Confusing TTP
Should Pakistan be confused on talks with the TTP? It should not. But it is obvious that the media and the political elite are confusing the nation on the nature…
Negotiation tactics
NEGOTIATIONS with terrorists have been rejected by democracies in the past, as talks with them were equated with giving them legitimacy and undermining the democratic spirit. Still, many established democracies…
The crisis of leadership
Last year, many Pakistanis were celebrating the country’s first democratic transition from one elected government to another with a lot of hope and optimism. Today, many are wondering whether our…
View Point: New Pak-Saudi terms of endearment
Two interesting visitors came calling this month from a brotherly Muslim country. First to arrive was the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to lay down the groundwork for what…
Price of isolation
THERE is an agenda for economic renewal that is now so well known, so oft repeated, that it risks being entombed in that temple where all good ideas go to…
Year of transitions
2013 was a year of transitions when new leaderships assumed charge of the government, judiciary and the army. The year saw the realignment of power between different state institutions in…
Counterterrorism confusion
Although more than six months have elapsed since the new government came to power, neither the federal nor provincial policymakers have been able to formulate a clear strategy on combating…
Perils of punditry
Us Commentary on nuclear developments in Pakistan and India is usually not well received on the subcontinent. One reason is that cautionary messages sound hypocritical. Pundits from a country that…
Crisis in Bangladesh
The worthy Sheikh Hasina Wajid is back as prime minister of crisis-hit Bangladesh for the third spell in the wake of the recent violence-plagued parliamentary elections that lost credibility in…
Battle of ideas
The ideological battle lines drawn in the aftermath of Pakistan’s creation continue to haunt us even today. One recent example of this came when needless fuss was kicked up over…
