In search of Jinnah’s Pakistan

As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pakistan’s creation, it is important to revisit the key questions that have befuddled the country. What is…

The state may be hedging that mainstreaming JuD will wean its cadres away from militancy

September, 2017: The state may be hedging that mainstreaming JuD will wean its cadres away from militancy (The Print) In the fourth of a four-part…

Can India and Pakistan continue to blame the colonists for their failure to liberate its people?

Independence Day in India and Pakistan is a strange moment. Celebrating the end of racist imperialism comes along with the underplayed horrors of a…

W.H. Auden’s poem – Partition

My friend IK has reminded me of W.H. Auden’s poem ‘Partition,’ published in 1966. These moving verses highlight the absurdity of the way the…

Sharif underestimated impact of Panama on public opinion, relied on legal arguments

August 1, 2017: Sharif underestimated impact of Panama on public opinion, relied on legal arguments (The Print) Judges were not oblivious to public opinion and…

Nawaz’s forced exit redraws power matrix

Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification was not an unforeseen event. The situation since last year had been leading towards a grand finale and his forced exit…

Accountability or regime change?

  Another déjà vu moment is knocking at our doors. The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the Panama Leaks case implicating the…

Five myths that need to be buried for good

Popular narratives in Pakistan regurgitated by civil and military leadership with the support of mainstream media suggest that certain things have changed over the…

This summer Pakistan enters into another phase of instability

Pakistan is slowly gearing up for another round of political instability. By all accounts, the Prime Minister and his political fortunes are likely to…

To protect Pakistanis, reframe security policy

Pakistan’s treatment of its minorities is unenviable to say the least. It is ironic that a country created to protect the Muslim minority of…

Govt is digging own grave by muzzling online freedoms

The ongoing campaign against digital media is an extension of the established patterns of how the state – including elected government – can muzzle…

Dissent is not blasphemy

Last week, a bizarre public notice issued by the federal investigation agency (FIA) appealed to the general public to provide evidence about social media…

Should we let the India problem ruin our ties with Afghanistan and Iran?

It is unfortunate to see something of a siege mentality developing in Pakistan’s regional posture. For a country that is situated at the crossroads…

Sagacious move by the military – Pakistan wins

Pakistan’s military leadership, by issuing its latest statement on the Dawn Leaks issue through the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has done the democratic process…

Islamic State, a threat Pakistan can no longer ignore

The ghastly attack on the convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate in Mastung, Balochistan comes as the latest of terror attacks claimed by the self-styled…

Threatening the regulators?

Recent revelations by Print and Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam, made to representatives of the media, are most troubling. The Chairman…

Go Nawaz go . . . for an early election

The third term of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been far from smooth. Beset by challenges of governance and a strong opposition, he has…

An elusive victory

Third time elected PM has once again survived in office. Two Supreme Court judges in their dissenting judgment found Sharif guilty of the charges…

Let’s accept what we have done to ourselves

The lynching of Mashal Khan by fellow students at an educational campus in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a stark reminder of what we have done to ourselves. The…

Blasphemer hunting must stop

The violent passions incited in many sections of Pakistani society by accusations of blasphemy were on display once again – this time in Mardan.…
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