Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

Umar Sheikh, 31, British-born, New York-trained and married to a woman from New Jersey, long dreamed of running his own restaurant. London was too expensive. New York was too risky. Karachi seemed just right. His gamble, in this restive port city better known for its religious radicals than its ravioli, has worked so far. Limoncello, …

After the tremendous success of Phantom of the Opera last spring, Shah Sharahbeel is back to rock the town with his latest theatre blockbuster Moulin Rouge, a play termed the event of the year at Lahore in 2003. The play opens on Friday as the grand finale of the Margalla Festival at the same venue …

The remote and arid Cholistan Desert was the unlikely scene for a jeep rally in Pakistan last week that served to promote the forgotten culture and provide entertainment to the public. The event proved to be a great success as it not only tested the skills of 76 drivers but also promoted the Cholistani …

Sixteen months into a cautious peace process between India and Pakistan, trade between the two nuclear powers is still an exercise in frustration and missed opportunities. Trade is improving, too, and is on course to rise more than 150 per cent in the financial year that ends this month to about US$500 million ($680 …