Nawaz Sharif is back in prison after the expiry of six weeks bail on medical grounds, and yet the government seems to be in an impasse. This is a very unique time wherein the patrons of the current dispensation desperately need two bailout packages: financial as well as political. Unlike the past, the powers perhaps […]
Whose time is up?
The all-encompassing presser of DGISPR on April 29, by and large, seems to be the ex post facto declaration by the security establishment of a soft coup. Either out of sheer desperation or overconfidence, ‘they’ no longer feel the need to maintain the thin veneer which was providing the benefit of the doubt to the […]
Afghanistan Endgame: Peace or Exit?
The first step of negotiation to end any conflict for bringing peace is a ceasefire between the warring groups. But this simple wisdom of peace diplomacy and practice seem to be missing in the present peace talks between the Taliban and US. Though, President Trump, in his state of the union address, tried to assuage […]
The murder of Arman Loni
The gruesome murder of Professor Ibrahim alias Arman Loni and PTM’s core committee member by the police in district Loralai, in the South Western province of Balochistan is another grim reminder of the precarious situation of the rule of law, state excesses and the sense of impunity in the security apparatus while dealing with non-violent […]
PTM: The rise of the phoenix
The emergence of the civil rights movement, the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), in the second week of February last year is in itself a unique phenomenon, surprising its opponents, proponents as well as social and political observers. But in reality it represents the opening of a flood gate which now spells out the accumulated miseries […]
End game in Afghanistan
With the beginning of the new year the Afghan peace talk is taking some unexpected summersaults after its smooth initiation by the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the last quarter of the last year. Three significant developments occurred in the last two weeks: first, the Taliban refused to hold the stipulated round of talks […]
Demilitarise the judicial system
The 50 men whose death sentences were recently set aside by the Peshawar High Court would not have been alive had they been sentenced during the first two-year term of military courts when there was no right to appeal. After militarisation of politics and politicisation of judiciary, militarisation of judiciary was the missing piece to […]
Afghan Peace: a Dilemma?
Will Afghanistan ever be fortunate enough to come out of the vicious circle of violence and bloodshed by extricating itself from the cunningly woven complex web of foreign interference? The answer to this question is not an easy one given the number of involved actors, and their divergent interests in the region, Afghanistan’s weak state […]
Accountability spell
Currently Pakistan is once again in the grip of accountability spell that accentuates a familiar dotted line with the same goals and objectives crafted since 1960s but with the addition of some new tools and procedures. No doubt the political system as a whole as well as the society is infected by corruption but it […]
Cutting the noose?
It is certainly not a revelation to anyone following Mr Zardari’s politics of expediency. Even if the timing of mentioning the amendment at a press conference last Sunday (Dec, 16) might seem opportunistic, its essence is not. Back in June 16, 2015, Mr Zardari had dropped a similar bombshell, as he did last Sunday, by […]