Electricity, a basic necessity in today’s world, its fundamental right almost everywhere[1], but it has become increasingly unaffordable for the average person in Pakistan. Compared to the sharp rise in electricity prices in Pakistan, neighboring countries offer significantly lower rates – In Afghanistan, electricity costs 2.5 Afghanis (around Rs 3.92) per unit for up to…
IntroductionPakistan has recently witnessed a disturbing increase in suicides among individuals overwhelmed by unpaid electricity bills. The crisis reached its peak in August, resulting from a sharp rise in electricity prices, pushing many to tragic extremes as they struggled to manage their expenses. The already dire situation, aggravated by uncontrollable inflation, was further heightened by…
The Unseen and the Visible Everything the Koran says about the world can be considered a description of God’s acts but some statements are more general and some more specific. Some verses refer to many of the acts or all the acts, while others refer only to one or a few. Meditating upon the Koranic…
Over five years ago – I had written exhaustively on counter insurgency and counter terrorism policies, contextualizing them within the ambit of national security policy, national interests, national purpose and national identity. It was a time of hope and vigour and a sense that maybe something was in the air that will allow us to…
Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, women are deprived of educational access because of the Taliban perception and their misinterpretation of Islamic principles related to women’s education. The Taliban’s discriminatory policies not only promoted gender inequality and patriarchy but deprived women of their fundamental human right to education. The restrictions on women’s…
The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is sensitive in nature for a variety of reasons and for different sects of people across the border. Looking deeper, when late and recent ancient history is reviewed, we find different power poles crossing the Hindukush mountains and invading the subcontinent and this continued throughout the course of regional…
Throughout the recorded human history war has been a constant feature of our lives while there is also ample evidence to show that war existed even before humans could record and communicate their experience in language. As historian Michael Howard notes, the documented evidence indicates that war has been the universal norm in human history….
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a twoday visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) on July 19, 2024, for the first time since the 2000s, because Russia had earlier agreed to the UN Security Council’s sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program; these sanctions prevented Putin from visiting North Korea for…
Relations between Russia and North Korea have a long history. Both countries are neighbours; they share a border along the lower Tumen River, which is 17 kilometres long. When World War II ended, Korea, which had been a Japanese colony for 35 years, was liberated and then divided by the Soviet Union and US at…
In a lush green valley nestled between the mountains of the Himalayas lived a carpet weaver named Kalash. His village flourished, its threads woven from the vibrant lives of its people – the merchants, the artisans, the farmers. But a storm loomed, threatening to undo peace and tranquility. Murmurs of problems and whispers of discontent…
