
The debate on new provinces in Pakistan
Since 1977, military or quasi-military governments have ruled Pakistan. The basic tenet of such a governance structure has been centralization and denial of multiple…

حساب کتاب بند کر کے آگے کی بات کی جائے ، آصف زرداری کی یہ تجویز قابل عمل ہے؟
حساب کتاب بند کر کے آگے کی بات کی جائے ، آصف زرداری کی یہ تجویز قابل عمل ہے؟…

اوپوزیشن کہ رہی ہے کہ ہم ایک ہی ڈائریکشن میں چلیں گے لیکن پی ٹی آئ کہ رہی ہے کہ ہمیں اوپوزیشن کام نہیں کرنے دے رہی ۔۔ ؟
اوپوزیشن کہ رہی ہے کہ ہم ایک ہی ڈائریکشن میں چلیں گے لیکن پی ٹی آئ کہ رہی ہے کہ ہمیں اوپوزیشن کام نہیں…

Raza Rumi on Sindh festival
My analysis on the Sindh festival and the criticism on PPP. There might be a political angle to the recent Sindh Festival but calling…

Imran Khan is Pakistan’s new captain. Will he deliver?
Pakistanis on July 25 elected Imran Khan as their new prime minister. Even though the complete results have not been declared, he made a…

An icon for a sane, just Pakistan
Salmaan Taseer’s defiance of convention and collective cowardice is one of the watersheds of Pakistan’s contemporary history. His defence of a poor Christian woman…

Political Princes: Struggles of Rahul Gandhi and Bilawal Bhutto
Two days ago, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, scion of the legendary Bhuttos, celebrated his 27th birthday. His party workers also known as jiyalas (the impassioned…

Farewell President Zardari
Analyzing President Zardari’s tenure President Zardari has set a new record of being the only democratically elected President to have completed his term and…

Revival of local government
Here is an Editorial for The Express Tribune On paper, the decision of the Sindh government to formally revive the local government system, based…

Challenges of Political Transition
My piece published here Pakistan’s next general election, due in a few months, will be the first where civilian forces are in charge of…

Pakistan: Prime Minister Gilani’s ouster – what next?
My recent analysis for Express Tribune published yesterday: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s inevitable ouster has created another storm in Pakistani politics reminding us…

Is Pakistan heading for early elections?
Published in India’s leading weekly Tehelka Deep political instability immediately before the elections makes it difficult for a smooth transfer of power Just when…

Final round of survival? It’s do or die
Tehelka story last week: Government in final round of survival game: It’s do or die Either the government will withstand the pressure from the…

Karachi continues to bleed
Karachi needs democratisation of power and robust accountability mechanisms Karachi’s mayhem in the past few days has exposed, once again, the primary issue of…

Dynasties and Clientelism in Pakistan
THE hallmark of Pakistan’s political elites is their narrow base. A limited number of families have dominated Pakistan’s legislatures since the country’s inception in…

Suicide Democrats
I am appalled by the recent events that have yet again stirred instability and uncertainty into Pakistani politics. Those of us who voted in…

The Zardari conundrum
By all statistical estimates and anecdotal evidence, Pakistan’s middleclass has grown during the last decade. The visible manifestation of this historically significant trend was…

Pakistan’s ruling coalition must not splinter
My op-ed piece that was published in the NEWS, Pakistan On these erudite pages, and elsewhere, there has been much ado about the fact…

The flawed boycott mantra?
Thursday, February 21, 2008 Much has been said on how the election results are a referendum against the policies of General Musharraf. While there…

October 18: Attack on Benazir Bhutto’s rally at Karsaz, Karachi (From the archives)
Despite the Tragedy, Extremism Will be Fought by Pakistanis Published October 20, 2007 (blogcritics) 180 are dead and more than 500 injured in Karachi…