Seize Kashmir
he recent developments in Kashmir and India offer Pakistan a fresh opportunity to redesign policy. We put Kashmir on the backburner for a decade, with very little return. The Indian…
Smoke and mirrors
One lie that changed our world was that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (December 1979) resurrected the old czarist ambition to extend Russian domination to the warm waters of the…
Allying with tax evaders
"Moralists should address their sermons to the legislators, and not to individuals, because it is in the order of possible things that a virtuous and enlightened man may have the…
Endemic corruption
Pakistan is going through an immensely difficult era. Is it because of democracy? Is it because of the legacy that Musharraf left behind? Whatever the diagnosis the fact is that…
Is Sharia immutable?
It is believed by millions of Muslims across the world that Sharia laws are immutable and represent divine will. This is based on serious misunderstanding. Sharia is not and cannot…
The saviour delusion
In terms of our national consciousness three trends seem to be ascendant: we have lost faith in the ability of individuals to possess integrity or be guided by principles, firm…
Mischief is afoot
“Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt!” — Shakespeare The ungainly and unnecessary controversies over arrangements for the general election and the arguments…
With eyes wide shut
We have become accustomed to looking at the world around us with our eyes shut - believing only what we want to want to, choosing the images we want to…
Reconciliation is the key
Perhaps the best news to emerge concerning Afghanistan over the last few days is the five-day visit of the Afghan defence minister Gen Bismillah Khan Mohammadi to Pakistan at the…
Hostage drama in Algeria
On January 6, the Algerian military stormed the Tinguentourine natural gas facility in Amenas, where three dozen Al Qaeda-linked terrorists were holding hostages. It has been established that American, British,…
