The promise of Pakistan
Like a gift that keeps on giving, with startling regularity the government has shared some good news with us. Foreign reserves have climbed, exchange rate strengthened, next generation telecom licences…
The promise of Pakistan
High growth will rest on the pillars of higher public and private investment and increase in exports from greater competitiveness. Pakistan’s flat exports-to-GDP ratio is a surprise in a world…
Resolution 1540
In the post-9/11 era, the most urgent threat to global security emanates from the possibility of acquisition of nuclear weapons by transnational terrorist organisations or other non-state actors. The aftershocks…
The spirit of Zarb-e-Azb
A tersely worded press release issued by the ISPR last Sunday read: “On the directions of the government, the armed forces of Pakistan have launched a comprehensive operation against foreign…
Anatomy of a budget
John Maynard Keynes once famously stated that instead of seeking to balance the budget, the government should balance the economy. What the celebrated economist meant was that the budget, being…
No point being pessimistic
Whether the prime minister was subdued or (as was not the case) animated when he announced the start of the military operations in the North Waziristan Agency is immaterial; whether…
The limits of protest
The spectacular protests around the current World Cup in Rio offer an important lesson for the IOC, Fifa and the organisers of the Miss Worlds and Universes. They should only…
Drift towards anarchy
Pakistan’s ruling elite’s collective sleepwalk towards a looming disaster is mind-boggling. No murder, no incident of mass butchery or bombing is able to wake our high and mighty from their…
Fata operations and the evolving situation
Eliminating militants and militancy does not mean conquering Fata again and again. This has been the practice since 9/11, a glimpse of which was again seen in North Waziristan recently…
An elected regime
The PML-Q and Pakistan Awami Tehreek have vowed to topple the PML-N government soon because of its “non-democratic” nature. Ironically, these parties either tolerated or were integral parts of Musharraf’s…
