by Riaz Missen

It was the week when ministry of Agriculture and Food Security came alive to the threat of climate change which appeared in the form a prolonged drought severely affecting Potohar region where one fourth of wheat is produced. No rains, no wheat sowing season in Potohar. After it had been confirmed that the peanut crop […]

Let’s congratulate ourselves for completing the process of reviving colonial-era commissionerate system in Pakistan with Punjab putting it into effect through an ordinance. The reason is that we can’t part with the legal system and structures the British India had devised to transform people into’ loyal’ subjects. Blame the lethargy of legislators to think innovatively […]

What is the real source of motivation for extremists active in Baluchistan if it has been proven that they have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam? What is really behind ‘monumental failure’ of the Interior Ministry, not necessarily the one headed by Chaudhary Nisar, in tackling terror in Baluchistan? Why the religious outfits […]

The appoint of a new COAS did not prove to be a routine affair though the outgoing general had made it clear, one year before his retirement, that he was not interested in an extension. Banners and wall chalking suggested him to stay on, and not leave before the conclusion of the war against extremism, […]

The State Bank of Pakistan has calculated the damages done by extremists, since 2002, when the country had become a frontline state in the US-sponsored war on terror, to be $118.3 billion. The Coalition Support Fund alleviated this burden only to the extent of $14 billion. As economic growth slowed down, social sector development became […]

The founder of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto sowed the dream of a ‘ Saraiki’ province in South Punjab. The crop is ready to reap, but PPP is just looking the other way. Can Yusuf Raza Gilani do it alone with the help of ethnic-nationalists, a bunch of poets and revolutionary writers is […]

Going by the words of Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has had its last laugh on offshore accounts. The question of accountability seems to be deferred to the elections in 2018, not too far. Though courts are relevant in regard to making governments accountable for their deeds, more rests with the Election Commission of […]

The Islamabad High Court allowing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to pitch its protest camp at the Parade Ground has prompted the Punjab and ICT administration to impose Section 144. What followed was expected. Police came into action to disperse gatherings, and arrested political workers. Curtailing political parties’ right to protest, while the leadership of the […]

Those feeling an overwhelming need of a ‘foreign minister’ seem to believe that the absence of this portfolio in the prime minister cabinet could have done better for the image of Pakistan at a time India is claiming to have conducted surgical strikes against Pakistan. But having seen how the defence minister has been rendered […]

Whether the war hysteria in two South Asian neighbors will end up in nuclear showdown seems to be a relevant question at a time India is threatening to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan taking such a step tantamount to declaration of war. That the two countries possess nuclear weapons and long range missiles […]