Syed Wajahat Ali

Religion, land, language, race, oil, and an oppression of memories–convolved in centuries and turned into a multivariable calculus – the Middle East. It is complex, volatile and unpredictable. Hitting a progressive balance between these variables has been the most intricate diplomatic challenge for the last one hundred years. On September 15, 2021, the USA brokered […]

The origin of Pakistan’s civil-military quagmire traces back to late nineteenth-century pluralist India when anti-colonial awareness started transforming into organized political structures. The All-India National Congress (AINC), which consummated its operation in 1885, postured to be a broad-based, anti-colonial conference of a larger Indian nationalism. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, head of the modernist section of […]

Historically, since humans started shaping identities and evaluating their needs and resources, the globe had never been Dante’s utopia in absolute peace. Presently, however, the implications of conflict, its velocity and intensity are unprecedented. The UN reports that 2 billion people live in conflict-affected areas worldwide. During the last year, 84 million people were forcibly […]

Following the “massive wake-up call” in a report authored by 234 environmental experts from 66 countries, compiled once after analyzing 14000 scientific cases over three years under the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the planet validates the findings this year by offering solely two choices for the people occupying its large patches within […]

During my research, I strode across the ranges of Karakorum, Himalayas, Hindukush, and the desert and beaches of Baluchistan, followed by focused interactions with national and international investment enthusiasts. The diagnostic study was an extension of the Pakistan China Industrial Cooperation Framework in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office, Board of Investment, CPEC-ICPD. After having […]

After extensive visits, and interaction with local miners, landowners, and mining officials, the study finds that the mining potential in Chitral is mind-blowing. Starting from Arandu Valley right up to Wakhan Corridor on the left bank of river Chitral and from Darosh Valley straight up to Boni, Mastuj, and Shandur on the right bank of […]

Amid all heavy news regarding the prevailing economic crunch and political turbulence, visiting Chitral to conduct a Diagnostic Study was a fulfilling promenade. The study was multidimensional, deep and informative. Apart from drinking directly from the fountain of nature, starting from the 9th of May 2022, the week was full of learning, data collection and […]

Contemporary populism is what modern literature refers to as an engine of “illiberal democracy”-a system of governance derived from a political campaign translating “popular preferences into public policy without caring about the impediments that prevent liberal democracies from responding effectively to urgent problems.” The South Asian polity is highly vulnerable to such experiments due to […]

There is a consensus that Pakistan’s economy needs FDI to bounce back. Clouded in geo-strategic storms and political instability, however, attracting FDI towards Pakistan is a tough row to hoe. Nevertheless, China’s massive economic explosion outwards is a tide of time, if surfed intelligently, it can galvanize the industrial transformation in Pakistan. The challenge is […]

Heroes develop systems, but quacks do not. Fortnightly, at the time of the full and new moon, the Buddha used to gather his Sangha to conduct a study circle based on codes of conduct to re-invigorate a mutual bond between the Threefold Refuge including the Buddha, the doctrine, and the sangha (the monastic order). He […]