Viewpoint: Wrong ideas of national security
A newly revised Army Doctrine identifies home-grown militancy as the "biggest threat" to national security, replacing India as the enemy Number One. That of course does not mean the conventional…
The ethical framework
Surah Luqman provides an outline of the Islamic ethical framework. Verses 12 to 19 clearly spell out the indicators of a well-organised ethical framework for everyone. God says in Verse…
A problem of perception
It was the worst massacre in Quetta in over a decade and even in such a city, stalked by death and haunted by terror, it marks a new standard. This…
The imperative of subversion
The passing of the so-called ‘Fair Trial’ Bill in the National Assembly this past week should have raised eyebrows. Notwithstanding its name, the legislation will empower state agencies to intercept…
Lessons for the US
There were significant moments in the 20th century when heightened awareness of major human values – freedom, justice, order, security etc – forced American, and other western thinkers and academics…
The sectarian ghoul in Gilgit
The region of Gilgit-Baltistan made news this year not for its scenic beauty, but for sectarianism in the form of brutal murders and target killings. Historically, the region has been…
Critical choices
“Israel, India and agencies are playing games in Pakistan. They want to capture this country and its nuclear assets”. I was given this piece of news by a few knowledgeable…
Liberating faith from the fringe
Another day, another massacre in the name of the exalted faith. Will this senseless, endless dance of death in the name of all that is holy ever stop? We have…
An opportune moment
It is extremely rare that the annual, utterly dull, accounting ritual known as the budget in Pakistan is preceded by a month-long public discourse about the most fundamental of issues…
The Balochistan narrative
The story of Balochistan remains sadly on the margins of public discourse. The policy landscape appears mainly as it always has, despite abundantly evident socio-political shifts in the province. The…
