Our essential reads for the week
The political imaginaries of Iran’s most lauded literary voices in the West
A FIFA World Cup classic that should have belonged to Egypt, but was claimed by Messi.
Syed Babar Ali, Pakistani businessman and philanthropist, celebrated his 100th birthday on June 30, 2026. While much has been said and written about his public life—his achievements in industry, education, conservation and philanthropy—author Moni Mohsin writes about his life at home.
An examination of food sharing rituals and practices during Muharram in Lahore
An astrophysicist and a chef, Zain quickly became a fan-favourite on the show But he isn't just interested in cooking food that tastes good; he wants to challenge our palates and change how we look at and consume food.
Luka Modrić redefined the art of football in a way few players have.
Dalrymple reframes ‘Partition’ as the proper noun in the South Asian imaginary into a verb
Leftist intellectuals and the creator of Ainak Wala Jin have more in common than we may assume
When enshittification comes for your favourite bookstore
Witches continue to inspire literary imaginations, whether in the form of supernatural entities (with or without cauldro...
The creator of the TV show Girls and the early 2000s favorite internet villain is back in the limelight, thanks to her n...
For Mina Malik, Kiran Desai’s Booker nominated novel 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 —a sweeping saga of love and fami...
This Is Where the Serpent Lives strives for scope but reduces class and gender to the familiar
The political imaginaries of Iran’s most lauded literary voices in the West
By Saba Imtiaz
By Umair Javed
By Maryam Jillani
By Haroon Sethi
By Manahil Tahira
Stories, Cultures, and Landscapes
Reflecting on the Zeitgeist
A seventy-year old photo of Ava Gardner, darling of the Golden Age of Hollywood, standing on a railway platform with a crowd of South Asian men and women behind her, often does the rounds on social media accounts that look back at the ‘good old days’. The story behind the photo, though, is one of exploitation and racist filmmaking. Aqeel Ahmad takes a look at Bhowani Junction, the 1956 film that brought Hollywood stars to Lahore.
Jun 12, 2026
While the 7-day Okara-Sahiwal war of 2026 did not happen, it did not stop millions of viewers from engaging with, and enjoying, the incident.
Jun 12, 2026
A seventy-year old photo of Ava Gardner, darling of the Golden Age of Hollywood, standing on a railway platform with a crowd of South Asian men and women behind her, often does the rounds on social media accounts that look back at the ‘good old days’. The story behind the photo, though, is one of exploitation and racist filmmaking. Aqeel Ahmad takes a look at Bhowani Junction, the 1956 film that brought Hollywood stars to Lahore.
Jun 12, 2026
While the 7-day Okara-Sahiwal war of 2026 did not happen, it did not stop millions of viewers from engaging with, and enjoying, the incident.
Jun 12, 2026
What happens when it’s your parents’ dream home being realised (and their life savings spent) and you’re the default project manager?
The most highly anticipated event of the year — Basant — has kicked off in Lahore. Rooftops are booked and set up, the kite trade is booming and you can feel the city pulsating with excitement. But are we chasing a nostalgic dream? Or will Basant be the same vibrant, communal activity most remember? Aiman Tahir Khan looks at the history of Basant, as the colourful kite-flying festival returns to Lahore after almost two decades.
Millennial women, especially those wanting to be mothers, were once promised they could have it all: a solid career, a perfect family and enough time to spare to work on their own selves. So why is it that millennial women, especially mothers, are constantly exhausted and burnt out?
In Pakistan, as in many parts of the globe, patriarchy has made the experience of being a woman a taxing and lonely one. In an age of cyber harassment and continued gender-based violence in the online and offline world, one writer finds solace in the uplifting work of other women.
SPORTS
Luka Modrić redefined the art of football in a way few players have.
SPORTS
A FIFA World Cup classic that should have belonged to Egypt, but was claimed by Messi.
At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, the European Union and its leading member states were no longer willing to quietly acquiesce to Washington’s demands under President Donald Trump.
Trump’s interest in Greenland is not new. During his first term, his suggestion that the United States should ‘buy’ Greenland was widely mocked, dismissed as a diplomatic oddity. Ahmad Jamal Wattoo looks at the strategic logic beneath the spectacle.
Debt-for-climate swaps are no longer boutique transactions, but are being pitched as a central tool to help countries break free from the vicious cycle of debt distress and climate vulnerability. Can the G77+China succeed in making them more than symbolic, clever deals on the margins?
