Promises to keep
WHEN I returned to Pakistan in 2010, Imran Khan was an emerging presence on the political scene. Asif Zardari had been swept into office on an outpouring of sympathy for…
Legal eye: Crisis of expectations
The Supreme Court heard and dismissed the Sharif review petitions. Given the narrow scope of review, nothing dramatic was expected in terms of outcome. Litigation produces winners and losers. In…
The anti-climax
The state of shock and mourning of those earlier vying for a dogfight between an elected government and the military and now inciting hatred against the khaki high command for…
Be a bully
Here is a much-asked question: what to expect in the months ahead in Pakistan’s seedy politics? There can be several answers to the query, and all fairly accurate. Let us…
Is Nawaz Sharif unstoppable?
In what could be termed as a turning point before the general elections, on Monday the PML-N defeated the PTI’s candidate in NA-154, Lodhran in Punjab, with a big margin…
From Bhutto to Zardari
The spectacle of Sharjeel Memon — a former provincial minister accused of siphoning billions of rupees — being presented a gold crown by his supporters on his return home, two…
Indian polls and the Enabling Act
It was the Enabling Act signed unwittingly by Chancellor Hindenburg that gave Adolf Hitler his sweeping powers to destroy Europe. A deeper, potentially fraught political strategy may be at stake…
Politics, patterns and the economy
In the backdrop of the drama surrounding the Panama Papers, it has become imperative to look into the connection between Pakistan’s political fortunes and its economic cycles. In order to…
Will Nawaz Sharif go full Insafian?
On August 14, 2014, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) launched a protest that would last until the Army Public School massacre on December 16, 2014.…
The PPP’s sinking ship
How is the PPP taking the latest defections within its ranks? Just as a matter of course. The party’s chairperson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has shrugged off the defections. He has…
