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,…
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…