Frank F Islam

Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, returned to his homeland after spending nearly four years in exile in London. His return has raised considerable conjecture about what it means for Pakistan’s future. “It appears that we are in another pendulum swing of Pakistani politics – back again to Nawaz Sharif,” Madiha Afzal, a […]

Pakistan has a long and turbulent history with democracy. Since its independence in 1947, the country has experienced military coups, martial law regimes, and abrupt dissolutions of assemblies. Despite these challenges, over the past two decades, Pakistan has made progress on its democratic journey. The country has held four general elections since 2002. Each election […]

Democracy, regarded as the pinnacle of liberty and opportunity for all, is currently confronted with unprecedented challenges. In recent years, there has been a growing concern that democracy is eroding globally. The rise of hate politics, racism, and other forms of intolerance are a few signs of this decline. In many nations around the world, […]

Near the beginning of Ramadan, I shared my thoughts on the importance of reflecting, sharing and caring during this blessed month. As the month draws to a close and we Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid, I am blessed to be able to share some additional thoughts on those important topics. Ramadan is the period to […]

This is the month of Ramadan – the most sacred time of the year for Muslims. Ramadan connects the minds and hearts of 1.8 billion Muslims through the light of the Quran for reflecting, sharing and caring. Reflecting means thinking about the meaning of Ramadan and the events that have transpired in and around one’s […]

2022 has been a difficult year for Pakistan bringing challenges on the political, climate, and economic fronts. Politically, there was a transition of executive and military leadership as both the prime minister and Army chief were replaced. Former premier Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote amid much political uproar triggering continuous chaos in […]

The UN Climate Change COP 27 summit in Egypt closed on November 20 with a breakthrough “loss and damage” fund deal. This fund, to be financed by developed nations, will bring some relief to those developing and poorer countries that have been severely impacted by climate-related calamities. Getting this deal done took a marathon session […]

Pakistan has begun the slow and painful process of addressing the crisis wrought by its catastrophic flooding. Unfortunately, that climate-related crisis does not stand alone. In its aftermath, various writers and publications in Pakistan and the United States have pointed out that flooding is just one of the many crises confronting Pakistan currently due to […]

The devastation that the catastrophic flooding has wrought upon the nation of Pakistan and its people is virtually incomprehensible. Yet, if Pakistan and the world are to survive this climate change crisis, it must be comprehended and responded to in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s initial estimation of the economic […]

Inflation is having a traumatizing effect on low and middle-income people in Pakistan and nations around the world. The impact of inflation internationally was highlighted by an analysis of 44 advanced countries which found that consumer prices, in nearly all of them, have surged considerably compared to pre-pandemic times. Turkey experienced the highest inflation rate […]