With eyes wide shut
We have become accustomed to looking at the world around us with our eyes shut - believing only what we want to want to, choosing the images we want to…
Doctors on strike
A cat and mouse game is raging on between young doctors and the government of Punjab. There is a set pattern being followed by both sides, based on earlier skirmishes…
The state and economic development
The role of the Pakistani state in the country’s economy has recently come under scrutiny - in reference to the ongoing electricity and natural gas/CNG crisis. The argument usually put…
Critical responses
In dealing with the menace of terrorism, clarity is finally emerging at the institutional level. The army chief`s speech last year on Independence Day was encouraging as he stressed clarity…
Reko Diq: technical knockout?
The honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan has finally declared the award of Reko Diq copper project's lease to a foreign joint venture Tethyan as illegal. This almost seals the fate…
Spotlight: Party leaders not parties are power centres – II
Pir Pagara, Raja Saein: Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) head Pir Pagara is a well known figure in Sindh and in Rawalpindi where the GHQ is located. The help rendered by…
Ground zero
A version of this essay was published exactly four years ago. The introduction has been updated and some details altered in the text. But the message remains the same: nuclear…
A BJP-driven U-turn?
Looking at the U-turn in Indo-Pak relations, January seems a strange month. The change perplexed everyone, because throughout 2012, a perception was built that these belligerent neighbours had finally accepted…
2013: The year of innovation
The past year saw some highs and more than a few low points within Pakistan's telecom sector, as the cellular industry in particular faced various restrictions in the name of…
Tax, power sectors need reforms
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) team visiting Pakistan on a Post Project Monitoring (PPM) mission a couple of weeks ago emphasised yet again the need for power and tax sector…
