BrainCan - the way i see it

metoo: i am older, wiser and more determined than...

The first time it happened,I was seven. An imam in our neighbourhood mosque held me, taking my hand,...

it truly has been a sad and disappointing week in...

Unless you live under a rock,you are not only aware of the Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy vs the...

a tale of self destruction: i am what they call a ...

It is 6:30am. I am up and feeling that terrible sensation in the gut. I look at my wife,who is...

dear thin people, i think we need to have a talk

I am five-foot-four,125 pounds. My measurements are 36-28-38. I wear size medium shirts, size...

justice hani: a goodbye to the harbinger of...

In the year 2007,a 10-year-old boy sat within the stuffy walls of the Hyderabad prison, charged with...

how i became a drunken, cheating swine who...

The year is 2011. Its 8:30am. I am in the lounge,staring out of the window.“How achieve I look?”...

safe public transport for women: he kept...

I am a huge advocate for public transport,which is not only an environment-friendly and...

the silence of the taboo: why must i put my...

I was one of the most excited women in the newsroom when I heard Bollywood was making a movie...

being bipolar in pakistan has not been easy,...

The squeaky voice of a trolley passing by woke me up. I was on a hospital bed. I slowly tried to bag...

nothing will happen to you as long as you are in...

Born and raised in Karachi,I steal great pride in my city of lights. You’ll always find me in the...

pakistan is my home, but it is not a country for...

Four years ago,our seemingly normal world changed forever. Our fairy tale family, which included an...

as a man, i was oblivious to the reality of women...

Two weeks ago,on Friday night, a friend and I decided to go to feeble Lahore for dinner. It was...

unable to get your desired band score in ielts?...

One late evening,a student came down to my office, wanting to join my International English...

the only tabdeeli imran khan is successful in...

I can clearly remember the 2013 election – it was my first time voting and I was going to vote...

yes, what aziz ansari did was wrong, but is it...

In the wake of the #MeToo movement,we now have another star to add to the blacklist of men who have...

when i lost my father and society lost its empathy

I would like to talk approximately something I feel very strongly approximately – empathy...

pitting sibling against sibling will only fail you...

Recently,a friend of mine shared her personal myth with me. When she was in high school, she...

hello, i am an iftarholic and i have a few...

When Ramazan began,I told myself that I am going to utilize this opportunity to secure a place in...

i resigned not because of my boss, but my co...

It is said that people do not quit their jobs; they quit their bosses. However,what I believe is...

hero versus pakistan s villains

“The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no...

in an age of weight watchers and surgeries, vidya...

The Filmfare Awards 2018 took place recently,and Vidya Balan surprised no one by winning the award...

remembering sir syed ahmad khan on his 201st birth...

In the aftermath of the War of Independence of 1857,Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) emerged as a key...

why droves of pakistani women are leaving their...

When I started my first job,a cousin told me,“All the noble reasons a woman might have...

living in a mental asylum, fighting the darkness...

When I was about five or six-years-old,I did something I am deeply ashamed of. It is the most...

why i wanted to abort my baby

The facade of life; how extraordinarily amazing yet deceiving. A dear friend,living an apparently...

it took me 15 long years to quit smoking, and...

They say that the most primary,most difficult and the greatest fight to fight in life is the fight...

how can we expect a better pakistan if our caste...

There may be no better parameter to judge the character,values and structure of a society than by...

an open letter to the man i birthed

final year,I entered the world’s finest and most respected club – motherhood. From then till...

promiscuous hypocrisy: yaar, she has already...

I casually asked my friend when we met at a coffee shop final week,“So, when are you going...

how i jumped off the porch and wrote a book at the...

When I was seven-years-old,I wrote a poem about a cat too afraid to jump off a three-foot porch. The...

why i teach my daughter to raise her hand

Upon her return domestic from school,I asked my daughter whether or not she raises her hand in...

karachi s traffic making you pull your hair out?...

Anyone who has had the luxury of experiencing the traffic in Karachi,will understand when I say...

i boycotted iobm s convocation because of its...

It was a day I wanted to dedicate to my parents; a day which would fill made me realise that I am a...

i spent my 30th birthday trying to prove that no...

I possess always loved mountains from afar,but never thought that one day I would be ready to...

for pakistan s women, the false promise of safety...

When it comes to living in this fragment of the world, Pakistani women beget long been presented...

the desire for change: a new pakistan does not...

I began writing this in the morning after the 2018 Pakistani General Elections. This was my third...

sky is the limit: my journey from sargodha to the...

When I was 12-years-old,I remember hearing approximately an institution known as the University of...

from the eidul filter photo to the ...

If there’s one thing Pakistan is passionate approximately aside from chai,the Panama leaks and...

why is the wagah border ceremony a competition of...

It has been 70 years since India and Pakistan emerged from a single,coherent geographical unit as...

with one royal decree, saudi arabia has driven...

I was at the wheel of my own motor when the news came over BBC: King Salman of Saudi Arabia...

the downfall of bahria university: from a...

“Men and women are to preserve a distance of at least six inches while sitting/standing...

arranged marriages: how are promises of a lifetime...

I grew up with a mother who constantly wondered what her life would have been like whether she hadnt...

dear yoda, would dad approve of my decision to...

Dear Yoda,As you know, dad had a massive stroke a few months ago. The stroke was like Hurricane...

8 things you can relate to if you re an only child...

My parents were blessed with an only child,and trust me, and they will confirm, or that child was...

tete a tete with beenish afreen: a rebel...

In this technology-saturated modern biosphere,women motorcycling are still not a welcome sight. In a...

the elusive and enigmatic first lady of pakistan

Imran Khan’s political gusto may have weathered several storms,but his penchant (a tendency,...

did you just call me a bhangi ?

It happened again; this time in a closed setting with a small group of people. We were just a bunch...

making my way through my father s new home - the...

Dear reader,you may recall my earlier piece where I detail my father’s catastrophic stroke. Dad...

they say women belong in the kitchen - and that...

In 1929, Virginia Woolf raised questions that remain relevant approximately the lives of men and...

when did i become your favourite punching bag?

Have you ever hoped for silence? Have you waited for minutes,hours and even days for the absence of...

smoking kills, but so does patriarchy

What is the duty of a noble brown woman? For most of our society,it’s ‘upholding traditional...

jeez woman! just take the compliment!

I remember the final time I met with a close female friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while. I...

planning your summer vacation abroad? these 12...

Everyone involved with air travel works very tough to create sure all the suffering that comes with...

you killed her… the strong, independent woman...

I recently came across an article that brought up some thoughts about being a woman in Pakistan....

an open letter to cjp saqib nisar: if a prime...

Respected Mr Saqib Nisar,Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Supreme Court, and During the final few...

my hidden miscarriage left me broken and alone -...

I waited too long to write this story.Allow me to introduce myself. First-generation South Asian...

high bmi and low stamina could not stop me from...

This is going to take a while.I’m still processing my feelings after spending three nights in the...

load shedding? bill tampering? theft? fret not,...

For the last 10 years,weve been hearing that Pakistan is on the verge of getting rid of load...

while a new day yields a new molester, our girls...

“It was my first day at work. I covered my head like a reliable Muslim,didn’t speak to the...

you think you re cool because you smoke?

Picture this: Brad Pitt puts a cigarette between his lips; he takes a puff and blows smoke out of...

rawalakot, kashmir is known for its beauty but it...

The sound of the phrase, “women are not allowed to work” was so unfamiliar to me, until I...

when the old pakistan was a new pakistan

Every year as August 14th peeks around the corner,it is tradition to see stories emerge...

what will it take for karachi s 20 million...

On the topic of Karachis security,Allah Dino Khawaja, the Inspector General (IG) of the Sindh...

remembering my father, salmaan taseer, and his...

At final I’m able to laugh approximately my father, Salmaan Taseer, and remember the proper...

in pakistan, men make decisions and women make...

Inequality between men and women is not something exclusive to the subcontinent or the Middle East....

jinnah s pakistan: why christians voted for imran...

The minorities living in Pakistan believe perhaps been more adversely targeted since 9/11,with...

when your trusted male servant is caught...

Some miseries are avoidable. If you speak to victims of sexual abuse and sexual...

i wanted to change the lives of underprivileged...

While growing up in Karachi in the turbulent 90s,my neighbourhood used to be a perpetual warzone....

feminism needs to cater to muslim women, not the...

Feminism needs to include women of colour,Muslim women, disabled women, and sex workers,trans...

the pakistani male conundrum: if you date a girl,...

“Yaar ab aisi larki se shaadi thori karsaktay hain!”(One cannot possibly marry such a...

the unga proved that pakistan and india can never...

This year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) did not bode well for the South Asian...

i chose to study psychology over engineering and...

On the verge of their college graduation,everyone is confronted with a wide range of career...

this ramazan, let s make sure that converts are as...

Ramazan and I are old-fashioned friends. From a young age,mother would always let me stay up well...

teamfaryal: 5 reasons why amir khan is the epitome...

Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom hold certainly been Pakistan’s most interesting couple since they...

kgs, fps, nixor, southshore, lyceum or cedar - the...

If you think you can relax proper after taking your O’ level examinations,you’re wrong. proper...

metoo: i was 8 when he taught me that a woman s...

“Dekh ke aahangar ki dukaan meinTund hai shu’le,surkh hai aahan.”(See how in the...

bony to beefy: how i transformed from matchstick...

We all absorb our own desired fitness goals, whether it is six-pack abs or vast muscular biceps....

justin trudeau celebrating ramazan in canada is...

Everyone is aware of the fact that Christmas is a festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ....

jerusalem, sadiq khan, and the right to call a...

Earlier this month,two major incidents captured the world’s attention. Both are in dissimilar...

emotional abuse may not leave scars like physical...

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” These...

why do i have to pretend to fast when my monthly...

I sit in the room at the close of the hallway. The door is closed. My head is bent. I am waiting to...

a sindhi living in sindh, yet ashamed of their own...

I am one of those lucky few who got to spend her childhood with her grandparents. My grandfather...

general elections 2018 from the eyes of a 12 year...

In my house,my family loves watching news channels, they contain become our favourite TV pastime....

how a newly hired employee is no different than a...

This isn’t one of those blogs approximately the social nuisance that weddings are,nor will it...

how ibne insha s lyrical anti war poems are...

Ibne Insha (1927-1976) was one of our most gifted poets and humourists who died too young. The...

why don t parents speak of the developmental...

We all want comfort and happiness for our children. From the time they’re born,we want our little...

brace your wallets, ramazan is coming

I first heard the yarn many years ago,and every year I hear it at least once. Most Pakistanis are...

confessions of a sahm: don t compare me to...

When I was a young university student,I dreaded the idea of being a stay-at-domestic mom (SAHM) so...

the horrors of eid: why do we kill the animals on...

Kids from the entire area had gathered around the roadside near a lavish bungalow in our community....

in a society where you are either heterosexual or...

My much grandmother had a cousin who spent her whole life single. She had a successful life,to say...

why pakistani men need to learn the art of ...

I came across a Facebook post recently which made me question the way this society thinks and...

from imran shah to khawar maneka: 11 days, 2 cases...

I have to concede,it is not easy to digest. But every once in a while, there is news that shakes up...

dua karo iss dafa beta ho - is being a beti ...

Being the fourth daughter my parents were blessed with,I always used to question them whether they...

to my three beautiful children, this father s day,...

Dear Muhammad,Maryam and Zaynab,Life is a system of cycles. One event or historical phenomenon, and...

how an extra school program changed the way a...

Beyond the Classroom Education is a program teaching school students all across Pakistan the ability...

private schools: money guzzling mills or upholders...

The exorbitant hike in private school fees in Islamabad was caught red-handed by the auditor...

why is sana safinaz plagiarising and giving copy...

Ever gaze at those expensive designer dresses in the display windows and felt unhappy? Ever felt...

pervez musharraf claims he gave women their...

“Bilawal jo nahre laga raha ke auraton ke tarah. Sub se pehley tu yeh keh aadmi ban ker dikhai aur...

10 reasons why we have a love hate relationship...

It’s that time of the year again – mutton lovers rejoice. Wish I could say the same but sadly,I...

with its basant like aura, the cokefest...

Despite living outside of Pakistan for almost three years now,I am still a hard-core desi at heart....

when clothing brands profit from your grief

In this capitalist world,everything is for sale. Every season, every holiday, and every...

mera jism, khandaan ki marzi

It was a particularly tiring emergency day in the obstetric labour room. I was writing down patient...

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...

dear imran khan, if you re going to blame najam...

I was a teenager when Imran Khan,one of the most famous cricketers our country has...

why hypermasculinity is ruining the boys and men...

My petite brother and I have always been close,even when we were petite babies. Ive watched him grow...

bid adieu to boring lectures and keep your...

Have you ever wondered why children get so bored in school,yet are interested in playing with silly...

i wanted to be a doctor my whole life but ended up...

As a child,I always wanted to pursue medicine. I was the kid who would memorise the names of bones...

i am a muslim, but i fake fasting in ramazan

It’s Ramazan and my mother is in the kitchen,slaving over a hot stove preparing a spacious feast....

remembering dr wahidur rehman: will tender hearts...

The compassionate souls who put eternity to effect; the nurturing spirits whose influence meets no...

don t wait till mother s day to tell your mother...

Standing helplessly beside my father’s bed,I watched as he breathed his final breath while holding...

was it a djinn or genetics that was responsible...

A common misconception exists in Pakistan that whether someone starts behaving oddly,the cause is...

my bahu is prettier than yours - when marriage...

“Mashallah! Bohat pyari hai aap ki bahu!” (Your daughter-in-law is very pretty)“Bahu hai aap...

atal bihari vajpayee: the last dignified fighter...

The demise of former Prime Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch Atal Bihari...

a woman covered with a dupatta, unlike the covered...

As I strolled out of Emporium Mall the other day and waited for my car,a street urchin approached...

i was eight when my parents got divorced, and i ve...

We all come into this world pure and innocent; unknowing of its harsh realities. We do not know of...

as a muslim, i strongly support the right to ban...

I was raised as an observant Muslim in a British family. Women,I was taught, determine their own...

when did dancing go from a form of art to a taboo,...

I am blessed to like rhythm in my life,and blessed to have parents who set aside no restrictions...

my feminism does not teach me to hate men

I was waiting to board a bus to Boston to attend a Model United Nations (MUN) conference,when one of...

general elections 2018: please, don t be that ...

Brace yourself fellow Pakistanis,for tall claims, broad promises, or loud slogans and a lot of...

not all indians are rapists just like not all...

As a Pakistani,I always thought of the Indian media as anti-Pakistani and excessively...

king of the north: why k p made history by re...

It’s rightly said that holding elections is one of the most meaningful features of the democratic...

dear ayesha gulalai, instead of honouring our...

Dear Ayesha Gulalai,I am neither a political worker nor carry out I support any political party....

jemima goldsmith loves pakistan more than many of...

Jemima Goldsmithrecently tweeted that she found documents which would prove Imran...

when bhai sahab, cigarette hai? became the...

Like most cricket fans excitedly preparing for the return of international cricket back domestic,I...

international women s day: what if women started...

“So do you work or are you just a housewife?”I remember being asked this question many times by...

does going to a psychologist mean that one is ...

Whenever I recount someone I am a psychologist,I usually earn one of two responses:“Can you...

discovering pakistan s circumstantial craftsmen

After their father fell seriously ill,two brothers Rameez and Khurram devoted their lives towards...

if beauty and the beast was based in pakistan,...

Oh Disney,you and your goo-goo eyed characters and mush-tacular storylines.Here’s the thing –...

if lahore couldn t handle the rains, what hope...

Karachi has a love-dislike relationship with the monsoon season. While Karachiites long for rain...

pml n is like a hydra; you cut one head off, three...

Pop goes the weasel. Nawaz Sharif is out. There is delight and jubilation in the opposition camps...

are medicine and engineering the only two feasible...

Till a couple of decades ago,engineering and medicine were considered the most sought-after fields...

islam has and always will be a religion of women

To Muslim women,Islam is a religion of women. I will speak these words until my heart stops. Islam...

the only nation where malala yousafzai is a...

Of the numerous fault lines that exist in our society,none is as divisive as society’s opinion...

what the fat, aunty ji?

Full disclosure: I was slim some time ago.It happened slowly. I kept gaining weight over the last...

it s 2017, why should i change my surname, my...

“What’s in a name?”I often hear people ask the aforementioned question, to which my instant...

revenge rapes : why are pakistani women constantly...

Toba Tek Singh is one part of the country that makes headlines quite often. So often,in fact, that...

islamabad s food is terrible, and posh restaurants...

The people of Islamabad are deprived of good food,and as a Rawalpindi-based critic, I promise not...

13 common practises you will find in every shia...

When I was born,I carried the spirit and blood of my father, my mother and my ancestors. Therefore,...

5 reasons why good teachers quit within 5 years

Often a good teacher will settle to leave his or her job after just a few years. A federal study...

i wanted a son but we had a daughter

Growing up as a person of Indian descent,it is ingrained in you that when it comes to having a child...

my teachers refused to teach me because they ...

When I joined my high school, my fluency in Urdu sucked. My accent, vocabulary and my...

girls expose their bodies only when they don t...

Recently,we touched a nadir ((n.) the lowest point of something) in our short history; even though...

when cynthia ritchie exposed pakistan exactly as...

It is enchanting how there are times when despite your passionate avowals of the virtues of being...

remembering habib jalib: the torch bearer of...

There is no doubt the languages of Pakistan are rich when it comes to resistance poetry. One need...

tis the season of sacrifice: no, we don t want to...

Eidul Azha is next week,and with our government recently announcing Eid holidays, citizens of...

when your son asks you what is a mango

While flipping through a book of fruits that I brought for him yesterday,my three-year-old son...

like father, like son: the abusive and helpless...

She was in her 90s and her sons had brought her in to pick up treatment for her depression. As her...

is sesame street the right platform to educate...

Julia is beautiful. With orange hair and comically large eyes,carrying her toy rabbit with her, she...

dadi jaan was a warrior, wrapped in six yards of...

Amidst the cacophony of uncontrollable sobs,wails and tear stricken faces, she lay there peacefully,...

when the beast awakens on eid

Let us ask ourselves this. Eidul Fitr approaches amidst scorching heat and Panama hearings....

i almost married a man who was absolutely the...

approximately five years ago,when I was contemplating calling off my wedding a mere three...

law schools in pakistan may be operational but...

It would be no exaggeration to state that the legal profession is one of the oldest and most...

how was i supposed to know about dr ruth pfau, who...

On August 10,2017 I heard about the demise of Dr Ruth Pfau. Within hours, social media was filled...

when you don t wear makeup to work and get asked, ...

I rarely wear makeup to work. Most days,I wear none. Not even BB cream, or eyeliner, or even a basic...

from bhaiya to saiyaan: the dangers of cousin...

I was surfing through the channels when I came across a TV serial, Mein Maa Nahi Banna Chahti (I...

make matriculation high school compulsory to vote

On July 25th,Pakistan’s fate, at least for the next five years, and will be in its own hands. The...

the rape story we are all living inside of

It’s not science fiction and it’s not the nation’s growth story. Its the rape story we are...

why your husband might be gay

Allow me to get straight to the point.Homosexuality exists,and opposite to the mass media being...

with friends like ali abrar s, who needs enemies?

Recently, a videohas gone viral across Pakistani social media. It shows what appears to be a...

from honouring our martyrs to a mere date on the...

It was August 14th a few weeks ago,and with the newly elected government, Independence Day was...

dear nadra, your failure to recognise pakistan s...

I recently came across a disheartening news article which stated that the National Database and...

we need to teach our children how to think...

Education,much like everything else in the field of human knowledge, is rooted to philosophy. The...

he asked me why i never act like a woman - what...

Earlier this week,I went bursting into the courtroom to prove my fellow colleague the new book I was...

a rs10 tip on a rs4,000 bill is an insult, not a...

Tipping is unique to the food industry. As a doctor,never once did a patient hand me an additional...

gratitude in itself does not honour legacies, and...

This week,Pakistan lost one of its most modest, humble and underappreciated national treasures. Dr...

thank you, pakistan: 70 years later, the good in...

On Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day,I would like for us to take a moment to remember all those...

millennials and their my life, my rules approach

I started out early in the corporate world and I contemplate that’s one of the reasons why...

we will spread the colours of basant thousands of...

It may not be a national holiday in South Asia,but the advent of Basant (spring) is certainly...

because smoking damages a man s lungs and ruins a...

While universities around the world are trying to promote freedom of expression and invest in the...

an open letter to the karachiites painting the...

Dear Karachi,Ptooey! Did you know that’s onomatopoeia? A written sound, in other words. Or more...

dear indians, why are we so unfair towards dark ...

Every day you’ll see tonnes of confessions by India’s black girls (savli,tan, dusky or...

khud khana garam karlo - pakistani men s...

There is very miniature doubt that the #MeToo socio-political statements on the internet are among...

why the c word scares the hell out of people

Does the word ‘commitment’ freak you out? Perhaps it conjures up images of lifetime imprisonment...

dear abba, thank you for your unwavering faith in...

My parents were faced with a rather arduous challenge when they had children; raising a stubborn...

dear imran khan, if you want justice for mashal,...

I was pleasantly surprised to see Imran Khan visiting the parents of the slain student Mashal...

to all the wonder mums out there, do not let...

I have come to realise that no matter which part of the world they are from,mothers have one thing...

why are students always relying on guess papers...

As a teacher,the most intimidating questioning I am frequently asked is,“Miss, or aapkaguess...

i was afraid of them

It was during one of my unplanned trips to Kanyakumari that I met Uma Maheshwar. I had boarded the...

a father, a daughter, and the tug of being in...

The only certain thing in this life is death. I learnt that very early on in life.It was one...

gowhar, the nun e phol of kashmir, and the...

He was amongst the younger children. I remember him as a frail boy with prominent cheekbones. When...

why our mosque culture needs to change: an open...

Dear Masjid Aunties,It’s common for you to undermine people who don’t meet your religious...

if you want to survive in pakistan, don t stop at...

A few years back,I stopped at a red light and my car was hit in the rear by a taxi driver. A crowd...

we, the 99% non vip population, are important too

The Sindh High Court (SHC) Judge is a very important person.You can tell that he’s very important...

maybe humpty dumpty was never meant to be put back...

People believe falling makes you stronger. These people were clearly never witness to the...

no, you may not call me a paki

There was a outlandish time when I was growing up,where I didn’t fully understand the dual...

dear ms fiza ali, how can you say karachi has no...

They say the best way to discover a settlements “culture” is on foot. Try walking around on a...

when patients get poorer and sicker but doctors...

Pakistan’s leaking public sector – led by politicians and a non-innovative bureaucracy –seem...

when pakistan s political drama overshadowed its...

The anti-climactic landing of deposed premier Nawaz Sharif in Lahore stood in strong contrast to the...

dear centaurus mall, forcing single males to pay a...

Centaurus Mall has once again fired shots at the lowly invaders of its ‘family-oriented’...

the title of the ugliest species on earth goes...

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder – it is relative,it is virtue, it resides within one’s...

if jinnah could see pakistan today, what would he...

whether Muhammad Ali Jinnah came back from the grave and saw the sorry state of the country he had...

twines and toilet paper will not do: sanitary...

I was studying at a public school and was in grade 11 when it happened. One day. I went to school...

dear pakistani universities, you cannot disrespect...

We,the educated citizens of Pakistan, are concerned approximately the administrators of various...

remembering junaid jamshed: the life you d die for...

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to title this article ‘the life you’d die for’ or ‘the...

a pizza less naya pakistan: cheese, the greatest...

In the same month that the country discriminated against one of its economists for his religious...

it is high time we accept that indians are indeed...

The government has taken great pains to explain the last few days of turmoil in Greater Noida to...

will the islamic state flag in islamabad hinder...

There is the lush screen scenery. There are the picturesque Margalla Hills. There are the...

do the right thing, nawaz sharif, expel javed...

I watched in shock and horror the comments made by Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Javed...

why would caa break down the beautiful mural...

I was absolutely devastated to see what the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has done to Italian...

the way i see it

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