View Point: Controversial figure
Do you know who the following three personages were: Hafeez Jalandhari, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Ashfaq Ahmed? "Of course", you're most likely to say, "Hafeez is the man who gave…
Bangladesh`s identity crisis
Various Islamist groups in Bangladesh are demanding that a new anti-blasphemy law be formulated under which the death penalty can be awarded to those who defame Islam and the Prophet…
View Point: Clueless in Islamabad?
The Supreme Court bench hearing the case of Quetta Hazaras' killings asked the government the simple but important question: What're you doing to stop the killing of Hazara people? Irrespective…
Strengthening democracy and political parties – II
The military often takes over power swiftly and comfortably without any meaningful resistance either during or after the process of the take-over. Prime ministers are put behind bars and sent…
Elections and ‘Ideology of Pakistan’
The Election Commission's returning officers, drawn from subordinate judiciary, have been taking vicarious pleasure in applying Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution to determine the qualifications/disqualifications of candidates on…
Imran Khan’s dream
Imran Khan says he had a dream that his party had swept the upcoming elections. He believes that like in the past this time too his dream will come true.…
Bangladesh & 1971 syndrome
Bangladesh is again plunging itself into another phase of political turmoil and violence. The decision by the Dhaka-based International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) to award capital punishment to two key leaders…
Who stands where
This time last year, drone attacks, suspended Nato supplies, trade with India and, above all, relations with the US were issues that were causing political temperatures in the country to…
Failure of the war
It is ‘APC’ season again. Karachi residents associate the acronym with armoured personnel carriers that contain and occasionally protect besieged policemen. The political APCs on the other hand contain besieged…
The ghouls of South Asia
When South Asian leaders met at their first summit in Dhaka in 1985 there were just two democracies among the seven-member states that formed Saarc at the time — Sri…
