The recent attack on a train in Quetta has once again brought into focus a question that should not really require much debate. The Baluchistan Liberation Army, or BLA, is a terrorist organisation and ought to be treated as one. The train attack was not some isolated eruption of violence. It was part of a […]
Op-Ed
The Afghan Faultline Returns
On May 27, 2025, Moscow and Kabul announced that they had signed a military?technical cooperation pact–the first formal step since Russia recognised the Taliban regime almost a year ago after removing it from the list of banned terrorist groups. Interestingly, around the same time, Pakistan’s deputy premier and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, en route to […]
Youm-e-Takbeer
Twenty-eight years ago, Pakistan declared itself a nuclear power in response to India’s nuclear tests. On May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted five nuclear explosions in the mountains of Chagai, demonstrating its nuclear capability against India. In this way, Pakistan emerged as the world’s seventh nuclear power, and the day became a source of pride for […]
Rebuilding Schools, Restoring Futures
Four years have passed since the devastating floods of 2022 left deep and painful marks on Pakistan, with Sindh among the worst-affected provinces. The disaster damaged homes, roads, crops, health facilities, public infrastructure and thousands of schools on an alarming scale. According to official figures, around 19,808 schools across Sindh were damaged during the 2022 […]
Beyond Ideology: The TTP-BLA Alliance
The unfortunate terrorist incident that struck Quetta on 25th May once again highlights the alarming security situation in Pakistan, particularly in the KP and Balochistan region. The Global Terrorism Index 2026 report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) ranks Pakistan as the country most affected by terrorist incidents. The report cites Tehreek-e-Taliban […]
Trump Ties Iran Peace to Abraham Accords
As negotiations between the United States and Iran move closer to a potential settlement, President Donald Trump has introduced a condition that has shocked many observers across the Middle East. According to his public statements, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and others should join the Abraham Accords and normalise relations […]
Is Pakistan’s Judiciary “Blind”? (Part XII)
[Recap: Part XI of this serial, over a year ago, underscored Pakistan’s “complicit-oppressor judiciary’s strengths, vulnerabilities and tiered approach to justice.” It ended with a stark note that the judiciary “needed a volcanic shake-up; it needed to be reminded of the fate, met by Sisamnes, a judge during the reign of Cambyses II, the Iranian […]
Reimagining the UN in a Fragmented World
Established after worldwide II, with an aim to prevent future wars and the related death, destruction and wastage of resources, the UN has rarely succeeded in preventing wars, especially if one of the warring parties is a superpowerbecause these superpowers could veto any UN resolution to get through. The same has been the case even […]
The Global Middle Class Is Being Replaced by Two Classes: Owners and Renters
For decades, the middle class represented the psychological backbone of modern capitalism. It was the class that worked, saved, invested cautiously, bought homes, educated children, planned retirements, and believed that discipline would eventually translate into stability. Governments proudly measured their expansion as proof of economic success. Banks built products around it. Politicians campaigned in its […]
The Proven Promise of Youm-e-Takbeer
Twenty-eight years have passed since Pakistan experienced one of the most consequential moments in its history; Youm-e-Takbeer is not just a date to be commemorated; it is a day embedded in the national consciousness. When the mountains of Chagai bore witness to Pakistan’s nuclear tests, the message conveyed was far greater than the yield of […]