South of West

• The True Horror of Madrassah Zakarya

  Posted: December 19, 2011, 8:52 am by Rob Crilly

  Last week police in Karachi raided a madrassah on the city’s northern outskirts. The local police commander was at dinner but received a phone call from his boss that a TV station was running reports of boys in chains. When … Continue reading →

• Faces of Lahore

  Posted: December 16, 2011, 5:01 pm by Rob Crilly

  Was a little shocked travelling through Lahore the other day to see an image of Osama bin Laden adorning the back of a rickshaw, until it was pointed out to me that it was an advert for a book. Seconds … Continue reading →

• Twitter and the President’s Health

  Posted: December 9, 2011, 8:29 am by Rob Crilly

  There are numerous lessons to draw from President Zardari’s sudden dash to Dubai for medical treatment: 1) Pakistan loves a conspiracy – no need to elabourate 2) Pakistan’s government lacks a co-ordinated media operation – at first officials said Zardari … Continue reading →

• Deja Vu and Diplomatic Showbiz in Bonn

  Posted: December 5, 2011, 9:01 am by Rob Crilly

  Even before Islamabad decided it would not attend the international conference on Afghanistan, the local media had already made up their mind on its value, describing it as The Bonn Moot, presumably with as much power to effect change as … Continue reading →

• Saving Darfur is now available for kindle

  Posted: December 4, 2011, 3:53 pm by Rob Crilly

  It’s a couple of years since I left Nairobi. I spent five years living there and travelling around east Africa. And this past week I’ve watched (for the umpteenth time) Pole to Pole, Michael Palin’s trip from north to south, … Continue reading →

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes