Fatima’s election
THERE is an election happening in this country in a few short days, and an extremely historic one at that. The people of the region formerly known as Fata will…
Debating the constitution
It is always nice to interact with young boys and girls studying in public universities, where most of them come from humble backgrounds. A recent visit to Khairpur in Sindh…
Upholding democracy
Suddenly, some of the sages appearing on electronic media and writing in newspapers have realised that they have been short-changed. Many of those who were crying hoarse for the past…
A faraway land
After reading my previous column ‘Getting education right’, published in these pages on January 13, many readers wondered if peace and harmony could be achieved through education in Pakistan. As…
The Pyrrhic victory of Dr Faustus
First, let’s examine the concept of a Pyrrhic victory. Pyrrhus was an army general who suffered tremendous losses even though he defeated the Romans in 280 BC. Since then, a…
The art of capturing the mandate
In the seven decades of Pakistan’s existence, at least seven strategies or tactics have been developed in the country to capture or steal people’s mandate. These tactics – or tools…
The elected vs the selected
The 70-year history of Pakistan can be summarised in various ways. ‘A history of class struggle’ would be a prompt response from a Marxist, meaning the oppressed classes have been…
Redefining leadership
While ‘Naya’ Pakistan has not really come to fruition, its claimants have started compiling a new dictionary – with new definitions and interpretations of justice, accountability, personal attacks, rigging, begging…
Surviving death
It is hard to understand how our political parties can continue their activities and grow in capacity and ability when leader after leader is being blown apart, leaving behind scenes…
Politics of smear campaigns
On May 17, an advocate representing Mashal Khan’s father in the Supreme Court of Pakistan disclosed that the sisters of Mashal Khan had been facing difficulties in continuing their education.…
