Haroon Khalid

Haroon Khalid

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How the Chishti Sufi order indigenised Islam in South Asia by reinterpreting Hindu traditions

We were driving on a lonely road that appeared to be going nowhere. It was not quite late but it was pitch-dark. I watched the lights of Chishtian...

Haroon Khalid

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300 19.02.2019

Why there’s nothing wrong if Valentine’s Day becomes part of Pakistan’s culture

It is the same story every year. There is something about Valentine’s Day and young men and women exchanging red roses and balloons that threatens...

Haroon Khalid

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30 14.02.2019

This Pakistani shrine received offerings of phallic symbols for ages. But now they are deemed vulgar

It was a hot summer’s day, the kind when even your car’s air-conditioning refuses to work. We were returning from the shrine of Aban Shah, partly...

Haroon Khalid

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100 03.02.2019

As Pakistan decides against reviving Basant festival, Lahore loses another cultural marker

After months of vacillation, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in Punjab finally decided against lifting the 10-year ban on Basant. Lahore’s...

Haroon Khalid

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100 27.01.2019

Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh: How did the attire of the Sikh gurus change so dramatically?

In all the posters I have seen that depict the 10 Sikh Gurus, the images of Nanak (the first guru) and Gobind Singh (the 10th guru) are always...

Haroon Khalid

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10 18.01.2019

This ruined Pakistani shrine linked with Guru Nanak tells of Sikhism’s lost architectural traditions

Away from the spotlight on the Kartarpur Sahib peace corridor, hugging the India-Pakistan border on the outskirts of Lahore is another gurdwara...

Haroon Khalid

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100 11.01.2019

A forgotten shrine in a village near Lahore stands witness to the havoc wreaked by Ahmed Shah Abdali

There is a flurry of construction activity in the narrow alleys of Pakistan’s Hanjarwal village, 14 km from Lahore, with barely a trace of any old...

Haroon Khalid

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80 04.01.2019

The legend of Pakistan’s saint of fertility shows how Islam adopted South Asia’s cultic traditions

One warm summer evening a few years ago, I sat in an open courtyard with Syed Fahim Abbas. In his mid-20s at the time, Abbas dressed in a pajama and...

Haroon Khalid

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100 21.12.2018

In the story of Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardan lies the essential message of Sikhism

When they reached Hassan Abdal, a town west of today’s Islamabad, Bhai Mardana is believed to have complained to Guru Nanak of thirst. Using his...

Haroon Khalid

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950 23.11.2018

Backlash against appointment of Ahmadi economist shows there’s nothing new about Naya Pakistan

The year was 1953. There were riots all over the city of Lahore. Traders, shopkeepers, students and people from diverse backgrounds came out to demand...

Haroon Khalid

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10 21.09.2018