Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. Sun Tzu. Yaum-e-Shuhada is being observed throughout Pakistan on April 30. The purpose of observing this day is that Pakistanis as a nation…
After over sixty six years of independence, some people still raise the fundamental question: Why was Pakistan created? Muslims and Hindus lived in India for centuries relatively peacefully. However despite many cultural, social commonalties both maintained their distinct identity. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah initially joined Congress and was known as ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, but…
Iron Dome is the latest and smallest of Israel’s anti missile systems, also known as Iron Cap. It is a mobile all-weather air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., in conjunction with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Designed to intercept incoming rockets, long-range artillery fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers…
During general elections in Pakistan every major political party advocates popular policies and catchy slogans like roti, kapra aur makan (bread, clothing and shelter) in order to win public support. In other words, they try to win elections to implement their preferred policies. In both cases, the aim is to govern. Religious parties are no…
Afghanistan is passing through unfortunate times. Three streams of fragile transition are in progress; all in an indecent haste to meet the 2014 timeline. These are in security, political and economic domains. Though political transition holds the key to success; it is the patchiest of all. Transfer of power to President Karzai’s successor having enough…
As opposed to the 15th of March (the Roman “Ides of March”), the entire month of March seems linked with Pakistan’s destiny. March 23 marks the 1940 Resolution for the muslims of South Asia aspiring for a separate homeland, the fateful Army action in Dhaka in 1971 started late evening of March 25. By early…
The phrase “may you live in interesting times” is a Chinese curse heaped on an enemy. Frederic Coudert quotes an unknown British diplomat in 1936, “no age has been fraught with more insecurity than our present time”, three years later the Second World War ravaged the world between 1939 and 1945. We in Pakistan have…
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…
Dear Readers,Not too long ago, former President Pervez Musharraf was called ‘America’s most important ally in the war on terrorism’ by the Bush administration. Since then many things have changed and for Musharraf it has been downhill all the way after his return to Pakistan from self exile. By ignoring pleas and warnings by his…
The Nov 26, 2011 Salala incident when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed on an attack by US Apache helicopters, an AC-130 gunship and two F- I5E fighter aircraft on two Pakistani border outposts capped a hard six months after Osama Bin Laden was disposed off in a US raid on his secret hideaway in Abbottabad…
