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With Ali as Randy, Bushra as Simon and Hadiqa as Paula, what will Pakistan...
After creating much hype and expectation, Pakistan Idol is finally here and it is good to see reality television in Pakistan being done this professionally. Having been an avid follower of American...
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Ali Azmat, you crossed the line
Comic book writer and filmmaker Kevin Smith once said the following words and they are perhaps some of the most profound I have ever read, probably because they resonate on a personal level: “Remember:...
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If I were prime minister of Pakistan in 2014 I would…
The year 2013 has been heavy on all of us. We’ve gotten through drone strikes, kidnappings and the elections, and had to suffer through the likes of Sahir Lodhi on our radio. On a more positive note,...
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Killed for enjoying music? What is the truth?
Kohistan is a settled district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the predominantly non-Pashtun Hazara Division. It stretches to about 7,500 square kilometres on both, the east and west of the Indus River. The...
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If I had my life to live all over again…
If I had my life to live over again, I’d simply be me. I’d live with fewer inhibitions, I’d care less about what people think of me and look at myself through my own mirror. I’d walk barefoot on the...
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Jehangir Aziz Hayat and the Pashtun rock scene, finally uncovered!
A few of the bands that I grew up listening to were U2, Nirvana, Matchbox Twenty and Lifehouse, among others. The genres of these bands included rock, alternative rock, post-grunge and elements of...
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Queen: Healing does not come in the arms of another man, Ladies!
“I also want to do something in my life” Rani says in a wishful voice to Alexander. He replies to the bewildered girl, “So who is stopping you?” This dialogue pretty much sums up the essence of the...
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6 reasons you should live in a hostel at least once in your life!
Can’t find clean clothes? Forced to wear two different socks? Your bed hasn’t been made in a month and your room looks like a laundromat? There are orange peels all over your study table with the seeds...
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‘Baby doll mein sonay di’… really?
Here is a question for all the women out there – what is more heart-warming, being called a Chikni Chameli (sexy woman) or an Atom Bomb (bombshell)? Baffled? I am not surprised… Don’t get me wrong. I...
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Overcoming adversity and reopening schools in Swat
As one travels, on the highway, from Peshawar to Swat, the lush green fields, dotted with tall poplar trees, appear breath-taking, and gradually the silhouette of the mountains become visible. The...
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One-on-one with Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
The phone rings... Me: “Hello?” Person 1: “Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain aap sey baat karain ge.” (Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain would like to speak with you.) Me: “Okay.” Maintains a calm tone while jumping...
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And so it is
This piece is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. “Hi love! Care to meet me today?” Rayaan, on the other end of the line, teasingly asked his...
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Germany deserved to win
The disappointment of the lacklustre opening ceremony was short lived and, from the opening goal of the tournament to Germany lifting the cup in the finals, it was well compensated in every manner...
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Stop hating on Ayyan’s new song, Pakistan
The ever famous model-turned-singer, Ayyan Ali, released her debut single ‘You and I’ featuring Charm a few days ago. Since then, the 21-year-old supermodel has had to face severe criticism with regard...
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Shocking, funny and likeable experiences of Pakistan
My friends and family were concerned about my health when I told them that I would be fasting during Ramazan, but my Pakistani friends all assured me that I would go back home “fatter than ever”. Food...
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‘You listen to music? Oh boy, you’re definitely going to hell!’
“You listen to songs, oh boy! You’re definitely going to hell.” No, this pronouncement was not received by me from an adult, neither from any religious preacher or maulvi, but from my eight-year-old...
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Coke Studio 7 comes with strings attached
What an opening! The much-awaited Coke Studio season seven begins with the hope of fresh music, sounds, return-to-roots and much more. Strings have teamed up to become the sound producers of a huge...
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Shut up and listen to the music by Talal and Zoi
Drones, poverty and fundamentalism – these are often the things we hear on the news about Pakistan. But over the last two years, Pakistanis have brought home an Oscar, an Emmy, the Nobel Peace Prize,...
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Even Govinda couldn’t save ‘Kill Dil’
Kill Dil was amongst the most anticipated movies of 2014, due to numerous reasons like Ali Zafar’s first hardcore masala entertainment, Govinda’s villainous re-entry and Ranveer Singh’s flamboyant...
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Noor Jehan: The undisputed queen of melody
Today is the 14th death anniversary of Malika-e-Tarannum Madam Noor Jehan. Yes, it’s been 14 long years since South Asia’s queen of melody left us all, after she suffered from a prolonged ailment, at...
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