Finance Bill 2017: Why tax exemption for political parties?
In a country where the Finance Minister is accused of money laundering [What did Ishaq Dar 'confess' to during the Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference in 2002, Dawn, April 20, 2017]…
A political shift
I was elected as a member of the National Assembly from the PML-N’s platform in 2013 under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. I had laid the foundation for the Pakistan…
Into the political thicket
Among the many problems that afflict us, two are particularly vexatious. One, whether it is individuals or institutions, we seem less interested in doing our own job and more interested…
Strengthening democracy and political parties – II
The military often takes over power swiftly and comfortably without any meaningful resistance either during or after the process of the take-over. Prime ministers are put behind bars and sent…
Lee’s vision and Pakistan
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore, believed in the importance of meritocracy, pragmatism, and honesty (MPH) as the cornerstones of good governance. His vision and leadership transformed…
Crumbling down
As the stock of problems faced by the country crosses the danger mark, it is being met with palpably diminishing resolve, making it abundantly clear that the incumbent conglomerate would…
Travesty of justice
The traditional council, or ‘jirga’, is known by different names in different languages in Pakistan – ‘faislo’ in Sindh and ‘panchayat’ in Punjab. The word ‘jirga’ is derived from the…
Recalibrating governance: Part – I
An economy is driven by the contributions and interactions of state, society and markets. Before we take up the agenda for recalibrating governance and institutions intermediating and administering governance and…
An inaccessible ideal
It is rightly said that justice delayed is justice denied. Our history is replete with incidents where delayed justice for victims of human rights violations has almost always resulted in…
Undoing a constitutional fraud
The April 7 order of the Supreme Court, quashing the deputy speaker’s ruling of April 3 and, as a consequence, the prime minister’s advice and the president’s action of dissolving…
