Archive for January, 2013

By Ali Arqam - A series of stunning attacks on polio aid workers leading to the death of nine persons, seven of them women and girls as young as 14, sparked a national outcry last month. So shocking was the violence it stunned the UN

By Wajahat Ali –  The new secretary will have his ‘pivot to Asia’ task cut out as well as restore faith in U.S. diplomacy President Barack Obama emphasized the idea of “nation-building” at home during his election campaign last year. He knew that the American voter was more concerned about domestic challenges than foreign policy […]

By A Rahim Khan –  Who are they? What are they? Whatever the case, the land of the pure is apparently not fit to bear the children of the rich Fitzgerald: The rich are different than you and me. Hemingway: Yes, they have more money. The rich. As it rolls off your tongue, and takes form, being […]

By Rizwan Rehmat – Ace forward who led Pakistan to its last World Cup triumph in 1994 outlines the reasons for the slide and how to arrest it Pakistan’s fascination with foreign coaches must end if the four-time World Cup champions are to reclaim lost glory, hockey legend Shahbaz Ahmad says. Dutchmen Hans Jorritsma, Roelant […]

By Ali Rizvi – Tongue firmly in cheek Recently, Pakistan’s blind cricket team reached the final of the World Cup and though undefeated up till then, it withered. The loss inadvertently came after Pakistan blind cricket team’s captain was mistakenly made to drink dishwashing liquid. It was a genuine mistake. I don’t know what the […]

By Moayyed Jafri - Election season in Pakistan is like Christmas, where the Politicians play Santa Claus, doling out presents under the guilt of being absent for most part of the year and to give enough reason to be loved and wanted

By Ahmed Bilal Mehboob –  Not a bad year for the parliament but it could have been better The two houses of the parliament, the Senate and the National Assembly, continued their slow-paced journey during 2012 towards evolution as sovereign and assertive institutions of the state. Despite the landmark 18th constitutional amendment, under which powers […]

…And into 2013 with ‘laga reh’ spirit Another tumultuous year has ended though mercifully, not quite our cinder of a planet. Piqued by the doomsday scenario associated with the Mayan calendar we were happy to report in our last issue that you needn’t have lost sleep over 21-12-2012 to begin with! On a serious note, […]

Shahzada Irfan Ahmed: The macabre chess game between tech-savvy terrorists and the agencies trying to catch up with them The festivals of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha were much different this year. Many felt helpless due to their inability to access others in the absence of cell phone service while others enjoyed a long sought break from […]

Muhammad Amir Rana: The larger war-on-terror, the perennial sectarian conflict, the Karachi tinderbox and the Balochistan imbroglio will dominate the security situation this year For Pakistan, this last year was one of comprehension on the security front. The security establishment, which is supposed to be reluctant to acknowledge the reality of the growing influence of […]