Politics over economics
This is the second of a two-part series on Pakistani administration’s focus on domestic factors while ignoring external factors which have a much greater relevance in formulation of our domestic…
The era of old politics is over
The political landscape of Pakistan over the last five decades has reached a critical juncture, with its major political parties either in decline or approaching irrelevance. The Pakistan Peoples Party…
Playing politics with May 9
THE latest wave of arrests of senior PTI leaders following the party’s recent show of strength in Islamabad is a reminder of the escalating political tension in the country. What is happening…
Inherent internal conflict in IMF programmes as the elephant in the room
In its first review of the ongoing Standby Arrangement (SBA) programme with Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund (IMF, or simply the ‘Fund’) emphasized continuation of monetary and fiscal austerity policies…
Politics in Balochistan
A tug of war over bagging the future coalition government in Balochistan has already started between the PPP and PML-N, leading to some confusion among electables over which one of…
Polarized politics needs a healing touch
Pakistan was envisioned as a democratic and progressive nation by its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but its chequered history has defied this founding ideal. Aside from the choices made in…
Cults, the elite and national politics
We are seeing a phase in our history where people continue to seek a messiah who can rescue them from their present set of woes. These woes include the hyperinflation…
Politics and the Pakistani diaspora
Historically, ‘diaspora’ had a very specific meaning – mostly ascribed to Jews and Armenians’ dispersions around the world – epitomizing the historical oppression and neglect these communities had to face…
A new kind of politics
Close your eyes for a bit and you’re in the dark because you’ve missed some kind of political development in Pakistan. Take an overseas flight, and you’ve done the same.…
Politics and Bretton Woods institutions
‘The “Doing Business” controversy has shaken confidence in the World Bank and the IMF. But it must not obscure the real problems with the Bretton Woods institutions: the disproportionate power of…
