Tag: pakistan
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PANDORA PAPERS: FURTHER PROOF OF ELITE CAPTURE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pandora Papers are a reality check. Really and truly the political divide is a façade. There are the takers and those who get taken every five years. Corruption, money laundering, bribes and loot have no ideology; this common thread runs across party lines. It does not end there. It has…
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PREDICTIONS FAIL AS AFGHANS COME INTO THEIR OWN
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan September 6th was celebrated as the “Day of the Martyrs”, offering the ultimate sacrifice for the Motherland is a blessing. These tales of valor inspire those who stand on guard to protect the nation. The occasion was celebrated with dignity and honor in Rawalpindi and around the country. “Shahadat” and…
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FIRES ACROSS CONTINENTS- GLOBAL WARMING IS HERE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It is time to wake up. We are facing the biggest threat ever to mankind – Global warming is here; we have summer temperatures never experienced before. What have we done to mother earth in the last hundred years? We have polluted the air, plundered natural resources, devastated forests, contaminated…
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Navigating Hate and Viciousness in Politics
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It has been a very eventful summer in the region. A lot has been written and said about departure of US forces from Afghanistan. Verbalized in North American lingo, it can be summarized as “Adios Afghanis; wasn’t nice knowing y’all!” It was not a good experience. Thousands of lives lost,…
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SELF RESPECT OVER SUBMISSION – PART II
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Writing in English has its benefits and challenges. The audience is limited; however it is quality readers with their own spheres of influence. I experienced that in my last article. It had a huge footprint by my standards, and I got great feedback from many friends. They agreed with my…
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SELF RESPECT OVER SUBMISSION
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Short cuts have become embedded in our national psyche. Both as individuals and at the national level. We seek expediency to gain wealth, success, or status legitimate or illegal. No one cares whether the chosen path is causing pain or depriving others, everyone is out to grab. Simply put, for…
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PARLIAMENT: A CIRCUS OF INCOMPETENCE
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Winters in Lyallpur, aka Faisalabad, were fun times after the rigors of straitlaced Burn Hall in Abbottabad. Many festivities used to happen around that time. My uncle Dr. Abdul Majeed Khan, a veterinarian, worked for Lyallpur District Council. He was in charge of the annual horse and cattle show…
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SHARING THE INTENSE PAIN OF COVID
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It is human nature to share joy and success. We internalize our pain and put up a brave face. Everyone likes to bask in the glory of success and we all enjoy a good time. Pain is an orphan few want to own. However this pandemic has inflicted so much…
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THE INDESTRUCTIBLE SPIRIT OF AFGHANS
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan A quiet storm is brewing in our front yard that will impact the future configuration of the entire region. The Americans are committed to leave Afghanistan by September 11th, 2021, twenty years after their stormy entry. They will leave a void and a power vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum.…
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THE BUMPY ROAD TO MAKKAH
STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia reminded me of an incident during my stay in the Kingdom. Our Chairman Abdul Latif Al-Sheikh had a close friend who was an engineer. It was early eighties and we were developing our agricultural project in Al Kharaj, south of Riyadh.…