Raza Rumi

In a month’s time, Pakistanis will elect a new government. The political climate is acrimonious and the polity seems to be fractured, if not in a state of disarray. This is not unusual during the election cycle. However, the chaos this time is manifold, and has acquired a momentum of its own; spiraling out of […]

As the country heads towards another general election, a milestone is being achieved. Parliament, despite all the turbulence, has completed its tenure and another transfer of power will take place after July 25. This is a moment for celebration, especially as the rumour-mills had been predicting, since last year, a postponement of polls and the […]

That the country’s Interior Minister, who is tasked with internal security and public safety, suffered an assassination attempt is alarming to say the least. Last week, the firebrand member of Nawaz Sharif’s team was attacked by a young zealot who later confessed that he was inspired by the hate speech recently unleashed by Tehreek Labaik […]

Once again, Pakistan’s media is under fire. Unlike the past, there are no formal advisories or strictures but a combination of subliminal messages and self-censorship. That this happens on the verge of a third transition of power is deeply worrying and ominous. Hundreds of journalists and editors have issued a collective statement protesting the ongoing […]

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement has gained immense momentum in recent weeks. The well-attended rally in Peshawar (held on April 8) indicated that PTM and its cause resonate with a large number people within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. More surprising was the solidarity expressed by other parts of Pakistan. Since […]

The return of the Nobel Laureate and brave Pakistani icon Malala Yousafzai to her homeland is a matter of pride. The Pakistani state can rightfully take the credit that successful counter-terror operations in places like Swat have reduced the threat of violence by militias linked to the Pakistani Taliban. It was encouraging that the Prime […]

The political turmoil in recent months has seen Pakistan’s military return centre stage. Since the exit of Gen Musharraf, the latter had taken a back seat and exercised its traditional power from behind-the-scenes. But all that has been changing over recent years with the high-profile populist positions taken by Army Chiefs. The previous one and […]

For weeks, the young Pashtuns are leading a broad, horizontal resistance known as Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM). This uprising of sorts is unique in many ways. It is not sponsored by a political party, nor is it an electoral crusade. It challenges the complacency of a state that has done little to acknowledge that its […]

Pakistan People’s Party’s former spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar, in his farewell speech, created history by stating some bitter facts about Pakistan’s dysfunctional democracy. What he said is widely known but few say it and that, too, on the floor of the Parliament. This is why his historic speech will be remembered and will become a […]