A refreshing breeze
Following a splendid lunch of char-grilled pomfret and chili crabs I was lying with our beach hut behind me on the sand facing the shimmering ocean. On one side the…
The care they can take
The constitution is silent on the precise role of the caretaker government. There is a general agreement that the caretaker setup should not take any action that favors one political…
Aid and achievemen
Speaking at an event in Jacobabad last week, US Ambassador Richard Olson said that his country would continue to build “a long-term partnership with Pakistan by extending cooperation in several…
The lost half of a decade
The ruling coalition in Pakistan ceaselessly brags that it is the first "democratically elected" government that will be completing its term. As the curtain rings down on its five-year tenure,…
The tasks ahead for Fata’s salvation
A demand that the people of Fata have been making for so many years has finally been accepted and a son of the soil – Shaukatullah Khan, MNA-elect from Bajaur…
Solution to rural poverty
In her article titled ‘Land Rights and Democracy’, (Dawn, Feb 4,) Zeenia Shaukat has referred to my earlier letter in Dawn and has posed two pertinent questions which deserve to…
The best government
If the federal law minister is to be taken at his word, the Swiss authorities are not going to reopen money laundering cases against President Zardari. This may be either…
No longer status quo
So the Swiss letter affair is over, with barely a blip appearing on the national political radar. Never mind that the federal government was hostage to the issue for three…
Missing the target
There are too many large untargeted subsidies in Pakistan that are wasting a lot of resources due to their untargeted nature. The wheat subsidy goes to all the people who…
No more the centre
Even though provinces now hold more powers than has ever been the case since 1947, with 17 key ministries devolved to them in phases following the passage of the 18th…
