// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie / Aleem Chaudhary For many of us, Islamabad has always been more than a capital city. It has felt like a promise. Neat sectors, cool breezes from the Margalla Hills, tree lined streets and open spaces once suggested that a different kind of urban life was possible in Pakistan. Karachi, in contrast, has long carried the image of a city pushed to its limits: overcrowded, overbuilt and constantly struggling with pollution, water shortages and heat.   T

// Sultan Kiani Recreational activities are essential for healthy living, as they relieve stress and contribute to overall well-being. The choice of leisure activities varies; some people pick easy and relaxing hobbies, while thrill seekers prefer adventurous activities. Nothing in the world is entirely risk-free, so it is important to identify common hazards to stay safe.   Always wear appropriate safety gear as required Recreational activities are important; however, some m

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Ramazan returns every year as a guest that rearranges our whole routine. We eat differently, sleep differently, and even speak differently when we are mindful.   The holy month of Ramazan is here. In the Qur’an, Allah links fasting directly with inner growth:   “O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was for those before you, so that you may become mindful of Allah.”   Wellness in Ramazan is therefore not only about detox diets or weight

// Mehreen Khan Buckwheat atta (buckwheat flour) has quietly moved from health shops into ordinary kitchens. It appears in rotis, pancakes, porridge, and mixed flours, often promoted as “gluten free” and “diabetic friendly.” Behind the marketing, there is real science worth knowing.  Buckwheat is not actually a wheat at all, but a pseudocereal seed that is naturally gluten free, rich in fibre, minerals, and plant compounds such as rutin and other flavonoids. For families tryi

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie On moonlit winter nights along the Arabian Sea, a heavy shape rises from the surf at Sandspit or Daran Beach. She is a green turtle, Chelonia mydas, a creature that has crossed oceans for decades and now returns, with ancient precision, to the strip of sand that first received her.   Slowly, painfully, the green turtle drags her weight above the tide line, scoops a flask-shaped nest with her back flippers, and begins to lay a clutch of soft, white e

// Aleem Chaudhary On the night of January 17, 2026, the skyline of Karachi was stained by a column of black smoke so dense it blotted out the lights of the M.A. Jinnah Road corridor. Gul Plaza, a sprawling commercial fortress that had stood for decades as a nodal point of Pakistan’s wholesale trade, was burning. What began as a flicker in a shop selling artificial flowers metastasized into a catastrophe that has permanently scarred the city’s consciousness. By the time the c

// Natricia Duncan Omar Yaghi’s invention uses ambient thermal energy and can generate up to 1,000 litres of clean water every day. Prof Omar Yaghi, seen here testing a prototype in California’s Death Valley, grew up in a refugee community in Jordan. Photograph: Atoco A Nobel laureate’s environmentally friendly invention that provides clean water if central supplies are knocked out by a hurricane or drought could be a life saver for vulnerable islands, its founder says. The i

// Zahrah Nasir There is so much convoluted myth and mystery attached to cultivating grapevines that many people are put off before they ever get started on what is actually a very simple task. It would be fair to say that grapevines are one of the easiest of all fruiting vines to grow, and this includes right here in Pakistan. Quite irrespective of the area of this incredibly climatically diverse country in which you live, grapevines should be an integral part of your home o

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Microplastics are fast becoming a dangerous public health threat. This comprehensive cover story provides essential information and action items to safeguard your health. Plastic is woven into daily life in Pakistan. It wraps our groceries, carries our drinking water, lines takeaway meals, covers schoolbooks, and shows up in the thin bags that drift along streets and waterways. We notice plastic when it blocks a drain, burns in a rubbish pile, or ga

// Isabella Kaminski Legal action has brought important decisions, from the scrapping of fossil fuel plants to revised climate plans. Businesses and governments alike have been forced to make tangible changes to their plans. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris agreement. It is also a decade since another key moment in climate justice, when a state was ordered for the first time to cut its carbon emissions faster to protect its citiz

// Sara Ali As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible, embracing eco-friendly living is no longer optional—it’s essential. Living in harmony with nature means making deliberate choices that reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainability. This article offers practical strategies for adopting a greener lifestyle. These tips complement tree-planting initiatives, showing how individual actions can collectively create a healthier planet. Let’s explore ho

// Dr. Mahjabeen Farooqui Across Pakistan and South Asia, the desire for rapid weight loss has led to a growing reliance on over-the-counter weight loss supplements, herbal mixtures, imported slimming pills, and social-media-promoted “fat burners.” What are the hidden dangers and how can we find safe ways to reduce fat? Fat loss products are often marketed as natural, safe, and effortless alternatives to exercise and dietary change. However, from a public health perspective,

// Abdul Aleem Ch Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, was once celebrated as the “Green Capital,” a city where lush forests, rolling hills, and serene green spaces harmonized with urban life. The situation has now taken a dark turn, and the city is quite the opposite. Why, and how, can we recover? Conceived in the early 1960s as a planned city to serve as the nation’s administrative hub, Islamabad was envisioned not only as the seat of government but also as a model of sustainable

// Zahrah Nasir A healthy, well-balanced, organic orchard is a place of magical mystery. There is birdsong, bee buzz, butterflies, and jewel-bright flowers glistening in green shadow with an aroma blending all that is sweet, both in and on the earth. A chemically maintained orchard on the other hand, may look good at a quick glance, but is completely devoid of environmental essence. Apart from its chemical-saturated trees and fruits, it is sterile and soulless and we will dwe

// Dr. A. A. Quraishy An egg is an object of reverence, of utmost delicacy, of immense versatility, as it guards the secret code of life. In a language that no man, howsoever learned, has been able to read fully so far. It has a profound mystery of indescribable complexity which contributes to the making of an Einstein, a Helen, a Shakespeare, or a colorful peacock. There are not enough words to describe the awe, the aura of life a scientist witnesses in an egg. The mammalian

// Mehreen Khan Ginseng is one of the world’s most famous herbal remedies. In many households it is associated with energy, stamina, and “tonic” strength, and it appears in teas, capsules, powders, and traditional formulations.  Yet ginseng is not a single product, while its name commonly refers to plants in the Panax family, especially Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). Their effects can vary depending on the species, dose, quality, and

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Stress is everywhere in modern-day Pakistan. Whether it is the weight of household responsibilities, long hours in school and work, financial anxiety, or rising uncertainty in our cities, many people feel emotionally and mentally stretched thin.  Yet despite all these challenges, rather than merely offering relief, a powerful new science is offering something deeper, renewal, growth, and self-discovery. That science is Positive Psychology. Unlike ma

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie In an era of intensifying climate crisis and impacts, we must return to and recover through our indigenous knowledge and practices. In Islamabad, spring can feel like a betrayal. The air looks gentle, even fresh, and the hills in the distance appear washed clean after winter. Yet for many families, this is the season of tight chests, burning eyes, relentless sneezing, and hospital visits that arrive like clockwork. People learn the routines of survi

// Dr. A. A. Quraishy Although the coastal banks in several countries are under threat of pollution and degeneration at various levels, the one on the Arabian sea is one of the worst. It also extends to several ports of India particularly in Gujrat and Maharashtra, but the worst area lies in Pakistan.   It was not as bad up to the late fifties. It was like we see in national geographics. Once right at the level of our feet, on the pier of Keamari where boats put-putted for th

// Mrs. Shahida Kausar Farooq / Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Pakistan, blessed with a 1,046-kilometer-long coastline along the Arabian Sea, possesses a rich and diverse marine ecosystem that is critical to the country’s economy, environment, and food security. This region is facing a critical crisis which must be addressed immediately to curb the incessant environmental and local community damage that they incur daily. From the bustling commercial hubs of Karachi Port and Port Qas