The age of political essentialism
One would have thought the divisive political discourse that prevailed before Election 2018 would gradually phase out after the polls. But the polarisation between the supporters and opponents of the…
A paean to the campus
There, our granddaughter Mahnoor pointed with her eyes. I looked up. The traffic sign said: ‘Reserved for Nobel Laureate’. That was a parking space. Not just one but five spaces…
Online foot soldiers
AMIDST worsening ties between India and Pakistan, a noticeable feature was the differences in how citizens of both countries responded to the threat and fallout of violence. Pakistanis mostly, though not exclusively,…
Closing the year with Ayaz Melo: Part – II
In the first part of my keynote address titled ‘From extremism to toleration’ at the 10th Ayaz Melo in Hyderabad, I discussed the various types of extremism such as cultural,…
What does the SCO Summit offer us?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has become a powerful regional forum, bringing together countries with significant geopolitical and economic influence. Founded in 2001, the SCO initially aimed to address security…
Student unions
ON Feb 9, 1984, Gen Ziaul Haq dealt an existential blow to Pakistan when he banned student unions. They were never truly restored though several civilian governments followed him and…
Pakistan’s best option
The global economy has gone through multiple stages of development – from laissez-faire to neoliberalism, passing through the socialist concept of central planning that leads towards a closed economy. The…
Recalibrating governance – Part III
A major departure has to be made in the deployment of civil servants. Instead of senior, qualified and courteous officers being assigned to secretariat positions and junior, rude, unqualified functionaries…
Lula returns?
Brazilian voters will have to return to the polls for a presidential runoff as none of the leading candidates managed to muster the required numbers in the first round. On…
A snub to the BJP
For the first time in the last eight years, the BJP government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succumbed to foreign pressure and removed two spokespersons for making derogatory…
