Managing democracy in a nonlinear, hyper-normalised and post-truth Pakistan on January 28, 2019There is a broad consensus among international scholars, researchers and historians that partition in 1947 was unfair to Pakistan in terms of unequal distribution of wealth and resources. The four provinces, now territories of Pakistan, were considered part of the western frontiers of the British Raj’s strategic depth which had no political significance and no […]
Higher education in Pakistan: time to listen to the students! on January 13, 2019Recent changes in the political landscape offer an opportunity to put our university students at the centre of delivering higher education in Pakistan. Principally, this comprises of a renewed commitment towards transforming tertiary education and changes in the HEC’s (Higher Education Commission) leadership with more international exposure. Despite criticism, the student as a customer metaphor […]
Pakistan gender disparities: where did we go wrong? on December 23, 2018The severe gender disparity in Pakistan continues to be our Achilles’ heel and the biggest obstacle in our progress and prosperity- affecting half of our population. Aren’t we all responsible? The obstinacy of our religious right, the incompetence of our decision makers/money managers, the complacency of our aid industry actors/media/civil society and indifference of our […]
Stunted growth: another reason for PM to focus on sanitation in Naya Pakistan on December 12, 2018Access to sanitation is a human right, important to human dignity and one of the basic necessities for everyone. Poor sanitation, particularly open defecation, may lead to many transmittable diseases. New evidence is emerging highlighting the link between inadequate sanitation and malnutrition. Last month, a World Bank report linked poverty and stunting growth among children […]
Women inheritance rights: rhetoric or resurgence? Part II on December 8, 2018Statutory law has been tightened to prevent women from having their property relinquished without their consent such that in some instances a woman may be required to go out, be present in front of a public official, and sign documents to ensure a transfer. Women complained that men who usually did not allow them to […]
Women inheritance rights: rhetoric or resurgence? — I on December 7, 2018Recent announcement of launching an awareness campaign by the Ministry of Human Rights and endorsed by the Council of Islamic Ideology to educate people about the rights of women to inheritance under Islamic jurisprudence and the constitution is music to the ears for thousands of activists in the country. The right to own and control […]
SDG 4 and Balochistan’s education emergency on July 16, 2018The events of legislative activism and political argy-bargy in Balochistan vis-à-vis change in the provincial government and later in Senate elections clearly demonstrate the ability of provincial legislators to make timely decisions. However, when it comes to the important issues such as education, their legislative performance is less than satisfactory. The clock is ticking and […]