China: developing a strong socialist culture
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the development…
Taxes, inflation & social welfare
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has achieved a historic milestone of collecting taxes of Rs 4.17 trillion in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, for which…
Corona and the socialisation of losses
The coronavirus has clearly exposed the flaws in our system which cares less for the health of all and more for ruining peoples’ lives everywhere by spending huge amounts on…
A social democratic alternative
The mainstream parliamentary parties are being eroded as the alignment of democratic forces breaks down and the Charter of Democracy evaporates at the altar of expediency. With this erosion, the…
Regulating social media
The arrival of the internet is, no doubt, the most defining moment in our history. Social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp, have become powerful instruments to play…
Bilawal’s quest for a social democratic agenda
We had an intense discussion with Bilawal Bhutto at the end of the PPP’s provincial and national bodies’ meetings, attended by over 20,000 enthusiastic activists, in Lahore. What will be…
Romance for socialism?
Punjab Assembly has just passed the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Amendment) Act 2016. It is the successor of an ordinance with the same title, promulgated in 2015. This law requires…
Social media war
A Couple of months ago I wrote on these pages vis-à-vis the need to think critically about new information technologies and how they will shape life on the planet in…
Building social capital
The Framework for Economic Growth (FEG) that was approved by the National Economic Council in 2011-12 was never seriously pursued by the bureaucracy and has since fallen into disuse (never…
Social contract
There are many theories about the origin of the state and its role in the life of its citizens. One view is that the state is inherently an oppressive institution,…
