Grand national bargain, anyone?
Pakistan is dangerously polarized. Pakistanis are divided between supporters and opponents of a charismatic leader deemed a messiah by his followers and a scary demagogue by his detractors. There are…
Teetering on the edge
The crisis that has Pakistan in its unrelenting grip has left the country teetering on the edge of a new catastrophe. The crisis may have its origins in the ouster…
The challenge of analysis paralysis
Healthy minds lead to a healthy society. To overcome out of the trough of poverty, corruption, immorality, and safety issues, we as a nation need a healthy society. Every advantage…
Constitutional amendments: Part – III
The sixth constitutional amendment – passed in December 1976 – made a mockery of the constitution. It allowed the chief justice of the Supreme Court and high courts to complete…
India through the years – Part VI
Although the state of emergency in India made Indira Gandhi extremely unpopular, she still decided to hold elections in March 1977, released political prisoners, and removed press censorship. Soon after…
Empower the local
Pakistan has seldom enjoyed a fully functional local government system. In most cases, military dictators were more interested in installing a local-bodies mechanism that could serve their own nefarious designs…
The dissolution debate
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in its recent ruling in the PTI ‘prohibited funding case’ said that the PTI had received prohibited funding from foreigners. Thereafter, the federal government…
Seventy-five years of education: Part – II
The first half of the 1970s brought both good and bad news for education in Pakistan. The good news was that the Bhutto government had a plan to offer free…
Remembering 1977
The year 2022 marks 45 years since the fateful days of 1977. As the nation prepared to celebrate 30 years of its independence, the country that had already lost its…
Deepening the Zia dictatorship
In my last article, ‘Remembering 1977’ (Aug 29), I highlighted how the year 1977 became a turning point in Pakistan’s history. Within 40 days after his military coup on July…
