Remembering Faiz and his Culture Policy of early 1970s
Today is the 26th death anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz whose life and works are national assets. Faiz was a torchbearer of the glorious…
Islands of Hope – Life and Works of Akhter Hameed Khan
Raza Rumi reviews a book on the life and works of Akhter Hameed Khan, a legendary development guru “It is not enough to say…
Pakistan media: Through the looking glass
It is ironic that the electronic media which played a major role in the movement against a military dictatorship is now being cited as…
Strategic grandeur
As if Pakistan’s domestic woes were not troubling, the unravelling of the US strategy and its implications are eluding even the best of strategists.…
Asma Jahangir – A formidable fighter
Fearless and a formidable fighter, Asma Jahangir personifies the struggles Pakistanis have initiated against shameful cultural practices, discriminatory legislation and executive excess. A frail…
Iqbal – The Universal Reformer
It takes thousands of year for a genious of the highest class to be born. Iqbal believed in habitual vision of greatness. He had…
On counterterrorism and human rights
From an interview that I conducted: There is, of course, a nationalist discourse, as shrill as it is bogus, centered on US-bashing and lionizing…
History must not lie
By Shahid Javed Burki EVER since gaining independence Pakistan has done a remarkable job of either ignoring its history or simply not telling the…
An agenda that does not deliver
South Asia is a region marked for its turbulent history and its endemic poverty and misgovernance. Much has been written about how certain states…
Myths, fables and lies: The murder of history in Pakistan
KK Aziz’s seminal study, – The Murder of History – is essential to understand what went wrong in Pakistan. The most worrying sign of…
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…
We’re all to blame for lawlessness
I have been quoted in this report – on law and order in Pakistan (the backdrop is World Justice Report). My quotes are slightly…
Fables of Nationalism
Published here: The recent hullabaloo over the Delhi Commonwealth Games has been followed with much interest in Pakistan. Many have gloated over the inability…
Living in Denialistan
The recent attack on Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine is another reminder of the plain truth that the Pakistani state needs to focus on its…
The barbarians have attacked another shrine – no respite for Karachi
Karachi’s famous shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi was attacked a while ago. Over 60 people are injured and 12 are dead. After Lahore’s Data…
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…
Unpacking the governance debate
If the intent of the unregulated media and a recalcitrant establishment is to dismiss the government to achieve better governance then this is at…
Preparing an early recovery plan
Cumulative estimates of losses are increasing (initial estimates have gone beyond $15 billion) and over 20 million people have been displaced in 71 districts…
Collapsing Local Governance
Recent floods have exposed the capacity of the state to govern, especially at the local level. The disintegration of local state is not a…
Ardent messiah lovers and regime change in Pakistan
Erosion of public institutions under authoritarian regimes is an undeniable lesson of our history. At a time when al Qaeda and its cohorts are…