A pox on our house
In one of his more unfortunate lapses of syntax, Pervez Musharraf once declared, “Extremism bohat extreme ho gaya hai.” At the time he was dismissed as yet another lush who…
Countering the terror threat
Consider the theatrics of the absurd by some political clerics at the killing of the terrorist responsible for slaughtering thousands of innocent Pakistanis. It is sad that the fundamentally moderate…
Afghan trade
Afghanistan has evolved to one of Pakistan's top three trade partners. The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has increased manifold during the last few years and has…
Moving past the crisis metric
The question has become rhetorical: given Pakistan's abundant manpower and natural resources, bilateral donors and the IMF over the years, why has the country not been able to build a…
US expects climate talk progress, cites China cooperation
The United States and China, the two largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, have been at loggerheads for years over any international treaty that would mandate reductions. But the US envoy…
Soldiers occupy cartel stronghold in western Mexico
In the western Mexican state of Michoacan, a region controlled by drug cartels and vigilante militias, a functioning government is a distant concept. The Roman Catholic bishop of Apatzingan appears…
Elder statesmen anxious over Africa’s poor leadership
There's no two ways about it: Africa's leadership is in decline. Corruption and poverty remain high, data shows, while a small elite prospers and heads of state demand immunity from…
What if the right was right?
As election results started trickling on the evening of May 11, a shift to the right was discernible. By next morning, the centre-left parties had suffered a massive defeat with…
The sacred duty of lying
It’s hardly a secret that states are ruthless in the pursuit of their national interests. They resort to hypocrisy and sincerity and make-believe and reality – anything that will work…
Fazlullah`s ascent
The ascendancy of Mullah Fazlullah as the chief of the banned militant outfit Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP) has raised several questions. The death of Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone strike on…
