The shifting global order
While we continue to be consumed by local issues – including the Faizabad sit-in – the world around us is changing in several significant ways. Two developments that have taken…
Women and the law
There is no specific provision in the constitution to protect inheritance rights. The rights of legal heirs are, however, protected under the West Pakistan Muslim Personal Law (Shariat Act, 1962)…
The legal dimension of empowerment
There are visible gaps in the policy, discourse and practice of social development vis-a-vis the legal dimension of empowerment in Pakistan. Most of the social-mobilisation programmes have not incorporated the…
How to manage Pak-US ties
It has been one of the most difficult tasks for almost all successive governments in Pakistan to effectively manage relations with the US. Even though Pakistan has helped the US…
The post-West order
During the recent G7 summit, the president of the European Council – a subsidiary of the EU – sent out the warning that Donald Trump’s trade and diplomatic initiatives may…
Understanding Modi-Xi bonhomie
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to China on the invitation of President Xi Jinping had a ring of grandeur to it. Both the leaders spent nine hours together…
A South Asian trade utopia?
In April, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held informal meetings and vowed to reduce border tensions, referring to last year’s military standoff in the Doklam…
A tale of two ‘democracies’
We have justifiably taken pride in our march towards building representative institutions; developing systems that are a product of complex human experiences; and organising societies marked by moral, political and…
Winds of change
The winds of change are blowing fast and loud. The corrupt are being caught and punished, and fresh ideas and a new beginning may just be around the corner. With…
Need for new income tax law – I
When the then government of General Pervez Musharraf decided to promulgate a new income tax law in 2000, many opposed it strongly. The main objection was that his regime had…
