The missing ingredients in Pakistan
Since the 18thCentury, one country after another has experienced what Harvard economist Rostow called a “take off into sustained growth”. Rostow stated that, every once in a while, something happens…
The legacy that lingers
August 17 marks the death anniversary of General Ziaul Haq, Pakistan’s longest serving ruler. Having ousted the country’s hitherto most popular leader ZA Bhutto in a coup on July 5,…
HEC, Holi and identity crises
Changing the world for future generations is one of the primary tasks of education, more so of higher education. A recent letter by the executive director (ED) of the Higher…
All hail the SNC
I was on a road trip to the northern areas with friends. We were at a rest stop, our black off-road utility vehicle parked on the side of the road,…
Whose language is it anyway?
Recently, a person from the village that one of the writers of this piece comes from approached him about applying to the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program (PMYSDP). This…
How to shore up the state
Pakistan is a serious nation-state; despite the fact that it may function in a ‘flailing’ way and may have other shortcomings and weaknesses in its structure. However, there have been…
What ails the HEC?
It is interesting to note that political parties that draw their major support from Punjab tend to promote centralization and resist devolution to provinces. This we have seen even after…
The workplace of today
Every Pakistani aspires to the fruits of progress although many insist on continuing to live in the 16th century. Our state is too preoccupied with advancing the ideological indoctrination project…
The purpose of education
When former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was in power in Pakistan, he violated democratic and moral dictates by altering the electoral laws and making it mandatory for candidates to…
A brighter future?
Sadly, the new year has brought us a literal cloud of murky gloom in Punjab and a more metaphorical mist in other parts of the country. Many wonder what the…
