Executing children
Sixteen years ago, Pakistan promulgated the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000 to bring its current juvenile justice framework into conformity with its international obligations. The law was meant to…
Voices from Gilgit-Baltistan
The government faces a series of challenges in exercising its political writ in the remote regions of the country. But it seems to have no palpable plans to address the…
Fate, destiny and the great unknown
Beyond such things as the law and the constitution lies the power of fate…things that you may not have guessed, would scarcely have anticipated but which catch up with you.…
Accountability – still a far cry?
Federal and Punjab governments' blocking of all roads leading to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, bashing of PTI and AML activists by Punjab Police, and siege of Banigala prevented the 'lockdown' of…
Hunger games – II
Dharna II or the Islamabad lockdown was a fishing expedition. Its stated object was to paralyse the federal government and forcefully remove the prime minister. It failed. Thank God for…
Judging the judges
A few weeks back, the Supreme Court refused to admit for hearing a constitutional petition on strengthening procedures for judicial accountability in the country. Among other things, the petition requested…
The police encounter
The disease of ‘encounters’, or extra-judicial killings, by members of the police, security or armed forces is at least half a century old, but has now assumed epidemic proportions. In…
Caesarean section
I don't often say ‘I told you so’, but in the matter of Panamagate, I really did. Last April, details about offshore companies in Panama became public, triggering a feeding…
Reckoning with torture
For those who still care, May 3, 2016 was one of the most chilling days in the history of our country. Following the release of the pictures of the shockingly…
No more commissions please
The tug of war on forming a commission under the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Act 1956 (the government has already written a letter to this effect) or under a special…
