Commentary: Trump needs to end this protracted war
August 30, 2017: Commentary: Trump needs to end this protracted war (The Ithacan) During his election campaign, President Trump had vowed to end the foreign…
With Trump’s Empty Afghan Strategy, Up to India & Pak to Play Nice
US engagement in Afghanistan, in its 16th year now, has been complicated by the involvement of regional powers. Donald Trump’s so-called Afghanistan strategy suffers…
Talk Point: What are the implications of Trump’s statements on Pakistan & Afghanistan?
August 22, 2017: Talk Point: What are the implications of Trump’s statements on Pakistan & Afghanistan? (The Print) In his first comprehensive public pronouncement on…
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…
The Big Question: Is Print Media on its Way to Becoming Obsolete?
August 2017: The Big Question: Is Print Media on its Way to Becoming Obsolete? (News Line Magazine) These are interesting times for journalism as technological…
The Fall of Nawaz Sharif
04 August 2017: The Fall of Nawaz Sharif, Open Magazine. The story of Nawaz Sharif’s rise and fall is the story of contemporary Pakistan. For him,…
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…
Media portrayals of Muslims fuel xenophobia
Scholars who undertook a study on how Western media covers terrorism have confirmed what we had known for some time. The news media wield…
The unhealed wounds of July 5, 1977
The anniversary of General Zia-ul-Haq’s 1977 coup is a particularly difficult time for the Pakistani democrat. The very name given to the coup sounds…
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…
‘Jobless’ white men can’t be terrorists
On Monday morning, a van ploughed down Muslim worshippers, as they were leaving a north London mosque after late night prayers. This was the…
To protect Pakistanis, reframe security policy
Image credits: Naseer Ahmed/Reuters Pakistan’s treatment of its minorities is unenviable to say the least. It is ironic that a country created to protect…
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…
Another Pakistani Journalist Threatened. Will the State Protect Him?
June 10, 2017: Another Pakistani Journalist Threatened. Will the State Protect Him? ( Huffington Post) Pakistan is not an easy country for journalists. State…