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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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10 things my 3-year-old taught me this summer
Summer vacations always bring out an all-new, never-known-before side to kids. Some days are filled with frantic fire fighting and others are just an awe struck pause at what these little ones are...
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What if your daughter doesn’t want to be a ‘doctor bahu’?
In a recent conversation with a mother to little girls, I asked her what she had planned for her children with regards to their education. I was merely referring to school choices but she told me,...
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Living with polio in Pakistan
“I always wanted to study but my dream to get higher education remained just that, a dream. I was unable to complete my Matric because of my disability. It would pain me immensely to see girls who were...
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My secret admirer
The doorbell rang. It was 2pm and I was preparing food for lunch. It was almost time for my 15-year-old son, Omar, to come back from school. Wiping away sweat from my forehead with my left sleeve, I...
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Can the Pakistani education system stop catering to political agendas please?
The issue of school curriculum has been under discussion in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for some time now. The 18th Amendment devolved the education sector to the provinces but that has yet to bear fruit,...
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Aao Parhao – Jo Seekha Hai Wo Sekhao
As part of a remembrance to Robin Williams, I arranged a showing of Good Will Hunting and invited some school friends over. After the movie ended, one of them remarked on the critical role the...
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This was not revenge, this was murder without mercy
From today, we can no longer be divided into groups and raise slogans for politicians. Today, we need to join hands and stand together as Pakistanis for the future of this nation. The Peshawar attack...
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Lub pay aati hai dua bann kay tamanna meri
On December 16, 2014 The Express Tribune blogs desk received many submissions from grief stricken people from all over Pakistan. These people wanted to show their solidarity with the families of the...
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Dear Arham, I will never forget the last day you went to school…
To my dear brother Arham, My Arham, that day, before you left for school, I remember seeing a vibrant smile on your face. It was as if you were excited for the day to come. I miss that smile now. I...
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Help your child deal with the trauma of #PeshawarSchoolAttack
What started as a usual day for many school-going children – with the routine hustle bustle of school life, class work, worries about upcoming exams, excitement about the winter holidays and carefree...
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As a student in grade 9, I pledge my future to Pakistan – do you?
On December 16th, around 10am, a group of heavily armed men belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stormed the Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar. These men opened fire and...
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How I tackled the “Sir, I don’t think Shias are real Muslims” concept
I started my career as a Religious Education (RE) teacher in September 2013, in a school that has nearly 1500 students ranging from the ages of 11 to 18. Of these, approximately 75% come from a Muslim...
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“If you want to teach here, you have to wear a burqa”
“You just have to wear a burqa inside the school; you are free to take it off when you leave the school premises,”said the principal of a Karachi-based school while interviewing a candidate. “It’s just...
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10 reactions students have before the CIE results, explained through Disney
It is that time of the year again, when the world is about to come crashing down and you would rather go into hibernation than face the inevitable. No, I am not talking about the apocalypse. I am...
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The Tribe: No words to express its brilliance
No words, no music, no subtitles. The Tribe is a Ukrainian film which takes place in a specialised boarding school for the deaf. Sergey, the new student, is quickly inducted into a student gang...
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Being a Syed-zaadi wasn’t a matter of pride for me, it was a curse!
I was born into a Syed family. Since childhood, I’ve been told that this is a blessing as we are the direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Therefore, all Syed girls had a status equivalent to...
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The newspaper boy
He threw it inside the house and as he cycled forward and heard it land softly on the doormat. Great shot, he thought. There were three streets to go. And the light around him was slowly spreading. He...
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Dear Victoria’s Secret, does nothing really taste as good as skinny feels?
Dear Victoria’s Secret, When I was 10-years-old I wanted nothing more than to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel; I would spend hours prancing around in front of the mirror in my ‘sexiest’ high heels,...
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Unity, faith and discipline
Unity, faith, discipline. These three basics I knew, I loved, and I respected. Etched into my heart from Independence Days of the past. These were the principles I’d thrive upon. I didn’t know a lot,...
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