Pakistan suffers as population grows on July 12, 2018After a long gap of nineteen years, Pakistan’s sixth census was carried out last year. The country’s population is now almost 208 million, which is a 57 percent increase from the census carried out in 1998. With around 2.4 per cent growth rate per annum it is unclear how this massive increase in population can […]
Water woes — keep ringing those tired alarms on June 28, 2018To sustain Pakistan’s 200-million strong population, our country mainly depends on the agriculture industry. It employs the bulk of our entire labour force, and contributes over 24 percent to the GDP of the country. However, recently this industry has suffered a lot, due to the drop in water levels as over 90 percent of all […]
Repercussions of US-Iran row: what is for Pakistan? on June 3, 2018The lingering Afghan turmoil, raging unrest in Arab countries, surging belligerence between Pakistan and India, discomfort between China and USA, and now, adding the soon-to-boil-over simmering cauldron of wrangle between America and Iran over nuclear deal — the world is now becoming a hotbed with prospects of peace being elusive. The conflict of interests in […]
The menace of tribal feuds on May 26, 2018Interior Sindh, particularly the northern part of the province, has been suffering from sanguinary tribal warfare involving one tribe against another. Tribal strife fatigue has been telling upon the socio-economic progress of tribes involved in conflicts and area in general. There is no tangible hue and cry or uproar against such disputes. Media bluster over […]
Invest in ending the war, not victory on May 24, 2018The ongoing endeavour on a new framework for talks with Afghanistan is gradually advancing in the right direction. Under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) both the Afghan and the Pakistani leadership are hopeful that mutual misunderstanding and trust deficit between the two will be done away with. APAPPS has the support of […]
Containing religious extremism on April 29, 2018Barring some low key scattered terror acts, the long pause in the otherwise recurring incidents bodes well. This reflects the palpable success of anti-militancy operations being carried out across the country. Triumph in fact has not cost a small sacrifice to the nation — over seventy thousand people have lost their lives including loss of […]
Fading optimism for peace in Afghanistan on April 14, 2018On April 2, a graduation ceremony being held in a local seminary in Dashte Archi district of Kunduz was bombed by Afghan security forces in which a large number of seminary students (most of them minors) were killed. Afghan Ministry of Defence claimed that a Taliban meeting plotting an attack on government forces was the […]
National cohesion on April 5, 2018Internal strength of a country protects itself from any external threat. And that strength comes only if a nation finds a common ground to unite on the face of both external and internal tormenters. In such a situation, a governmental policy, buttressed with popular backing of the masses, hardly flops. Iran is an example. Tehran […]
Edgy Indo-Pak relations on March 24, 2018Already fragile relations between Pakistan and India appear to be in a likely nosedive again. The situation gradually started turning uneasy ever since Narendra Modi took over as the prime minister of India after general elections in 2014. Mr Modi is known for his difficult attitude towards Indian Muslims in general and Pakistan in particular. […]
Critical thinking on March 9, 2018French philosopher Voltaire said: “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking”. Thinking, reasoning, arguing and brainstorming help one in reaching sound conclusions. Questioning the trite, insipid and old-fashioned practices is the quintessence of critical thinking. Ours is a society unfortunately mired in religious, social and cultural conservatism. Die-hardism against progressive and innovative mindset […]