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…
Pak-Turk relations
Similar problems bring both countries closer Turkey’s foreign minister was in town for an unconventionally long five-day visit meeting with the top officials in the PTI government, the military and even called…
A welcome display of compassion
And the need to improve political culture Begun Kulsoom Nawaz was laid to rest after a widely attended funeral. She was the wife of a man who had been removed from the…
Eve daughters’ tragic fate
Pakistan’s laws on women scream for reform That plain speaking and persistent champion of social causes regarded as provocative by ‘polite society’ and usually conveniently swept under the carpet, Farhatullah Babar, has…
Imran Khan’s pie in the sky
Populism and the economic realities When seeking votes as an opposition leader it was easy for Imran Khan to make populist promises to please every section of the population. These included five…
Imran Khan and ISI
Premier intel agency Prime Minister Imran Khan seems to gel very nicely with the brass. His eight hour reception at the GHQ some days ago – after which he dispelled all doubts…
Demise of a brave woman
In Pakistan, is courage confined to women alone? Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, who lost the battle against cancer on Wednesday, was a brave and dignified woman. At a time when few in the…
NAB’s media trials
CJ takes notice Finally it took Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take note of NAB’s (National Accountability Bureau) habit of dragging names of people it is investigating into the public domain.…
Pakistan after Jinnah
Musings on the founding father’s 70th death anniversary The ruling elite, both civilian and military, have turned Pakistan into a country where Jinnah would not have liked to live. An outstanding parliamentarian that…