Cripples, schemers and bigots
Pakistan has always been a bit of an international headache, hasn’t it? What with its meddling in Afghanistan, its problems and wars with India, the nurturing of terrorists and terrorism…
Desperation without measures
Fictitious beliefs, vain demands and radical laws all seem to be inherent in the incumbent government’s plan of action for the foreseeable future. From the infamous Protection of Pakistan Ordinance…
Hard times
Crises and the MQM often go hand-in-hand. Since its impressive entry into electoral politics in 1987 – when this urban Sindh-based party swept the local bodies elections in Karachi and…
Beyond the second round
The next phase of the Afghan presidential election is widely expected to be more challenging than the first. Three risks loom as Afghanistan gears up for the second round of…
An ugly scar on democracy
India’s national election has produced the worst conceivable outcome by giving an outright majority to the Bharatiya Janata Party under a man who is widely believed to have been complicit…
The colour saffron
It was the Nehru dynasty’s turn to experience democracy as a form of revenge. As a result, the BJP has been swept into power and the Congress is out in…
Sub-imperialism of BITS
In the 1990s, newly industrialized countries (NICs) were pointed out as role models for developing countries. For the last few years, Brazil, India, Turkey and South Africa (BITS) have emerged…
When bravado is not enough
Befuddled official responses to the gravest of crises seem to be the order of the day but the latest challenge posed by the continued discovery of polio cases in Pakistan…
Justice: a lost cause
Last week, I attended a performance of The Testament of Mary in London, a monologue about the life and crucifixion of Christ delivered from his mother’s perspective. Based on a…
How capitalism threatens democracy
It’s a sign of the pathology of much of India’s mainstream media that it displays the rise of the speculative-trader-industrialist Hinduja brothers to the top of Britain’s (not India’s) billionaire…
