Gerrymandering the elections on July 19, 2018Historically, election results have always been disputed by political parties. Parties which lost the elections have always alleged that they lost because of rigging. The many dharnas of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan were centred on this issue. Even the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) claimed that the election results were changed by […]
Nawaz is his own worst enemy on July 5, 2018National Assembly candidates contesting the 2018 election, which is only three weeks away, have an uphill task to reach out to an average of around 389,000 voters — which is a 23 percent increase in the number of voters compared to the 2013 general elections. Logically, the 19.77 million voters that have been added to […]
Dialogue between spymasters is a good omen on June 23, 2018Interestingly, the book ‘The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace’ was released just when the Supreme Court (SC) has resurrected the famous Asghar Khan case. It has been alleged in this case that General Asad Durrani, one of the authors and then ISI chief had distributed slush funds to politicians from various […]
Clash of two narratives on national security on June 9, 2018For the first time, the clash between the so far official national security narrative and civilian narrative has risen from Punjab. Punjab is the most powerful province of the country which represents 53 percent of the population and a huge chunk of the people in the military establishment. This contradiction between these two sides has […]
Investigative reporting versus inspired reporting on May 24, 2018The recent faux pas of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to issue a press release that it will investigate former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for money laundering for US$4.9 billion to India was based on a four-month old column published in a tier two Urdu newspaper. It clearly shows that, both, the journalist who has […]
Even the poorest indirectly pay taxes in Pakistan on May 19, 2018There have been many attempts in the past to lure the taxpayers to whiten their money. One of the biggest attempts was made by Dr Mahbubul Haq by introducing the ‘whitener bond’, which had very little success. I am reminded of the meeting held by Dr Haq with Karachi’s businessmen at the State Bank building […]
Demands for South Punjab on May 9, 2018Once again, the Nawab of Bahawalpur Salahuddin Abbasi has raised the demand to create a separate Bahawalpur province in the run up to the 2018 elections. A parallel Janoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz (JPSM), led by a young MNA, Khusro Bakhtiar, has also been established by some of the MNAs and MPAs of the area. Interestingly, […]
Where do we stand on Press Freedom Day? on May 1, 2018Sadly, the state of freedom of expression in Pakistan has not improved in the last many years. The recent report of Reporters Without Borders has ranked Pakistan’s state of freedom of expression and tolerance at 139 out of 161 countries reviewed by this prestigious organisation. If there is any solace, India is ranked 138 in […]
Decoding government’s tax amnesty scheme on April 13, 2018Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has announced a special tax amnesty scheme in an effort to expand the government’s revenue base. However, it’s expected that the amnesty plan is not likely to be implemented successfully given a number of political and legal risks. The recently offered tax waivers were promulgated through a presidential ordinance at […]
Some thoughts on ‘governing the ungovernable’ on April 9, 2018Dr Ishrat Husain is a well-educated and proficient writer with a valuable experience of heading the State Bank of Pakistan and chairing the National Commission for Government Reforms. But it is surprising that a knowledgeable person like him has refrained from writing much on the subject that deserves his erudite attention: political economy of Pakistan. […]