Imran Khan in pole position
FIRST things first. Nobody can condemn enough a violent attempt to physically harm or kill a political leader regardless of the severity of disagreement with their views. One can only…
Perils of punditry
IF the government decides to call for elections just a few days shy of the current parliament’s term-end, the caretaker administration will have 90 days in which to complete the…
Season of political realignments
WHAT does the recent flurry of political activity signify? A new and more intense phase of political manoeuvring? Stepped up efforts by political parties to mobilise support to strengthen their…
Imagine, just imagine…
THIS beloved country of ours never ceases to surprise us with the possibilities it offers. The imagination at work is often good enough to beat the unlikeliest fable. The clinching…
Divided in a national emergency
WHEN calamities strike it usually unites nations. Not so this time in Pakistan. The worst floods in the country’s history should have urged political rivals to set aside their partisan interests and…
The Iron Throne
MUSICAL chairs is a game designed for children but played by politicians. In the kindergarten aka Islamabad, an oily cleric, a former president, untested aspirants, even a former chief minister…
Party dictatorship?
AS the marathon television transmissions continue to report remark after remark of the Supreme Court matched only by the running commentary of a cricket match on the edge, one thing…
Unpacking the youth bulge
FOR this week, let me confess at the beginning that I have nothing to offer on the mess that is Punjab, the courts and the bayanias, or narratives, our parties…
Justice on trial
IN an unprecedented move, the ruling coalition on Monday decided to boycott the proceedings of the apex court expressing “lack of confidence” in the judges hearing the case on the…
Political meltdown
THE high drama of Punjab’s constitutional crisis reached a climax with the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the deputy Speaker’s action in the provincial assembly and held this to be “without…
