Chaired by Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, the Apex Committee was recently told by the DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, that out of the nearly Rs.230 billion collected illegally from hapless Karachi-ites annually on one pretext or other, a fair amount of it was being used to fund terrorism. This extraordinary generation…
Brimming with excitement bordering on the histrionics that one normally associates with political rallies, trusted Mian Nawaz Sharif kinsman, Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, presented what he insists is a “poor-friendly” Federal budget in the National Assembly (NA) on June 5. Detractors do not share the palpable enthusiasm of our “man for all seasons”, they…
The yearly Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Pakistan 129th out of 144 countries in 2014-15, this compares with 133rd out of 148 last year. GCR ranks countries on 15 pillars of competitiveness, the risks include (1) Basic Requirements (2) Institutions (3) Infrastructure (4) Macroeconomic environment (5) Health…
Dear Readers, The many ceasefire violations by Indian security forces on the Line of Control (LoC) over the last few months have caused at least go deaths and injuries, a majority being women and children. India has been whipping up hate against Pakistan for as long as one can remember; perhaps it has not forgiven…
Yet another tragedy of horrendous proportion struck Karachi when 45 Ismailis were massacred on 13th May in Safoora Goth; children were also among the injured. Over the past decade various sectarian and militant outfits have wreaked havoc through acts of extreme violence that have claimed thousands of lives, including personnel of the armed forces and…
Some interesting perceptions have emerged from the recent NA-246 by-elections, and subsequently elections for the Local Bodies (LBs) in 42 cantonments. Give Rangers credit, alongwith Karachi police they enforced extraordinary security arrangements. Given the MQM’s strength in organizing their voters in their stronghold, the NA election result was not a surprise. In contrast some voters…
Producing two hooded terror suspects before the media. Tahir Alias “Lamba” and “Mama” Junaid, purportedly from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), SSP Malir Rao Anwar claimed that they were trained in India by Indian spy agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing). That RAW has been engaged in terrorist attacks in Pakistan is not new nor…
Just when everything seemed to be coming good for Pakistan, the Army MI-17 crash in Naltar brought us literally and figuratively down to earth. What made this great tragedy different was that the Ambassadors of Norway and Philippines as well as the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian Ambassadors, lost their lives. Several other Ambassadors…
Immersed in turmoil for various reasons ever since the Arab Spring started with Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in Tunisia on Dec 18, 2010, separating the permutations and combinations of allies and foes in the Middle East given any country or sub-region is mind-boggling. Beset with multiple crises ourselves, mostly of our own making, we are desperately…
Pakistan’s geo-strategic crossroads location connecting China with South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia was confirmed by the signing of agreements pertaining to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Islamabad. Envisaging construction of roads, rails and power plants, nearly US$ 35 billion (of the US$46 million)…
