SIFC: A Game Changer? on March 21, 2024The recently-established high-powered body, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is seen as a critical player in the economic resurgence of the country, with the potential to attract foreign investment, create jobs, and boost economic growth. Rightfully so, because at a time when the political elite was busy splashing muddy waters on each other and […]
A Call for Sanity on March 12, 2024Pakistan’s struggles against a tumultuous political climate have long lost the interest of the world around it for one simple reason: there’s no bouncing back. The situation has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride, with political instability and economic decline creating a double whammy for the nation. Journalists like us keep preaching to […]
What Next, Madam Chief Minister? on March 7, 2024In a country where glass ceilings are the norm and sticky floors, an unavoidable reality, any development that favours women at the expense of men is a rarity, a surreal delicacy. As a historic move for Pakistani politics, Maryam Nawaz took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of Punjab last week. But following the […]
Elections in Pakistan: An Afterthought on February 22, 2024Three weeks is too long of a time for any parliamentary democracy to decide who deserves to be given the baton next. Haunted by a long-drawn-out delay, the 12th general polls in Pakistan held on February 8 were supposed to bring about at least a semblance of stability. Although brought on by a unique show […]
Election Diary: Post-Elections on February 15, 2024It is not every day that a country of over 240 million heads to a nationwide exercise to choose the next set of leaders tasked with the crucial and most significant responsibility: governance. Now that the dust has settled, political parties are ready to proceed in full knowledge of their split mandate and there’s a […]
Election Diary: What’s Next? on February 9, 2024Hope tends to lose its path whenever the tunnel gets slightly longer. Therefore, every passing day since the vote of no-confidence added to the worries of those who held democracy dear. When would we come out of the stopgap arrangements, they wondered? The glaring failures of the PDM government in overcoming the most basic of […]
Election Diary: Straight from PPP Secretariat on February 8, 2024Very surprisingly, one does not need to stay in the PPP Secretariat, Lahore, for a long time to realise this. With the women calling all the shots, supporting each other, cheering them on and encouraging everyone to put in their best shoe forward, it looks like a scene out of a utopian novel. But you […]
Election Diary: Manifestoes and Specially-Abled on February 6, 2024That we have miles to go before truly embracing each and every one of us as an integral part of the fabric does not need to be said out loud. But some occasions serve to push the dagger further in, rotating it through and through, and making our ideals a laughing stock. As Pakistan gears […]
Election Diary: Women’s Rights on February 4, 2024Women’s rights have long been a contentious issue in Pakistan, a country deeply rooted in patriarchal traditions and chauvinistic norms. As the nation gears up for its upcoming elections, it is crucial to examine the election manifestos of political parties and their stance on women’s empowerment. Unfortunately, a significant observation arises – the absence of […]
Chaos Followed by Chaos on January 31, 2024Lo and Behold! The election week is here. Sit back and witness the assiduous courting of masses by all parties and the fury unleashed on the same forum. But as leading political parties are trying hard to cut the legs out from under each other, one particular party’s desperation has plunged it into a deep, […]