Marginal and fragile areas: Will democracy work?
Is democracy the panacea of all the ills that are facing this nation? The answer as any one will tell you are that one shoe size does not fit anyone…
More on the IMF report
Last week (April 1) I wrote about the IMF report and highlighted some aspects of it – in particular the contradictory statements, double speak, use of unpleasant language, and showing…
Wanted: a strong liberal voice
Is there room, in today’s Pakistan, for a strong liberal voice in our mainstream politics? On the face of it, the answer would be in the negative. But what else…
Confronting violent extremists
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced the long-awaited national security policy yesterday, focusing on the operational aspects of governmental response to the threat of violent extremism. Much of what…
All about national security
Now that we have a National Internal Security Policy, we should expect some clarity in the establishment’s plan to deal with the Taliban and other terrorist outfits. There is this…
Woman empowerment: Shahbaz Sharif’s strong commitment
Punjab government's pronouncement for bringing necessary amendments in laws related to women and making these laws up-to-date in accordance with the present day requirements, is a manifestation of strong commitment…
The economics of privatisation
Pakistan is willing to sell its silver. Why? The probable reason is that these public sector institutions have been very inefficient and are bleeding the economy. There are very many…
National security Economics and ideology
I have always maintained that the three most ardent and work-perceptive in the present government are Ishaq Dar, Sartaj Aziz and Chaudhry Nisar and in fact all three are what…
Nature of the state
Mama Qadeer’s long walk to Islamabad ended up at the UN. The decision of the marchers to go over the heads of Pakistani state managers and seek UN intervention in…
Sorrows of Sindh
In the fractured mirror that is Pakistan, each large fragment projects a scary image of disorder. In this flaming montage, Sindh sometimes stands out and diverts our attention from other,…
