‘Security’ via appeasement
Pakistan is at war with itself on many fronts. It is not only a battle for its soul but also for its very existence. But the battle is already half…
The PPP’s trump card
What’s the PPP’s trump card as it goes into the upcoming elections? The Sindh card? Not really. The PPP government’s performance during the last five years? Not in the slightest.…
Changes in Sindh
The perception about Sindhi nationalist politics is that it’s secular, progressive, anti-establishment and left-oriented. Is this view still valid? In recent decades, many changes have occurred in the politics of…
Change in the air
Writing in The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli says: “The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.” The insights of this great…
The road to hell
Last week I went to Karachi. I saw nothing on TV but tickers mentioning murders, targeted killings, grenade attacks, buses, motorcycles and cars being set on fire. Despicable and horrendous…
Politics of expediency
The deliberate hash of local government to reflect the diverse demographics of the ruling coalition, the PPP in the rural areas and the MQM in the urban areas of Sindh,…
The shadow over Pakistan
The Soviet pullout from Afghanistan in 1989 was a triumph for our military establishment. The ISI and the Zia regime, while not solely responsible for that outcome, had helped bring…
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…
Spotlight: Party leaders not parties are power centres – II
Pir Pagara, Raja Saein: Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) head Pir Pagara is a well known figure in Sindh and in Rawalpindi where the GHQ is located. The help rendered by…
Tax, power sectors need reforms
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) team visiting Pakistan on a Post Project Monitoring (PPM) mission a couple of weeks ago emphasised yet again the need for power and tax sector…
