Elites, legislators and squanderers
Pakistan is ruled and controlled by predatory elites in whose hands power and wealth are concentrated. This has been proved in the recent election of 54 members of Senate where…
Judges as legislators
Under our constitution, parliament legislates, the executive runs the government of the day and the judges decide when either of the other two has overstepped its domain. The power of…
To potential legislators
In a democratic society, the stance of the contenders for the country’s supreme legislative body should be driven by the issues that the nation is facing. The primary qualification of…
Panama Leaks and legislators
Much before Bahamas Leaks and Panama Leaks, we cited in these columns many cases of unlawful capital outflows, tax avoidance and corruption by public officeholders and others. However, the National…
Tax evasion and legislators
Allegation of the Federal Information Minister in a press conference on November 27, 2014 that Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, and other prominent leaders of his party are "tax…
Legislators and tax delinquency
The recently-published tax directory of legislators not only sadly reflects on the financial affairs of majority of the senators and members of national and provincial assemblies but also raises serious…
Judges as legislators
In ‘Blink’ Malcom Gladwell suggests that human beings generally reach decisions intuitively and instantly upon being confronted with the need to reach them and then come up with explanations rationalising…
ATA won’t deter terrorism
IN September 2023, 22-year-old Akram (not his real name) was picked up from his home in Karachi by men in plain clothes. He was blindfolded and taken to a building…
Time to deliver
During the last week of September, as Climate Week turned New York City into a hub of panel discussions, protests, and policy announcements, I felt both inspired and unsettled. It…
A constitutional moment
When women parliamentarian moved for leave to introduce the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking changes to Articles 51 and 106, it was easy for many to dismiss the motion as…
