Past to the present
IT’S been a year since the election, an election which sprung a surprise. And then those who yield power sprung an even bigger surprise. From the changing of results to the defanging of the…
Autocracy on the march
The portents point to an overwhelming march towards autocracy. A country in the throes of unremitting crises in the political, economic and social fields will inevitably give rise to opposition…
American exceptionalism
What happens when a nation feels imprisoned in its own myths? Perhaps it starts considering itself as an exceptional nation. That is the subject matter of a new book by…
The 26th Amendment in judicial focus: Part – I
There are multiple ways to look at the 26th Constitutional Amendment that Pakistan’s parliament passed on Oct 21, 2024. Since the passage of the 25th Amendment in May 2018, there…
Trump or Harris?
A WEEK from today, nervous tension will be spiking within and beyond the US as the results roll in from what has been hyped up as the most consequential election…
After neoliberalism
SLOWLY but surely, the signs of a global political and cultural realignment are becoming apparent. Several commentators trace the origins of this realignment to events of the last two and…
The grand delusion
A LONG-STANDING narrative has been in play in the country that Pakistan’s myriad development challenges and sub-Saharan African under-performance have been entirely due to a weak economy. This narrative does…
Land of constitutional frauds
“For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law” — Óscar R. Benavides THE spectre of violence and chaos haunts Pakistan. Never before in Pakistan’s history have three types of…
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
Enforced Disappearances (EDs) have been frequently used as a strategy to spread fear and terror in a society, according to the UN. By now, the world body argues, it has…
A fitting metaphor for Gaza
MADELEINE Albright once appeared for an interview for CBS 60 Minutes with Lesley Stahl. She was asked about the tragic effect of US sanctions on Iraqi children. “We have heard…
