Written by Niala Mohammad Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) carried out its sixth population census earlier this year after a 19 year long gap. According to the preliminary results Pakistan has had an overall 57% population increase since its last census conducted in 1998. The 2017 preliminary census results show Pakistan’s population at 207.7 million; […]
Pakistan’s Population Doubles-2017 Preliminary Census Results
Game of Thrones in the Land of Drones
By Niala Mohammad If you are not addicted to Game of Thrones, you’ve at least heard about the popular fantasy drama series and its catchy theme song. The young men of Khumariyaan have given new life to Ramin Djawadi’s composition by adapting the GoT theme song to a Pashtun beat. This track is quickly becoming a hit among the younger […]
The ThrillSeekerz of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa
By Niala Mohammad Faiza Rehman (of Pusht-e-Khera Payan, Peshawar) , Sahibzada Anees (of Topi, Swabi District), Muhammad Ammar (of Tangi, Charsadda District), and Yasawal Ahmad (of Peshawar City) are the founders of “Thrill Seekerz”, a club that started in 2013, in response to the terrorism effecting the youth of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. This club […]
The First Daughter of Afghanistan-Mariam Ghani
by Niala Mohammad Though she refuses comment on her family or ethnic ties, one thing is irrefutable; she is the daughter of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani. She is as intelligent as her father and as poised as her mother but one thing sets her apart-she is stingy with words but generous with her work to […]
Learning from History with Dr. Qayyum Kochai
by Niala Mohammad Dr. Qayyum Kochai, a former Afghan diplomat in his mid-seventies that fled Afghanistan with his family nearly two decades ago during the Soviet invasion. As I sat with him in his living room on the outskirts of “Little Kabul”, I received one of the greatest history lessons of my life, leaving me […]
Khumariyaan Intoxicate Washington, D.C.
by Niala Mohammad “Art is Like Water for the Fire of Fundamentalism”-Khumariyaan the Band As I sat on in the grand foyer of the Kennedy Center, overlooking the Potomac River, a feeling of pride and nostalgia overcame me as I watched a group of young Pashtun men dilute the image of extremism placed upon their […]
The US-Taliban Prisoner Swap
by Niala Mohammad On May 31st, 2014 the US-Taliban prisoner swap took place, just weeks after President Barack Obama announced his withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan. Reactions about the prisoner exchange have been mixed. Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the Middle East Institute told Deewa Radio that although Americans applaud the release of […]