No one should have a statistical problem with the towering estimated figure of $ 38 billion that Pakistan has lost due to the war on terror. Pakistan has been left behind by decades in economic development by its big brother neighbour due to the proliferation of terrorism in the country. The problem of assigning the […]
What if Punjab is too large?
The argument given for the creation of a separate Saraiki province has no validity if we examine the past experience within Indo-Pak or in the rest of the world. However, if the Saraiki province is being created on the basis of linguistic differentiation and presumed cultural differences, then it should be recognised as a principle […]
FATA: Pakistans wild west?
Pakistan’s core state is like a stubborn mule that seldom moves without a sound thrashing. Changes in the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), extension of the Political Parties Order 2002 and enactment of other laws to the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) were long overdue. As a matter of fact, besides the US-Zia jihadi infusion, the […]
Myths about Pakistani Punjab
My dear friend, Sucha Deepak Singh, a Punjabi-Canadian, visited Pakistan, spent most of his time in Lahore and Sahiwal, but he also took a tour of my village. He found most things, contrary to his own anticipation and friends’ advice, to be untrue. He still has some confusion created by his personal limited data. The […]
Even if you have to go to China
According to a most quoted hadith, one should go even to China to seek knowledge. Following one part of the hadith, our military and civilian leaders have been frequently visiting China but their actions show that they learnt nothing from them. The second favourite visiting place has been Jeddah and it seems that they learnt […]
The spirit of SANA
In its annual convention in St Louis, Missouri, on July 2-3, the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) proved that it is the only authentic community organisation of expatriate Pakistanis in the US and Canada. Though smaller in size than other dominant Pakistani ethnic groups living in North America, SANA delivers a genuine community gathering […]
An era of misinformation
Whenever something critical is written about religious extremism, jihadis, the Taliban or the Pakistan military, it is considered the magic of American dollars. Perhaps some confused misguided individuals genuinely believe that most of the $ 1.5 billion of US aid is being deposited in the bank accounts of a few liberal and enlightened columnists. The […]
Immy, tell us what you want
The PEW Research Centre’s survey about Pakistan was a bit surprising as it showed Imran Khan being the most popular leader of Pakistan with 68 percent approval rating followed by Mian Nawaz Sharif with 63 percent and as expected President Asif Zardari at 11 percent. Political observers have been anticipating such a pro-Imran Khan shift […]
Military strategy and the flight of capital
The Malaysian Consul General, General Khalid Abdul Razzaq, told the press that in the last few years, about 700 Pakistanis had transferred Rs one trillion and 80 billion to his country in a specific programme. If one includes the most popular places for Pakistani capital in the Gulf States, Europe and the US, the transferred […]
The times they are achanging
Pakistan’s socio-political system has reached a critical stage where the competition or confrontation between institutions is leading to an inevitable but unexpected change. An overwhelmingly agrarian Pakistani society has evolved into a multi-layered complex body where new urban middle classes have matured enough to play a role. If the dominant institutions of the military and […]