SC settles one matter, raises many questions on May 18, 2022The Supreme Court’s 3-2 split decision on the interpretation of Article 63-A of the constitution has clarified that votes of defecting lawmakers will not be counted, but the jury is still out on whether this will help resolve or just deepen the constitutional crisis that has enveloped Punjab for close to two months now. It’s […]
CJ Minallah sets a precedent; strategic rethink in PTI likely on May 12, 2022Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah’s decision to halt proceedings while hearing former federal minister Fawad Chaudhary’s petition till Imran Khan clarifies whether or not he trusts the judiciary sets a very important precedent and should, all else remaining the same, prompt a strategic rethink within PTI. Fawad petitioned the court to restrain […]
Joyride ends now; petrol price hike inevitable on May 10, 2022The main reason for the stock market bloodbath on Monday was that word got out about friendly countries – Saudi Arabia, UAE, and China in this case – being a little apprehensive about entertaining our requests of more loans till we sort matters out with the IMF and revive the stalled bailout program first. That’s […]
Another murder over ‘blasphemy’ raises same difficult questions on March 30, 2022The brutal murder of a 21-year-old female seminary teacher in DI Khan over alleged blasphemy, by three of her colleagues, raises the same difficult questions that the government always stops short of answering when it’s done with its customary condemnations every time there is an ugly murder in the name of religion. Initial reports are […]
Is govt complicit in media’s existential crisis? on January 31, 2022The Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) has released the Pakistan Media Freedom – 2021 at just the right time; detailing how journalists as well as media houses faced increasing censorship, harassment, threats, intimidation, even murders and financial strangulation throughout the year alongside the government’s continued attempts to exercise complete control over it “by hook […]
Mission GSP: Sarwar succeeds as trade deal dodges a bullet on October 30, 2021Punjab Governor Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar’s recent visit to the European Union (EU) to rescue the GSP+ trade deal, which is up for extension pending review in 2023 amid calls from the European Commission (EC) to reconsider Pakistan’s eligibility and even suspend it if need be, seems to have been successful as dozens of MEPs (Members […]
At UN, PM takes up Afghanistan, Covid, India on September 25, 2021Prime Minister Imran Khan used his address to the UN General Assembly to come down hard on the West for scapegoating Pakistan for their failures in Afghanistan and asked to incentivise the country to prevent another civil war. The premier asserted that the country that suffered the most, apart from Afghanistan, was Pakistan after it […]
Time to ‘wake up’ as GSP+ facility may face risks on August 18, 2021The European Parliament’s call in April for an “immediate reassessment of the EU-Pakistan trade regime” is not being taken seriously in Islamabad, even though there is a risk of temporary withdrawal of the Generalised System of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) facility, a Daily Times (DT) investigation has revealed. The European Parliament passed a resolution on 29 April […]
European Parliament turns up the heat on Pakistan, GSP+ in jeopardy on August 17, 2021The European Parliament’s call in April for an “immediate reassessment of the EU-Pakistan trade regime” is not being taken seriously in Islamabad, even though there is a risk of temporary withdrawal of the Generalised System of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) facility, a Daily Times (DT) investigation has revealed. The European Parliament passed a resolution on 29 April […]
SBP has some explaining to do on August 9, 2021They say, with good reason, that finance is the measure of all things; especially in government. For if any government in any corner of the globe is sitting on top of a healthy pile of reserves, it sits comfortably and, other things remaining the same, is able to create conditions that enable the average Joe […]