Has Punjab changed? on October 26, 2017It’s been almost three months since Nawaz Sharif was ousted through a questionable verdict by Supreme Court. Many in Pakistan and abroad believe it was actually part of the scheme from the Pakistani establishment. Although it’s just over ten weeks since Sharif’s removal, a small time to witness the usual defections from among his party […]
Pakistan and its de facto diarchy on October 19, 2017The highlight of last week in Pakistan’s political scene too, as usual, echoed sensational breaking news and press conferences. However, the rumbling from a statement of military’s spokesperson, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor, a snubbing rebuttal from Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and then another press conference from DG ISPR were the loudest. In a […]
A white mutiny in store on October 12, 2017In the history of British India, Lord Ripon is remembered as the most humane viceroy that the Crown ever sent to rule the subcontinent. Having repealed the Vernacular Press Act in 1882 that the Indians had demanded so vociferously, Lord Ripon encouraged CP Ilbert, law member of his viceroy council, to draft an extraordinary bill, […]
Pakistan isnt banana republic, its absurdistan on October 5, 2017In Pakistan, the phrases such as banana republic are used rather loosely; however, in literature and political science they have definitive meanings. So when recently a federal minister questioned ‘are we a banana republic?’ I found it a misplaced analogy for Pakistan. We are not a banana republic, but perhaps worse in some other ways. […]
Have civilians only got the second fiddle to play? on September 28, 2017 April 1977 was the last time Pakistan saw its prime minister, Z A Bhutto, still calling shots. Since then, no Prime Minister of Pakistan could have a sway over foreign policy and national security. Those who dared to reclaim their rightful prerogative in a parliamentary democracy were shown the door on one pretext or […]
PML-N should show defiance on September 21, 2017 In an interview to a private TV Channel, a day before the momentous by-election last Sunday in Lahore, Maryam Nawaz said “Nawaz Sharif made several compromises in his four and a half years, which, in my opinion, he should not have done.” Obviously, she referring to the role of military in the 2014 sit-ins, […]
Bhola Record A microcosm of our society on September 14, 2017For those who have not come across a video clip on WhatsApp or other social media platforms, ‘Bhola Record’, as he’s now known: He is a goldsmith from Punjab, who went to UAE for carnal fun with prostitutes. Like it generally is with men of his ilk, who are often with little education, shallow brought […]
Pakistan needs introspection on BRICS on September 7, 2017 Many in Pakistan were surprised when the association of five major emerging national economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) declaration from its meeting in Xiamen, China on September 4, 2017 included Pakistan-based terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), Haqqani Network, and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) as the entities which have threatened the peace and stability […]
Civilian supremacy: earned not negotiated on August 31, 2017Earlier in August, we heard Raza Rabbani, Chairman of Senate, urging for an inter-institutional dialogue — mainly involving the judiciary, military, executive and legislature — to salvage the country out of its prevailing crisis and tackle ongoing issues. He insisted on this multiple times before media and in the Senate sessions he chaired. His statements […]
Open letter to Lords and Generals on August 25, 2017Back in 2014 Shahid Khan Afridi, one of our former cricket captains, courted controversy when expressing views on women’s cricket that underscored how the patriarchy was still very much un-smashed in the field of sports. Though the interviewer should not be spared complete liability seeing as he should have called out Afridi for his misogyny. […]