Editorial

Gen (rtd) Musharraf is a free man. At liberty to react publicly and on record to the Indian Army chief’s recent controversial remarks. Despite being wanted by the Pakistani courts on charges of treason for suspending the Constitution and imposing emergency however short-lived that may have been. By stark contrast, two former Prime Ministers and a journalist are in the dock for sedition; all over … [Read more...] about Reporters without bail

Justice Brett Kavanaugh remains Donald Trump’s right man for the job of Supreme Court (SC) judge. Never mind that he now stands accused by two women of sexual misconduct: Dr Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez.  In truth, of course, numbers should not come into it. That one woman has come forward ought to be sufficient to warrant investigation. Sadly, this is not happening. President … [Read more...] about Kavanaugh and the old boys’ club

Pakistan has faced a tense time at the UN. For just as the annual General Assembly session was getting underway — a protest organised by the Baloch took place outside the world body headquarters. Of course, calls for the realisation of fundamental human rights should never be viewed by the state as an embarrassment. Or, indeed, as an attempt to sully the country’s image on the international … [Read more...] about Dialogue and development

Now that the Foreign Minister is in New York, the pressure is on. Shah Mehmood Qureshi is expected to raise the issue of Indian belligerence and the continuing suffering of the Kashmiris in his address to the UN General Assembly at the end of the week. Yet it is his scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that analysts in both countries will be keenly watching. Even in … [Read more...] about Expectations for the Pompeo moot

President Dr Arif Alvi kicked off the week by launching a three-day nationwide anti-polio drive that aims to vaccinate a total of 38.6 million below the age of five. The aim is to completely eradicate the virus by next year. This is to be welcomed. After all, it is a matter of great shame that Pakistan remains one of three nations (along with Afghanistan and Nigeria) that is still crippled by this … [Read more...] about The polio challenge

Nepal has much to celebrate. This year’s National Conservation Day, commemorated on Sunday, coincided with the news that the country is firmly on its way to becoming the first of the 13 tiger range nations to double its tiger population by 2022. This deadline was set within the framework of the World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) “Tx2” programme whose sole aim is to double global tiger … [Read more...] about Eye of the tiger

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has been accused of nepotism whilst striking a deal with a French aircraft manufacturing company named, Dassault. Instead of giving preference to the public sector; Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the contract was hand over the Reliance Group, led by Anil Ambani. Since 2016, India has been working on a deal with France for the Rafale fighter jets. Indian and … [Read more...] about Modi under fire

The attack on a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz is a reminder of festering tensions in the Middle East. Quite predictably, top Iranian officials have blamed the United States (US) and its allies in the Gulf, accusing them of backing the al-Ahvaziya militant group, which has claimed responsibility for the assault which resulted in the deaths of 29 people, including women and … [Read more...] about Ahvaz terror attack

The Pashtun Culture Day is celebrated on September 23 every year since 2015. This day was designated for promoting Pushtun culture during the World Pashto Conference held in Quetta that year. Since then, every year, a few hashtags, Facebook posts and isolated take place across Pakistan to mark the day. There is no doubt that the Pushtun culture is under-represented in the mainstream media and … [Read more...] about Pashtun Culture Day

The war of words between India and Pakistan risks pushing both sides towards the brink. What is therefore needed is restraint all round. Especially given that the annual UN General Assembly meeting is all set for this week. And it will do neither party any good to squander the opportunity of address by giving in to vitriol. Of course, the timing of the attack on Indian security personnel in … [Read more...] about War of words