Harsh lessons from regime change
Although the event went largely unreported in Pakistan and elsewhere, a Coptic church was burned down in the Libyan city of Benghazi on March 4. Earlier, there was an assassination…
Elections and betrayals
On March 9, Kenya’s Election Commission declared Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of the country’s first president and a suspect wanted for war crimes, Kenya’s next president. Mr Kenyatta won by…
Moving a bullock-cart of a nation
Unity, faith, discipline...forget the first two: call this a disciplined nation? Put food on the table, say at a marriage feast, and we can’t get that right, scarcely satisfied unless…
A case for change
The land of the Indus is not particularly fertile for revolutions. An individual has to operate as the member of a family, a clan and different social networks. Political ambition…
The parting kick?
In an editorial about the "long march" on Islamabad, and the approaching (really?) general elections, The Economist said the "transition would be historic: never in Pakistan's violent and unstable history…
Has the Allama lost the plot?
Allama Tahirul Qadri is no ordinary person. He is a phenomenon. Look at his accomplishments.He is an outstanding scholar of international repute, far too intelligent than those who may like…
Hostage drama in Algeria
On January 6, the Algerian military stormed the Tinguentourine natural gas facility in Amenas, where three dozen Al Qaeda-linked terrorists were holding hostages. It has been established that American, British,…
Egypt unrest marks major test for Morsi’s rule
A march in Cairo marking the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolt carried banners reading "Blood for blood" and "We will not say 'peaceful' any more." In the following three…
The new kingmaker
Since the return to Pakistan last month of the Tehreek-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran (TMQ) chief, Tahirul Qadri, strange things have happened in unexpected ways. A political analyst, thinking loudly, quoted William Cowper’s 1773…
The long betrayal
Now that the dust on the caravan of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march has settled, it is time to focus on the lessons learnt. Without exaggeration, it was one of…
