‘To be or not to be’
The Sharifs’ conundrum “To be or not to be?”, the opening phrase uttered by Prince Hamlet sums up PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) president Shahbaz Sharif’s predicament. In William Shakespeare’s seminal play by…
Maulana’s quixotic march
Islam in danger again? The Islamic version of Don Quixote with hordes of his Sancho Panzas in tow is all set to descend upon Islamabad later this month. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has unilaterally…
Khan’s impassioned plea
And the nuclear option Prime minister Khan in his maiden speech at UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) succulently summed up the precarious situation in IOK (Indian occupied Kashmir) and its ramifications for…
Rule by fiat
And opening many fronts In our present political milieu, rule by fiat is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception. The democratic project is a direct function of consensus building, conspicuously…
Dire straits
And misplaced optimism The good news is that the prime minister is somewhat aware of the bad news on the economic front. That is why every weekend he is meeting his economic…
The second year
Fresh challenges ahead Khan at the beginning of the second year of his tenure seems to be a little more decisive. Taking multifarious U-turns bordering on the tentative had become the hallmark…
Kashmir at UNSC
Victory of sorts? Recent events taking place around Pakistan have suddenly catapulted the one-year-old PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government to centre stage, thereby putting Prime Minister Khan’s leadership qualities to a litmus test.…
Post annexation of Kashmir
Islamabad’s limited options Predictably, India annexing the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir has evoked a very strong reaction from Pakistan. Diplomatic ties have been downgraded; trade suspended and cultural relations, already…
The game of thrones
The opposition’s humiliating defeat Instead of merely blaming the ubiquitous ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) for its failure to dislodge Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in a joint no-trust move, the opposition should look inwards…
The Day After
Time to face stark realities Prime minister Imran Khan after a warm and effusive summitry with the US president Donald Trump was given a hero’s welcome when he landed in Islamabad early…
Courage under fire
No holds barred confrontation A widespread perception is fast developing that space for a democratic discourse is perceptibly shrinking. Frequent gagging of the media and concerted efforts to tighten the noose around…
Economic bailout!
In an era of confrontation While the political landscape remains murky, economic wizards will heave a sigh of relief that Pakistan has finally entered its 13th IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout since…
APC an abject failure?
Or an impending threat The recently held opposition moot under the stewardship of the enigmatic Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman is being touted by most as a damp squib, or somewhat of an anti-climax. Perhaps…
Sanity prevails-finally
Charter on economy a pipedream? After a free-for-all during the budget debate in the National Assembly, a semblance of sanity has finally prevailed. A hiatus of three days during which there was…
It takes two to tango
Islamabad and New Delhi Bishkek the capital of Kirgizstan perhaps was another opportunity lost for initiating a thaw between the two adversarial neighbours of South Asia. Islamabad on more than one occasion…
The opposition’s putsch
And return of Shehbaz Sharif Now that the holy month of Ramzan is over, like the scorching heat the political temperature in the country is also bound to further go up in…
Summer of discontent
While Nero fiddling So many fronts opened simultaneously it seems that the Pakistani state is at war with itself. The higher judiciary under siege, the ongoing confrontation with the PTM (Pashtun Tahaffuz…