There is a hollow, devastating cycle to the grief of our Ummah and our shared humanity. Just as the ink dried on yet another fragile diplomatic agreement, the illusion of safety was shattered. Only days after a framework agreement was signed in Lebanon, the skies above southern towns like Deir Seryan, Taybeh, and Khiam were […]
Op-Ed
Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Second Chance at Regional Prosperity
In international politics, there are moments when a successful diplomatic effort can alter the course of long-standing conflicts and open doors that once seemed permanently closed. The recent easing of tensions in the Middle East, signs of reduced hostility between Iran and the United States, and renewed diplomatic engagement aimed at regional stability have created […]
India’s “Abeyance” of the Indus Waters Treaty: Legal Erosion and Environmental Neglect
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), mediated by the World Bank in 1960 between India and Pakistan, has for six decades been one of the world’s most cited examples of enduring transboundary water cooperation. The treaty allocates the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and grants primary rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) […]
Peace Through Preparedness
As Punjab peacefully concluded the first ten days of Muharram-ul-Haram, the province witnessed an encouraging example of how meticulous planning, administrative preparedness and public cooperation can together preserve religious sanctity while ensuring law and order. The smooth observance of Youm-e-Ashur did not happen by chance. It was the outcome of coordinated planning by the Punjab […]
Europe Calls Out the Taliban’s Failure
The recent statements by European Union Special Envoy Gilles Bertrand and United Kingdom Special Envoy Richard Lindsay mark a significant shift in the international discourse surrounding terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Their unequivocal acknowledgement of Pakistan’s legitimate right to self-defence against cross-border terrorist threats not only validates Islamabad’s longstanding concerns but also exposes the Taliban regime’s […]
Karzai and Taliban Nexus Targetting Pakistan
In the corridors of European parliaments and the echo chambers of social media, a well-worn script is being recited once again: Pakistan is to blame for whatever goes wrong in Afghanistan. The voice pushing this line does not belong to a Taliban spokesperson, though the regime approves every word. It belongs to Hamid Karzai, former […]
When Collecting Taxes Becomes Too Expensive
Pakistan’s Budget 2026-27 has once again triggered the familiar debate. Are tax rates too high? Has the salaried class received enough relief? Are businesses paying more? Should the government have imposed additional taxes or reduced expenditure instead? These are legitimate questions. Yet they all overlook a more fundamental issue. Perhaps Pakistan’s biggest tax problem is […]
South Asia’s NextGen Test (Part I)
A drive into Washington always carries surprises. Some days it is the flash of motorcades slicing through traffic, while on others, it is a practised-to-perfection rhythm of suited figures hurrying past security barriers, badges swinging, as decisions that shape distant regions are quietly set in motion. Tuesday morning, I hurried across a rain-soaked pathway; June […]
Pakistan’s Security Concerns Vindicated
Pakistan has spent the better part of the last few years telling the world that anti-Pakistan militant groups are operating from across the border in Afghanistan. Successive governments, military commanders and diplomats have repeatedly argued that the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan has found space to regroup on Afghan soil and uses that space to plan […]
Re-interpreting the ‘Tortoise and Hare’ Fable
Aesop’s fable of the Hare and the Tortoise is one of the oldest stories in the human tradition, yet its moral has never felt more urgently contested than it does today. The hare, blessed with natural speed and talent, races ahead with breezy confidence, only to nap beneath a shady tree, certain that his lead […]