Mountain livelihoods
MOUNTAINS and valleys evoke beautiful images in the mind of big city dwellers, of peace and quiet, lightness of being, and the absence of the madding crowd. We presume the…
Is the HEC fiasco fixable?
Today (Tuesday, June 8), the honourable chief justice of the Islamabad High Court will listen to arguments for and against the legality of the government’s recent alterations to the character…
US sanctions have idled a quarter of Iranian oil rigs
At least a quarter of Iran’s oil rigs are out of action as US sanctions strangle the Islamic Republic’s vital oil industry, according to a Reuters review of financial documents…
Swinging Quetta – 1950s/60s
In 2007, my niece suggested that a family entourage drive up to Quetta/Ziarat over a long weekend. I tried to dissuade her, suggesting instead Dubai. But she prevailed (one can't…
CPEC going global
It is reported that the Asian Development Bank, under its programme "Scoping of Economic Corridor Development in Pakistan", aims to identify potential economic corridors to enhance trade, regional connectivity, growth,…
After the war
The details were horrific. Outside the besieged city of Mosul, 13,000 wounded civilians are today waiting for reconstructive surgery – from just this one seven-month battle. Another 5,000 Iraqi police…
Countering terrorism
Do we want to fight terrorism as a nation? The answer to this question lies in our national attitude towards it. Ambivalence, appeasement, pusillanimity and denial have been the defining…
Matters of destiny and duty
Last week I told you how one person managed to totally change the course of my life and, ultimately, Pakistan’s fate. But for his intervention, our brave jawans may very…
Iran seeks tourism millions as nuclear chill ends
Long seen as a destination strewn with shortcomings, Iran is making a fresh pitch for tourists, with the recent lifting of economic sanctions providing an opportunity to cash in. The…
Between a rock and a hard place: safe from war, Yemenis struggle
Under a scorching sun, refugees who fled Yemen's war struggle on in a camp on Djibouti's rocky shores, a year after Saudi-backed air strikes began devastating their homeland. Over 2,000…
