Latest in: Arts & Literature
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Pakistani novelist, critical of Israeli policies, questions the basis for literary prize withdrawal
Acclaimed novelist Kamila Shamsie has a question for the jury of Nelly Sachs Prize for literature which this month picked her as the winner of the award and just a fortnight later rescinded it – for...September 19, 2019 894 0 -
Poem – In the sunset of my day
Haiku effects – In the sunset of my day Alone on my way– friendless and foreign in the sunset of my day. Solitude of the fight stretched over years and always—fading light. A...September 14, 2019 776 0 -
A poem exploring the purpose of life
The purpose of life? What is the purpose of life? why are we here? the answers are all around us the Greeks aimed for happiness Aristotle even listed eleven virtues that would help achieve happiness he pointed to...August 26, 2019 2940 0 -
Pakistani, Indian artists should be bridge-builders for peace – Mehwish Hayat
With her dazzling star power, Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat has waded into Pakistan-India standoff over Kashmir with the message that artists should build bridges and that Bollywood should stop portraying Pakistanis as stereotypes. The heartthrob of...August 22, 2019 1922 0 -
My Persian Paradox taught me how sharing stories helps create empathy, peace
The pain we carry from the past and don’t have time to think about will eventually come out and hit us. All this time, it has been sitting there waiting for an opportunity to talk and...August 19, 2019 1870 0 -
A poem on God’s mercy for father of a learned daughter
ON JUDGEMENT DAY I wrote this poem for my daughter a decade ago. She now faces a serious medical situation. I request the reader to heed a father’s plea and offer a prayer for her recovery...August 8, 2019 789 0 -
Muslim Writing Salon brings awesome diversity to D.C.
In the rooftop bar of Eaton DC, skeptical of attending a religious event, I didn’t know what to expect. When Nafisa Isa enthusiastically started introducing the program, people cheered and hollered. Sitting in the second row,...August 8, 2019 1590 0 -
The poem beginning with the clap of thunder
Votive Peregrination The clap of thunder and jagged silence riding high in a momentary calm of synthetic awe. To witness emotions drilled in Time and fossilized like the luminous eyes of the loved ones now gone...June 27, 2019 1068 0 -
‘The Dragonfly and Other Poems’ reflects on Mashal Khan, blinded Kashmiris and much more
There is something about the old Frontier Province which lifts the heart when crossing the Attock into the land of the Pukhtun; the poet awakens. That is what Sir Evelyn Howell, the outstanding Pukhtunphile, wrote; or...June 16, 2019 1402 0 -
What does playwright Enver Sajjad’s death in adversity tell about us?
Pakistani intellectual circles mourned the death of Dr. Enver Sajjad, an internationally known playwright and actor, who died in privation due to illness financial troubles and gross neglect on part of both the state and the...June 6, 2019 831 0
