Pakistani Parsis are far fewer but much like in India the Parsi community's achievements are extraordinary also in Pakistan, where they own the only brewery, the oldest shipping firm, and a chain of hotels besides being regarded as makers of the country's financial hub of Karachi
Tag: Zia-ul-Haq
Pakistan Paradox: The Love Of Its Leaders For The Bottle
Pakistan's Westernized founding fathers and their successors loved to have a drink and sat on the periodic demands of a ban on alcohol until the 1970s when the prohibition—at least on paper—was imposed
Partly Rooted In Varna, How Biradari System Remains Relevant in Pakistan
The biradari system is among the crucial factors in Pakistan's elections particularly in rural areas of the Punjab province, which sends 55% of lawmakers to the National Assembly
How Association With Corrosive Power Mutated Idea Of Sufism
The idea of 'Sufism', which in its present form has little to do with saints and their teachings, has long mutated with the association of those helming shrines purely by virtue of heredity with corrosive power, patronage, and vanity By Sameer Arshad Khatlani When Mardan Shah, better known as Pir Pagara, died in 2012 in … Continue reading How Association With Corrosive Power Mutated Idea Of Sufism
Curious Case Of Prohibition In Pakistan: High Or Dry
Prohibition in Pakistan has been relaxed over the years with provincial governments granting more permits to individuals and hotels to sell alcohol amid a debate on the benefits of the liquor ban
How Urdu-Speaking Muhajir Domination Shaped Pakistan
Urdu-Speaking Muhajirs accounted for 3.5 percent of united Pakistan’s population in the 1960s but they occupied 21 percent of the positions in the civil services that helped them shape the country in its infancy including through the adoption of their mother tongue as the national language
Matter Of Life, Death: Right Man As Pakistan Army Chief
One Prime Minister ended up losing his life and another almost spent the rest of it behind bars despite thinking they covered all the bases for having the right man for Pakistan's top job: Army chief
Pakistan Army: Punjabis’ve Dominated Ranks But Not Really Leadership
That Punjabis have dominated Pakistan's armed forces is common knowledge but this has not necessarily been true about its leadership with Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking Muhajirs having punched above their weight in leading the army
Bhutto to Khan, Politicos Falling Afoul Of Army Follows Pattern
Imran Khan’s falling out with the Pakistani military follows a pattern since the 1960s when Ayub Khan handpicked Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as his foreign minister at 35 in 1963 before the young politician revolted against his mentor two years later for failing to capitalize on the gains in the 1965 war and losing it with India at the negotiation table
Imran Khan: Down But Not Out
Khan’s popularity has been unprecedented in Pakistan’s recent history and no politician has enjoyed so much public adulation perhaps since the emergence of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1960s