When neighbours drift apart
The year 2025 proved to be one of the most troubled chapters in the history of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. What once appeared…
A silent revolution
The destiny of nations is determined not by the size of their armies or the depth of their natural resources, but by the power of their intellect, by the knowledge…
Indoctrination of extremism—II
Primary school math textbooks produced by UNO and funded by USAID incorporated militant ideology to promote violence against Soviet soldiers. A third-grade math textbook taught subtraction through this problem: “One…
The youth bulge and idle youth
The Population and Housing Census of 2023 provides very useful information on the living conditions of the over 241 million people of Pakistan. The objective of this article is to…
Budgetary outcome in 2024-25
The detailed statistics on the fiscal operations by the federal and the provincial governments have recently been released by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The outcome of the operations has…
Making the deal count
In recent weeks, the US announced a sweeping reduction in tariffs on Pakistani exports, alongside a landmark agreement to begin crude oil imports into Pakistan. A crude oil shipment from…
Power versus people
There is a standoff between power and people, each holding on to its domain. In a democratic dispensation, power flourishes from the support of the people. Misuse of power creates…
The provincial budgets of FY26
The four provincial budgets were announced last week. The first budget presented was that of Sindh, followed by Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan. The provincial budgets for 2025-26 are expected to…
Scorching heat: a public health emergency
This summer, large parts of Pakistan, particularly Southern Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan, are once again reeling under an intense and prolonged heatwave. With temperatures soaring above 45°C in many areas,…
Minerals: expectations and challenges
A two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 (PMIF25) held at Islamabad on April 8 and 9 concluded on a vision of turning the hidden minerals of Pakistan into a trillion-dollar…
