Empower the local
Pakistan has seldom enjoyed a fully functional local government system. In most cases, military dictators were more interested in installing a local-bodies mechanism that could serve their own nefarious designs…
Today’s Imran Khan supporter
Many have been taken by surprise by the resonance of former prime minister Imran Khan’s blistering political attacks ever since he realised that he was toast. Though he lost the…
The longest year
There was great temptation to write about August 29 as ‘the longest day’ on account of the IMF’s anxiously awaited decision on its Extended Fund Facility for Pakistan. Anxiety turned…
Imran or Netflix: the choice is yours
While Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister, Imran Khan used to comment that Nawaz was not as innocent as he looked. Times have changed and one can say the same…
FY23: The budget
Friday 10 June the budget for 2022-23 is scheduled to be laid before parliament by the unelected though a PML-N stalwart finance minister, Miftah Ismail, who will have the honour…
Musk’s ESG attack spotlights $35trn industry confusion
Elon Musk’s rejection of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) scores as a “scam” highlights how Wall Street’s hottest investment trend that encompasses some $35 trillion in assets means different…
Essential reality check
As Imran Khan seeks to boost his sagging credentials following this week’s controversial ‘no confidence’ push in the national assembly, the prime minister’s record in government has been far from…
Two Sessions 2022
While China’s critics cast aspersions on the proceedings of the Two Sessions, the annual political event in Beijing made an impressive mark and served China’s vital interests. The annual plenary…
Self-serving laws – I
Uninterrupted decade of democracy [2008 to 2018], unprecedented in our political history entailing smooth transfer of power to elected representatives, according to the Constitution, is an occasion for national jubilation…
Sheep dreaming of androids?
Android: robot with a human appearance. Do Androids dream of electric sheep: 1968 science-fiction by Patrick Dick that formed the basis of 1982 film Blade Runner and its sequel Blade…
