Past is prelude
SOMEONE encountering the Middle East conflict for the first time in the current pages of the Western media could be excused for assuming that Palestinian-Israeli history began on Oct 7,…
The problem with Shahrukh Khan
MOVIE actor Nasiruddin Shah was promoting his book at a function in Delhi when his brother in the front row rattled him with a simple question. Why was it that…
Lahore’s forgotten villages
EARLY reports from the 2023 census suggest that Lahore’s population may have crossed the 12 million mark, ie, an addition of nearly a million more residents since 2017. In the…
Corrupt absolutely
SOMETHING strange, unsettling and heartbreaking is happening in the world. Unpleasantness does not diminish the reality; it makes it unpalatable, but even bitter truths must be acknowledged. The corruption narrative…
Caste in iron
DEVENDRA Gangadharrao Fadnavis, a BJP politician from Maharashtra, knows how to remain in the news. I first came across the family name ‘Phadnis’ in the 1990s and thought it ‘strange-sounding’,…
An elevated disaster
ONE of the major concerns related to local government systems in Pakistan is the usurpation of municipal planning by provincial government entities such as development authorities. This has been a…
IMU’s journey
THE withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has changed the dynamics of terrorism and counterterrorism (CT) in Afghanistan and its neighbourhood: while the operational capabilities of Al Qaeda appear weakened,…
Balochistan’s ‘game of thrones’
As an avid reader of fiction, I often wonder if even some of those who sit at the high table in the citadel of power read books and have learnt…
Lahore’s challenge
LAHORE and the monsoons have a strange relationship. When the sweltering summer months approach, the anticipation of barsaat brings respite to the residents. However, the relief comes with its own…
Symptom vs cause
In the wake of cementing the new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for a $7-billion, 37-month loan, along with the outlandish ‘structural reforms’ being parlayed between Pakistan and the IMF, President…
