Palestinians shall not be vanquished! on October 1, 2018The carnage in Syria, collapse of the states in Yemen, Libya and Iraq and the mayhem ravaging the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue has been pushed into oblivion. The belligerent acts and statements of the theocratic Iranian clergy and the despotic gulf monarchies, the repression in Egypt and other ravaging conflicts have been in […]
“Naya Pakistan”: a farcical start on September 25, 2018The most telling act of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intent and whom it really represents was laid bare in its first mini-budget. The PTI reversed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) last budget reform of barring the non-filers from buying cars and property, which was meant to check and control the informal or black economy. Where the […]
An epoch of turmoil on September 17, 2018The invention and frequent use of the term ‘Fake News’ is not an accident. Such is the pathetic condition of the intelligentsia in Pakistan and around the world, that exposing harsh realities is considered pessimism. Putting forward a revolutionary alternative as a radical lasting solution is termed utopianism at best and insanity in general. Fake […]
Sinister moves behind the scenes on September 10, 2018The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s ‘first 100 days’ mantra is proving to be a charade. The Federal Information Minister’s assertion that, “The army is fully backing the PTI government… we have accomplished more in nine days than any previous government could in five years” reeks of condescension and swagger, bordering on insanity. Ending deficits through […]
Yemen’s macabre carnage on September 3, 2018According to a recently released UN report, “The war in Yemen is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 22 million people — three-quarters of the population — in desperate need of food, aid and protection. Over 18,000 devastating airstrikes were conducted against Yemen over the past three years, spreading mayhem and carnage. […]
The myth of Direct Foreign Investment on August 27, 2018The aggressive penetration of imperialist transnational corporations, particularly in the ex-colonial world, began after the Bretton woods treaty of 1944. World capitalist powers setup new financial and trade institutions like the IMF, World Bank and WTOfor the facilitation of their investments and profits. The modus operandi was the colossal debt burden on neo-colonial countries through […]
What happens when the euphoria ends? on August 20, 2018The meteoric rise of Imran Khan to the slot of Prime Minister (PM) — which he desperately craved for decades —has given rise to a wave of euphoria, mainly amongst the petit bourgeois. With the thinly concealed backing of the top brass, the political engineers have crafted a relatively weak government and a split opposition. […]
Bangladesh: challenge of the student uprising on August 13, 2018The students’ movement that erupted on July 29, following the death of two students in a tragic road accident in Dhaka spread rapidly to almost all the major cities of Bangladesh. Thousands of outraged school and university students laid siege to the streets of Dhaka for a week. Within days its verve and militancy shook […]
Chinese model for poverty alleviation? on August 6, 2018In his first post-election speech from his Banigala residence, Imran Khan once again eulogised the Chinese model for the elimination of poverty in Pakistan. But it’s not just him who is impressed by China’s high growth rates and alleged poverty alleviation. Several right wing populist leaders from Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan to Narendra Modi in India […]
Imran Khan’s pyrrhic victory — II on July 31, 2018After his victory in Wednesday’s election, Khan made a televised address which was a sort of rehearsal for his inaugural speech as prime minister. Once in office he vowed to improve the lives of the poor, fight corruption, plant ten billion trees, issue health and education cards, create ten million jobs in the next five […]