Living on illusion
Finally the work that was undertaken on an experimental basis has now been ‘owned’ by the government. Officially it has now been ‘declared’ that Pakistan’s real GDP has grown by…
State Bank’s terms of reference
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) report comes in the wake of the commitment in the August as well as December 2013 Letter of Intent (LoI) signed by the government…
Lost limbs and uncertain futures as Afghan army casualties mount
Taking his first faltering steps since his left leg was blown off by a landmine, Sergeant Muneer Ahmad is grim proof that the Afghan army is paying a heavy price…
How South Sudan leaders squandered nation-building effort
At a well-attended investor conference in South Sudan's capital in early December, President Salva Kiir declared that the world's newest country was "at last safe" and open for business. It…
As bad loans mount, India gets tough on ‘wilful’ default
Kemrock Industries and Exports owns a golf course near its plant in western India and its chairman, Kalpesh Patel, talks of the high salaries he pays employees. Still, the company…
Terms of engagement
WHEN a US drone killed Taliban leader Hakeemullah Mehsud, Pakistan`s interior minister proclaimed it had killed the chances of negotiating peace with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In fact, Pakistani reactions…
What do MNAs do?
In order to understand the parliamentary procedure and role of MPs, in 2004 New Zealand launched a display of photographs showing off MPs lives. MPs were given disposable cameras to…
Women against ‘gang war’
Criminal designs, collusion and mistrust: The sisters of Ibrahim and Shoaib, the murdered activists of Kucchi Rabita Committee (KRC) in Lyari, testify to the collusion of the law-enforcement with ‘Gang…
The latest APC: how different is it?
Let me begin by stating that I am a die-hard optimist, I always see the glass as half full. This time around my optimism is based on certain decisions and…
Rethinking local government
Thanks to the Supreme Court, the provinces have been forced to introduce local governments under Article 140-A. Punjab introduced its Local Government Bill on July 26, 2013. The purpose of…
