A change in the offing
Or a storm in a teacup? The knives are out for PML-N president (Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz) and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif as a concerted…
General Bajwa II
Any different from the first? Just days before the chief of army staff (COAS) general Qamar Javed Bajwa’s three years term was coming to an end the prime minister’s office finally announced…
Exit Nawaz Sharif
Finally! A prisoner of his self-serving rhetoric PM Khan is hoist by his own petard. Unable to allow his critically ill nemesis to go abroad for urgently needed treatment, he conveniently passed…
Sharif’s departure
And badly needed confidence-building measures After abject failure of the PTI’s (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) negotiating committee headed by defence minister Pervez Khattak to break the impasse created as a result of JUI-F’s (Jamiat…
The Maulana‘s ultimatum
In the wake of Tezgam inferno The Tezgam inferno near Liquatpur in southern Punjab on Thursday morning can be termed as one of the most horrendous tragedy in Pakistan Railways’ history. Most…
Politics of vendetta
And Sharif’s grave ailment That the prime minister has finally relented on permitting Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi march’ to take place ‘within the ambit of law and constitution’, is good news. But…
Thwarting the ‘Azadi March’
By gagging the media? As the deadline for Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s March fast approaches, battle lines are being clearly drawn. Despite Prime Minister Imran Khan forming a committee headed by defence minister…
‘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…