The politics of APC
No clear direction Finally, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif has declared himself fully recovered from Covid-19. Since his return from London in March the former Punjab chief…
Khan under siege
Turning a new leaf? Finally, the prime minister deemed it fit to attend the ongoing National Assembly budget session. His ‘surprise’ appearance in the lower house was ostensibly to answer to the…
The enfant terrible
A pyrrhic victory for judge Isa? The very day BNP-M (Balochistan National Party-Mengal) announced quitting the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) ruling alliance, the prime minister in Karachi declared that the 18th amendment to…
Long hot summer…
The worst is yet to come The long hot summer of discontent is here. No matter what political views one holds, or whichever way one looks at it, there seems to be…
Cat and mouse game
A mockery of fair play? The cat and mouse game played out by the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) at the house of leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif…
Flight PK 8303
And PIA’s perennial problems Miseries do not come alone. As if the relentless attack of Covid-19 with all its dire human, social and economic consequences was not enough to sap the nation’s…
The charade of sugar inquiry
Skirting the real issues Amid the release of the damning sugar commission’s inquiry report there is talk of bringing in a conflict of interest law barring holders of public office from engaging…
Passing the buck
Anomalies of the 10th NFC Instead of whining about the eighteenth amendment the federal government should set its own house in order. Even before the pandemic, the economy was in dire straits.…
Easing the lockdown
Business as usual The lockdown has been somewhat eased-perhaps at the expense of more vulnerable sections of the populace-in order to save the tottering economy. The announcement was made by the Prime…
A new information order
Or more of the same? Like the rest of the country facing an existential threat owing to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the media is no exception. Even before the deadly disease set…
Virtual reality of Covid-19
With a ‘state priest’ in tow In the age of the Coronavirus pandemic, we are living in a state of virtual reality. What is virtual reality? According to its dictionary definition it…
The politics of a lockdown
No winners Lockdown or no lockdown- is the conundrum faced by Prime Minister Imran Khan ever since the Covid-19 pandemic has reared its ugly head. Perhaps a middle way has been chartered…
Sugar politics
Is Tareen the fall guy? The recently released FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) report on sugar and wheat crisis goes far beyond exposing the nexus between politics and big business. It has laid…
Waiting for Allah
And half-baked theories The earliest case of COVID-19 pandemic was reported on November 17, 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then in a relatively short span of over four months it has spread…
A leadership crisis
Half measures will not do “A true leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.” I came across this quote from John C Maxwell, a distinguished…
Apocalypse Now
Or yet to come? The global spread of coronavirus has already reached apocalyptic proportions. In Italy, the death toll has surpassed even that of China, the original epicentre of COVID-19. Advanced economies…
Finally, a COVID-19 strategy
Sans leadership role The deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can be termed as a modern-day plague. Over 103 countries including Pakistan are afflicted by its lethal effects. At least 139,000 people have been…