Mehr Tarar

What is it that drives a 26-year-old, a 20-year-old, successful, intelligent, beautiful, popular woman to death, there is no single answer.

...And not the son in-waiting overwhelmed by the political legacy of the family?

Love is what connects us all. Here, there, everywhere. In Lahore, in New York, in Palestine, in El Paso, Texas, in Yemen, in Syria, in Sudan, in Afghanistan, in Dayton, Ohio, in Quetta, in Kashmir.

There are many women who do bad things, and there is no question about that. This is not a man versus woman debate.

Triple talaq is more in practice today in melodramatic soap operas in Pakistan. It is a legally punishable offence and its ugliest fall-out, halala, finds no favour in the holy Quran.

For years, following the Afgan war, Pakistan fought against Pakistan. And the casualty was Pakistan.

Describe it as politics of vengeance. Face it as political victimisation. But the truth is that the process of accountability has shaken the powerful.

When Monica Lewinsky says women need to tell their stories in their words, I can't agree more. I, too, faced media trial in January 2014. It's still going on.

Imran Khan's tweet didn't just make me happy. I felt proud of being a Pakistani.

If you think Saif Ali Khan shouldn't be trolled for supporting India, then shut down trolls who are body-shaming Sarfarz. Don't be selective in your outrage.

'Cake' is a simple reminder of all that matters, and all that we take for granted until we don’t have it any more.

These are the voters whose opinion can be swayed by giving them regular electricity and well maintained streets. That’s all they ask for.

The Modi government, despite some failures, has managed to fulfil many of its pre-2014 electoral promises. And its saffron appeal is strong and accessible.

For Pakistan, Modi’s term is marked with hyper-nationalistic Pakistan-hating in the backdrop of the unfortunate Pulwama terror attack and its warlike Balakot aftermath. Many wonder what the future now holds for bilateral ties.

Nothing changes in Pakistan. Today what is happening is a mere repetition of what has happened again and again.

Winning a Twitter who-is-more-abusive battle should not be the highlight of your day.

The real king is one. The aspirants are many.

Many of those who seem to have it all live with a melancholy that is so often so well concealed that it is indiscernible to even those who are around that person.

Life will end. For me. For you. It is up to you what you do with it.

It is the centuries of conditioning of the masculine mind to be a caretaker, a patriarch, to be the one in control, to be the tamer, to be the dominant force.

How many more people need to die before the world, united, will say: never again?

There is a silver lining to all our recent troubles. Pakistan wishes to have a dialogue with India to resolve all issues, from Kashmir to terrorism.

We go through life assuming there is a tomorrow. Until that one final second hits you like a bolt of lightning, and it is all over. So, why not make the most of it, while we can?

No, the Naya Pakistan does not feel the pressure to cower in front of religious organisations.

His day starts very early. There are hardly any breaks, and he works till late at night. The only breaks he takes are for zuhr, asar and maghrib namaz.

For all the attempts to paint Sharif as the victim and PM Imran Khan as the villain, the people of Pakistan see things, remember things — and questions things.

You can be six feet tall, eat fries and chocolates like fast food is going out of fashion, think the new girl in class is super pretty. You still know how not to feel gender-superior.

One bat, one corridor, one tweet, one body of water, one speech at a time.

The main purpose of these buzzwords apart from the construction of a narrative of victimhood of Khan’s political rivals is to create an environment of negativity within Pakistan.

Love is the rose-scented memory of the mother you lost too early. Love is the tight, sudden hug of your son.