Zahra speaks

Every picture narrates a story and this picture is one of the most special pictures of my life. It is clicked in front of the Governor's house, Lahore. I went to meet the Governor and convey some of my suggestions regarding rehabilitation and accessible education for the PWD's. This meeting did not happen magically nor I had a connection with any politician. One of my good uncles read my blogs and shared it with the human rights advisor for the Governor. She organized the meeting and was very supportive throughout the procedure. It was one of those events when I felt empowered. In the room that had the Governor of Punjab, his team, and the Human Rights advisor, I felt that I found my voice. Although I was very nervous about the meeting, after all, it was an important personality that I was going to meet and who might have an influence in bringing the change that I am working towards. When I entered that room and I started talking, I felt that much more confident than ever. Even...

PC: MALTA TODAY Rape, this word triggers everybody, but nobody is ready to address this issue in this country. 3881 rape cases were reported in 2019, this figure includes the child sexual abuse as well. The recent case of a woman being gang-raped in front of her children is horrifying but this inhumane act is not something new. The nation has much lately witnessed another act of brutality when a 5-year-old girl’s torched dead body was recovered. The cases would go on and on but the government and officials would still not act. Pakistan has become a banana republic. Women, children, animals, and even transgenders are not safe anymore. This year, two mind-blowing cases were reported, a cat was sexually assaulted by a few teenagers and some policemen molested five-six transgender, they were forced to strip. I watched the video of the latter incident and it cringed me to death. This week, a trans-activist Gul Panra was shot dead by anonymous people. This issue is much neglected and not tak...

Imam Hussain AS is the ray that leads me to Allah. Karbala is University that illustrates something to everyone if you have the eye to see and the heart to feel. PC: Hajij.com I have been looking for words to write about Ashura and Imam Hussain AS but I couldn't gather the right words that could describe my feelings about Karbala and the family of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The event of Karbala marks a very important point in the history of Islam. If we look at it from a broader perspective, the uprising of Imam Husain AS was not only a religious obligation but a humanitarian act. It was significant because the event of Karbala distinguishes right from wrong, justice from injustice, and the word of God from the greed of power. Karbala dates back over 1400 years but the impact is still as strong as ever. The voice of the oppressed has echoed over the centuries and the oppressor has been silenced by the predomination of truth. Many people don't understand the concept of ...

As we are heading to an end of the quarantine period, I feel bittersweet. The time in quarantine has proven to be very eye-opening for me. It turns out that it's actually about prioritizing and not the time. People take out time for those whom they want to. Previously whenever I would ask one of my friends to play an online Ludo game with me or whenever I would ask my family members to sit together and watch something on the tea time, the answer would always be the same, there is no time. Everybody was so much stuck with studies, work, or other things that nobody had time for each other. The human relationship and intimacy were slowly dying a natural death. It's probably not right to find this period beneficial in any way but I am noticing a minor but significant change in the human relationships around. I can notice the change, it is very much familiar to my childhood when the internet and technology were minimal or absent. The human relationships were present and much purer. ...

Another Eid in lockdown. I really hope that we manage to shoo Corona away as soon as possible. This Eid is very important and it is considered to be the Bari (big) Eid. The significance of this Eid is associated with the essence of sacrifices and unity. We sacrifice millions of animals every year and according to the Islamic rules, the meat is distributed. Islamic rules are very clear and fair. The charity has a high regard in Islam, the distribution of meat among the poor and needy is another example of how fair the system of Islam is. By sharing our happiness with others, a sense of brotherhood and equality is established. Islam does not proclaim the act of charity to be done among the Muslims only, Allah has ordered us to help the poor and needy despite their color, religion, race, and religion. It is very important to keep in mind that our Lord is the Lord of the Universe. His bounties are not confined, they are all-conceiving and endless.  Have you seen the footage from Hajj? ...

Note: I don't really watch Bollywood movies but when I do, I like sharing views and perceptions with my readers. If you don't like watching movies, please pass this one! 😀 This movie has been in my pipeline for a very long time. It was released in 2019 and it has a rating of 6 out of 10 on IMDB. It is a dark comedy and psychological thriller. I liked the movie. Mainly because of the gripping storyline. It's not a conventional Bollywood movie with tons of songs and it focuses on story progression rather than glamour. Therefore, I was happy to watch the entire film which is almost 2 hours long. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat. You keep juggling between the thought of the protagonist being 'mental' or not. There are some bits in the movie that confuses the audience and like every good thriller, the climax shocks the viewers. The vibe of the movie is very light. Even the murder sequences do not creep you out. Overall, the storytelling is good. The acting p...

Image Courtesy: WIKIPEDIA After going gaga over the song Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin for years, I finally stumbled upon the movie Meri Pyari Bindu. I feel it is the most underrated movie I have ever come across. This statement correctly represents my sentiments after watching the movie. I related to the movie a lot. By a lot, I mean a lot. The story revolves around the life of a writer who pens down his story that orbits around Bindu. Bindu, the girl who is the love of his life, his first best friend, and his first crush. It is the first movie where I surmised the mindset of the protagonist. I could step in his shoes while he was writing down such impassioned events of his life. It was relatable because writers grapple between reality and fiction all the time, I did too. Sometimes it gets difficult to distinguish between the two, its the enigma that a writer leaves for the readers to comprehend and that is the beauty of it. It was transcendent to know that I am not the only one who goes ...