Our economic development must conquer its GoliathBy: Iftikhar Ahmad on June 19, 2018The caretaker government is facing economic challenges on the international and domestic fronts. It will miss the targets of the budget and current account deficits by a wide margin during the outgoing fiscal year 2018. To lay the basis for an examination of those aspects of budgeting that are most important for economic development, it seems desirable to set forth, in terms of generalisations, … [Read more...] about Our economic development must conquer its Goliath
A tainted path to powerBy: Saad Hafiz on June 19, 2018The age-old, not so secret, cynical formula, to be successful in politics, is to surround yourself with sycophantic supporters, have access to a lot of money, never show your real face to the voters, be good at making and breaking promises, and mudslinging. The primary objective remains to acquire power by any means. Swimming against the tide or challenging the existing state of affairs rarely … [Read more...] about A tainted path to power
Let’s talk about what happens after the electionsBy: Asif Mahsud on June 19, 2018In civilised countries, political parties contest elections on the basis of their manifestos and future plans for their homeland. However, in Pakistan, it’s more about slinging insults at each other. These days everyone is pretending to be a political analyst and talking about the pre-election scenario. However, what we should be doing is mulling over the post-election scenario. There could … [Read more...] about Let’s talk about what happens after the elections
Keeping Pakistan out of the nuclear gameBy: Beenish Altaf on June 19, 2018There are nine nuclear weapon states. Four of these have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). These include Pakistan, Israel, India, and North Korea-which withdrew from the treaty. These four states are referred to as non-NPT nuclear weapon states. Pakistan possess nuclear weapons, and aspires to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an association of 48 nations that … [Read more...] about Keeping Pakistan out of the nuclear game
Empowerment or illusionBy: Jalaluddin Mughal on June 16, 2018The long awaited constitutional reforms in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) have triggered a hot debate amongst stakeholders, whether. The question? Will the 13th amendment will of Act 1974, the Constitution of AJK, empower the people of the region, or keep power firmly in the hands of the centre. Whereas, the The PML-N led AJK government has called the reforms the "greatest achievement" of under Prime … [Read more...] about Empowerment or illusion
The anatomy of the PTMBy: Hanif-ur-Rahman on June 16, 2018If Cleopatra's nose had been shorter, the whole face of the earth would have changed. And like Cleopatra's proverbial nose, the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud culminated in the rise of the Pakhtun Tahffuz (Protection) Movement (PTM). This incident is an example of the Contingency Theory of History, which states that "...a small event may cause history to change course, resulting in … [Read more...] about The anatomy of the PTM
PTI ticket holders are the ‘right’ choicesBy: Hassam Waheed on June 16, 2018The 2018 General Elections are only one-and-a-half month away. For many people, the upcoming polls are one of the most anticipated and awaited elections in the history of Pakistan. The reason behind this anticipation is very clear: it will be the last elections form any old political players. If things continue like this until2023, many influential political leaders may not remain as … [Read more...] about PTI ticket holders are the ‘right’ choices
CPEC will help Pakistan progress only if we band together as a countryBy: Anjum Gul on June 16, 2018It has been five years since an aggressive development plan was initiated in Pakistan. What I am talking about is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The ambitious road network is scheduled to be completed by 2030. The first five years are gone. The first phase is successfully accomplished with the completion of several infrastructure and energy projects. Everybody knows that no … [Read more...] about CPEC will help Pakistan progress only if we band together as a country
Political blame gameBy: Nasir Khan on June 15, 2018Politics is the pre-requisite of every democratic system in the world. The political psychology and political behaviours reflect the overall image of a country. Different political stunts are always used to create the hindrances to tarnish the image of political leaders. Political blame game and political agenda setting are always prevalent in countries but the civilised states avoid using … [Read more...] about Political blame game
Understanding the domestic drivers of Pakistan’s hybrid warBy: Ali Shah on June 15, 2018The popularisation of hybrid war in the national security and policy discourse can be dated from April’s public statements of the COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa which recognised accurately that Pakistan is confronted with a hybrid war. This hybrid war, imposed on Pakistan, consists of a combination of externally assisted, wide-ranging, non-military, non-violent social, economic, informational, … [Read more...] about Understanding the domestic drivers of Pakistan’s hybrid war
