Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has never been this jolly and confident as he was at the time of presenting the budget last Friday. That it was his fourth show in a row, or the absence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whose shoes he is supposedly filling could be the factors behind his confidence. But […]
The Public Sphere: The Integration Act
German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues clicking new ideas and pricking minds with regard to conflict resolution in a cross-cultural environment. Last Wednesday, she and her cabinet met at their Meseberg retreat to approve The Integration Act, which Merkel later called a “milestone” aiming to help migrants integrate with the German culture and market though the […]
The Public Sphere: Whose victories are these?
After Londoners elected Sadiq Khan of Pakistani origin as their mayor, citizens of Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state elected Muhterem Aras of Turkish origin as speaker of their parliament. A lot of media attention went into Khan’s victory here while Aras could not grab much of it back home in Turkey, much less Pakistan. Representing the […]
The Public Sphere: Thank You Afghanistan!
Afghanistan has once again proved that it is not a failed state and it can do it. Recovery of Ali Haider Gilani, a son of former prime minister Yoursaf Raza Gilani, after three painful years from Al Qaida by Afghan and the US forces may be a surprise for those who have mistaken that war-torn […]
Trajectory of a slingshot
A slingshot or catapult does not have an outreach of more than a few metres. But that is not the case of a slingshot in the hands of a Palestinian, pulled back in the face of Israeli soldiers — armed from head to toe — or tanks rumbling through the rubble of the houses they […]
The media code of conduct
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority’s (PEMRA’s) new code of conduct for the media answers fewer questions than it raises vis-à-vis the public interest and freedom of expression. The regulatory body is independent and proactive in nature, but the fact that it needed a push from the apex court to come into action casts a […]