Policies to prevent extremism
THE government has announced another policy related to countering extremism; it contains the same flowery words, borrowed jargon, hollow phrases, and unfeasible implementation plans as several policies before it. One…
Too hot to handle Dr Farrukh Saleem
Tomorrow, the disruptor-in-chief will be sworn in as the 45th president of the US. On his first day in office, he plans to issue a hundred executive orders. The disruptor-in-chief…
Taming the judiciary
WHAT happened inside and outside parliament last weekend was nothing less than a tragicomedy. Rarely has Pakistani politics stooped so low. Some 400 members of both Houses remained virtually captive for days…
APS and after
For a parent, the loss of a child remains a searing wound that just will not heal. And when a parent is one of many whose progeny’s lives were snuffed…
How Pakistan’s VPN ban undermines rights
Over the past year, Pakistan has teetered on the edge of digital oppression, and the proposed ban on ‘unregistered’ VPNs could be the tipping point toward becoming a fully mass-surveilled…
Judiciary’s debacle
ON the International Day of Democracy in September, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extolled the virtues of democracy, calling it the “cornerstone of a just and progressive society” and stressing continued efforts to…
Countering terror — beyond labels
During the past few weeks, terrorists affiliated with the TTP), Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) have been referred to by Pakistani authorities as Khawarij. This term,…
The 26th Amendment in judicial focus: Part – II
After the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, the judicial landscape became even murkier. While there were over 55,000 cases pending in…
Unpacking the amendment
SUCCESSIVE governments and parliaments in Pakistan have appeared obsessed with constitutional amendments related to the judiciary, especially the superior judiciary. Our parliament has so far passed 23 constitutional amendments. Formally…
Case of the missing poet
YET another case of alleged enforced disappearance has demonstrated the impunity granted to certain forces in the country, which consider themselves above the law in an increasingly repressive dispensation. Ahmad…
