Stories by Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

Container city

Whether the latter’s "long march" even materialises is irrelevant, because the optics of a heavily contained population is the real story.

Updated 25 Sep, 2026 09:12am

Terror forever

The policing of dissent is paralleled by Big Tech’s power.

Updated 11 Sep, 2026 07:06pm

Raging fires

This isn’t just a question of political will on the part of a callous ruling class.

Published 28 Aug, 2026 07:31am

National question

Pakistan faces a fundamental paradox.

Updated 14 Aug, 2026 05:12pm

Forever young

Significant numbers of young people have spoken truth to power.

Published 31 Jul, 2026 07:39am

Restive peripheries

Underlying the centre-periphery divide is a model of colonial statecraft that sees all ordinary people as subjects to be ruled by carrot and stick.

Updated 17 Jul, 2026 07:40am

Rich and poor

The system ensures that most middle-class aspirants don’t make it.

Published 03 Jul, 2026 07:38am

Volcano bubbling

A youthful mass of working people sees no light at the end of the tunnel.

Published 19 Jun, 2026 07:44am

Hollowed out

Working people are at breaking point.

Published 05 Jun, 2026 08:13am

Death of intellect?

For most of our history, they have been at best isolated, and at worst criminalised.

Updated 22 May, 2026 08:29am

The case for peace

Hate-filled rhetoric drowns out shared youth struggles.

Updated 08 May, 2026 08:29am

‘New’ Islamabad

The ‘world class’ city will displace thousands.

Updated 24 Apr, 2026 09:35am

A new dawn?

Iran’s resistance has galvanised the public.

Updated 10 Apr, 2026 09:02am

Digitalised war

We are hurtling fast towards an increasingly dystopic abyss.

Updated 27 Mar, 2026 09:55am

War on the poor

The war on the poor has grown more intense.

Updated 13 Mar, 2026 09:52am

Age of reaction

Reactionary politics and repressive state nationalism dominate.

Updated 27 Feb, 2026 09:23am

A new Bangladesh?

Most voters have been swayed by rhetoric around ‘corruption’.

Updated 13 Feb, 2026 09:17am

The great mirage

What do the remittances figures actually reveal?

Updated 30 Jan, 2026 09:32am

Oil, rock, crypto

The combination of bravado and terror portends more darkness.

Updated 16 Jan, 2026 09:53am

Revolution today

The idea of revolution has taken a beating.

Published 02 Jan, 2026 06:55am