Waging guerilla warfare against the Mughals in the 18th century, the Khalsa Sikhs would cross the canals in the Punjab over temporary wooden bridges to launch surprise attacks, while retreating they would quickly dismantle these bridges by uprooting (Chak De) the wooden planks (Phatte) to prevent being chased. The phrase “Chak De Phatte” is commonly…
There is a lot of speculation about the PM’s possible visit to New Delhi on Monday May 26 to attend Narendra Singh Modi’s inauguration as Prime Minister of India. Any exchange between Pakistan and India assumes symbolic proportions, arousing considerable comment and analysis thereof. Even though the invitation went to all SAARC member countries, Modi’s…
The son of Late Brig Mohammad Ahmad (later DG IB and author of “My Chief”, a biography of Field Marshal Ayub Khan) and one of my closest friends since childhood, Col (Retd) Salman Ahmad has fought more battles than anyone else in Pakistan Army’s history. Starting with Bedian with I E Bengal in the 1965…
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…
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….
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…
