Farman Kakar

In Pakistan, aversion to modernity has remained the hallmark of the clergy. Perhaps nowhere has conservatism evoked as much opposition as when it comes to the operations of the NGO sector. Similarly, no campaign stirs as much trouble as polio immunisation. Ever since 1994, when the polio campaign began in Pakistan, there were dissenting voices […]

True, in the 21st century, power is widely diffused. Non-state actors share a power chessboard along with state actors. International politics is not the sole province of governments to exercise power anymore. The proliferation of non-state actors and the rise in their power is a global phenomenon. In the strong states of the west, it […]

On the societal level, the Taliban militancy in FATA owes itself to the dilapidated governance sanctioned by the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). The Taliban capitalised on the state’s delivery deficit and struck a deep chord with locals. Repealing the FCR and substituting it with the state’s laws enforced in the rest of Pakistan will help […]

To a larger extent, the latest episode of militancy in FATA is an extension of the Afghan crisis. Geography, ethnicity and Islamabad’s deep involvement in Afghanistan account for the spillover of the Afghan crisis into Pakistan’s tribal areas. For Islamabad, engaging with the Afghan government appears to be the only sure way to minimise the […]

International politics is the inevitable realm of national interests. Ethics, morality and altruism are alien here. Seen this way, realism has remained the timeless wisdom of international politics. The key to understanding the dilemma Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US face within the context of Afghanistan is to contextualise the whole debate under the rubric of […]

Every time the Taliban in Pakistan strike, a question that keeps arising is what drives the militants’ violence. This article contends that the vicious circle of militancy in FATA has been repeating itself because of the weak state conditions there on the one hand and ambitious policies of various governments on the other. Whereas for […]

Malala Day reminds us of honouring a peaceful solo effort that turned into a crusade. The polemics against Malala are grounded in patriarchal norms in a conservative setting in sync with the xenophobia of a world out there to harm Islam and Pakistan. The two have interacted with the politicisation of the Malala episode only […]

One thing that is quite obvious is that the Pakistani leadership wants an end to the US’s publicly rarely owned drone missions. The reason is compelling: drone attacks are counter-productive. The Taliban strike more lethally in the wake of US drone attacks on their hideouts in FATA. As this article demonstrates, it is neither Pakistan’s […]