The Magna Carta, or the “Charter of Liberties”, limiting the King’s power and strengthening the rights of nobles was agreed to by King John at Runnymede near London on June 15, 1215. Brokered by the Archbishop of Canterbury and meant to rein in rebellious barons, without any sincere intent John was simply playing for time…
“Theologians may quarrel, but the mystics of the world speak the same language.”Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) Every religion has two aspects; one deals with outward rituals and legal codes while the other with mystical aspect of contemplation and self-improvement. Mysticism tries to bridge the gap of understanding between an eternal divine entity and a finite universe…
For a country blessed with many rivers, the perennial scarcity of water in Pakistan is because of the shortage of storage capacity. While problematic presently, a full blown crisis is not so far in the distant future. While all provinces face shortages of water, Balochistan stands out as the most affected. This looming disaster can…
The recent developments in the global and regional arena are troublesome and dangerous that require careful attention from our policy makers on how to maneuver Pakistan’s foreign policy and military strategy from strategic positioning standpoint. There are certain deliberate attempts from the western bloc to pursue containment of China in order to carry over world’s…
On the evening of Oct 22, 2017 as I was entering Quetta Club with a CPNE delegation for a dinner hosted by the Speaker of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly Ms Rahila Durrani, my son Zarrar sent me a whatsapp snapshot of my three grandchildren in Halloween costumes from New York. By some odd coincidence fully…
Sardar Akhtar Mengal believes his six point formula submitted before the Supreme Court (SC) will bring about resolution of major issues in the province. However equating his charter with Sheikh Mujeebur Rahman’s six-points is deliberately stated for shock effect, it is very misleading. Mujeeb’s six points all but demanded independence from Pakistan, and eventually did…
The patterns of global power politics have started witnessing the growing cooperative ties between states at the trilateral and quadrilateral levels. This change has resulted in the emergence of various cooperative connections between territorially adjoining states beyond their traditional bilateral and multilateral collaborating frameworks. A recently held meeting among the government representatives of three neighboring…
The forthcoming BRICS Summit set to take place between August 22nd and 24th in Johannesburg, South Africa, has plunged into a whirlpool of international scrutiny due to an unforeseen twist. The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a pivotal actor within this coalition of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) has chosen to abstain…
Introduction Recently, a Quran burning incident took place outside Stockholm’s main mosque, this was condemned by Sweden’s government as an “Islamophobic” act. Islamophobia refers to the irrational fear, prejudice, or hatred towards Islam, Muslims, or Islamic culture. It is a term used to describe discrimination, bias, or negative attitudes and actions directed towards individuals or…
As far as détentes go, this one must be up there with the all-time greats. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been at loggerheads as far as memory can go. The leading Sunni and Shia powers in the region have even been at odds in the recent past as well. Consider. 2011 – During the Arab…
