Zahra speaks

Outrageous yet outstanding blossom of a budding nation. This one line sums up the general elections of 2018. This year the elections were a game changer for PTI. PTI swaying most of the national assembly seats came as a surprise to many of the critics out there but keeping all those impressions aside, Pakistan now has a fresh government with the very weighty responsibility of progression, development and the expulsion of corruption. Imran Khan struggled for 22 years to achieve this milestone and now he has a very intricate bunch of responsibilities on his hand to prove his competence. His exceptional stand against the status-quo gained a lot of appreciation from the youth and educated sector of the society. In 2011, like many of my peers, I began following Khan and a major reason behind this was his determination and passion for the country's prosperity. I remember before 2011 youngsters were never really involved in any of the political activities but Imran Khan was the man wh

"By voting, we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions." -Jens Stoltenberg The general elections of 2018 are just around the corner and it is a very important time for any country. It is a high time for the citizens of any country to decide their future with the power of a vote. Voting is not just a responsibility, it is the right of every citizen to express their opinion and actually make a change, for good or bad that depends on the choice.  People sitting in the Assemblies and Senate are directly or indirectly chosen by the public. The public has the power to change their fate and this is the time to do so. There is a new trend of not voting at all because nobody is "worthy" but this type of mindset should be discouraged because voting holds an immense significance.  "Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender." - Keith Ellison A vote can bring change but its significance is somewhat underestim

Nature is the best teacher. Sometimes we look for answers everywhere but the answer lies in front of our eyes. Look around you will see a lot of miracles occurring every day in front of your eyes but you tend to disregard them because we are engineered to make sense of "everything." The mind always has a dominance over the heart in a never-ending battle between the two but when we decide our team, things get much easier. When we try to contemplate each and everything in our life, our mind presents the facts and figures whereas the heart shows you the faith and courage. Faith is way above the "reality" because it operates on the basis of belief despite the circumstances. God is great and nature is the best manifestation of His love. The Ants are a tiny creature but they provide us with the very big message of believing in God. Once I was sitting in my home near the staircase and a few ants crawling on the floor garnered my attention. One of the ants tried to move

Summers can be pretty harsh especially if you are a resident of Pakistan. The temperature rises very quickly leading to some very annoying health issues. The heat generated by the body can be highly irritating and it gets very difficult to manage the excess heat. However, it should not be left untreated as it can lead to some serious consequences especially for the children such as heat stroke Here are a few home remedies that might help you beat the summer blues. Life gives you lemons? take them!  The incredibly delicious lemon is a high source of vitamin C which is required by the body to function properly and it also provides essential supplements to the body such as Riboflavin, Vitamin B, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous and many proteins and carbohydrates. It maintains the heart functioning and controls the blood pressure moreover it can also be highly helpful in beating the summer stress. Just squeeze a lemon in your water bottle and keep sipping on it throughout the day to

If you can move your feet and walk on your own then you should be very thankful for each moment in your life. We don't realize the importance of such small blessings. When something is taken away from you, it is exactly the time when you realize the worth of that thing. Operating your legs or walking may seem very casual things that you do in routine but trust me these things are worth being thankful for each day. Everyone has a story to tell; my story revolves around the turn of events that turned me into a fighter. I found happiness in the most difficult time of my life with the divine intervention of The Almighty.  I could have been a normal carefree teenager but God had other plans for me. I was 16 years old when a complex diagnosis declared that I had tuberculosis of the bone. The doctor suggested some. Without any delay, I began the course. Naturally, the term tuberculosis scared my family and so without taking a second opinion, we opted to start the medicine. It would

IMAGE COURTESY FETHIYE TIMES. With the rise in temperature, the intake water becomes extremely crucial. The outdoor summer activities can drain the body's energy so it becomes extremely important to increase the water intake as the body loses more water. It causes the body to dehydrate. The major symptoms of dehydration include darker in colour and reduced urine, dry skin, tiredness and confusion & lightheadedness. Mild dehydration can cause uneasiness but severe dehydration must be addressed properly as it can lead to some major complications. It can take a toll on your mood and energy overall. Here are a few clues to identify dehydration: 1. Bad breath 2. Fever 3. A severe headache The elderly children are at a higher risk to be dehydrated as their bodies are more sensitive towards the change in temperature. Upon the detection of any symptoms of dehydration, it is extremely advisable to take the doctor's advice as soon as possible, however, prevention is better

A few months ago, I was invited to participate in a conference. The forum was on the national level for the women with disabilities. As the conference was held in Lahore I decided to partake but when I reached the venue I was extremely shocked to see that the venue was not wheelchair accessible and had more than 7 stairs on the entrance. When we enquired from the staff, they bluntly asserted that they will lift my chair up to the entrance of the hotel. Although everything was fantastic in that hotel. It was extremely shameful that despite being informed about the nature of the conference beforehand, the management did not arrange anything to facilitate the people with disabilities who were about to participate in the conference. The conference was aimed to address the issues faced by the people with disabilities in the society and the very location where we were discussing the problems was itself wheelchair inaccessible, the irony is unmistakable! Recently, it was my sisters birthda