Ghazi Salahuddin, Farrukh Salee, Aakar Patel, Ardeshir Cowasjee

As an aside, let me say that watching Hillary Clinton again made me sad to think how our leaders seem incapable of communicating their thoughts to the people and articulating the policies of the government or their respective parties in a rational and persuasive manner. Ghazi Salahuddin

America is in a fix and by that logic, Pakistan is in a double-fix. Over the past seven years, a little more than 900 Americans have died while Pakistani fatalities in terrorist-related violence stand at a colossal 22,711. American soldiers are waging a war 11,000 away kilometres from home while the American homeland remains safe. On the other hand, the whole of Pakistan is on fire. There hasn’t been a single suicide attack in America but over the past seven years, Pakistan has gone through 199 suicide attacks. America has no ‘good’ options left. Sadly, neither does Pakistan. Farrukh Saleem

Reading books makes us literate, but buying them makes us feel literate. Now that I’m middle-aged, I’ve realised what others have before me: I own more books than I can possibly read before I die, and should now stop buying. Aakar Patel

Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan was denounced six months after his death when the Objectives Resolution was passed, negating the words he had so eloquently spoken to his constituent assembly on Aug 11 1947: “... You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” Thus, willy-nilly, the state was made the custodian of religion. Ardeshir Cowasjee