Afghanistan Descending into Civil War on February 14, 2022Afghanistan is a country standing on the legs of American dollars, without which it has a fragile existence. With the exit of the US/Allied forces, the international funding also stopped; pulling the rug from under the Afghan feet—especially the Taliban who had stepped in as the new political rulers. This stop includes humanitarian spending as […]
Russia, Ukraine and NATO on January 28, 2022Russia denies any designs to invade Ukraine. However, Moscow is wary of NATO’s efforts to expand eastwards in the direction of Russia’s borders. Russia has accused Ukraine of taking help from NATO in not only getting arms from NATO but also training of its personnel, alleging this is in line to retake the Donbas region. […]
Murree Tragedy that Shook Pakistan on January 13, 2022A snowstorm that hit Murree lately led to the death of 22 people, stranded in their cars that were snowed under. Several questions that raise their heads must be answered so that loopholes are fixed to avoid future disasters. If one is to believe the videos of The Mall two days before the tragedy, no […]
Flashpoint Asia 2022: Taiwan on January 10, 2022The National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2022, signed by US President Joe Biden, contains many overtures to Taiwan. Beijing has taken this very harshly; notching up the “cold-war-like” situation between the two countries. The legislation has marked $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence initiative. The Congressional Support Statement in favour of […]
Pakistan Skipping the US Democracy Summit on December 11, 2021The Summit on Democracy held on December 9 and 10 has been skipped by Pakistan. Statement issued said, “Islamabad is in contact with Washington on multiple issues and we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future. We remain in contact with the US on a range of issues and believe […]
Pond Frogs and Tutti Frutti Cocktail on November 4, 2021An oh-so-very-secret document has been inked between the TLP and the pond frogs; creating a tutti-frutti cocktail. However, not before the death of four policemen with TLP demanding the release of their leader in a rally. But then, have we not heard of collateral damage? Let the dead rest in peace and move on. The […]
Will the US be allowed to use Pakistan air space? on October 27, 2021On October 23, 2021, CNN creating a furore on social media when it announced that Pakistan and the US were inching close to an agreement to allow the US to use the former’s air space to conduct military operations in Afghanistan. The clamouring of panic was loud enough for the government of Pakistan to go […]
Losing a wise friend — Wajid Shamsul Hasan on September 30, 2021We lost Wajid Shamsul Hasan on September 28, 2021. He fought long with his illnesses. But bravely. His memories, I will always cherish. The second time that I saw him was at my maternal uncle’s residence in Karachi. My maternal uncle, Dr Badar Siddiqi, a renowned surgeon, was famous for his dinners and musical programmes […]
Taliban’s Role in Afghanistan Post-US Exit on September 28, 2021The war is not yet over. It has simply entered another phase. It means the US is not done with Afghanistan. Yet. It needs to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used to launch terror attacks. This will demand inputs, both military and diplomatic, to deliver. This surveillance-a word used for lack of a […]
PPC 325 Should have been Struck down Yesterday on September 24, 2021While the op-ed on this subject published on September 10, 2021, made some legal points (covering a few social aspects along), this piece focuses on the provision of the attempt to suicide minutely. Section 325 states, “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with […]