The world watches Pakistan on November 5, 2018Once again images of angry men chanting and trucks burning across Pakistan streamed across the world’s televisions. There is no easy solution for managing a movement like TLP that does not formally challenge the legitimacy of the state but rejects the authority of its institutions. Without a coherent plan to manage the next episode, Pakistan’s […]
How the West writes about Pakistan on August 4, 2018The condescension, lack of depth, and clickbait headlines found in the US coverage of Pakistan’s elections begs US publications to reflect on the way they write about this country and acknowledge the power they hold as referees of Pakistani opinions on the world stage. The Washington Post Editorial Board’s opinion was entitled Pakistan’s likely next […]
Washington also adores Pakistan’s Generals on June 8, 2018Discussions about the excesses of Pakistan’s military at home and abroad are as popular in Washington as narratives about US betrayal are in Islamabad. Excluded from the conversation is Washington’s role in undermining Pakistan’s democracy through its adoration of charismatic generals, Islamophobic presumption that “whiskey drinking” officers are more moderate than the general population, ignorance […]
Conspiracies behind Faizabad on November 29, 2017Prior to what some view as a compromise and others as a surrender by the state, the Faizabad ‘dharna’ grew from a nuisance for commuters to a crisis for Pakistan. Each new crisis is perceived as an existential threat to the future of democracy and demanding nuance risks falling prey to the other side’s grand […]
Masters not friends on September 24, 2017The relationship between the US and Pakistan is one of necessity rather than a common vision. It alternates between cooperation and hostility, occasionally teetering on the abyss of formally severed ties. Western observers of Pakistan have exhaustively and convincingly written about the dysfunction that Islamabad brings to the partnership and our latest squabble has solicited […]
Pakistans diaspora untapped potential on August 31, 2017Over the next month thousands of young Pakistanis will begin to filter into universities across North America, Western Europe, and Asia. Many will do everything in their power never to return home but if Pakistan is willing to adapt then it can receive the full benefit from its growing diaspora. In Dubai, Pakistanis, who now […]
Afghanistan in Isolation on August 24, 2017President Trump has finished his comprehensive review of ‘Afghanistan and South Asia’ policy and delivered his findings in a speech. Like his predecessors he has failed to address the fundamental problem and the very phrase ‘Afghanistan and South Asia’ demonstrates a myopic obsession with a lost war to the detriment of an entire region. US […]
Pashtun identity politics in the spotlight on August 15, 2017Ayesha Gulalai’s accusations against Imran Khan and an allegedly misogynistic culture inside PTI has spawned a national debate within Pakistan on the way women are treated in public life. For this reason, it has made headlines in international publications such as The New York Times that rarely delve into the serial-esque drama of Pakistani politics […]
Prime Minister of Twitter on August 3, 2017Social media has shaped politics around the world and its influence is growing. Google executive Wael Ghonim used a Facebook group to help spark the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. President Trump told Fox News that “maybe I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Twitter.” But is social media a threat to Pakistan’s revolving door […]
Bryson DeChambeau wins John Deere Classic on July 18, 2017CHICAGO: Bryson DeChambeau drained a 14-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole on Sunday as his storming back nine lifted him to a first US PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic. The 23-year-old had six birdies coming in as he rallied for the victory over a faltering Patrick Rodgers, punching his ticket to […]