Vladimir Putin “Anyone who does not regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart...”
Barack Obama “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition...”
Militants affiliated to the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been on the run for sometime now after losing their strongholds in Swat and the rest of Malakand region, South Waziristan, Frontier Region Bannu and parts of the tribal areas of Kurram, Khyber, Mohmand and Darra Adamkhel. Recently, they lost almost all of Bajaur due to [...]
Why must I continue to dwell on the VIPs? Only because they are a social evil number one. We need an antidote to the virus they suffer from, found only in the Third World. It’s been largely eradicated from the developed world. Anyone inventing a cure deserves the Nobel Prize. The disease is as fatal [...]
It is amusing to note that there has not been a thorough discussion in the media on the army chief’s decision to give extension in service to a couple of lieutenant generals on his own — something which has major implications for the state.
The little that has appeared in the print media indicates that Gen [...]
It is unfortunate that Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor hijacked a successful trip by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Riyadh.
Tharoor’s remark that Saudi Arabia could be an interlocutor for talks between New Delhi and Islamabad was embarrassing.
Tharoor may be indiscreet but I suspect that somehow, he got the impression that the prime [...]
It was called the ‘New Left.’ Emerging in Britain in the 1950s, the New Left was the left’s disparaging response to the authoritarian tendencies of Marxism mainly symbolised by so-called ‘Stalinism’. The New Left revisited Marxist doctrines and attempted to bring them more in line with concepts like liberal democracy.
The New Left criticised both western [...]
I couldn’t believe my ears when responsible quarters informed me of an American-Blackwater conspiracy to isolate Pakistan.
According to this heinous plan the objective will be achieved by infiltrating the media, specifically through placing people in responsible positions in the print and electronic media. These plants will then be made responsible for freaking out ordinary people.
While [...]
A comparative study of the codified American, Canadian, Australian, Saudi Arabian and Indian constitutions, together with a glance through the unwritten British Constitution, reveals that stability of character is the basic qualification required to qualify as a parliamentarian anywhere around the globe.
Although, pre-requisites such as age restrictions and nationality etc are common in both written [...]
The territory comprising Bangladesh was once a part of Pakistan. There were more Muslims within its borders than in the western wing of the country. Yet, this religious bond was not enough to keep the two together.
The separation was traumatic. It was accompanied by death and destruction. The religious political parties in erstwhile East Pakistan [...]
The military to military relations between the US and Pakistan seems to be gradually improving. There is a greater level of mutual confidence and less talk of “do more”. This has been achieved by enhanced cooperation at operational and intelligence level and is benefiting both sides. It seems sharing is taking place even at the [...]
Two things: first, there can’t be democracy without transparency. Second, democracy can’t allow the murder of her own mother. No government, therefore, is a democracy unless it ‘implements a set of policies and procedures that allow citizens to have accessibility and understandability’ of each and every entity within the government. A ‘democracy’ is not a [...]
At a juncture when the debt and poverty-ridden Pakistan direly needs to probe the corruption of its ruling elite since its inception in 1947 and at a time when the nation unanimously wants to see conspiracies like the East Pakistan tragedy getting unearthed and the guilty identified, time perhaps has come to learn lessons from [...]
The American oligarchy spares no pains in promoting the belief that it does not exist, but the success of its disappearing act depends on equally strenuous efforts on the part of an American public anxious to believe in egalitarian fictions and unwilling to see what is hidden in plain sight.
– Michael Lind, To Have and [...]
The self-styled and inappropriately named “Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms” has been trying to keep itself in the news lately. It was formed in June last year and given the job of making recommendations to implement the Charter of Democracy. It has been in existence for eight months but is still far from completing its [...]
Step back and just think. It had to happen. Sooner than later. How could the Americans, British and Saudis with the blessings of Benazir Bhutto, ISI chief General Kayani and Musharraf’s man Tariq Aziz ever condone corruption? And yet they did. In the summer of 2007 Washington was the watering hole where the group would [...]
There have been three major occasions when the Pakistani middle-class has broken away from its traditionally conservative disposition to come out and announce its ‘revolutionary’ political aspirations.
The first incident of demonstrating political assertiveness was in the late 1960s when the bulk of the youth began to air their grievances against Pakistan’s military-industrialist nexus headed by [...]
In the late ‘70s, Indian superstar Amitabh Bachan was known as the ‘angry young man’ of Bollywood. His motto: If it moves, kick it; if it sneers, kill it; if it smiles, kiss it. In the ‘90s, Mian Nawaz Sharif took over as the angry-lost-young man of Pakistani politics. His motto: if it’s red-black-green, bash [...]
Politics and political life are being transformed across the world by the dynamics of the digital era. The broadcast media’s reach and direct action by citizens and civil society using the media and communication technology are changing the nature of political engagement. This is encroaching upon the traditional sphere of political parties, which are no [...]
Pakistan is facing various kinds of armed conflicts presently. With the Taliban and Al-Qaeda using suicide bombers to achieve their goals in this region, our armed forces along with NATO forces are busy in clearing out militants and terrorists.
However, today we won’t talk about terrorism acts carried out by militant organisation. Rather, we will discuss [...]
According to a strategic assessment of security operations in Afghanistan prepared by U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Ret.) on Dec 9, 2009, the Taliban believe they are winning.
Additionally, the Afghan people do not know whether the current government or the Taliban will prevail. The population, particularly the majority Pashtuns, are hedging their bets. Most Afghans [...]
A Couple of months ago while walking through the F-9 park in Islamabad I met a young undergraduate studying information technology. He was critical of corrupt politics and the feudal mindset of the ruling elite. He was bitter about our leaders who he said do nothing but grab and exercise excessive power.
The conversation went fine [...]
Muhammad Yousuf & Younis Khan suspended indefinitely from playing cricket, others heavily fined
Eight powerful cartels refuse to cough up Rs 7 billion in fines and penalties
Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram & Ijaz Ahmed are being utilized after clearance: Ijaz Butt
Miss Captive Beauty 2010: 22-year-old crowned in Cereso prison beauty pageant
Pakistan beat Hong Kong to enter 2nd round of Davis Cup
Low-budget Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker” sweeps Oscars & makes history
Sialkot Stallions, Faisalabad Wolves set-up Twenty20 final
