STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A friend visited Canada recently. We spent quality time together enjoying the weather and visiting breathtaking,lush green sites. After two weeks he suddenly became restless and wanted to return to Pakistan. Sitting around a fire…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

“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…

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…