Willing but weak: Questions swirl about AU peacekeeping
While African Union leaders were meeting to discuss the conflict in the Central African Republic on Thursday, the European Union was preparing to send troops there - once again pushing…
The remaking of PPP
The interest a large section of society showed in Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech of last Friday is understandable. The qualities of leadership he can display will be an important factor…
They just fade away
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani stepped down as chief of army staff on Friday. He passed on the baton, and, with it, the trammelling burden of responsibility, to his successor General…
Living up to the name
“When we were in PMA most of us knew Shabbir Sharif would either get the Nishan-i-Haider (posthumously) or become the chief, such was his courage and commitment.” These were the…
Militants die young
Life expectancy among militants is low – and lower if someone is a commander. But there seems to be no dearth of men willing to step forward and replace their…
Militarism and democracy
Peace activists opposed to the nuclear weapons tests and other aggressive announcements by India last week should take heart from the truth that in democracies jingoism doesn`t always reward its…
Caught in no-man`s land
The militant attack on the ISI office in Sukkur earlier in the week underlined the need for a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. And how do we respond? We reignite the debate…
Security handover holds challenges for Afghan forces
Afghanistan's security forces are braced for an uphill struggle as they take over lead responsibility for operations in the last remaining areas of the country, ahead of the withdrawal of…
The jiyalas and the red shirts
A grenade attack on the home of a PPP candidate in Peshawar is followed by a deadly suicide attack on an Awami National Party rally in the city. Events of…
Pakistan`s dilemma
The Pakistani establishment has been as much a victim of its successes as it has of its failures over the years. The Afghan policy during the 1990s that manufactured the…
