting food on the table, the dreaded breaking of doors by police, total uncertainty about the future and complete breakdown of governance. The psyche…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Chor tey kutti ral gai tey pind da ke banay ga?” a Punjabi saying that translates “when a thief and protector gang up what will be the fate of the village?”. I believe it aptly describes what is going on in our beloved country. We are witnessing extremely painful events…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Maula Jat and his nemeses Noori Nat are fictional characters in Punjabi folklore glamorized through films spanning decades. Their violent conflict has been verbalized as “Kharak”, an appropriate description of what is unfolding on our national scene. The intensity increases every day leading to an undesirable crescendo. It’s a path…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Ruthless pursuit of a goal for greater good is commendable. However, ruthlessness in achieving selfish goals by destroying all values, laws and norms of decency is despicable. That is what we are witnessing everyday; the scenes of mistreatment of Shah Mehmood Qureshi is the freshest wound. The way these depraved…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Halaku (Hulagu) Khan was a Mongol ruler who conquered most of Western Asia, laying basis for the Persian Empire in 13th century. He sacked and destroyed Baghdad thereby ending the Islamic Golden Age. According to historians,Halaku had a shock and awe strategy to soften opponents at the start of his…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pakistan is in turmoil last witnessed in 1971. 16thDecember is the 52nd anniversary of surrender by Pak Army in Dhaka. Quad-e-Azam’s Pakistan was truncated within 25 years of independence. Bengalis, who were 56% of population, formed their own state. I vividly remember the pain we felt at this national humiliation.…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A tweet from Shireen Mazari has gone viral on social media. I will repeat it for those who have not seen it yet. The title reads “Setting the record straight on Founding Members of PTI:” The message states “The Founding members of PTI were the following: Imran Khan,Naeemul Haque, late…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan With winter creeping in and onset of snow flurries both Rakhshanda and I miss our annual jaunt of escaping to Lahore. Many Canadians, especially seniors, have found ways of dodging the harsh winter by setting up a pad in Florida, locally known as “snow birds”. We had that option; instead…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I am not a big fan of drama serials. Occasionally I watch an episode or two to maintain congeniality at home. However a Pakistani serial “Jhok Sarkar” has caught my fancy. I look forward to watching every episode. It revolves around a feudal lord and his family in a remote…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan World Cup 1992 evokes beautiful memories. I was in Riyadh those days where access to TV was restricted to watching bland Saudi channels. Our motivation to watchPakistan play in finals was intense. Where there is a will there is a way; a friend from Saudi Telecom found a way of…