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…
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…
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…
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…
Govt is digging own grave by muzzling online freedoms
The ongoing campaign against digital media is an extension of the established patterns of how the state – including elected government – can muzzle…
Dissent is not blasphemy
Last week, a bizarre public notice issued by the federal investigation agency (FIA) appealed to the general public to provide evidence about social media…
Should we let the India problem ruin our ties with Afghanistan and Iran?
It is unfortunate to see something of a siege mentality developing in Pakistan’s regional posture. For a country that is situated at the crossroads…
Sagacious move by the military – Pakistan wins
Pakistan’s military leadership, by issuing its latest statement on the Dawn Leaks issue through the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has done the democratic process…
Islamic State, a threat Pakistan can no longer ignore
The ghastly attack on the convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate in Mastung, Balochistan comes as the latest of terror attacks claimed by the self-styled…
Threatening the regulators?
Recent revelations by Print and Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam, made to representatives of the media, are most troubling. The Chairman…
Go Nawaz go . . . for an early election
The third term of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been far from smooth. Beset by challenges of governance and a strong opposition, he has…
An elusive victory
Third time elected PM has once again survived in office. Two Supreme Court judges in their dissenting judgment found Sharif guilty of the charges…