More than 150 lost their lives in the run-up to the elections and on election day itself, scores were injured. Despite fear and intimidation, by lining up to vote the populace signalled their readiness to be stakeholders in the destiny of the nation and willing to confront the challenges. PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan made an…
Notwithstanding PPP and ANP desperately trying to avoid impending rout by delaying the electoral process, approximately 86 million people will be eligible to decide the country’s fate on Saturday May 11, 2013. Kayani put to rest widespread doubts by reiterating the army’s commitment supporting the election schedule, 70000 troops fanning out to deploy in sensitive…
Other than the “electables” of the feudal kind, every Province has its own ethnic, racial and sectarian electoral dynamics, our extremely defective “first past the post” system force-multiplies the problems of governance. Out of the nearly 35 million cast in 2008 (out of nearly 85 million) PPP got a little more than 10 million i.e….
Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. It has had been terrifying the state and people alike around the world in the past. Vested socio-economic, geo-political and geo-strategic conflicting interests have been the main reasons of this menace. It has been projected as struggle between the virtue and vice. It has been persisted battlefield between dragons…
Drone is a milder terminology used for the ‘Unarmed Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) being employed by the CIA and other clandestine troops on behalf of American Department of Defence. One wonders whether this class of undeclared combatants are covered by the UN mandate that authorised the use of military force in Afghanistan. Surely, there is…
“A shrewd person sees trouble coming and avoids it; The ignorant walk right into it and pay the price.” King Solomon son of King David Several countries of the Middle East have seen dramatic changes in the last two years; this has changed the strategic environment of Israel. On April 28, 2013, the Jerusalem Post…
After over sixty six years of independence, some people still raise the fundamental question: Why was Pakistan created? Muslims and Hindus lived in India for centuries relatively peacefully. However despite many cultural, social commonalties both maintained their distinct identity. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah initially joined Congress and was known as ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, but…
Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. Sun Tzu. Yaum-e-Shuhada is being observed throughout Pakistan on April 30. The purpose of observing this day is that Pakistanis as a nation…
Similar to other Islamists in the several parts of the Muslim world, Pakistani Islamists have also used intolerant and exclusivist rhetoric. They have abused religion in a heavy-handed manner as the dominating tool of their political ideology and have confined religious concepts and values to certain parties and groups, nationalizing, modernizing, Islamizing and politicizing them….
Pak-Afghan relations have an interesting dynamics; just when there is a feeler of improvement, they nosedive into another crisis. Nonetheless, it is encouraging that soon after each crisis, both Islamabad and Kabul resume taking measured steps to bring the ties back on track. Latest rupture came last month when Afghanistan’s presidential spokesperson Aimal Faizi said…
