Malik Muhammad Ashraf

The judiciary as a custodian of the constitution and guarantor of the fundamental rights of the people is not only considered as the most sancrosanct organ of the state machinery, but also a foundation on which civilisations are built. All the religious and political philosophies in the world ungrudgingly acknowledge and espouse the independence of […]

In a democratic polity, the opposition is supposed to be a government-in-waiting, with an alternate plan of improving governance and obligated to oppose the policies of the sitting government that it considers inimical to good governance. In playing this role, it is supposed to honour the internationally recognised and established democratic norms while registering its […]

The ruling by the Speaker of the National Assembly that no question of disqualification of the prime minister had arisen as a consequence of his conviction by the Supreme Court (SC) in the contempt of court case has stirred up yet another furious debate on the legitimacy of the conclusions drawn by her. The opponents […]

We are back to the crass politics of the 1990s, marked by intense polarisation and political vendetta. This brand of politics not only culminated in the derailment of democracy in the country but also left deep scars on the political landscape, which continue to haunt the Pakistani nation. The Sharif brothers enjoy the dubious distinction […]

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), comprising 11 articles, has three components or pillars: Non-proliferation, Disarmament and the right of the non-nuclear states to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. In the domain of nuclear non-proliferation, the Nuclear Weapons States (NWS) have undertaken not to transfer to any recipient nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices […]

In a democratic dispensation, the ruling party and the opposition are considered to be the two sides of the same coin. While the government runs the show on the basis of the given mandate, the opposition makes sure that it remains within the parameters and contours of governance prescribed by the constitution and law, established […]

A blog in The Independent, a UK newspaper, has pointed out that the architect of the alleged memo crisis, Mansoor Ijaz, during an exchange of messages on BlackBerry messenger (BBM) had also informed his alleged co-conspirator that there was a second, rival plot (military coup), in train during the very same days and General Pasha, […]

The storm over the memo drama had hardly died down when the US attack in Mohmand Agency, killing 26 military personnel, created yet another crisis of titanic dimensions. While the circumstances surrounding both these incidents are yet to be unravelled and ascertained, it is really painful to note that some armchair gladiators, pseudo-intellectuals, defence analysts, […]

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mian Shahbaz Sharif has castigated the federal government for, as he put it, declaring an open war against the judiciary by not implementing its decisions and in the same breath he also vowed to sacrifice his government for restoring the honour of the judiciary. He also warned that if the government […]