Dubious assumptions
For some reason that only a team of historians and social scientists may fathom, our public discourse is, and has been, influenced more by dubious assumptions than facts. This is…
Wise monkeys
As the story goes, one day a young man told his mother that soon one of the members of the family would disappear. Next morning, when the family woke up,…
Dereliction of diplomatic norms
Adam Thomson, Her Britannic Majesty’s High Commissioner in Pakistan, could do with a refresher course on diplomacy. He told a select group of journalists at his residence in Islamabad on…
Wrapping up the war
Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs – but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have hardly budged. — Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, 2013 Barack…
America and the drone issue
Since my last article the debate in Washington on drones continues. The confirmation of John Brennan as the new CIA chief has been put off, with Senator Rand Paul of…
Before disaster strikes
Another high-profile, low-output meeting on Afghanistan has been held. On February 3-4 Prime Minister David Cameron met the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan at Chequers, his country residence, for trilateral…
Roots of mistrust
CAN militants reignite the insurgency in India-held Kashmir? This apprehension is a major hurdle in the trust-building process between India and Pakistan. Delhi is still fearful that the militants based…
Tax amnesty schemes as introduced by Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012
Prelude: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance on January 05, 2013 cleared "Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012" aimed at bringing 3.1 million potential individuals into the tax net with a…
America’s drone issue
Over the last few weeks, particularly in the week preceding the congressional hearings for confirmation of Obama’s new CIA director, much has appeared in the American and international media about…
A self-defeating advice
Former premier Nawaz Sharif has asked the government to hold "serious, meaningful and result-oriented" talks with the Al-Qaeda-inspired local Taliban militants to bring peace in the country. A review of…
