Stories by Hamna Syed

THE QUIET DESPERATION OF PAKISTAN’S MIDDLE CLASS

Pakistan’s middle class is being squeezed, not just by inflation, but by the growing cost of privately securing the essentials for an ‘ordinary’, everyday life.

Updated 24 Sep, 2026 12:11pm

ESSAY: THE DEATHS LESS ORDINARY

Some killings become national causes, while others disappear into crime statistics and the routine news cycle. What does it say

Published 30 Aug, 2026 07:21am

KARACHI’S UNSOLVED HOUSING CRISIS

More than 60 per cent of Karachi’s population now lives in informal neighbourhoods because of the scarcity of affordable planned housing.

Updated 24 Aug, 2026 12:28pm

RETHINKING REHABILITATION

The much-needed ‘modernisation’ of Karachi's railway infrastructure may transform the city's and region’s future, but also

Published 26 Jul, 2026 07:05am

ESSAY: THE POLITICS OF WAITING

From queues at the Nadra office to the struggles of getting a water tanker or a court hearing, Pakistanis spend an extraordinary

Published 19 Jul, 2026 07:18am

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOTHER OF KARACHI

Karachi’s old city settlement of Lyari occupies a distinct place in the Pakistani (and now in the Indian) imagination, coloured

Updated 10 May, 2026 08:44am

KARACHI’S YOUTH AND THE SEARCH FOR CULTURE

New museums, revived public spaces, and growing youth participation in and engagement with the arts are reshaping Karachi’s...

Updated 30 Mar, 2026 04:25pm

A single species

Views on removing conocarpus trees have been mixed.

Published 24 Mar, 2026 06:05am