Separation of powers in jeopardy?
A lot was said and debated over the past few weeks about a mysterious ‘constitutional package’ being introduced to amend the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the…
26th Amendment: the good, bad and ugly
After months of political drama, the Constitution (twenty-sixth Amendment) Act 2024 has received the president’s assent, officially amending Pakistan’s constitution. This amendment recalibrates the balance of power between the three…
Gender parity
PAKISTAN ranks low on the Gender Gap Index in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, 2023. On women’s political empowerment, it ranked 95th out of 146 countries, with…
Health and the NSP
THE best definition of policy is that it helps one avoid becoming a hostage to events. A compass that continues to provide a direction transcending individuals and circumstances. This doesn’t…
Wishing away water woes
CLIMATE change is South Asia’s foremost development challenge — and a rapidly emerging non-traditional regional security threat. India’s 90-day notice to Pakistan to initiate renegotiation of the Indus Waters Treaty…
A work in progress
DURING the past 50 years, the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan has been amended 23 times — an amendment every two years on average. This is no surprise as the constitution…
SC judges: process of appointment
THE Judicial Commission of Pakistan is a constitutional forum which recommends a person be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. This commission comprises nine members ie, the chief…
The Peca menace
THE FIR registered against Senator Azam Swati fits a pattern visible since 2017: use of Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, with cognisable sections of…
Don’t disrupt democracy
SPECULATION and discussions regarding a technocratic government, with an extended tenure of two to three years to extricate the economy from its woes, are rife. The proposal is flawed on several grounds…
Killing knowledge
IN continuation of the regressive policies and laws that the Federal Ministry of IT and Telecom, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have been trying to impose on 230 million…
