Beijing has signaled. Is Islamabad listening? on October 1, 2017Though China has repeatedly blocked Indian moves to sanction JeM and its leadership, it has given a clear signal to Islamabad through BRICS declaration that support to non-state actors isn’t a viable long-term policy for Pakistan Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister has been criticised by the usual suspects for his blunt remarks last week at Asia […]
Our selective solidarity with the Ummah on September 17, 2017The brutal treatment of the Rohingya community by Myanmar has attracted international indignation. Thousands have fled Myanmar and have been entering neighbouring Bangladesh. Aung San Suu Kyi, the ignoble laureate, who was once a heroine for many across the globe, stands exposed by her silence on the persecution of this minority group. In Pakistan, there […]
Our selective solidarity with the Ummah on September 17, 2017The brutal treatment of the Rohingya community by Myanmar has attracted international indignation. Thousands have fled Myanmar and have been entering neighbouring Bangladesh. Aung San Suu Kyi, the ignoble laureate, who was once a heroine for many across the globe, stands exposed by her silence on the persecution of this minority group. In Pakistan, there […]
Facilitating peace process in Afghanistan is in Pakistans national interest on September 10, 2017 During his election campaign, President Trump had vowed to end the foreign wars and redirect the resources towards domestic needs such as infrastructure development. He seems to have reversed his position by announcing that more troops will be sent to win the war. In his speech, Trump was tough on Pakistan accusing it of […]
In search of Jinnahs Pakistan on August 20, 2017As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pakistan’s creation, it is important to revisit the key questions that have befuddled the country. What is Pakistan’s identity? Can a larger Pakistani identity subsume the other identities of its citizens? Is it a nation-state or a state-nation? These vital quandaries have remained ever-present through the country’s history, […]
Nawazs forced exit redraws power matrix on July 30, 2017Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification was not an unforeseen event. The situation since last year had been leading towards a grand finale and his forced exit from politics. But this was not the first time a serious effort had been mounted by the opposition leader Imran Khan to knock out his primary foe. Most of 2014 was […]
Accountability or regime change? on July 23, 2017Another déjà vu moment is knocking at our doors. The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the Panama Leaks case implicating the Prime Minister and his family. Will Nawaz Sharif will be disqualified or will he narrowly escape the so-called accountability noose? We shall find out rather soon. By now it’s clear that the […]
Media portrayals of Muslims fuel xenophobia on July 8, 2017Scholars who undertook a study on how Western media covers terrorism have confirmed what we had known for some time. The news media wield a different yardstick to cover terrorist attacks especially when the attackers are Muslims, especially foreign-born Muslims. Scholars at Georgia State University analysed terror attacks in the United States between 2011-2015 and […]
The unhealed wounds of July 5, 1977 on July 4, 2017The anniversary of General Zia-ul-Haq’s 1977 coup is a particularly difficult time for the Pakistani democrat. The very name given to the coup sounds much like a sardonic smirk echoing through history from the dismal gentlemen in uniform who carried it out: Operation Fair Play. The remembrance of what came after that fateful5th of July […]
Five myths that need to be buried for good on July 1, 2017Popular narratives in Pakistan regurgitated by civil and military leadership with the support of mainstream media suggest that certain things have changed over the past few years. Be it our domestic politics, the conduct of elected and non-elected institutions of the state, we like to create make-believe stories to delude ourselves. Nation states like to […]