Zafar Malik

Last week, I discussed in these pages, the inadequacy of the opportunities the current political apparatus offers the ordinary citizens of Pakistan. Little did I know that my humble thoughts would make their way to Mr. U S Roy in the neighboring country of India who would then be kind enough to take out the […]

Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency in 2009 gave hope to millions across the globe. A man of colour, born to immigrant parents, getting elected to the top office of a white-dominated superpower made many think that the world might still have something to offer to someone of ordinary birth. His election set a precedence […]

Among his many other children, 45 years old Bazaar Khan was especially proud of his 5 years old daughter; Shehrbano. Tending to the kitchen garden or doing other odd jobs around my home in Islamabad, he would often mention that Shehrbano was gifted with extraordinary intelligence and deserved the best education in the world. Born […]

Ask any Pakistani on the street and they would tell you that Pakistan had defeated India in Kargil. It is also an almost unanimous opinion that Pakistan had India by the jugular and that the war won on the battlefield was lost at the negotiation table. Even today, many believe that PM Sharif’s 4th July […]

Recent months have seen tensions along Pakistan’s western borders rise to levels unparalleled in decades. While Pakistan continues to employ the classic carrot and stick formula with its North-Western neighbour, Afghanistan, an unprovoked and unprecedented Iranian strike against targets well within Pakistani territory was what complicated things along the otherwise calm South-Western stretch. Pakistan responded […]

Which party exactly has formed the federal government? Is it the PML(N) as its president; Shahbaz Sharif, just took over as the Prime Minster? But doesn’t the N in PML(N) stand for Nawaz, the elder of the two Sharif brothers? How can it be PML(N) when there is no N? Is it the Pakistan People’s […]

In 1985, during a session of the Senate chaired by Ghulam Ishaq Khan, a point of order was raised by Maulana Kausar Niazi. He waved a copy of the national newspaper, which had published a survey report prepared by the renowned psychologist, Dr. Mubashir Hussain Malik. The report concluded that more than half the population […]

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who has been active on the political scene of Pakistan for more than four decades, is believed to be heading towards retirement. However, those who know him closely assert otherwise. They maintain that Nawaz Sharif is not stepping back but rather manoeuvring behind the scenes to advance with even greater strength […]

It was a spring evening in April 1986. The historic Liaquat Bagh of Rawalpindi was teeming with people. Jubilant workers of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party spread beyond the confines of the park. On the stage, a young and charismatic Benazir Bhutto raises the slogan “Jaaway Jaaway” (Go, Go), and in response, the crowd chanted Zia […]

The fact remains that Pakistan, a country spanning 796,095 square kilometres, currently houses a staggering population of 240 million people. Their daily lives seem unaffected by global events. While Ukraine braces for an impending war on the eve of its second anniversary, the Middle East is grappling with the brutal ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians. […]