Pakistan’s 2022: A Polarised Polity On The Brink Of Economic Default
Pakistan’s permacrisis has only deepened through 2022. Raza Rumi on what 2023 holds for the nuclear armed crisis state. As the year 2022 ends,…
Maryam Nawaz’s Acquittal: Has The 2018 Political Engineering Project Run Its Course?
Will there be accountability of all those who planned and aided political engineering via courts? Maryam Nawaz’s acquittal by the Islamabad High Court is…
Intimations Of Ghalib: Translations That Are Not Hindered By The Literal
“Ghalib’s existentialist angst, tumultuous personal life and the upheavals he encountered are reflected in the ghazals selected by Alam” Many moons ago, I received Intimations…
Punjab By-Elections: Imran Khan’s Populist Rhetoric Wins
This is the time for Pakistan’s establishment to smell the coffee for its adventurism since 2016 has resulted in the current imbroglio. If there…
July 17 Polls: Will PML-N Survive The Challenge?
As the July 17 by-polls in the Punjab come closer, the political rhetoric of former PM Imran Khan has gained intensity indicating how the…
Imran Khan’s Ouster: Why Did The Hybrid Regime Collapse?
The dramatic events of March-April 2022 highlight the breakdown within the hybrid regime. Of late Khan’s cronies have admitted the conflict with the establishment…
News Analysis | Delay In Cabinet Formation Bodes Ill For Parliamentary Democracy
The prime minister, also known as ‘speedy Shehbaz’, should demonstrate his ‘speed’ by announcing the cabinet without any delay and involve the parliament in…
Imran Khan’s Coup Has Pushed Pakistan To Anarchy. Will The Supreme Court Act?
Systemic shocks such as the one designed and executed on Sunday, if not remedied by the judiciary, will normalise fascism and set dangerous precedents…
Pakistan In 2022: Hybrid Regime Will Unravel But Pakistanis Will Pay The Cost
The ‘hybrid regime’ that has been governing Pakistan since 2018 became hostage to internal contradictions and external pressures throughout the year 2021. The year…
The land of his dreams
Professor Javaid Iqbal Syed’s memoir traverses the political and the personal, the mundane and the sublime, and weaves a narrative that reflects the decades…
Beo Zafar – Pakistan’s ace-comediane
A short piece that I wrote on Beo, Pakistan’s ace-comediane whose talents are diverse and ever-blooming. Beo [Khala] as I have known her for…
Published in The Friday Times
Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi Amrita Pritam Delhi’s able daughter Inhospitable Reception Into the Box or else Letting loose in Luzon Mustafa Zaidi On Delhi On…
From Lahore To Gwadar: Flawed Development Model Undermines Citizens’ Rights
For years, the local Baloch population has been complaining about their non-inclusion in the medium- and long-term development plans. Towards the end of 2021,…
Will Sialkot Tragedy Change The State Policy Of Appeasing Religious Fanatics?
The Sialkot tragedy should be a wakeup call for the incumbent government as well as the all powerful establishment. The brutal lynching and burning of…
Shanul Haq Haqqee: The Forgotten Literary Giant
“Don’t know whose idea it is and what the target is. My personal goals have been very limited. Nor have I ever made literature…
Fahmida Riaz’s Demise Is An End Of An Era, says Raza Rumi
In this video, Raza Rumi pays tribute and cherishes Fahmida Raiz’s memories. A fearless voice of Urdu literature, an extraordinary personality and a person…
We need to talk about NAP
27 Jan 2017: We need to talk about NAP (The Friday Times) For more than two years, Pakistanis have been assured that terrorists have…
CPEC, India & China, Re-balancing Act
India, the US and Afghanistan are keenly watching Pakistan and China work through CPEC’s challenges Andrew Small is a transatlantic fellow at the German…
Farewell, Edhi Sahib!
The man who defied a callous state and society, unbowed in his love of humanity The death of Abdul Sattar Edhi after an extraordinarily…
An Uphill Battle
One-year review of Pakistan’s fight against extremism and terrorism Nearly a year ago, Pakistani security forces announced the killing of Malik Ishaq, leader of…