Porous loans
“Rags make paper/ paper makes money/ Money makes banks/ Banks make loans/ Loans make beggars/ Beggars make rags” — an 18th-century poem, when paper was made from rags, not trees.…
Kelsen’s return
IF the government announces replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential one, would the reason suffice that many democracies in the world have presidential systems? And since parliamentary democracy in…
Essentials for foreign investments
Every investment carries risk, for which rule of law is essentially required. Agreements must be honoured and respected. In case of disagreements a fool-proof resolution mechanism should be available and…
An icon of the left: Part – I
Those who believe in progressive ideas are leaving us in quick succession. Rahat Saeed – one of the founders of the Irtiqa literary journal and a prominent mobilizer and trade…
Beyond the 26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution has sparked a range of reactions, receiving both criticism and acclaim. Critics argue that the amendment compromises the judiciary’s independence. The Secretary-General of the…
26th Amendment a ‘suicide attack’
The 1973 Constitution was enacted unanimously by a legislative assembly elected through free and fair elections held on December 07, 1970. There were no street protests to any clause of…
How was freedom won and lost?
Now that the first generation of Pakistanis is fading away, it is time to record our journey. The present generation that was born as free citizens to parents who were…
Speaking out in defence of IMF lending
Following the approval of a $7 billion funding agreement by International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board, there is a certain amount of optimism that this bailout takes care of all the…
26th Amendment and judicial balance
The British Empire spawned the three federations of Canada, Australia and India almost under similar laws enacted in 1867, 1901 and 1935 respectively. The Indian federation was partitioned in 1947…
Moment of truth
“ALL authoritarian regimes encounter resistance to their rule in one form or another, and all respond with a mixture of repression and co-optation,” wrote Francis Fukuyama in his 2014 magnum…
