How Pakistan got unenviable second spot among countries with worst air quality on April 19, 2024Pakistan has been ranked second in the latest list of countries with the worst air quality, an outcome that environmentalists say illustrates a sorry tale of negligence and governmental failures. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India were the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023, according to a recent report by Swiss monitor IQAir, painting a bleak picture […]
Asif Ali Zardari: Pakistan’s new president on March 10, 2024Pakistani lawmakers on Saturday elected Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the center-left Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as the country’s 14th president. Zardari, 68, the widower of two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, defeated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a veteran politician from southwestern Balochistan province, and a candidate of the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council, a religiopolitical group that […]
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s new prime minister on March 4, 2024Pakistan’s parliament on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister for a second term. Shehbaz, the younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and president of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) grabbed 201 votes in the lower house or the National Assembly, defeating his rival Omer Ayub Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf […]
Urgency of Water Governance on October 26, 2022Until a couple of decades ago, the monsoon was feted with dance and songs in rural Pakistan. It was enshrined in poetry and attributed to romantic fantasies. But, the otherwise romantic monsoon in recent years has become the second name of destruction and fatalities with its increasing ferocity, frequency, and unpredictability. It has regularly been […]
‘Nuclear arms potential triggers escalation in South Asia’ on April 3, 2021Expressing concerns over “external trends filtering into the region,” a new report on nuclear challenges in South Asia sees nuclear warheads as “potential triggers for accidents or further escalation,” particularly when deployed at a tactical level. It also warned that the contrasting focus and pattern of nuclear engagement between China and the US could break […]
3rd COVID-19 wave takes toll on Asia-Pacific on March 31, 2021Amid ramped up vaccinations across the world to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a third wave of the virus has already taken a toll on the Asia-Pacific region. Countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, which had reported a significant drop in infections over the past few months, are currently grappling with the fresh […]