The post-US order
The US loomed large during Pakistan’s election campaign season as leaders pounded their fists, promising an end to American meddling in Pakistan, a return to sovereignty and a refusal of…
Battle at the ballot
Pakistan goes to landmark polls today that mark a huge stride forward for the democratic process in the country. A blood-stained run-up to the elections does not seem to have…
Will is all
The new government likely to take office in the coming days will face enormous economic challenges. How it will balance its income with expenditures will be the first challenge it…
Tehran’s change of guard
Post-revolutionary Iran’s 11th presidential election, scheduled for June 14, will be watched around the world for a variety of reasons. Among these is the fact that Iran is one of…
Unhappy marriage in Sindh
A NUMBER of senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders have died of violent causes in a city which in the last two decades has seen frequent bouts of bloodshed. Whether…
The talk of talks
Can there be anything more tragic than a Muslim killing a Muslim in the name of Islam? Can there be anything more abominable than a citizen killing a fellow citizen…
No numbers game
Some perplexing challenges await the incoming government. It’ll need every ounce of patience, every penny’s worth of wisdom scrapped from past experience to tackle things. For one, the system that…
Limits to privatisation
From the statements of the PML-N leaders (likely to adore federal ministries) a clear hint is that privatising the public sector enterprises (PSEs) would be the focus of the new…
We know the answers, but will they matter?
The elections are over. Some parties have lost and some have won. However, there were many irregularities: significant institutions failed to ensure an election the people deserved. The margin of…
Pakistan and leadership transition in China
Since the 1990s, China's top leaders serve a maximum of two five-year terms. With the last batch of leaders having reached the end of their second term last year, there…
