Archive for June, 2013

Lt.-Gen (R) Talat Masood :  The U.S. drawdown in a prolonged endgame and its fallout in Afghanistan will have a direct bearing on Pakistan. A critical dénouement of what to expect For Pakistan’s own security and stability, no country is as important as Afghanistan. Due to the porous nature of their border and deep ethnic, […]

By Moeed Pirzada –  Nawaz Sharif has earned U.S. goodwill but diplomatic challenges ahead will require balancing acts that will test his resolve Nawaz Sharif and his foreign policy team should thank their stars that Afghanistan, and the U.S. withdrawal from there won’t drain their cerebral energies. This has been a front where C.I.A., Pentagon, […]

By Imdad Soomro – Starting his political career as a student leader and then municipal councilor of Sukkur, the former lower grade employee of Wapda, Syed Khurshid Shah may have assumed the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition by the time these lines are read. He has been elected MNA five times from Sukkur, […]

Victory of hope over cynicism There will always be time for political rivalries — that staple diet of Pakistani politics without which we seem unable to live or at least derive enjoyment — but, for starters, it is time to celebrate democracy’s glorious hour. Admittedly, the ‘reformed’ and ‘independent’ Election Commission under the venerable Fakhruddin […]

By Shahid Malik – Negotiating peace with Taliban has proved be a deceptive bargain, time and again. What makes us think it will not be another wild goose chase now “Two security personnel killed and four others wounded as miscreants blow up an electricity tower in the Dargai area of South Waziristan. Militants beat up […]

Islamabad is a fine microcosm of Pakistan in more ways than one given its composition of ethnic backgrounds with citizens from all over the country eking out a living here and making the seat of the federation their temporary or permanent abode. Like elsewhere in the country, the preceding buzz to the 2013 general elections […]

By Shahbaz Anwaar –  Political change versus economic status quo Budget 2013-14 that the PML-N government is expected to unveil in the second week of June will be more of a bureaucratic exercise of number crunching with dimmed hopes of any break from past practices, with little room for maneuverability due to time constraints and […]

By Umair Javed – The PTI needs to institute a culture of respect for other voters and to realign expectations with a view to removing its ‘now or never’ mentality While much has been written about the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf over the last year or so, there is still a lot left that requires further exposition. […]

By Waqar Gillani – In Pakistan, it is customary for losers to cry foul but it does not obviate the need for electronic voting to bring transparency The Lahore Press Club roundabout was divided with barricades last month because of two protests. The demos were two but their cause was one — alleged rigging and […]