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…
Navigating through political turmoil, uncertainty
The public at large has spoken, as independents backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have emerged as the largest political group in the 2024 elections despite all the pre-poll…
Courts, crises, controversies
One of the most significant features of the 18th Amendment was the withdrawal of the power to dissolve the National Assembly from the president. In 1985, this discretionary authority was…
Betraying political creators
Imran Khan was pampered, supported, sponsored, idealized, and brought into the shining political limelight from deep political obscurity. However, once in power, he played havoc with the country’s economy, politics,…
Saudi chess PR gambit checked by controversies
Saudi Arabia brushed aside rulings from top clerics to host a big money chess tournament, but the gambit to improve the kingdom's image has been jolted by regional powerplays. The…
Senate polls & political malaise
RECENT controversies over the form and nature of the Senate election lay bare some long-standing and fundamental problems with Pakistan’s political landscape. The first, and what some may call the…
This political theatre
Whatever is happening in Pakistan at this time seems so unreal. Or surreal, if you are distracted by the drama and the suspense provoked by the unfolding events. There is…
Political blunders
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been badly trapped in the marshes of his own political blunders and crimes. History shows that his tenures have lasted for not more than two…
Census controversies
A census is a quiet affair for most people in politically stable and institutionally strong countries, where the national head count runs relatively smooth and is reliably decennial. But in…
Facebook executives feel the heat of content controversies
After Facebook's removal of an iconic Vietnam war photo stirred an international uproar last month, the social network's executives quickly backtracked and cleared its publication. But the image - showing…
