Frenemies
Will they or won’t they let him go? And no, this isn’t about Musharraf, as I’m sure you’ve had your fill of the whole ‘if we say he’s leaving every…
Secularising Islamists?
Anchor, columnist, blogger Raza Rumi recently survived a terrorist attack (had he been of a particular sect the Punjab police would have happily called it a sectarian attack and not…
The beauty of diversity
Cultural and linguistic diversity has never been a favourite subject in our national discourse. Instead of being proud of our beautiful linguistic diversity our policy and decision-makers have always been…
A toothless commission
VARIOUS international conventions see human rights as the bedrock of a better tomorrow. Although considered inalienable, such rights are often also enacted in domestic legislation for effective enforcement. This applies…
The state’s lost narrative
THE debate on extremism often gets muddled when it comes to the issue of narrative. A segment of Pakistani society believes that there is a need for developing counter narratives…
Wanted: a strong liberal voice
Is there room, in today’s Pakistan, for a strong liberal voice in our mainstream politics? On the face of it, the answer would be in the negative. But what else…
On a slippery slope
In the more than 70-year-long history of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the first-ever refusal of a majority of its members to reselect their sitting chief for the party’s top slot is no…
Anti-women coalition
That our women face an uphill, against all odds battle for equality can be gauged from one simple fact: clergymen who are at daggers drawn with each other over even…
The export development fund A slush fund?
Except as provided, the WTO regime prohibits export subsidies; and yet countries find ways, sometimes not so ingenious, to do so. Yes, legal battles ensue, most notably between the US…
‘Ethical gold’ aims to curb mining’s toll in South America
Tucked between two desert ridges in southern Peru, Relave looks like any of the hundreds of ramshackle mining towns that blight the landscape in the world's sixth-largest gold exporter. Its…
