UNPACKING THE BLASPHEMY LAWS OF PAKISTAN
Introduction Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws have been used to perpetrate legitimised violence, executed in the name of religion. These laws have been used particularly…
Pakistan: No Country For Rebellion
Following the tumultuous events in Bangladesh and the dramatic ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Pakistani analysts have been debating if such a regime change was likely in their…
Gun Violence is a Human Rights Issue
On August 29, a white man fatally shot three Black people, then himself, with a swastika-marked gun in Jacksonville, Florida, during the 60th anniversary gathering…
State Control, Corporate Interests, and Media Independence in Pakistan
During the past two decades, the media sector in Pakistan has grown immensely in terms of scale and influence. With the deregulation policy and…
As Pakistan approaches a crucial election, its media watchdog bans critical voices from TV
On 18 August, Pakistan’s media watchdog directed all TV channels to stop giving airtime to 11 people: a group including journalists considered close to former Prime…
Reform Is A Political Process. Unelected Elites And Technocrats Will Fail, Once Again
Last month, yet another conference on policy ‘reforms’ was organised by the World Bank and its local partners. This must be the umpteenth such…
Nawaz Sharif Will Return To Imran Khan’s Pakistan
The electorate blames the PML-N for the inflation that’s making their lives difficult, and Imran Khan owns the anti-establishment narrative despite being locked up.…
With Fractured Civil Society & Complicit Politicians, There’s Little Hope For Pakistan’s Christians
The ghastly attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala is yet another testament to the systemic violence and discrimination faced by religious minorities in…
A Coup That Failed
As the flames of the May 9 arson dissipate, it is clear that the violence perpetrated by former PM Khan’s supporters is only one…
Justice Minallah’s Note: Another Warning Sign For The Chief Justice?
The ‘civil war’ within the Supreme Court of Pakistan has intensified. On April 4, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP)…
Judicial Interventions In Political System Must End
As the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) hears a petition against the postponement of elections for the Punjab assembly, the crisis within the Pakistani…
Imran Khan Vs Military Establishment: The Final Showdown Begins?
The ugly scenes of excessive shelling, PTI workers pelting stones at the police force and the eventual incapacity of the government to arrest former prime minister Imran…
A Polarised Polity And Its Warring Institutions
The March 1 verdict of the Supreme Court, instructing the president and governors to consult with the ECP and decide the date of elections in Punjab…
Pakistan’s Economy Won’t ‘Stabilise’ Unless Ruling Elites Give Up Privileges
Pakistan’s economic crisis poses a great challenge for a coalition government struggling to keep the country afloat. The country’s foreign exchange reserves lurk around…
Pakistan’s Ruling Classes Squabble As Masses Endure Hyperinflation
The ongoing polycrisis exhibits the longstanding contradictions within the Pakistani governance system, wherein there is no consensus on who will run the country. Are…
Tackling Pakistan’s Polycrisis Requires Clarity And Consensus. Both Are Missing.
The reluctance of former Prime Minister and chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan to participate in an All-Parties Conference called by Prime Minister Shehbaz…
Pakistan’s Elites Have Pushed The Country To The Brink. Can They Fix It?
The resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its relentless attacks on the Pakistani state come at a time when the country faces the…
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,…
The almost forgotten radical message of Iqbal
I am reposting this old blog on Iqbal Day: God, You created the night, I made the lamp You created the earth, I made…
Sayyid Ahmad Khan’s Search for a Modern Muslim
I grew up in Pakistan where we are taught about Sayyid Ahmad Khan throughout our school years as the grandfather of Muslim Nationalism in…