Changes in Sindh
The perception about Sindhi nationalist politics is that it’s secular, progressive, anti-establishment and left-oriented. Is this view still valid? In recent decades, many changes have occurred in the politics of…
The battle within
Saturday's bombing in Quetta targeting the Hazara community is the latest in a long, sad, and intensifying series of incidents of sectarian violence. Death tolls within Pakistan were greater in…
The lost half of a decade
The ruling coalition in Pakistan ceaselessly brags that it is the first "democratically elected" government that will be completing its term. As the curtain rings down on its five-year tenure,…
Too many cooks
It has been too much of Kargil in the last few weeks, though I still have a column to wrap up about what has been an important revisit triggered by…
Not a new entity
The battle for the youth vote, especially in Punjab, continues to rage in the run-up to the general elections. Each week, news outlets publish articles warning that youth ballots could…
A self-defeating advice
Former premier Nawaz Sharif has asked the government to hold "serious, meaningful and result-oriented" talks with the Al-Qaeda-inspired local Taliban militants to bring peace in the country. A review of…
Pakistan`s political cliff
`CHAOS Theory` is a course taught at many prestigious universities to analyse and predict developments during crises. Pakistan`s short but turbulent political history provides excellent empirical data for such study.…
Wanted: a magic wand
Ambition is a perfectly legitimate gene within the political DNA. Without ambition it would be almost impossible for anyone except a saint to suffer the dross, ennui and heartless envy…
The real threat to democracy
It is time to celebrate. The current democratic order, which appeared to be wobbling and on the brink in the wake of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march and four-day protest…
Writing a new script
In terms of pure political theatre, Tahirul Qadri’s Blue Area ‘revolution’ has been compelling viewing. Many of us were chaos junkies even before cable TV; round-the-clock coverage means that charlatans…
