Anwar Syed

The people are the source original of all legitimate power. They are sovereign and as such they may go whichever way the spirit moves them. They may act both as individuals and as collectivities. In the latter capacity they act through representatives they name periodically. This is how it works out in a democracy. Let […]

In a democracy, the people exercise their entitlement to govern themselves through the agency of their chosen representatives whom they name in periodic elections. Individuals are ambitious and dynamic enough to covet ruling authority and power, and compete with one another for the people’s favour. They appear before voters, introduce themselves, say what they stand […]

The terms of the National Assembly, all provincial Assemblies and the present government will reach their appointed end on March 16, 2013. A caretaker government will come into being, and it will hold new elections within a period of 90 days under the overall supervision of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The Election Commission of […]

A few weeks ago, several well-known members of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) defected to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). This was easily understood in as much as the PPP was believed, in certain circles, to be ailing and on the way to becoming dysfunctional. In an unexpected development a few […]

Dr Tahirul Qadri, reportedly a competent scholar of Islam, a citizen of Canada where he lives, is currently visiting Pakistan. He addressed a mammoth public meeting in Lahore a couple of weeks ago. His oratorical skills would enable him to overawe his listeners and persuade many of them that he knows all about Pakistan, its […]

Many political observers contend that the entire system in Pakistan is rotten. One cannot be sure that they know what precisely they have in mind when they speak of a system. For facility of reference, it may be said that a system is an interacting combination of agents who operate to liberate or inhibit one […]

Giving in the way of the Lord does not refer primarily to building synagogues, churches, mosques and temples. The ‘Lord’ can be interpreted to encompass one’s community or even all of humanity, and giving may be understood to mean devoting one’s resources to its improvement and enabling individuals to actualise their potential. This kind of […]

Many commentators on the politics of Pakistan insist that it was intended to be, or should be, or is an ideological state. This claim will bear scrutiny. The first order of business in this connection should be to figure out what an ideology is. It is a statement and evaluation of the status quo in […]

Judging by the customary measures, the country seems to have fallen into decrepitude. The economy is stagnant and unyielding, corruption is rampant and blatant, governance is wayward and indiscreet, law and order are in a state of breakdown, and the citizen’s life and possessions have become insecure. Prices have been mounting, real incomes have been […]