Fortress Islamic Republic
Islamabad diary From old habit some of us keep beating the drums of national renewal. We have become prescription artists – this should happen, that should be done, this reform…
Inequalities of the Islamic Republic
I have a problem with my editors who despite being very bright and enlightened folk otherwise – certified champions of democracy, for one – in some respects still live in…
Courage as defined in the Islamic Republic’
In the annals of bravery this must rank very high: brainwashing virtual kids into strapping suicide vests around their bodies and blowing them up as per the directions of their…
The ‘One Per Cent Republic’
IN a Tedx talk I gave last year, I argued that Pakistan shouldn’t be called the Islamic Republic but rather the One Per Cent Republic. Opportunities, power and wealth here…
From republic to emirate
On August 15, we woke up to a new world; the Taliban had seized control of Kabul as the government in Afghanistan disintegrated and the president left the country. The…
The Republic versus an emirate
As the Afghanistan fiasco deepens, many important voices have sought to understand and analyse the day-to-day situation in Afghanistan, and how Pakistan should handle the challenges posed by what looks…
Trump walks away from Syria – and Republican allies
Donald Trump's abrupt reversal of policy in Syria plunged his presidency into even deeper isolation Monday, right when the ex-real estate tycoon needs all the allies he can get to…
Islamic banking
Pakistan's economy has been experiencing pressure since past few years. The country's current account deficit swelled by 43% to highest-ever level of $18 billion in the fiscal year ended June…
Wolf dens, not lone wolves, the norm in US Islamic State plots
If Omar Mateen acted alone in plotting the massacre of 49 people at Orlando's Pulse gay night-club, he would be the exception rather than the rule in US cases involving…
