Indo-China war, 50 years on
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief of staff NAK Browne made the rather astounding claim last week that India’s use of ‘offensive airpower’ would have averted its humiliating defeat in…
In transit
As I write this on the terrace restaurant of a hotel in the hills in Sri Lanka, there’s a small river tumbling over huge boulders a few feet away. The…
The guns of August
Some of the writing about the Indo-Pakistan war of September 1965 borders on mythology. It is no surprise that generations of Pakistanis continue to believe that India was the aggressor…
Radicalisation pandemic
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Data Darbar in Lahore, a high-level meeting was convened in Islamabad on July 5, 2010 in which the prime minister and representatives…
An elegy for Urdu
I am not much of a talker – never has been one. And my wife never lets an opportunity pass to rub it in. While I read or endlessly flip…
Only way to reform education
Have you ever heard anyone make an argument against education in Pakistan? Of course not. Everyone agrees education is absolutely central to the future of Pakistan. This is part of…
Enough!
The increasing incidence of violence involving our state agencies, it hardly needs saying, is symptomatic of a systemic problem. The murder in cold blood of a young man in Karachi…
Outsourcing conscience
Passed in 1981, the Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance bans public eating and drinking, making it far harder for Pakistani Muslims to evade the religious duty of fasting during the month. Undoubtedly, fasting…
When power outstrips ability
The eloquence of Jawaharlal Nehru at the approach of the midnight hour of Aug 15, 1947 was so magnificent that it has overwhelmed the contributions of other great Indians to…
The bigger picture
After two delays, the joint session of parliament to review US-Pakistan ties has once again been scheduled for March 17.The postponements have allowed ample time for back-channel negotiations between Islamabad…
