Space for the Sharifs
Even though the political environment is Panama-leaks laden, the Nawaz Sharif government can draw comfort from the fact that it has got one front less to fight on. Since the…
Abuse of authority
Mumtaz Mufti, a great Urdu writer, has written in one of his books that being used to something (ie manoosiat) is one of God’s biggest blessings. Things like rainbows and…
Ministry of Planning and Development: Rationalisation of institutions – IX
During the last decade, with years of poor governance, the institutions of Pakistan have suffered immensely and have recorded a significant decline with some being on the verge of collapse.…
Islam’s ‘golden age’
In discussions on history, philosophy, and even policymaking, one often comes across references to Islam’s ‘golden age’ — a period that saw groundbreaking progress in rationalist disciplines including logic, philosophy,…
China tries charm to reassure over slowing growth
China's normally reclusive central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan is an unusually prominent presence at the G20 finance ministers meeting in Shanghai, racing from seminar to news conference to spread positive…
An unending trial
In the past few days I have been targeted on Pakistani, media especially on social media. Countless tweets, blogs, Facebook posts and even a television channel have labeled me a…
Looking at the verdict
It has sunk in by now that Donald John Trump, the Republican nominee, has convincingly won the presidential election against Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democrat. This marks the end of…
Whither public goods?
What happens when a society sets itself upon a course to self destruction without understanding the consequences of its actions or – in a situation that is more germane to…
CSS reform and vision 2025
UNDP’s latest Development Advocate Pakistan report comes at the same time as the launch of its collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms to design a comprehensive reform…
Not a coup but filling a governance vacuum
With an increasingly public persona of the COAS, many are referring to a ‘soft’ coup having taken place – some gleefully, others with a woeful shrug of inevitability. After all,…
