Facing multiple crisis simultaneously, most of them man-made, Pakistan’s workforce and institutions remain amazingly resilient. In many ways PIA is symbolic of the nation it is the national flag carrier of. Beset by extraordinary interference over the years, both during military and civilian rule, thanks to the competency of its core staff PIA is still…
An imperfect electoral exercise copied from western models our democracy has very little relevance to the local environment or the “genius of the people”. The “first past the post system” does not ascertain the real majority, the “run-off” measure does. Negating “proportional representation” bedevils good governance. PML (N) obtained 14.9 million votes in 2013, 32%…
While thankfully Imran Khan’s injury was not life threatening, it has immobilized him for the time being. One should be grateful that it was an accident rather than a security incident. However security guards were involved, therefore one must look at all the aspects of personal protection afresh, particularly when it involves the security and…
Twice Mian Nawaz Sharif was unjustifiably stopped from completing his stipulated term as PM, he has now taken oath of office again. Acquiring a “heavy mandate” in his 1997 comeback, Mian Sahib proceeded to do all the things he should not have, mostly getting rid of anybody who he thought stood in his way to…
Even as the democratically elected government led by the PPP became the first civilian government to complete its tenure, one finds very little to cheer about its performance in office. This was evident on August 29, 2012 when Syed Munawar Hasan the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer ridiculed President Zardari’s claim of having served the cause of democracy….
“China and Pakistan have shaped a paradigm of neighbour-to-neighbour relations. Their time-tested friendship, described by some as “higher than the mountains and deeper than the oceans,” is not just a bunch of empty words,” a commentary in the state-run Xinhua news agency said as Premier Li Keqiang began his short visit to Pakistan on Wednesday,…
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….
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…
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…
The US agenda with Pakistan pre-9/11 was, in order of priority viz (1) nuclear non-proliferation (2) terrorism and (3) drugs, with the Taliban government in Afghanistan figuring prominently in the last two issues. The reason for our nuclear assets and the means to deliver them is not complicated, we live in a very tough neighbourhood…
