An ideological shift?
THE recent suppression of the ultra-radical Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) by state institutions has raised a series of intriguing questions. What compelled the state to act so decisively against a group once seen…
The terrain of transformation
As a key concept of social theory, the civil society has remained a Western construct for the most part of our contemporary history of politics and development. My previous article…
The terrain of transformation
As a key concept of social theory, the civil society has remained a Western construct for the most part of our contemporary history of politics and development. My previous article…
Catalysts for social transformation
The traditional approaches of service delivery adopted by NGOs are fast losing credence in a world that is shaped by a benign ideological coercion. NGO-led mega projects of social services…
A transformational leader, unfortunately
Looking back, it now seems strange that during her first couple of years as prime minister, Margaret Thatcher was widely viewed as something of an aberration. In 1981, with unemployment…
The shadow of neo-Zionism
In a tragic twist of history, the Jewish people, once liberated from Babylonian captivity by a Persian king, now find themselves locked in a destructive confrontation with the heirs of…
Opposition alliance but for what?
Pakistan has a troubled history with democracy, often oscillating between civilian rule and military interventions. Opposition alliances, usually formed under the banner of restoring democracy, have paradoxically played a role…
A big transition
IT is hard to imagine how someone changes the course of their life — more so when that person is a top jihadist leader on the world’s most-wanted terrorist lists…
Misplaced optimism?
PAKISTAN can take comfort in the decision taken by Iran and Saudi Arabia, after mediation by China, to restore diplomatic ties. Pakistan has long been struggling to maintain a balance…
The bare minimum
IS violence based on religious extremism a law-and-order problem or an ideological/cultural one? This debate is neither new, nor particularly unique to Pakistan’s context, but it remains an important one…
