“A rights-respecting federation can only be created through negotiation” – an interview on Balochistan

Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan Director, Human Rights Watch, was one of the few people who recently gave testimony to US Congress on the issue…

It is time to engage with the Baloch nationalists

There seems to be a serious dearth of imagination while searching for solutions on Balochistan As Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy recently wrote, “Men like Rohrabacher…

Consensus is vital for democracy

Any morality-led reinterpretation of the supreme law will open doors for future misuse The federal government seems to have escaped many a crisis in…

Governance crisis cannot be treated by old formula of changing faces

An old piece that I could not post earlier: Commenting on the melting state of the economy, a reputed economic analyst stated how the…

Myth and reality of extremism

Pakistan needs to undertake research on militancy for effective policymaking A recent attempt to understand militancy, “Poverty and Support for Militant Politics: Evidence from…

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…

OBL saga and Pakistan’s crisis of governance

My piece for The News, Pakistan As details of Operation Geronimo unfold, more and more questions are being raised regarding Pakistan’s role in the…

Devolution of powers: the challenges ahead

The impediments to full provincial autonomy under the 18th Amendment need to be tackled despite the odds Perhaps the best thing about contemporary Pakistan…

Devolution in Pakistan: Unpacking the HEC debate

An amended, rationalised HEC needs to stay in place The 18th Amendment approved by the Parliament in 2010 signified a new era in Pakistan’s…

Time for a consensus on economic policy

My piece which was published by The News under the title Prospects of change The recent decision of the federal cabinet to rationalise General…

Pakistani media does not report on the brutal realities of Balochistan

Ali Dayan Hasan — Pakistan representative, Human Rights Watch The News on Sunday (TNS) How does HRW view the current state of human rights…

Balochistan: Pushed to the wall

There must be something terribly wrong with the state of Pakistan that in its largest province, state schools no longer recite the national anthem…

Irrational discourse on Raymond Davis

By Raza Rumi Honour politics: More often than not, we as Pakistanis feel that we are not given the respect we deserve as a…

Last chance for Pakistan

Taseer’s brutal murder has exposed every faultline of contemporary Pakistan The brutal assassination of Governor Punjab, Salmaan Taseer by a staff member of Punjab’s…

Democracy – the only option

Much has been elaborated on the binding constraints faced by Pakistani democracy. Conventional wisdom suggests that the civil-military imbalance has left little space for…

In and out of Isloo

I have waited, walked and sometimes slept…the reluctant memories of lounges live with me When I think of an airport, I envisage chaos, delays…

The 18th Amendment Order – more questions than answers

The short and interim order has disappointed many quarters that had been lobbying for a grand showdown between the judiciary and the parliament. Institutional…

Pakistan: Addressing the challenges -the way forward

Strange things are happening. Two months after a natural disaster hit millions of people and created essential prerequisites for an economic meltdown, the focus…

Future of a crisis

Pakistan's ruling elites fond of palace intrigues and power maximisation tricks must realise that this may be the last chance of saving the country,…

Pakistan’s disaster could lead to a collapse

The colossal humanitarian tragedy and the imminent economic meltdown, will now shape a new Pakistan or rather, exacerbate its predicament in the months and…