The roller coaster relationship
Ups and downs all the way A lot of effort has gone into laying the ground work for peace in South Asia. Those who initiated the moves in the direction comprised…
A study in somersaults
Political parties must show maturity and constancy Mian Manzoor Wattoo, active in politics since 1983 with hat-tricks as Punjab chief minister and provincial Assembly Speaker, as well as heading federal ministries,…
Imran in Lahore
Checking progress The PM’s Lahore trip turned out a little short on specifics of the 100 day plan, unfortunately, but it was long, once again, on Imran Khan’s vision about the bureaucracy…
Oppression in Kashmir
Something for the UNGA? The matter of talks with Sushma Swaraj, on the sidelines of the UNGA, had already become stale by the time Shah Mehmood landed in the United states, even…
Talks with India
Efforts must continue for regional peace and amity Keeping in view a decade long history of Pak-India relations one could have safely predicted that something would go wrong and derail the latest…
Addressing the refugee problem
PM Khan should not be hasty in such matters In a surprising announcement a few days back PM Khan vowed to provide citizenship to Afghans, Bengalis, Burmese etc living in the country…
Remedies that do not address the underlying cause
Pakistan’s hotchpotch diplomacy Within days of a civil-military huddle on foreign policy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Afghanistan, Imran Khan held talks with Saudi and Emirati royalty while the COAS was in China.…
Cricket loss
It’s how you lose Once again, unfortunately, the Pakistani cricket team has embarrassed itself as well as the country. It’s not losing the match to India in the Asia Cup that is…
An interim relief
No reason to be over the moon The suspension of the NAB court’s sentence in Avenfield reference and the release of the three accused is the first good news for the Sharif…
Imran’s circle of advisors
Growing larger It turns out, unfortunately, that Prime Minister Imran Khan is taking a U-turn on his claim of keeping a small group of ministers and advisors around him as well. And…
Budget revisions in ‘difficult times’
Asad Omar’s awaited balancing act Finance Minister Asad Omar didn’t really need to remind everybody about how much the fiscal deficit has ballooned or how little import cover is left. PTI has…
PTI in conciliation mode
The government-opposition relations It was all smiles and sunshine during the National Assembly sitting on Tuesday before the presentation of the amended finance bill. Shah Mahmud Qureshi supported the opposition’s demand for…
A bad start
Government and opposition must find middle ground The new National Assembly began its five year tenure on an inauspicious note. Despite the proceedings of the joint parliamentary session beginning with a prayer…
Washington’s Russian-Chinese paranoia
US jingoistic policies might trigger new Cold War Though China-Pakistan ties are nothing new, being the brainchild of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and blossoming post 1965 after the US imposed a moratorium on…
Afghan Transit Trade
Benefits everybody? Leave it to the foreign press, as usual, to enlighten Pakistanis about potentially groundbreaking developments. Apparently the American ambassador to Afghanistan has told an Indian newspaper that Islamabad approached Washington…
Building dams
Sensitive matter One must, regrettably, tread very carefully on the matter of making dams and saving our future lest one is misinterpreted and, quite wrongly, branded an enemy of the state itself.…
Bureaucracy in a nutcracker
Damned if it does, damned if I doesn’t Politicians coming to power have frequently used bureaucrats to bend and break the laws to fulfill their wishes. This has led to grave social consequences. Honest government officers…