It’s all lies’; migrants stuck at Polish border feel cheated by people smugglers
Syrian friends Anas Kanaan, 34, and Mouein al-Hadi, 36, were told by people smugglers that they would easily be able to get to Germany from Belarus. They just had to…
Of smugglers and kingpins: Southeast Asia’s big money trade in humans
Around $1,100 should have secured passage for each of the Rohingya migrants who were found adrift in the Andaman Sea - victims of a dark trade in humans that pivots…
Diagnosing organised crime
WHAT may appear as disparate events carried out by separate criminal syndicates are in fact manifestations of the overarching phenomenon of organised crime. For instance, the recent devastating floods in Swat, often…
A fragile truce
At dawn on a cool October morning, officials in Islamabad and Kabul performed a rare ritual in the history of their troubled frontier: they agreed to keep talking. After five…
The war we don’t talk about
Pakistan is quietly confronting a crisis that has taken root across its schools, homes, and streets. Drug abuse, once a problem whispered about in hushed tones, has now escalated into…
3 policy decisions in the dock
Three news items this week past should be a source of serious concern to the country’s stakeholders: SBP’s decision to purchase USD 8 billion from the open market to shore…
Town and country
“The antagonism between town and country begins with the transition from barbarism to civilisation, from tribe to State, from locality to nation, and runs through the whole history of civilisation…
Could we do better?
How could a nation blessed with vast natural resources remain poor for as long as Pakistan has? Is our financial situation the result of our incompetence? Most of us grew…
The state of the economy
The good news is that, as per the national accounts committee’s numbers, the provisional GDP growth rate for the current fiscal year (2021-22) is 5.97 per cent. The bad news…
Sinking dreams
OVER the past few years, several tragic incidents have occurred involving boats carrying Pakistani migrants attempting to reach Europe through irregular channels. On June 14, 2023, the Adriana, an overcrowded…
