Afghanistan beyond 2014
The post-2014 situation in Afghanistan, after the withdrawal of the US/Nato/ International Security Assistance Force, has been the subject of a most vexing debate in recent times. The main difficulty…
Unpleasant twists
Pakistan has been making almost heroic efforts over the last few months to put its relations with Afghanistan on an even keel and make a vital contribution to the reconciliation…
Failed initiatives
Differences over cross-border incursions in eastern Afghanistan from Pakistan have led to the postponement of the crucial visit of Salahuddin Rabbani, head of the Afghan High Peace Council, to Islamabad.…
Further progress
Last week I had identified some steps that Pakistan had taken to promote reconciliation in Afghanistan. I had suggested that there were further measures that Pakistan should also take, urgently, since…
Afghan peace process and ulema
The joint statement encapsulating the outcome of the visit to Islamabad from November 12 to 15 of the Afghan High Peace Council delegation led by its chairman, Salahuddin Rabbani, is…
Not by elections alone
These are times that, in Thomas Paine’s words, “try men’s souls”. And: “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country;…
Whispering in the dark
Something’s cooking, for sure. This country, proverbially, is sitting on the edge of its seat. And waiting for the endgame to begin. We do not know who is whispering what…
Afghanistan deja vu
There is a strong feeling of deja vu about Afghanistan in the air. The environment, despite the passage of two decades, is eerily reminiscent of the disorder of the early…
About creative spaces
With the glow of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) illuminating the social horizon of the city this weekend, I had the opportunity of, in a sense, whetting my appetite with…
A young woman is not to be
When Hillary Clinton made history and became the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, she said her victory was “for every little girl who dreams big”. Alas, so many…
