The future of Fata
The tribal areas of Pakistan originally consisted of five agencies: South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber and Malakand. But Malakand was made a division in 1970 and the Bajaur, Mohmand…
Mainstreaming Fata
The prime minister has formed a five-member committee for finalising reforms in Fata. Fata parliamentarians have submitted a draft bill for amendment of articles 246 and 247 of the constitution…
For a stable Afghanistan
Pak-Afghan relations have never been cordial. There is a long history of mutual mistrust, suspicion and accusations of interference in internal affairs. How did this mistrust develop? Most of the…
Will Fata change?
Why has Fata literally remained the ‘Federally Administered Tribal Areas’ for so long? What has prevented the government from mainstreaming Fata? Are just the people there responsible for the present…
Scale of the challenge
PAKISTAN’S internal security situation has shown considerable improvement over the past few months. That has not only created a sense of optimism across Pakistan but also boosted the confidence of…
Integrating Fata
Two recent statements by the Inter-Services Public Relations should have raised the spirits of all those who wish to see a formidable threat to the state and society of Pakistan…
In all its ugliness
The three-yearly election to the Senate, which had filled the air with revelations of corruption and vote-buying, ended somewhat tamely last week with a flurry of self-congratulatory verbiage spouted by…
Spiral of despair
OF all the pointless debates, the one currently engaging the attention and energy of a former and the incumbent interior minister must take the cake. The two illustrious gentlemen have…
Peshawar tragedy and Benazir’s assassination: Wages of appeasement – II
It was 'Washington's renewed interest' in Asif Ali Zardari and Rehman Malik and not Benazir that forced Musharraf-once a close ally of Bush-to offer firm opposition to US Late Neo-colonialism…
Future is the past
It is not easy to predict the future. In earlier times foretelling the future was the job of oracles or sibyls. The famous oracle at Delphi, in ancient Greece, was…
