The whirligig of time
Every general election in Pakistan is an exercise in self-flagellation. It provides an occasion for adult voters and their elected representatives, like contrite sinners, to scourge themselves in an attempt…
Colliding visions
Speaking at a Pakistan Military Academy passing-out parade last Saturday, CoAS General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani made assertions that, to put it politely, were inappropriate and inconsistent with facts. Said he,…
Hazards of the Hazara belt: Election Outlook – VI
Maintaining eye contact is widely considered a basic component of social interaction. Failing to do so suggests you're shy or rude, or you're suffering from a serious bout of boredom.…
Revisiting Articles 62 and 63
The polling day is still three weeks away but with the publication last Friday of the final list of candidates cleared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), it is…
Economics of election
The common man has had it. While the pundits are saying that the economy will not be able to bear the stresses of election and that Pakistan will fail to…
Sour grapes or an end foretold?
As a bag-carrier of the N or Nawaz League, a role forced upon me by Chakwal necessity, I experienced in full measure three things: mediocrity, self-righteousness (amazing amounts of it)…
Remembering March 9, 2007
March 9, 2007 was, undoubtedly, a tragic day in our history - it was not mere barring the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) from performing his duties on filing of…
Fighting sectarian terrorism
The PML-N finally faces the moment of truth for nurturing the banned sectarian terrorist outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. In Monday's parliamentary debate on Shia massacres in Quetta and Karachi, all fingers were…
Pakistan’s economy – I
Alongsides is the first part of a three-part series by an economist who has reflected on his more than half a century involvement with the country's economy. Pakistan has had…
Dual nationality
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is engaged in drafting and seeking approval where required, of a set of rules for prospective candidates, some based on court decisions, for the…
