Middle class politics
Since 2007, a growing middle class and its engagement with the political sphere has been the subject of much discussion in Pakistan. The impetus came firstly from the lawyers’ movement…
Small men with big egos
What will it take to slap our ruling civil and military elite out of its obsession with egotism, triviality and misplaced notions of honour? It can’t get more absurd. A…
Everyone back off
We have been here before but not exactly in the same situation. The circumstances are grim. The threats are existential. No province, city or area of the country is out…
No lessons learned
The other day, I was startled to see a front-page story in the Express Tribune that quoted Maulana Yusuf Shah, the coordinator of the TTP negotiation team, suggesting that far…
Brinkmanship won’t pay
It is not an everyday occurrence that Pakistan’s army chief warns distracters against undermining the military’s institutional morale. It is also unusual that a couple of federal ministers have to…
Budget 2014-15: Essential tax reforms – I
"If we want lower taxes for growth, then spending must be curtailed so that governments won't need so much money. The next time you hear a politician promise another tax…
Economic progress draws wide praise
American envoy's recent appreciation of Pakistan's brilliant economic and administrative performance is based on realistic benchmarks so it should be evaluated objectively ie in the realistic perspective. Take into account…
Legal victory for big-money campaign donors to be felt in states, courts
A US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the overall cap on federal election contributions is sending ripples across American politics, as states have begun backing away from their own…
Lebanon faces battle as it targets natural gas reserves
Despite their troubles assembling a fully functional government, Lebanese authorities are at last in a position to start tackling their patch of one of the world's biggest and most politically…
Marginal and fragile areas: Will democracy work?
Is democracy the panacea of all the ills that are facing this nation? The answer as any one will tell you are that one shoe size does not fit anyone…
