Editorial

If saffron logos, picturesque Dal Lake and rousing fanfare about local artisans were sought to provide Modi Sarkar with the much-needed stamp of approval on its endeavours in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, New Delhi’s grand G-20 designs appear to have fallen flat on the face. On top of fierce opposition from China, Saudi […]

Using the internet in Pakistan is not easy-we never quite know who is watching. Every gesture and expression is scrutinised by a mob of online observers, waiting to prowl. This year, the Digital Rights Foundation registered 2600 complaints, proving that online harassment has now morphed into an epidemic. With social media networks becoming more and […]

It takes two to tango. So when the caretaker government and Imran Khan do not show any sign of cowering away from a war of allegations and more allegations, they’ve essentially dug in; betting on the odds of the other side blinking first. The quest to find out dozens of terrorists hiding inside Zaman Park […]

In a visit that surprised everyone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Saudi Arabia in the hopes of convincing the Arab League to cut diplomatic ties with Russia. Zelensky has repeatedly used his personal charisma to rally support for the Ukrainian cause and obtain billions of dollars in weapons from the West, even going as […]

A lifetime ago, Pakistan had surprised the so-called developed world by passing a landmark transgender rights bill that not only allowed people to choose their transgender identity as they perceived it but even made legislative arrangements for official recognition. On Friday, the Federal Shariah Court revoked some of these progressive provisions catering to gender identity, […]

For a country languishing on the precipice of a disaster, slashed down foreign exchange reserves to a tragic $4.31 billion should have been the last straw; jolting the authorities out of their complacency. That overseas Pakistanis are not in a mood to send back dollars and exports to the Middle East have registered a 14.8 […]

The threat of a $18 billion penalty from Iran looms over Pakistan’s head at a time when the country is already embroiled in economic turmoil. There’s no question that the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project did not pan out the way it was intended to. Under the original agreement, Islamabad was meant to pay Iran nearly $1 […]

Scrutiny over our human rights record seems to boom the loudest in Congress; threatening to undermine Pakistan’s position on the global stage again at a time when we are already isolated internationally. It wasn’t too long ago that US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken wrote a letter expressing concern about political victimisation in Pakistan, […]

It is a perfect storm in the making. For starters, the new revenue distribution model for international cricket has sparked a vociferous protest from Pakistan Cricket Board. Amid heated speculations about the boycott of the World Cup, Chairman Najam Sethi’s waving of the green flag with regard to the neutral avenues for hosting the Pak-India […]

Swat’s students are not strangers to the insurgency. The area first gained notoriety when Malala Yousafzai was abruptly catapulted to the global stage after getting shot in the head by the Taliban– an image that is burnt into the Pakistani consciousness forever. Another strikingly similar attack by insurgents on a school bus almost a decade […]