Internet Woes on September 26, 2024It seems that the government believes that simply repeating its half-baked explanations behind the dreaded digital blackouts too many times would eventually make the people believe it. With reports of internet slowing to a crawl, that too, on the heels of yet another breakdown of popular social media applications last weekend, IT Minister Shaza Fatima […]
Energy Woes on September 25, 2024That Pakistan languishes in the eye of a perfect energy storm has been an open secret for quite some time. While the crux of the debate about a highly unreliable service, that too, at unprecedented high costs, keeps pointing fingers at the existence of Independent Power Producers, which have lately become the ultimate boogeyman, the […]
Drug-Resistant Typhoid on September 25, 2024We cannot ignore the elephant in the room any longer. The world is facing an antibiotic emergency as drug-resistant superbugs keep emerging to endanger populations from extremely common, preventable and formerly treatable health ailments. However, as global leaders are all set to come together at the UN summit to contemplate the best possible way to […]
Out of Woods? on September 24, 2024“We will hold rallies in 2028,” Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif exclaimed in an apparent dig at the recently-held PTI’s power show in Lahore as he emphasised the urgency of addressing the pledges made to the people. Fair enough, for he might have been a little late to realise this but the last few years have […]
Alarming Development on September 23, 2024Pakistan cricket community is still reeling from the aftermath of the deadly militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus during a test match series in 2009, horrified by which several major international teams refused to tour the country out of security concerns. In March this year, a string of terrorist attacks targetting Chinese interests […]
Sri Lankan Elections on September 23, 2024With a record 39 candidates daring to put their names in the hat and the presidential election going to a historic second count (because no candidate managed to secure a clear majority), Sri Lanka finally chose Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday to lead its fragile economy away from the shadows of the worst crisis in […]
PTI in Lahore on September 22, 2024“Tsunami” or “PTI’s funeral,” the performance of yesterday’s much-awaited power show in Lahore, which former prime minister Imran Khan had described as “do or die” for his party, like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder. Notwithstanding heated pressers by ministers and giving credit where it’s due, the Punjab government should be appreciated for […]
What Next? on September 22, 2024After an extraordinary two-stage attack involving thousands of walkie-talkies and pagers–injuring thousands of people and killing at least 37–rocked Lebanon this week, countries like Hungary, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Japan have garnered attention over links to Israel’s declaration of a new phase of war in the Middle East. Alleged reports of home solar energy systems blowing […]
CPEC 2.0 on September 21, 2024Higher than the Himalayas. Deeper than Ocean. Sweeter than honey. Stronger than steel. Pakistan always finds one way or another to reach out to China, seeking the next level in their friendship. A reassuring picture of our prime minister and president celebrating China’s National Day with the Chinese ambassador stationed in Islamabad making rounds on […]
India’s Muslims on September 21, 2024India may wish everyone to believe it is still a secular democracy but given its prime minister Narendra Modi’s radical vision of establishing a Hindu nation, these attempts have begun to fall flat. That reservations on countless stories of terrorised Indian Muslims echoed from Iran, a country it shares strong bilateral relations with, not only […]