Politicians` influence
The brutal gang-rape and torture of `Nirbhaya`, a 23-yearold physiotherapy student in New Delhi on Dec 16 led to spontaneous countrywide demonstrations of a kind never seen before. The young…
Much ado about Punjab
Those of us with short memories will not remember that there was a time when Punjab was not the most populous province in the country. For the first quarter century…
A moderate firebrand
Dr Tahirul Qadri is the new megastar of our media. At the same time, he is the bête noire of the old political parties, with the exception of the MQM.…
Syria and Pakistan
On the Eve of August 14, Dilip Hiro wrote in Yale Global: The Syrian imbroglio is a sectarian one, produced by a mix of age-old conflict between Sunnis and Shias,…
Reforms in Fata
THERE is a dire need for changes in the system of governance in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) but given a highly conservative society, they cannot be achieved in…
The crushing weight of corruption
If corruption were to be defined as any benefits which fall free to a nation or its population then the extreme position is corruption by inheritance. The only redeeming factor…
Remembering Benazir
December 27, 2012 marks the fifth death anniversary of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the great visionary leader, who resisted with great courage the agenda of neo-colonial forces - pushing Pakistan to…
Winds of change
Winds of change are blowing across Pakistan. With the advent of the New Year, there is a twinkle of hope in many eyes that 2013 will mean the beginning of…
Lone rangers in the drone zone
For several months last year, I was at the receiving end of occasional emails that conformed to a particular pattern. They all began with a reasonably uncontroversial critique of the…
Devolution the saviour – I
A tumultuous month ago, Sindh was pushed back a century and a half to a system of bureaucratic rule through antiquated laws that the British had used for ruling their…
