The idea of work in Pakistan remained fixated on “fixed” for decades: fixed office, a fixed desk, fixed timing and a fixed sense of hierarchy. Work culture in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad grew around these assumptions. Entire lifestyles were shaped by the commute from home to office, by the boss who sat in […]
AI-Driven New Age Power Cartography
Throughout modern history, power has been defined and displayed on maps with borders drawn and redrawn by wars, trade routes, and political treaties. For centuries, the world order depended on these well-demarcated frontiers, fiercely guarded by natural barriers and military might. However, today, we stand at a crossroads where the age of visible borders is […]
Iqbal’s Modern Day Nation-State
Allama Muhammad Iqbal emerged as a major Muslim thinker on nationhood during a period of profound political and intellectual upheaval in British India, when the Western concept of the territorial nation-state was becoming a norm and anti-colonial movements embraced nationalism. For Iqbal, however, nationhood could not be reduced to territory, race, ethnicity or language. His […]
A Case for Moral Diplomacy
The Gaza War has done more than destroy buildings; it has shattered illusions. For decades the world has been told that international law protects civilians, that human rights are universal, and that the global order rests on justice, but in the unfolding of this conflict those assurances have been mauled and erased. Images of children […]
Spoils of War, Up for Grabs
The trade war between the United States and China emerged as one of the most consequential geopolitical and economic confrontations of the twenty-first century, reshaping global commerce, supply chains, and macroeconomic policy-making. It did not happen suddenly; tensions had been simmering for years as Washington accused Beijing of unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, forced […]
Thaw to Awe
In a year crowded with diplomatic pivots across South Asia, few have been as striking, or as swiftly consequential, as the recent thaw in relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The region long defined by pain frozen in times and wary neighbours, this thaw stands out as South Asia’s big surprise. It has driven the two […]
Bridge of Benefit
The Wakhan Corridor, a declared buffer zone since the 19th century, is one of the most isolated regions in Asia, rising between three and five thousand meters above sea level with narrow valleys, glaciers, and limited routes for navigation. The Wakhjir Pass connects it to China, while the Broghol and Irshad passes link it to […]
Gunther Fehlinger’s Proposal
Post partition of 1947, eight decades down the road, no major international politician or head of state has ever officially called for India’s disintegration. Predictions of fragmentation have surfaced periodically in journalism, intelligence analyses, and activists’ rhetoric. Around the partition, some British commentators did predict that India would eventually break apart, while during the Cold […]
The Stock Talk
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient,” says Warren Buffett, truly capturing both its peril and promise. The origins of Western stock markets stretch back to the 17th century. Over time, these markets became the barometers of global capitalism, financing wars, industrial revolutions, and digital booms alike. […]
The Real Abrahamic Accord
Nothing is more common to all faiths than the duty to stand beside those who suffer oppression and injustice. It is a theme that recurs with striking frequency and insistence. Wherever power crushes the vulnerable, the teachings of the Prophets of Israelites in Judaism, those of Jesus Christ in Christianity and the Quranic injunctions of […]