Pakistani news for the rest of us

Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik and Indian Sania Mirza finally got married after a long soap opera of desi twists and turns which brought the two nations even closer — to argue and to be entertained while glued to their TVs — by the saga. At last all the papers were in place before the arrival of [...]

A Pakistani classic cars site has turned a hobby into a passionate exchange for classic car restorers and lovers of open roads. PakWheels.com is one of the fast growing website devoted to all things auto where fans swap stories and laugh over jokes from their trips, speeding classic cars down deserted highways in bandit territories [...]

Skier Muhammad Abbas made a little sporting history by registering Pakistan in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 24-year-old Abbas came in ranked 3,764th in the world in giant slalom. He was hardly a medal threat, and wound up third-to-last among the 81 skiers who finished both runs. But it’s not [...]

A UNESCO sustainable literacy pilot programme using Mobile Phone SMS text messaging has shown significant results in rural Pakistan. In this pilot project which ended last month, the learners who had just completed the basic literacy course, were given a mobile phone each. They receive three text messages a day in the local language. They [...]

A grass-roots scientific association called the Khwarizmi Science Society (KSS) is gaining popular recognition for creating scientific awareness in far-flung areas of Pakistan. Using astronomy “astrofests” or “falakyati melas” (astronomy festivals) it is generating momentum and interest from people otherwise not exposed to such phenomena. The KSS decided to take part in the International Year [...]

Pakistani fashion boutiques are springing up in and around Toronto bringing latest fashion from Karachi and Lahore to the streets of Canada. Pakistani women in Toronto commonly refresh their wardrobes with 10 to 15 new casual and formal outfits a year. It’s a passion that is giving the more established clothing stores on Gerrard St. [...]

A French doctor, Vincent Loos, is taking “Foxy Shahzadi” — a 25-year-old Volkswagen Beetle, ‘Foxy’ as they’re known in Pakistan — for a road trip from Islamabad to Paris to promote a “softer side of Pakistan”. The doctor has just finished three years’ work at a local hospital. Doctors without borders indeed – or perhaps [...]

Karachi is abuzz with fashionistas, designers, spunky models and stylish catwalks as a week long Pakistan Fashion Week draws to a close. Eight local designers opened the event experimenting with twists on traditional Pakistani dresses and western styles. Karachi is known for its glitzy malls and thriving cafe culture, just a two-hour flight away from [...]

Slackistan, a low-budget independent film from British-Pakistani director Hammad Khan is receiving some critical acclaim for portrayal of Islamabad’s elite youth and their lifestyles. The capital of Pakistan, population approximately 600,000, forms the backdrop. Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, also has a thriving underground rock scene (has recently seen the launch of its first guitar [...]