Megalomaniac

The gruesome incident of a husband chopping off his wife’s leg and then having the audacity to flaunt it for everyone to see is not only appalling but renders one incapable of putting the shock and outrage into proper words. Sadiq Bhatti carried out this barbaric act at his home and then accused her of having illicit relationships with other men. The wife has said that the accusations are totally baseless and she had only ever visited her parent’s home when her husband was in jail. The neighbours called the police when they heard violent screams coming from the house, but the police arrived at the scene two hours later. Although the man was taken into custody, it is the height of injustice that the Assistant Sub Inspector has already let the culprit off the hook by stating that no case could be registered against Sadiq because nobody was willing to be a complainant. What law is the Sub Inspector talking about? If he is talking about Section 154, Act V of Criminal Procedure Code 1898, w...

The devastating earthquake that hit Pakistan on October 8 has caused unprecedented damage to life, property, communication links and infrastructure, but that is not all. There are some who are left more vulnerable than the rest – women and children. Thousands of women and children have been left homeless by the annihilating earthquake, and are at risk of dying from exposure and malnutrition in the coming months. Unicef has warned that 10,000 more children could die from hunger, cold and disease in the coming weeks because aid has still not reached some parts of the quake-hit areas, and has called for immediate steps to push through more supplies, saying that children would be the first victims in a possible “second wave of deaths” as winter approaches. The aftershocks which are being felt countrywide are adding to the risks to the victims in the Azad Kashmir and NWFP region. The government and the people of Pakistan are doing everything in their power to help the victims but our effort...

“Life is just a dream on the way to death.” –Mia Kirshner The word ‘earthquake’ is defined as: shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity. This definition can only give the literal meaning of the word, but it cannot define the devastation that an earthquake can cause, not only to the region but also to the people – the individuals -- who have lost their homes, members of their families or their friends! The worst earthquake in the last 100 years has hit South Asia, and the devastation is horrendous! The extent of this natural catastrophe was on such a large scale that it has overshadowed the huge loss of lives, which now appear as mere statistical data. The death toll is rising day by day, and the pictures of misery that one sees in the newspapers or TV are extremely distressing. The large number of fatalities tend to shift our focus from the disastrous event itself without really giving an accura...

“But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.” –Yeats The majority of population in Pakistan is below the poverty line. Go down any roadside and one would find young children selling newspapers, cleaning the cars when they stop at a signal, working at shoe-polishing stalls etc. These young children are the victims of poverty and that is the reason why child labour is rampant in our society. Not only do young children have to work, but due to extreme poverty, many old people have to keep working at an age when they should actually be resting. Poverty is the worst form of deprivation and the sadness that is visible in the eyes of these people is heartbreaking. These are the people who suffer the most in life, and for a crime that they have not committed – the crime of being born poor! The holy month of Ramadan has started and one can feel it in the air – from the siren that blares in the early morning at t...