Stories by Faraz Talat

Patriotism isn't enough to save Yalghaar from its weak plot

It’s not a joke when I assert that most characters have been written thinner than a plastic card

Published 28 Jun, 2017 02:30pm

Hey Sahir Lodhi, defending Jinnah doesn't justify belittling women on TV

What's worse - that Sahir Lodhi manterrupted a speech on women's rights or that he missed its point completely?

Published 31 May, 2017 03:14pm

'Security situation' is the reason Taimur was shot. What is 'security situation' anyway?

For whose security this police check-post existed, I do not know. But it didn't keep a 27-year-old Pakistani safe.

Updated 06 Feb, 2017 11:35am

Fake bomb detectors? Yes, Pakistan is still using them

The solution thus far hasn’t been to replace the mirage with something real; but to try and act more convincingly.

Published 29 Nov, 2016 10:32am

The 'enemy' is the handsome Pakistani guy dancing on an Indian screen

It's poor on Pakistan and India to burn bridges that remind of each other's humanity.

Updated 07 Oct, 2016 04:19pm

Why we must come down hard on VIP culture

Everyone is equal but some are more equal than others.

Updated 19 Sep, 2016 10:30pm

The problem with Pakistan’s ‘martyrdom’ culture

Would it make me less of a patriot to admit that I'd rather live for this country, than die for it?

Updated 12 Aug, 2016 02:46pm

After Qandeel: An open letter to ‘honourable’ Pakistanis

Qandeel Baloch was murdered by one man, but in whose name?

Published 19 Jul, 2016 12:19pm

Khawaja Asif, the parliament’s dignity awaits a real apology

Sexism isn’t the same as nominal rudeness — to address and prevent this culture, a direct apology to Ms. Mazari is vital

Updated 11 Jun, 2016 10:43am

Cheque please — Forget hospitality, split the bill

What happens when we split a bill: We get up, and we walk out as social equals.

Published 20 May, 2016 12:36pm

Why a public holiday on Holi isn’t enough

To counter the mindset of entitlement we need systemic reforms to really put us on the path of equality for minorities.

Updated 23 Mar, 2016 12:44pm

Did Hamza Ali Abbasi just thank the Afghan Taliban?

Surely, it must’ve been a typo four times in a row. Hamza couldn’t possibly be lionising terrorists?

Updated 15 Mar, 2016 11:19am

Clifton’s war on stray dogs: An excuse for sadism?

Shooting stray dogs is nothing but an exercise in releasing pent-up human frustrations in savage ways.

Updated 25 Feb, 2016 03:22pm

The pangolin died — yes, it matters

Every attempt to invoke sympathy for animals in Pakistan is shut down by retorts of a country drowning in human misery.

Published 26 Jan, 2016 12:50pm

Dear Pakistani child bride, we have failed you

How is a girl not old enough to elect a government representative, deemed old enough to select a spouse?

Updated 18 Jan, 2016 01:33pm

We are invisible...until we speak English

Why did we save the homeless man discovered by actor Ahsan Khan? He spoke in the language of the upper class.

Published 11 Jan, 2016 11:51am

‘Get rid of Christians, keep Islamabad clean’: CDA’s Donald Trump moment

What drives the crusade, consciously or unconsciously, is an abhorrence of ‘outsiders’.

Published 11 Dec, 2015 03:08pm

How would Pakistan treat Syria’s refugees?

It is convenient to scold the west when the refugees aren’t Afghan, and the territory they’re coming to isn’t ours.

Published 21 Nov, 2015 01:24pm

Beirut, Baghdad, Paris — Are some tragedies more tragic than others?

It isn’t wrong for us to be disappointed, knowing that our love for victims in the West, will not be reciprocated.

Published 16 Nov, 2015 02:28pm

Crackdown on Sheesha cafes: A case of state nanny-ism

Citizens must rethink surrendering right after right to the government – from flying a kite to smoking a waterpipe.

Updated 09 Nov, 2015 05:55pm