What is your Balochistan agenda Mr PM? on August 18, 2018Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly (NA) amid allegations of massive pre-poll political engineering and post-poll rigging. While the controversy around elections is likely to drag on for a while, Imran Khan is all set to become the next Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan. As PTI prepares […]
Solar tube-wells in Balochistan: recipe for disaster? on December 29, 2017The federal and Balochistan governments have agreed to switch the approximately 30,000 tube wells in Balochistan from conventional electricity to solar power to reduce operational costs. On the face of it, this is a sound decision for multiple reasons. First, the conversion to solar-powered tube wells will not only ensure power supply to agriculturists at […]
Why political parties dont care about FATA and Balochistan on July 4, 2017During the past two weeks, Pakistan witnessed a terrorist attack in Quetta, devastating twin bombings in Parachinar and the tragic oil tanker inferno in Bahawalpur. The way the government, media and mainstream political parties reacted to these incidents spoke volumes about the nature of the Pakistani federation. Their response to the terrorist attacks in Quetta […]
PTI in Balochistan on June 5, 2017Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) recent gathering in Quetta city has generated a debate about the party’s prospects in Balochistan. Before assessing PTI’s chances, it is imperative to understand the contemporary political landscape in Balochistan.Three types of political parties populate political stage in the restive province: religious parties, state wide parties and ethno-nationalist parties. The most influential […]
Af-Pak terror problem on June 1, 2017In the wake of the recent wave of deadly terror attacks, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have once again plummeted with both sides accusing each other of doing too little to prevent Taliban fighters from operating on their territories. The blame game suggests that Kabul and Islamabad have learned nothing from their past. They have faced this situation […]
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the terror challenge on March 15, 2017In the wake of the recent wave of deadly terror attacks in Pakistan, Pak-Afghan relations have once again plummeted with both sides accusing each other of doing too little to prevent Taliban fighters from operating on their territory. Islamabad has closed the Afghan border for over a month now. This is an all too familiar […]