Failure of the war
It is ‘APC’ season again. Karachi residents associate the acronym with armoured personnel carriers that contain and occasionally protect besieged policemen. The political APCs on the other hand contain besieged…
Costly appeasement
The past week has left the Pakistanis grappling with two serious issues: they cannot protect the Hazara Shias of Quetta, nor can they resist the armed extremists. The result 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…
Grand delusion
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is having its best year yet. Far from being a motley crew of terrorists, it has bombed, attacked and beheaded its way far past the signpost…
Mirwaiz in Pakistan
The Pakistani government invited the leaders of both factions of the Hurriyat in Indian Kashmir to visit because it wanted to know the nuances of the political situation there and…
IMF mission in town
At the request of the government, an IMF mission is visiting Pakistan to initiate discussion for a three-year bailout programme. As reported in the press, during their two-week stay in…
What is there to talk about?
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) delights in showing us off as a helpless and contemptible force. So last week, when the TTP’s offer of peace talks hit the newswires we perked…
Will the Taliban opt for peace?
For the past 35 years Pakistan protected, housed and fed Afghans fleeing wars, occupation and civil strife. Unlike the Iranians, who confined them to camps and strictly policed their movement,…
