More sweet than sour
Even after making allowances for the controversy over irregularities in polling at a number of places, the May 11 election marks a step forward in the Pakistanis’ quest for a…
The travails of the general
The fool in the eyes of the gods is one who does not know himself. Former president and army chief, Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, lived in the illusory world of…
A generational conflict
Violence – escalating and uncontrollable – has always posed the greatest threat to political transition in Pakistan. This has become increasingly evident following the election-inspired killings in Peshawar, Quetta and…
Impact of violence
The run-up to the elections is proving extremely bloody. There is certainly more to come. Interestingly, what Pakistan is experiencing is usually not considered ‘election-related violence’. The traditional concept is…
Militants’ language
Pakistan had braced itself for a ‘bloody’ election. It’s bad enough that being resigned to this reality was a prerequisite for further democratic consolidation. But the carnage that is unfolding…
Balochistan: beautiful but blighted
My first visit to Balochistan and before I turn to look out of my window the lady doctor travelling with me prepares me for touchdown I listen to her daily…
Election Outlook-VIII: Balochistan: blessed but blighted
"They've been committing a broad-daylight robbery on our resource," an agitating Nawab Akbar Bugti told this writer at his Dera Bugti residence with a growing sense of frustration and despondency…
Our survival
Downward spiral: Our country’s continous descent into a state of anarchy refuses to reach its climax. And our nation could not have been more humiliated than the recent series of…
Fighting sectarian terrorism
The PML-N finally faces the moment of truth for nurturing the banned sectarian terrorist outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. In Monday's parliamentary debate on Shia massacres in Quetta and Karachi, all fingers were…
Towards TARP-II?
In the beginning it was tax evasion, and then became rampant corruption and eventually mafias took over, making the FBR irrelevant in most of the sectors-Ali Arshad Hakeem, Chairman FBR.…
