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STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Growing up in the sixties, spending winters in Lyallpur was part of the family routine; we used to move there from Abbottabad. From the strict regime of Irish Priests of Burn Hall to pure rustic…
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JUSTICE SYSTEM ON TRIAL
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A seed only sprouts when the soil is prepared properly; planted at the appropriate time, the right depth and receives moisture. Till then it remains latent. That seems to be the condition of our nation…
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WITH SO MANY WOUNDS WHERE TO APPLY THE BALM
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Writing at times can be a curse. You have to think, feel and be sensitized to your surroundings. At times one feels overwhelmed by the weight of all the bad around you. I was talking…
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PM IMRAN KHAN KEEP AT IT, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It has been many years since I stayed in Lahore for an extended period. I am reminded of the age-old proverb “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” You really don’t get the…
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Negative Drift Towards Alienating Minorities
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I grew up in the days of cowboy movies and comics. Invariably the non-conformist hero would stand up for the underdog. My formative years were spent alternating between the worlds of Clint Eastwood, Kirk Douglas…
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BIDEN INHERITS USA AT WAR WITH ITSELF
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Divisions within America have never been so intense since the American Civil War that nearly divided the North and South. The roots of this divide date back to the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery by President…
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LAHORE: A GARDEN TO GARBAGE CITY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The New Year brought glad tidings for Lahore from one of the most prominent and influential newspaper in the world, the New York Times. In its Travel section it selected “52 Places to Love in…
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PAKISTAN HAS CHALLENGES BEYOND POLITICS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan During my university days in the late sixties and early seventies politics was reentering our civil discourse. After ten years under Ayub Khan, Pakistan transitioned from a “Basic Democracy” system to an “Adult Franchise”.…
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PDM IMPLOSION IS A NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan December 2020 was a tumultuous month in Pakistani politics. It started with thunder, threatening a severe storm but ended in a whimper despite intense rumblings. PML(N)’s de-facto leader Maryam loudly proclaimed a “now or never”…
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POLITICOS REMEMBER YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Rustic wisdom emanates from centuries of experience transferred from generation to generation. These universal truths are common amongst cultures and geography. In the subcontinent folklore, it goes as “jo beejo gay so kaato gay”. Yet…