The compelling feedback one gets soon after arriving in Moscow is that whatever reservations the Russians may have about Vladimir Putin’s autocratic style of governance notwithstanding, they are united behind him on Crimea and the Ukraine. In his broken English our driver described with great gusto how Putin had snatched Russia’s Crimea back from foreign…
Dear Readers,Karachi, once known as the “City of Lights” now reels under the sway of criminal and terrorist elements. Darkness has settled over this city, literally and figuratively — load shedding for hours on end has given rise to untold miseries, affecting economic and commercial activities while acts of terrorism now occur almost daily. Common…
The exercise of universal franchise in the war conditions prevailing in Afghanistan has been a tremendous landmark, not only for the Afghans themselves but for countries like Pakistan on the receiving end of every evil conceivable emanating from Afghanistan for nearly 35 years. With two of the eight Presidential candidates on course to get nearly…
The murderous attack on Raza Rumi in Lahore in which his driver died was claimed by militant extremists, so was the subsequent threat to veteran media personality Imtiaz Alam. While the motive and responsibility for the dastardly assault on Hamid Mir in Karachi is still a matter of speculation, the threat to the freedom of…
Considered one of the fastest evolving industries the world over, the growth of private security, especially after 9/11, is directly related to serious concerns about crime, vandalism and incidents of terrorism in Pakistan. Established mostly by retired defense forces and police officers with meager financial resources, most companies not surprisingly lack the advanced technical know-how…
The first time I saw Ross Perot Sr was during the graduation of my son Zarrar from Boston University in 1994, the US Presidential Candidate for 1992 was the Commencement Speaker. This day was a high note for me personally, my son Zarrar was graduating “Summa Cum Laude”, topping Boston University in both his Majors,…
Shell shock and combat fatigue are medical conditions common during violent conflict. Anyone going through the horrifying experience of being fired upon and have six bullets lodged in his body (two of them still there) would be in a state of trauma. Before slipping into unconsciousness at the hospital Hamid Mir made some startling allegations….
Dear Readers, There are many, way too many things that are going wrong in Pakistan; it faces numerous problems many of which sadly are of its own making. This is in no way unique to Pakistan, all countries without exception face difficult situations, some are self-mode but with time and good governance, these are overcome….
According to a handout accompanying an excellent stamp taken out by the Pakistan Post Office (PPO) commemorating the re-naming of PAF Base Mianwali, MM Alam was “Top Gun of his own class, war hero, a committed professional, scholar par excellence, a patriotic Pakistani, an icon and a role model not only for the PAF airmen…
The TTP has been insisting till very recently that they represented all the groups committing terror in Pakistan. Only when the terrorist acts continued unabated after the negotiations started that the TTP (and their vocal sympathizers) changed tack and started distancing themselves from the sporadic violence. Even then only proforma regret was expressed. It took…
