menu_open Columnists

Dawn (Magazines)

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

NON-FICTION: Ordinary lives, uncomfortable lessons

Dr Muhammad Amjad Saqib, the founder of the NGO Akhuwat, is a well-known and respected figure in Pakistan. His...

12.07.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Safiya Aftab

GARDENING: BUDDING THE LAUKI

Once your round bottle gourd seedlings take root, the real work begins: vertical training, careful feeding and a little hand

12.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

CLIFTONIA: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Visa snags, impossible logistics, missing kits and overzealous security are no match for the Republic’s hospitality

12.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Farid Alvie

ADVICE: AUNTIE AGNI

‘I Miss The Freedom I Tasted Abroad’

12.07.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

From Inpapermagazine

SMOKERS’ CORNER: HOW THE WEST LOST THE NARRATIVE

For decades, the West exported its own 'moral' framework. But Gaza, Ukraine and the rise of the Global South have exposed widening contradictions.

12.07.2026 100

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem F. Paracha

EXHIBITION: PAKISTAN’S VENICE MOMENT

Pakistan has made its second-ever official appearance at the Venice Biennale with a pavilion featuring the work of artist Faiza

12.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Noor Ahmed

SOCIETY: THE CRISIS OF MODERN MANHOOD

SOCIETY: THE CRISIS OF MODERN MANHOOD

For generations, success for Pakistani men meant one thing: providing. But as economic realities shift and expectations evolve,

12.07.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Rabeea Saleem

FOOTBALL: WATCHING BRAZIL IN ‘MINI BRAZIL’

A World Cup screening offers a window into the football culture that earned Karachi’s oldest settlement Lyari its nickname

12.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Hussain Dada

ESSAY: THE DOUBLE EDGE OF FORGETTING

Remembering everything would be a curse and would become overwhelming. But we must also guard against the oldest trick of power:

12.07.2026 70

Dawn (Magazines)

Suhaib Ayaz

ECONOMY: WHY PAKISTAN’S PANDA BOND MATTERS

Pakistan’s first yuan-denominated bond marks an important milestone in the country’s diversification of its debt portfolio and

12.07.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Shuyan Huang

AFTER THE FLOODS, MISSING GIRLS

AFTER THE FLOODS, MISSING GIRLS

Four years after Pakistan was wrecked by catastrophic, record-breaking floods, some of the girls’ schools that were destroyed by the flooding have...

12.07.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Aradhiya Khan

NON-FICTION: THE TWIN CONNECTION

Four monographs by a Pakistani scholar brim with information and comparative research about the representation of twins

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Javed Jabbar

GARDENING: LAUKI, A BIG DEAL

Packed with nutrients and surprisingly tricky to grow, the round bottle gourd rewards patient gardeners

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

EPICURIOUS: TANGO WITH MANGO

As mango season reaches its peak, home chef Halima Sarfaraz shares the story behind her culinary journey and two prize-winning

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Shazia Hasan

ADVICE: AUNTIE AGNI

‘Fear of Failure Paralyses Me’

05.07.2026 70

Dawn (Magazines)

From Inpapermagazine

SMOKERS’ CORNER: COLA POLITICS

Branding, symbolism and ‘consumer’ data have transformed electoral politics into a consumer marketplace.

05.07.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem F. Paracha

DISCOURSE: GAUDÍ’S ISLAMIC INHERITANCE

Antoni Gaudí’s celebrated architecture was greatly influenced by the enduring legacy of Muslim Spain, revealing a centuries-old

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Ibrahim Al-Marashi

ARTSPEAK: FLUID IDENTITIES

From Sufi poetry and Urdu prose to history and diplomacy, Pakistan and the Subcontinent have a long tradition of embracing multipl

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Durriya Kazi

HERITAGE: A COASTAL ATLAS FOR KARACHI

For centuries, Sindhi and Baloch fishing communities have navigated the Arabian Sea using a mental map of reefs and channels and

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Zofeen T. Ebrahim

CRICKET: A TEST OF RESOLVE

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s revamped central contract policy aims to put red-ball cricket at the forefront of player development

05.07.2026 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Muhammad Abu Bakar Farooq

MOUNTAINEERING: THE LAST DESCENT

Every climbing season, Pakistan’s highest mountains claim the lives of mountaineers. Bringing climbers down alive is difficult.

05.07.2026 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Saeed Husain

WHAT NEXT FOR THE GULF?

It appears that the US-Iran situation cannot revert to the pre-war status quo ante. But can an inclusive regional order emerge in its place?

05.07.2026 90

Dawn (Magazines)

Ejaz Haider

NON-FICTION: PUNJAB’S RECKONING WITH PUNJABI

A work of linguistic and intellectual history shines a light on the marginalisation of Punjab’s language in newly

01.07.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Sahar Shehryar

FOOTBALL: MINDMAPPING FOOTBALL

How Messi, Mbappé and Haaland use their brains (as well as feet) to gain a psychological edge at the World Cup

28.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Eric Zillmer

GARDENING: ‘IS MY TURAI INFECTED?’

All your gardening queries answered here…

28.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

DIARY OF A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY: THE COLOUR OF MONEY

From trillionaires to dhobis and Trump’s Iran policy to America’s hidden poors, Butterfly attempts to understand the modern world…

28.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Moni Mohsin

ADVICE: AUNTIE AGNI

‘I Don’t Want My Father to Remarry’

28.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

From Inpapermagazine

SMOKERS’ CORNER: VICTIMHOOD NATIONALISM

Pakistan is now attempting to build its nationalism on achievement rather than grievance.

28.06.2026 90

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem F. Paracha

EXHIBITION: MAPPING A CITY OF IDEAS

An exhibition that explored the city of Karachi through archival maps, documents and exceptional contemporary artworks shone

28.06.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Nafisa Rizvi

ESSAY: WHY THE POPULATION BOMB CONTINUES TO TICK

The world’s population has quadrupled in less than a century, yet concern about population growth largely remains on the

28.06.2026 450

Dawn (Magazines)

Imtiaz Piracha

URBANISM: HOW UPSCALE KARACHI LEARNT ABOUT COMMUNITY

In a part of the city long resigned to apathy, isolation and institutional indifference, a small group of residents in Karachi’s

28.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem Khalid

AN INSTITUTION UNTO HIMSELF

Business magnate, philanthropist and institution-builder are only a few words one can use to try and sum up the seemingly endless

28.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Fatima Attarwala

A LEGACY LESS TOLD

Syed Babar Ali’s achievements and contributions to the country’s business landscape, education and philanthropy notwithstandin

28.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Sheheryar Khan

FICTION: REOPENING THE WOUNDS

A reunion among three former best friends unravels long-held secrets, regrets and unanswered questions in this fast-paced debut

22.06.2026 60

Dawn (Magazines)

Rehana Alam

AGRICULTURE: TROUBLE IN THE PINES

Pakistan’s growing chilghoza trade generates millions of dollars annually. Yet on the slopes of the world’s largest pure pine

21.06.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Rafiullah Mandokhel

GARDENING : THE LEGEND OF THE AMARYLLIS

From Greek mythology to modern gardens, the amaryllis combines a romantic origin story with surprisingly simple care requirements

21.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

EPICURIOUS : A PIZZA SHOWSTOPPER?

In a city that already has Neapolitan, New York and everything in between, what does a new pizza place need to do to stand out?

21.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Riffat Rashid

ADVICE : AUNTIE AGNI

‘I Keep Hoping She Will Come Back To Me’

21.06.2026 60

Dawn (Magazines)

From Inpapermagazine

SMOKERS’ CORNER: THE RISE OF CIVILISATIONAL STATES

Countries such as China, India and Pakistan are increasingly defining themselves not as nation-states but as heirs to ancient civilisations.

21.06.2026 70

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem F. Paracha

EXHIBITION : COLOURED MEMORY

Through varying visual vocabularies, two artists used colour to capture and preserve emotional landscapes at an exhibition

21.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Umer Sheikh

ARTSPEAK : STAYING ALIVE

Amid urban breakdown and political uncertainty, the people of Karachi rely upon humour, community and citizen-led governance

21.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Durriya Kazi

FOOTBALL: THE WORLD AT BRAZIL’S FEET

Brazil are not among the favourites at this year’s World Cup. But their very presence is a reminder of the greatest football

21.06.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Ijaz Chaudhry

WORLD: BETTING ON POLITICS

As political betting moves into the mainstream, critics warn that prediction markets may do more than forecast elections, wars

21.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Matt Motta

ESSAY: AI AND THE GATEKEEPERS OF THE WORD

Critics worry that AI will erode the cognitive benefits of writing. But beneath those concerns lies a deeper assumption: that

21.06.2026 350

Dawn (Magazines)

Farah Adeed

SOUNDSCAPES OF MUHARRAM

Soul-stirring, heartbreaking, and melodically and poetically inventive, the noha occupies a central place in the Subcontinent’s Muharram mourning...

21.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Mansoor Raza

FICTION: All that glitters

An upper-class New York wife and mother in the 1970s finds herself suffocated by the demands of social performance

14.06.2026 40

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadya Chishty-Mujahid

GARDENING: THE EXOTIC AMARYLLIS

Rarely seen in Pakistani gardens, the amaryllis combines beauty with ease of cultivation. Following a few simple techniques

14.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

ADVICE : AUNTIE AGNI

‘I Betrayed My Mother’s Trust. How Do I Recover?’

14.06.2026 60

Dawn (Magazines)

From Inpapermagazine

CLIFTONIA: MAKE AITCHISONIA GREAT AGAIN

Rebecca de Chandio has everything money can buy except peace of mind. With global politics uncertain, shipping routes disrupted

14.06.2026 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Farid Alvie

SMOKERS’ CORNER: LAHORE VS KARACHI

Treating Karachi and Lahore as "rivals" obscures the challenges facing both and reduces serious questions of governance to partisan spectacle.

14.06.2026 50

Dawn (Magazines)

Nadeem F. Paracha