True federalism or secularism? Or bothh? on April 26, 2016Some fellows are against both linguistic and Islamic identity in Pakistan. They fail to understand that Pakistan without linguistic and Islamic identity is left with no identity at all! For if you deny it its Islamic identity and at the same time deny linguistic identity to the different peoples inhabiting it, you are left with […]
True federalism or secularism? Or both? on April 26, 2016Some fellows are against both linguistic and Islamic identity in Pakistan. They fail to understand that Pakistan without linguistic and Islamic identity is left with no identity at all! For if you deny it its Islamic identity and at the same time deny linguistic identity to the different peoples inhabiting it, you are left with […]
The secularism debate: let us put it to rest on April 24, 2016Much has been written on the subject in the Pakistani press, but the debate remains inconclusive. Two main groups are taking part in the debate; one states that Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be a secular state, and the other argues that he wanted it to be Islamic. Let us be honest and […]
Nothing but normal statehood can save Pakistan on April 23, 2016The modern state came into being for the welfare of the people. Any state overlooking this fundamental principle is destined to be a headache for the world, and ultimately, to failure. The basic problem with the Pakistani state is that its security establishment spends its resources on keeping the state together rather than on public […]
Sustaining the old order in the new age on April 22, 2016Many of us might not have noticed it, but we live in a post-revolutionary world. A bloodless revolution, yet one that has changed the world no other had in recorded history, has taken place. It is the revolution of information technology. Just over three decades ago, news of what happened in Islamabad never made it […]
North Waziristan’s IDPs’ repatriation on April 2, 2015Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the long awaited military operation in North Waziristan is, they say, almost complete and has been successful. Congratulations! One would have liked to read the list of the known militants killed in this successful operation. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are being repatriated. So, the issue merits some analysis to see where things are […]
Fixing FATA on March 26, 2015According to Article 247 (3) of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan, “No act of majlis-e-shura (parliament) shall apply to any Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) or to any part thereof, unless the president so directs.” This is absurd, is it not? But wait! The thing called FATA is a package of absurdities. FATA comprises of […]
Hard times ahead? on December 15, 2013The Loya Jirga or the Grand Council of Afghanistan has approved the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US, which allows for the extended stay of US troops in Afghanistan. As President Karzai put it in his opening speech to the Jirga, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey approved of the agreement, Iran disapproved of […]
Hell on earth for women and children on November 24, 2013For a very long time now, men, women and children have been under siege in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), living without fundamental rights, basic human dignity and economic means. However, women and children are the worst affected. The percentage of women without literacy, low as it is in the rest of Pakistan, is […]
Basing secularism on Jinnah on August 22, 2011The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is tormented by both ‘liberals’ and Islamist fundamentalists. This is a misfortune. The tunnel vision of its liberals is scarier than the guns of the terrorists, for it is these liberals who claim to be the real well-wishers of Pakistan. Moreover, they are scarier because they do not have the […]