I Don't Think The Function

Being A Writer Is Not The Point. Writing Is.

In Some Contexts In Pakistan Maybe A Beard Is Negative. It Depends. And In Some Contexts In America Maybe A Beard Is Positive. I Think There's Certainly Lots Of Hipster Communities Where Having A Beard Makes Me Look A Little Bit Less Like A, You Know, Middle-aged Fuddy-duddy. And There's Some Places In Pakistan Where Having A Beard, You Know, Certain Corporate Contexts, Certain Social Contexts, Where It's Not An Advantage To Have A Beard.

It Is Not Surprising That Most Pakistanis Do Not Support America's Bombardment Of Afghanistan. The Afghans Are Neighbours On The Brink Of Starvation And Devastated By War. America Has Shown Itself To Be Untrustworthy, A Superpower That Uses Its Values As A Scabbard For Its Sword.

Growing Up In Pakistan In The 1980s, I Lived In The Shadow Of A Tyrannical State.

The Animosity Between India And Pakistan Is Deeply Unfortunate And Dangerous, And It's Something I've Long Campaigned To Reduce. But Right Now, When There's Artillery Being Exchanged In Kashmir - Which Is Not For From Here, Either - And There Are 100-ish Nuclear Weapons On Each Side Of The Border, There's Never Really Been A Case Like This Where Two Nuclear Armed Countries Are Happily Shelling Each Other.