Pakistan’s health sector is not merely underperforming – it is steadily eroding under the weight of neglect, underinvestment, and weak governance. In a country of over 240 million people, public health spending remains below 1 per cent of GDP, while a significant share of healthcare costs is borne out-of-pocket. The result is a system where […]
Dismantling the Socially Constructed Standards of Success
Every society cultivates its own definitions of success, prescribing what people must achieve to be deemed worthy. These standards-rooted in culture, economics, and media narratives-often define success in narrow and materialistic terms: a prestigious job, high income, or social recognition. In Pakistan, this notion has become deeply ingrained, pressuring students to conform to an unrealistic […]
South Asia’s Precarious Peace
The roots of precarious peace in South Asia can be traced back to the bloody and violent division of India in 1947, as a result of the Muslim struggle based on the two-nation theory. Both states have yet to overcome the trauma of partition. Moreover, the role of religion in the partitioning of India added […]
Pakistan’s Enduring Poverty
In the dusty corners of Pakistan’s war-torn regions, poverty is not just an economic condition; it is a harsh, visible reality etched into every wall, every field, and every face. Children study under the open sky, their classrooms marked by bullet-ridden walls, while communities struggle to survive without clean water, healthcare, or electricity. In once-thriving […]
Politics of Systemic De-Politicisation
A society robbed of political agency does not collapse overnight; it erodes under the weight of systemic manipulation. When a nation’s political landscape is overtaken for decades, the consequences are far-reaching. Pakistan’s political landscape has been shaped by repeated military interventions, from Ayub Khan controlled democracy to Zia-ul-Haq Islamization and Musharraf engineered political order. The […]
Gender Apartheid in Pakistan
She walks fast, eyes fixed on the ground, her dupatta pulled tightly over her head-not for modesty, but as armor against the unrelenting gaze of men who claim the streets as their own. At the bus stop, she stands cautiously, calculating her distance from the staring eyes, the leering smiles, the ‘accidental’ brushes. She boards […]
Perpetual Insurgency
As the Jaffar Express made its way through the rugged terrain of Balochistan, an explosion derailed its carriages-another grim entry in Pakistan’s long history of insurgency-related violence. This was not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeper, unresolved conflict that has plagued the region for decades. The persistence of insurgencies in Balochistan and […]
Harassment in Universities
When students enter centers of learning, they expect intellectual growth, mentorship, career development, and a safe environment in all aspects of their lives. Instead, many find themselves trapped in a system where power dynamics are exploited, victims are silenced, and perpetrators often go unpunished. The prevailing culture of victim-blaming not only discourages survivors from speaking […]
The Collapse of Society
The widespread abuse and exploitation of women are not confined to a particular area; it is happening across the world, endangering women’s daily lives and gravely shaking their identity and dignity. Gender-based violence (GBV) represents a profound societal issue that extends beyond individual harm to threaten the very fabric of communities and nations. Defined as […]
Honour and Corruption
There is no denying the fact that honesty fosters honour and corruption brings dishonour. This is true – for individuals as well as states. A state populated by honest people occupies a much higher place in the comity of nations than the one where corrupt and dishonest people outnumber those with honesty and integrity. It […]