Bollywood, India’s Hindi language cinema, has millions of ardent fans across the world. Among them are the people of Pakistan. People like me. Now that love affair is souring. Unlike a lot of other Pakistanis, my interest in Bollywood developed much later in life. I was already in my late 20s when I took the…
Inflation Woes
You’re likely not the only person out there who has felt the pinch, nay, sledgehammer of inflation. Prices have gone up, exponentially. Wages have not. This is another item on the long list of things choking the working class not just in Canada, but across the globe. Depending on who you speak to, the reasons…
Of Babar Azam and Captaincy
Two back-to-back home series losses. 4 consecutive defeats. At the receiving end of the first whitewash at home in history. A tame series draw vs New Zealand. A full year without a single test win at home. Calls for Babar Azam to be replaced as captain have not exactly become loud enough to bring the…
Of Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi
Ramiz Raja is out. Najam Sethi is again in charge of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Monkeys are flying and the Brontosaurus is roaming earth again. Or so the anti-Najam Sethi camp would have you believe. People put in charge of certain positions should have some level of expertise in the mentioned field, and cricket should…
Pakistan’s Attack On Christmas
For a lot of people, Christmas this year was the first one post Covid restrictions. As people everywhere passed along Christmas wishes to others, large sections of Pakistanis moved in a different direction: Christmas is haram. Wishing it is haram. Celebrating it is haram. Doing so is Shirk for it means that Jesus is the…
More Salmon Woes
For thousands of years Pacific salmon, in their bounty, provided plentiful food for the people of the coast. Many described themselves as “Salmon People.” After living in the ocean for several years, the salmon return to their rivers of birth to swim upstream to the gravel beds to spawn and die. Along the way, overcoming…
My 5 Favourite Pakistani Fast Bowling Spells
As we emerge from the catastrophe that was the England test series, with a gentle medium pacer leading our fast bowling attack in two of the games, my mind went back to multiple levels of ‘what ifs’ had Shaheen, Haris or Naseem been fully fit. Nothing would have likely changed, or maybe it would have….
That Naseem Shah Spell
MCG. World Cup Final. Versus possibly the greatest white ball team in history. It’s a spell that I’ve gone back to watch, and then re-watch and then watch again one more time. Make no mistake, Naseem Shah isn’t the kind of bowler that ignited that raw Pakistani fast bowler emotion in me during the early…
Short Story : MashAllah Man
“Sister Humaira has a question now…” Raees Ahmed, the bushy moustached bespectacled host, had the camera on him as he read out a message from a card infront of him. “She says Asalamualikum Aalim Sahib..” “Walakumasalam “ muttered a voice in the background. The camera was still on Raees. “My daughter recently completely her Intermediate…
Personal Hell
It’s an absolutely terrifying spectacle. Before it all begins, you’re hoping something happens. A meteor hits the planet. A fire breaks out. An unforgiving Tsunami hits the shores. Something. Anything. But it never does. Thankfully for everyone else. A little less thankfully for you. It’s not like you’re doing this for the first time. You’ve…
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