Sir Syed: the intimate reformer ( Part – II)
This is the second part of my discussion of 'Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: A Private Life by Iftikhar Alam Khan', translated and edited by Athar Farooqui and published by Oxford…
Politics of pageantry
On January 26, 2026, India commemorated its 77th Republic Day, the day when New Delhi officially became a republic through the adoption of the constitution. The Republic Day parade was…
India’s structural frictions
On November 27-28, 2025, India hosted its flagship high-level strategic forum, the Chanakya Defence Dialogue (CDD). Since it was convened in the strategic backdrop of Operation Sindoor, an event that…
India’s structural frictions
On November 27-28, 2025, India hosted its flagship high-level strategic forum, the Chanakya Defence Dialogue (CDD). Since it was convened in the strategic backdrop of Operation Sindoor, an event that…
Misreading the 27th
Recent analysis in Foreign Policy magazine by Haleema Saadia and Ali Mustafa on Pakistan’s 27th Amendment has framed the reform as a dangerous inflexion point, one that allegedly accelerates authoritarianism…
A festival for the water we are losing
I normally write about events once they have taken place or are at least in progress; it feels safer that way, more empirical and less speculative. One observes, analyses and…
Myth vs reality
Myth number 1: Article 243 equals ‘army rule’. Reality: The army is the largest service in Pakistan’s threat environment. That is geography, not conspiracy. Yes, the battlespace is land-heavy –…
India’s Trishul exercise
India has announced Exercise Trishul, projecting the tri-service choreography as a display of post-Operation Sindoor confidence – presenting failure as success. But beneath the theatre of jointness lies a deeper…
Deadly arrogance
RELIGIONS, particularly Islam, are supposed to address the ethical ills that afflict mankind. In fact, in Islamic tradition, akhlaq (morals, ethics) is a well-developed science, deriving lessons from the Quran and ahadith…
Documentation measures in Finance Act, 2025: an analysis
Pakistan is faced with the serious issue of non-documentation of economic transactions leading to substantial under-reporting of actual income from businesses. This is the main reason for low tax collection…
