Editorial

Let's face it. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has lost credibility, and arrests of lawmakers from the government's side won't be enough to fix the damage caused to its image due to the shoddy ways of the Bureau's operations. That the Bureau was constituted by the then military dictator General Pervez Musharraf's administration to act as a tool against politicians falling out of line … [Read more...] about Fixing NAB must become a priority

The main suspect in the murder of a teenager in a Khairpur village has been arrested. Earlier, concerns were raised on social media platforms that the influential family background of the suspect, a relative of Pakistan People's Party leader Manzoor Wassan, may enable him to evade repercussions in the case. As legal proceedings in the case unfold, the fact remains that crimes against women are … [Read more...] about Women’s right to life

The two-member Supreme Court bench has passed an important judgement in the suomotu proceedings into the far-right Tehrik-e-Labbaik's Faizabad sit-in. The judgement has laid out what must serve as guiding principles for the executive in dealing with fundamental rights of the citizenry. With the era of Justice Saqib Nisar and its judicial overreach behind us, the text drafted by Justice Qazi … [Read more...] about A landmark verdict

Not many television shows in this country are known for the civility of discourse. Extended yelling matches, accusations of corruption and murder, physical threats and attacks on women's moral character have all been fair game in the race for ratings for our news channels. And with reports emerging that Pakistanis are watching 10 percent less television than in 2015, it is unlikely that things … [Read more...] about Unbecoming conduct

Things aren't looking good for the Afghan government. A little over a week after its representatives were excluded from a six-day long talk between negotiators representing Washington and the Afghan Taliban in Doha - where the Taliban agreed to never allow Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) to have space in Afghanistan -- the Ashraf Ghani government has been snubbed again. The Afghan Taliban … [Read more...] about New twists in Afghanistan end game

The authorities in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan must immediately take notice of calls from the Awami Workers Party (AWP) that its central leader in the region is being denied permission to travel to Islamabad for medical check-up. Baba Jan has been incarcerated since 2011 over terrorism charges framed against him for exercising what in the rest of the country would be considered to be a … [Read more...] about Imprisoned activist’s health concerns

That Pakistan is a country highly vulnerable to climate change is not exactly breaking news. A Germany-based think tank had already termed the country the seventh most vulnerable nation to climate change in 2017. Before that in 2012, the Worldwide Fund (WWF) for Nature report had stated that average temperatures in the Subcontinent would rise by up to four-degree Celsius by the year 2100. Now … [Read more...] about Climate change and the Hindu Kush

At the moment, the federal government's overriding concern must be to control inflation, mainly keeping it under six per cent. It crossed four-years high record in January, as per data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, released on Friday. This did not happen overnight, as in October last the inflation rate touched 6.78 per cent - and after a slight decline in November and December, it … [Read more...] about Inflation unlimited

With the culmination of the Adab Festival in Karachi, Pakistan now has at least four major literature and cultural related events that have become annual features in several cities. This is in stark contrast to the dearth of such public activities about a decade or so ago. The credit for this resurgence of literary and cultural activity goes squarely to the many resilient individuals and groups in … [Read more...] about Literary festivals: the next step

As the government and the political leadership observes Kashmir Solidarity day across the country, we must reflect upon the missed opportunities for resolution of the seven-decade-old dispute that has deprived multiple generations of their fundamental right to self-determination. It must also serve as an occasion to be reminded of the ill-devised policies of the past so that a more prudent … [Read more...] about From solidarity to a solution