Flawed deportation policy
PAKISTAN had set Sept 1, 2025, as the deadline for Afghan migrants to return to Afghanistan. This is the culmination of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan that started in November 2023. Even those…
State & religious extremism
PAKISTAN has banned the TLP again. It is the second time in four years that the violent religio-political group has been outlawed. The action has been taken by the federal government after the group…
Lawfare against Farhatullah Babar
In one of my previous columns (‘Lawfare limited to warfare unlimited’, March 30, 2025) we discussed how states tend to use the law as a means to stifle dissenting voices.…
The rule of law
LIFE in developed countries pivots around the rule of law. Every citizen is subjected to the same laws, and no one is above the law. However, despite full consensus on…
Religious prisons
A JIRGA in northern Pakistan bans women from visiting tourist spots. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan continues to deny education to girls as well as freedom to work or go…
The law must prevail
The searing images of the Madyan barbarity continue to haunt us. These are at par with the Sialkot tragedy where a Sri Lankan was beaten to death and burnt. Had…
Climate and the religious lens
The condition of Pakistani cities shows that we are suffering from an intellectual, professional and moral crisis. There is a sense that the existing government institutions and people cannot be…
Morocco law reform offers hope for women’s rights
Two decades after a landmark but limited revision of Morocco’s family law marked a breakthrough for women, activists hope new reforms will defy Islamist objections and provide greater equality. The…
Activist investors fret over Exxon Mobil’s lawsuit bypassing US regulator
Investors that use shareholder resolutions to pressure companies on environmental and social issues said they are worried that an Exxon Mobil lawsuit bypassing the US securities regulator could undermine their…
Rejecting the law of the jungle
The humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in Gaza with a strange sense of impunity lends credence to the belief of those who assert that justice means protecting the interests of…
