Time to look towards China and Russia By: Iftekhar A Khan on May 13, 2021After nearly a decade-long hiatus, Russia and Pakistan extended gestures to improve relations in the mutual interest of both countries. Presently, the most important shared objective is to bring lasting peace to war-torn Afghanistan. Pakistan bore the burnt of supporting US adventures in that country, which resulted in the alienating of its own people. During […]
Cost of sugar industry regulations By: Dr Karim Khan on May 13, 2021Market regulations are exercised to ensure efficiency in production, streamline standard-setting, and provide protection to consumers by ensuring quality products at competitive prices. Alternatively, regulations are aimed at providing a legal framework to create a business environment based on healthy competition for improving economic efficiency, developing competitiveness, and protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices. Though regulations […]
The US and the best of times By: Harlan Ullman on May 13, 2021If Charles Dickens’ best of times could be magically transplanted to today’s America, what would that world look like? To say that Republicans and Democrats have diametrically opposed views on virtually every issue is a great understatement. Hence, it becomes self-evident how these two parties would see their respective best of times. For Republicans, the […]
Pakistani-American women and political challenges By: Bohumila Klajblova and Doha Maaty on May 13, 2021The “face” of any minority group is perhaps not shown more powerfully than through political activity. The political leadership of women representing minorities is, therefore, not only a fascinating academic topic but an embodiment of a real double-edged challenge. Pakistani-American women represent racial, religious, and gender specifics, which may define their standing in American society […]
Increasing intolerance towards minorities By: Zafar Aziz Chaudhry on May 12, 2021Earlier this month, a group of Muslim nurses took over a chapel within the grounds of the Punjab Institute of Mental Health. Their sole objective was to raze it and turn it into a mosque. They reportedly began reciting Islamic prayers while threatening their Christian counterparts with (false) charges of blasphemy unless they converted to […]
Firdous-Sonia scuffle and rule of law By: Naveed Aman Khan on May 12, 2021Earlier this month, the special assistant to the Chief Minister Punjab on Information and Culture created a ruckus when she visited a Ramzan bazar in Sialkot. Firdous Ashiq Awan was caught on camera publicly admonishing Assistant Commissioner Sialkot Sonia Sadaf over over the standard of produce being sold. The video went viral and many politicians […]
Continuum of certainty and uncertainty By: Iftikhar Ahmad on May 12, 2021Love and life are born and reborn. Life without sophistication, and culture is no life in the real sense. Rather, it is living at the crossroads of emptiness, torture, within a continuous environment of bigotry and violence. To establish order in society we a need strategy to defuse violence and to create a dynamic balance […]
Has the US killed the peace process? By: Zafar Iqbal Yousafzai on May 12, 2021Afghanistan’s sputtering peace process effectively stalled following President Biden’s announcement of a delayed timetable for US troop withdrawal from the country. And while he failed to acknowledge that this revision violated the US-Taliban Doha agreement — the Taliban, nevertheless, responded by announcing a boycott of all peace talks. Indeed, the Istanbul process scheduled for April […]
Re-setting Pak-Saudi relations? By: Dr Tahir Ashraf on May 11, 2021Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has just returned from a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS). The two countries share a long and historic fraternal relationship. Not least when King Abdullah provided oil to Pakistan for free and on credit to ease the burden of […]
Fallout of US-NATO troops’ drawdown with no peace deal By: Munir Ahmed on May 11, 2021The unilateral decision to drawdown US and NATO troops from Afghanistan was not entirely anticipated by other parties and stakeholders to the decades-old conflict. Even more disconcerting is that this process began on May 1 when the US vacated Kandahar Airfield (KAF), the primary target of Taliban attacks since 2001; sparking clashes between Afghan forces […]