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At least I can quote Shakespeare
I am majoring in English literature. The statement in itself does not sound too dramatic, so let me provide some context: I am a Pakistani immigrant, living in New York, majoring in English...
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The value of school reunions and networking
High school is a time many students think they’d rather forget. A year or so after, once university life kicks in, it’s a time almost every person begins to reminisce about. Ten years down and one can...
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Does Pakistan need a Turkish leader to succeed?
It is remarkable what a leader, committed to serving the nation he believes in, can do to a country’s fate. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a case in point. When he came to the helm of affairs in...
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The dilemmas of a Muslim shopper
Over the past couple of weeks my sister was in town,and along with my mother, we spent a good deal of time in shopping malls, taking advantage of discounts during a seasonal sale. Having lost a few...
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The classic middle-class overachiever
At the age of 23, my indebtedness to Pakistan was inversely proportional to my progress in life. My mind was uncluttered and my ambitions were sky high. The nation’s politics didn’t interest me; its...
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Back in Pakistan and loving it!
The second best decision I ever made in my life was to come back to Pakistan. The best decision I made was teaching in this country that has been labelled as the ‘most’ dangerous country in world....
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Dear parents, can I plan my own life please?
“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.” -Anne Frank Being seventeen-years-old and looking forward to university next year, I currently face the...
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When your husband is also a reporter
By tying the knot with a fellow reporter next month, who is equally passionate about work as I am; I would be committing myself to journalism for life, and surely for eternity. This means that...
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11 interview tips that could get you a job!
I am only a non-HR professional with about two and a half years of professional experience, however, I always believe that interviewers for all sorts of jobs typically look out for more or less similar...
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Dear HEC, your degree attestation process is a nightmare
Getting a degree attested - sounds like a simple enough task, doesn't it? Turns out, it can be an absolutely maddening task, trust me. I had been trying to apply for a visa to Canada, and as part of...
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Doctors vs pharmacists: Selling drugs gets no respect in Pakistan
Ever watched a Bollywood song and wondered why the back-up dancers, who are as pretty as the main actor/actress, fail to catch a glimpse of the limelight? There are some people who feel like this all...
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7 types of Pakistani immigrants you’re likely to come across in Canada
It’s been a little over a year since my immigrant status got confirmed in Canada and I have met some interesting kinds of Pakistanis. Immigrants who tend to fall in a certain ‘type’. Even I fit in...
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Why can’t we clean our streets and houses ourselves?
It was December 25, 2014 and I was heading out for work. As I approached the main gate, my eye caught sight of our building’s notice board. The words scribbled on the board left me dumbfounded. It...
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Balochistan is far from “uncivilised” and these women prove just that!
That Pakistan has a youth bulge is well known to most informed readers, but what the youth thinks about the myriad challenges faced by the country rarely gets space in the media, especially when it...
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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is the reason the state of education in Pakistan is so bad
I recently came across an Urdu newspaper in which the date was stated to be October 32, 2016. Apparently the editor didn’t know that October has only 31 days, and it can’t ever have 32 days, not even...
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“So, what’s Pakistan like?”
The old man had the most startling blue eyes, the kind that glittered in a wizard-like way. He was a contractual worker fixing some room in the building where I work, and I met him in the kitchen over...
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Only in Pakistan can your child get an ‘A’ without learning anything
Over the past few years, the policy on education has taken centre stage in Pakistan. There is now debate over reforming the curriculum of madrassas, as they have failed millions of students who have,...
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Are internships a waste of time in Pakistan?
“Mind the gap.” This is a warning familiar to anyone who has ever taken the tube in London. It refers to the gap that exists between the platform and the train itself. It is also a warning delivered to...
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Political parties are promising jobs in their manifestos but snub education –...
Pakistan has one of the largest youth population in the world. Forty-six million of these will be voting for the first time in about two weeks; a number that is by no means small. To put it into...
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I wanted to change the lives of underprivileged school kids, but they changed...
While growing up in Karachi in the turbulent 90s, my neighbourhood used to be a perpetual warzone. Acting tough was the only way of surviving. Our future outlook used to be so bleak that career...
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