Provincial autonomy
PROVINCIAL autonomy has always been an ultra-sensitive subject in Pakistan. The country was split in 1971 primarily because we failed to manage the just expectations of the erstwhile eastern province of Pakistan.…
A bit of history
Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have been improving since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in August 2024. The thaw in bilateral ties, however, doesn’t render irrelevant…
A bit of history
Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have been improving since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in August 2024. The thaw in bilateral ties, however, doesn’t render irrelevant…
Man-made virus
LORD Acton’s adage should read that power corrupts, but the absence of power corrupts absolutely. Wealth has become a step up in the ladder to power. Tainted wealth is the…
Arbitrating the space
Outer space is no longer a silent frontier of exploration. It is rapidly transforming into a bustling commercial domain, where private enterprise has joined states in advancing humanity’s celestial ambitions.…
Mirza and the lost republic
In Pakistan’s political folklore, Iskander Ali Mirza carries a reputation forged by repetition rather than examination. He is cast as the man who ‘invited the army into politics’, the civilian…
It wasn’t just bad choices
October has the dubious distinction of being the month in Pakistan’s history in which the democratic order was uprooted twice. On October 8, 1958, Iskandar Mirza, Pakistan’s first president, clamped…
Money is green
The promise of a green transition has become a key narrative of our time. Despite persistent climate denialism, governments, corporations, and multilateral institutions present themselves as champions of sustainability, climate…
The revolution that made a superpower
The Chinese take the first week of October off to celebrate the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The establishment of the PRC was the fruit…
Mirza, Ayub and the IWT
Where Mirza had stalled, Ayub expedited. Ayub told President Eisenhower that “the talks were going well and would soon result in an agreement” and explicitly welcomed US and Bank financial…
