For better or worse, cluelessness as leadership
We all know this government has no policy on terrorism – unless dithering passes for policy. Yet in the name of combating terrorism it has managed the impossible: a near-revolt…
Obama and Mandela’s legacies
When ideas fail, said Goethe, words come in handy. As speeches go, President Obama’s tribute at Nelson Mandela’s memorial last week may easily have been one of his best. That…
While diplomacy dawdles
While diplomacy between Pakistan and India dawdles, nuclear capabilities are moving forward at a brisk pace. Since testing nuclear devices in 1998, both countries have flight-tested no fewer than 17…
For a few dollars more
I Supposewe should start with the good news. The finance minister should be congratulated for taking such strong ownership of the country’s economic problems. After years of seeing the post…
Vicious proposals
The honourable members of the federal task force on disappearances have resolved to undo whatever has been done over the past decade by the judiciary and civil society to find…
Growth with equity: a fine balance
If the benefits of economic growth are not widely shared, people become resentful. Tensions arise, societal tectonic plates shift, social bonds fray and a day comes when the volcano erupts.…
What did we learn from the world today?
The execution in Dhaka of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah has stirred up violent protests in Bangladesh. It has also created controversy at home, with condemnations pouring in over…
The HEC’s outmoded processes
Every few days, former HEC officials lament the lack of funding to the HEC in the context of a burgeoning youth population. No amount of money is enough for them;…
The media’s role
Last week the Indus Resource Centre (IRC) and the Sindh Education Foundation held a joint consultative roundtable — the second such event in a series — to study the impact…
Art in exile
The Babylonian Ishtar Gate, excavated from Iraq, cannot be seen by most Iraqis. This is because it is displayed at the Pergamon Museum of Berlin, far away from the sight…
