Differences in perception
Why do perceptions vary over the outcomes of government policies and actions? In this writer’s view this is because interpretations and some of the official data may not be consistent…
Feeble but welcome signs
Two protests of different kinds over an eight-day period helped shape the political landscape in the country in no uncertain terms. That was the past week. After the Jan 10…
Tough lessons
Watching the bizarre events in Pakistan over the last few days, I believe it is true: there are always two sides to a story, two ways of looking at the…
Karzai in Washington
As I write this on Tuesday morning the drama of the ‘long march’ of the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran dominates the air waves. Whatever its outcome we must recognise that it reflects…
The attempt to rescue Timbuktu
The capture by Islamist rebels on Monday of Diabaly, a hitherto government-controlled town some 400km from the Malian capital of Bamako, comes across as a setback for the French military…
The Quetta tragedy
Sectarian militants have caused Quetta to be drenched in blood many times in the past. But the ghastly carnage of the Hazara Shias last week was shocking even by Pakistan’s…
What is there to talk about?
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) delights in showing us off as a helpless and contemptible force. So last week, when the TTP’s offer of peace talks hit the newswires we perked…
Owning profit
Whose profits were they?....They arose from the sale of energy products, particularly gasoline, that the American Public had no practical choice but to purchase", extracts from the book, Private Empire…
Ideas can win the war
Now that the military has begun its Rah-i-Nijat operation in South Waziristan, the question has begun to be asked whether it will succeed. We will not know the answer for…
Nobody supports the Taliban but…
The picturesque Swat valley is still under the army’s control. Although businessmen are confident as the property market is stable, people are generally worried. They simply want an end to…
