Muhammad Omar Iftikhar
Daily Times
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Past articles by Muhammad:
Creating resilient societies
Developing resilient societies remains important, now more so than ever. The pandemic has dented the social and business arena at a global level. Governments must ensure that their internal working at the operational and strategic levels are rational and meet the needs of the people. Management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company published a survey back […] → Read More
Challenges of writing science fiction
It took not a burst of inspiration but, rather, a conscious effort to pen a science fiction novel. ‘Divided Species’ first began to take shape back in 2011 — yes, almost a decade ago — when I decided to participate in that year’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) session. This is a US-based creative writing […] → Read More
The magic of Uncle Sargam
It takes patience, practice and persistence to create a fictional character, add life to it, and elevate its status to that of a national figure. Farooq Qaiser was able to achieve all this and more during his lifetime. A creative genius by birth – and a passionate learner – Farooq Qaiser advanced the thoughts of […] → Read More
An orator like no other!
Tariq Aziz was one of the most recognizable voices in Pakistan. Always wearing a shalwar qameez, he exhumed elegance in character and poise in his conversation. He was the first and the only host of Neelam Ghar, the quiz show that began in 1975, It had attracted a plethora of viewership and a live audience. … → Read More
Space race
When Apollo 11 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center, USA, on April 16, 1969, it carried on board Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldri → Read More
An era of surveillance
A plethora of conspiracies have been floating ever since the world went into a state of lockdown. Some hint at Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, to have been secretly endeavoring a plan to reduce and control world population. Reports also claim that Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been funding the … → Read More
Is dystopia becoming current affairs?
The depiction of dystopia in novels and movies has always mesmerized audiences. Such narratives provide a possible insight into what the world may seem like a half a century or more into the future. George Orwell’s 1984, that he originally wrote and published in 1949, depict a totalitarian government in place in the year 1984. … → Read More
Tanya is not your average girl from Karachi
“I sink my elbow into the sofa cushion, heave a long sigh and ransack my bag in a frantic search for my cell phone. My hand scoops up a slim eye pencil and en empty bottle of lip gloss. I plunge them back into the bag – it’s one of those cavernous carpet ones from Khaadi – and continue rummaging, unwilling to accept defeat.” This is how Taha Kehar opens his novel, Typically Tanya, while… → Read More
The lost charisma of Pakistani drama
Pakistani writers, playwrights and intellects are known globally for their insights into the social norms and how well-articulated were the scripts of the drama serials they wrote that aired from the 1970s to 1990s. These were aired on Pakistan Television Network and on private channels. This, however, happened before we saw a mushroom growth of … → Read More
How the brands have evolved
You can understand a lot about corporations by studying their vision and the purpose of their existence. Their product portfolio, annual revenue and brand equity also disclose much about the brand. Among all the factors, brand equity is the most important. It determines the brand’s total value and market worth. It defines its standing among … → Read More
Loyalty must be the New Year’s resolution
The year 2019 is ending. A new decade will begin. People across the world will be preparing their New Year's Resolution. However, in Pakistan → Read More
Vision for Pakistan after PTI's first year in office
Nearly a year ago the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power. Imran Khan’s 22-year long struggle to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan was realized when his party won the 2018 general elections. Pakistan was divided between two kinds of followers soon after these elections. First, those who thought PTI was to amend everything … → Read More
The monsoon time loop
The US science fiction film 12:01, released in 1993, discusses the protagonist’s life when he lives the same day multiple times without knowing how to end thE time loop. He keeps living all moments of a specific day until he begins foretelling future events. The Karachi-ites are perhaps living in a similar time loop whenever … → Read More
Boris Johnson, Brexit and UK’s future
There seems to be an uncanny resemblance between the US President, Donald Trump and the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson or Boris Johnson as he is commonly referred to. It seems that both Trump and Johnson – apart from sporting their blond hair – are peculiar when it … → Read More
Skills or a degree in the ‘new economy’?
The ‘new economy’ describes the companies using technology and the Internet as their foundation and those ultra-high-tech corporations that have a noticeably higher productivity and growth and have spread their wings across the world. Such companies from the new economy are now hiring people based on their skills rather than on a degree. Where obtaining … → Read More
Khan meets Trump: Pak-US ties energized
Actions do speak louder than words. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the United States of America is a testament to this fact. When Pakistani Americans filled the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C to listen to Imran Khan, it was a feat never before achieved by any Pakistani head-of-state visiting the US. Cladded in … → Read More
New diplomatic era for the US and North Korea
The diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea have remained at the edge of conflict for long. Washington and Pyongyang’s ties became combustible ever since Kim Jong-un took office as North Korea’s supreme leader. While North Korea was pursuing its nuclear ambitions and its oppression over South Korea during the regime of former … → Read More
Crashing out for the fourth time
What transpired with the Pakistan cricket team in England during the 2019 Cricket World Cup (CWC) was nothing new. A similar situation occurred in the 1992 CWC, which Pakistan eventually won, after a few teams lost and their run rates declined, giving Pakistan a chance to enter the finals. However, despite social media drawing parallels … → Read More
Chaos on the streets
Shahrah-e-Faisal is the only major road linking all areas of Karachi that begins from the highway to the Saddar. It cannot accommodate all vehicles at all times. If the Drigh Road, Rashid Minhas Road or the University Road is closed for repair work, extra traffic entering onto Shahrah-e-Faisal creates a number of bottlenecks, wasting petrol … → Read More
Reinforcing Pak-Qatar diplomacy
Diplomatic relations between Qatar and Pakistan were further bolstered when His Excellency, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Pakistan upon the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The two-day visit from June 22-23, 2019 was marked by the signing of three memorandums of understandings (MoU). Moreover, the one-on-one discussion between … → Read More