Maryam Azhar - The Youth Blog

Let’s Never Normalize the “New Normal” in Pakistan

On 5th October, 9:10 am, I had to travel to the village of Heir on Bedian Road, but I couldn’t. The police had closed the route off. My aunt had to travel to Gulberg, but she couldn’t. Ring Road had containers on it. Entries to Ferozepur Road – one of the main routes of the…

Wave of Victory in Bangladesh; Pakistan continues to watch on

5th August, 2024 saw a marvelous event taking place in an otherwise bleak global environment – Bangladeshi protestors, led by students, forced Prime Minister Hasina Wajid to resign, bringing an end to a 15 year old rule. What started as student protests against quota systems a few weeks back, amplified into nation-wide organised resistance which…

United We Win ; Divided We Fall

On this 25th December, as we celebrate the founder’s birthday (read: enjoy our day off from work), it is crucial to take a moment and ponder over this words and thoughts, and compare our present day situation to what the dream of Pakistan really was. Today, we are picking up the most popular slogan associated…

5th Generation Genocide: How Can We Collectively Defeat Israel?

Does the Israeli onslaught on Palestine – for decades, but especially the current attack on Gaza – seem like a normal war to you? It does not. Well, part of the reason is that a legitimate WAR requires both sides to have an army, which Palestine does not have. Beyond that though, Israel is doing…

It’s Black and White: Not Every Story Has “Two Sides”

Israel is bombing Gaza again. Palestinian lives are being lost again. And yet again, we are hearing from the ‘gatekeepers of world peace’ that they will offer unconditional support to – ISRAEL. We are again hearing from influential celebrities about “peace” on “both sides. We are yet again witnessing the ignorance of the real problem:…

Paying in Blood : Current Cost of Living in Pakistan.

Living in Pakistan is becoming harder by the day as expenses continue to rise with little to no increments in earnings. The country is faced with recession and inflation simultaneously, forcing people to move abroad – even the staunchest patriots. Imagine you’re a father of a toddler. Your wife asks you to bring milk on…

Light at the End of the Tunnel: PTV can still create good content.

Some time back, I posted an article here where I expressed how badly Pakistani entertainment content has deteriorated over the past few years. We discussed a range of regressive and outright dangerous elements that we keep repeating on our screens, and the detrimental effect they can have on the society. I still stick by my…

Celebrating Independence: Between Hope and Despair

Since childhood, 14th August has always been one of my favourite days of the year. I remember picking out a green outfit, placing flags, wearing a little green and white badge on my arm, and blasting national songs all day long. Patriotism cannot be restricted to one day, but this was always the day when…

How to save a language: Punjabi in Pakistan

Recently, I wrote a post on this website about how Punjabi language is on the path of slow extinction in Pakistan. The article highlighted a range of causes at individual, domestic and institutional level, as a result of which, a major chunk of Punjabi youth – particularly in the urban centres – are unable to…

How to Kill A Language: Punjabi in Pakistan

I’m a 24 year old Punjabi who is unable to speak the language, and I’m not the only one. Most of my Punjabi friends don’t know how to speak it either. Or at least not properly. According to the 2017 census, Punjabis made up for approximately 53% of the total population of Pakistan [1]. However,…