Will the civilians seize the moment?
It is too early to determine whether Nawaz Sharif is seeking a structural transformation of Pakistan’s governance culture or is merely hankering for acceptability…
Pakistan’s electoral quagmire
Pakistani soldiers patrol on a street beside a billboard featuring an image of Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice), in Rawalpindi…
Pakistan appoints former chief justice as interim premier
May 28, 2018: Pakistan appoints former chief justice as interim premier Mulk “enjoys a good reputation” among Pakistan’s political circles, Raza Ahmad Rumi, a…
The cost of launching and appeasing bigots is way too high
May 13, 2018: The cost of launching and appeasing bigots is way too high That the country’s Interior Minister, who is tasked with internal…
On India, Pakistan, politics and religious extremism
Recorded in April 2018 when I was invited by graduate students at Kennedy School for a talk. …
Another light out
April 29, 2018: Another light out It is difficult to remember a friend who left so suddenly. And one I will never see again.…
A season of self-censorship — confessions of an Editor-at-large
April 22, 2018: A season of self-censorship — confessions of an Editor-at-large Once again, Pakistan’s media is under fire. Unlike the past, there are…
The state should engage with PTM. Dubbing it ‘engineered’ will not work
April 15, 2018: The state should engage with PTM. Dubbing it ‘engineered’ will not work The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement has gained immense momentum in…
Malala-hating and our xenophobia-radicalisation complex
April 1, 2018: Malala-hating and our xenophobia-radicalisation complex The return of the Nobel Laureate and brave Pakistani icon Malala Yousafzai to her homeland is…
Old sherbet in new bottles
The political turmoil in recent months has seen Pakistan’s military return centre stage. Since the exit of Gen Musharraf, the latter had taken a…
Suppressing a youth movement will harm Pakistan’s future
For weeks, the young Pashtuns are leading a broad, horizontal resistance known as Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM). This uprising of sorts is unique in…
An outgoing senator has warned the political elites. Are they listening?
Pakistan People’s Party’s former spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar, in his farewell speech, created history by stating some bitter facts about Pakistan’s dysfunctional democracy. What…
For Imran Khan, this is the time for introspection
After the Panama verdict in 2017 that ousted Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister, it was viewed by many as the boost for the…
Forget the world, militias are a threat to Pakistan
Sherin Zada/AP Photo The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international watchdog, is all set to place Pakistan on its watch list this summer.…
Raza Rumi recites Fehmida Riaz’s ‘Tum Bilkul Hum Jaise Nikle’
I recited Fehmida Riaz’s ‘Tum Bilkul Ham Jaise Niklay’ – Watch the full video below tum bilkul ham jaise nikle ab tak kahan chhape…
Asma Jahangir is no more — but her formidable legacy lives on
It will take some time to accept that Asma Jahangir has gone silent. That she is not at the centre of Pakistan’s political discourse.…
Young Pashtuns have shown the mirror to ‘mainstream’ Pakistan
A stage is set up in Islamabad during the protest demanding justice for Naqeebullah Mehsud.— Photo by Shakeel Qarar This past fortnight Pakistan witnessed…
The dynamic political scene confirms a fast changing Pakistani society
The disqualification of Nawaz Sharif through a controversial court verdict was the easier task. Reining in his support and ousting him from the political…
Zainab’s murder — fodder for opportunist political elites and media
The brutal rape and murder of 8-year-old Zainab was a tragedy that should have been a wake up call for the country and how…
Extrajudicial killings in the name of counterterrorism are unacceptable
As a successor of the colonial police force, police departments in South Asia are notorious for their high-handed, brutal methods, especially for what is…