A state of flux
Consumers are in a state of shock over the latest jump in petrol prices. However, there are some who will be satisfied with the raise. First, the International Monetary Fund,…
The utopia of elections
Pakistan is facing a three-pronged attack of political instability, economic meltdown and renewed terror insurgency in an election year. This is proving to be a lethal cocktail. All three streams…
Another constitutional farce?
If those who claim direct access to the powers that be are to be believed, the country is set for another bout of ‘wise men’ deciding that the constitution of…
Who will win the narrative battle?
The battle for Punjab has entered a decisive phase. Not only did Chief Minister Punjab Parvez Elahi successfully win the vote of confidence from the Punjab Assembly but he also…
Stinking political quagmire
The topmost immediate requirements to take the economy out of the tailspin are political clarity and certainty, although there is no certainty that economic default can be averted. The message…
Permacrisis continued
There is an insidiousness to the triumphant fatalism that many voices in Pakistan are increasingly tending toward. This fatalism isn’t because of any ill intention or lack of integrity –…
Inside the Red Zone: Need for a new normal
Now where were we? Ah, it’s been a few months since politics in Pakistan took an interesting turn and swerved to avoid an orchestrated disaster. Thirty-two weeks after the PTI…
November 29 and Pakistan’s polycrisis
The thing to remember as Pakistan melts down in anticipation of November 29, 2011 is that this whole fiasco was eminently predictable. How predictable? In December 2020, almost two years…
Primitive politics
Einstein had a definition of lunacy: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We perhaps need a milder expression to interpret our rulers’ inability to…
A costly revolution, if ever there was one
You can almost see Imran Khan salivating at the prospect of storming his revolution back to power. With Punjab in the bag once again — unless there’s some truth at…
