Interview:

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ISSUE

The PCNS' Recommendation

Arustic simpleton came to town for the first time. Here, he saw that a group of youngsters was protesting by staging a sit-in.more...

The politics of the suspension

They have two tongues in one mouth, and two faces on one head, so that they can speak everybody?s language. more...

Rethinking ties

It was on March 6th that General James Mattis, the US CENTCOM chief, told the American Senate Armed Services Committee thatmore...
ECONOMY

Groping in the dark

Pakistan?s installed generation capacity on july 01, 2011 stood at 23,412 megawatts (mw) with an available capacity of 19,669 mw. However, more...

On the state of the economy

With the present governwment?s last budget presentation approaching, the finance ministry finds itself in a difficult positionmore...
POLITICS

Karachi violence

Karachi seemed quite calm on the fine morning of March 27, 2012. Most of the city was asleep, and those awake were busy getting ready for another routine day. The city government?s garbage collection machinery could still be seen on the streets and sweepers had just started their job of keeping the city clean when more...

Sate within a State

The military and the intelligence agencies in Pakistan are known to be autonomous of the state, more when we make transition to civilian rule. It is questionable though how autonomous they are, and whether or not their autonomy, meaning weak or non-existent oversight of the civilian authority more...
DIPLOMACY

Out with the old

The nations cannot be pursued without taking into account the political environment. Iran and Pakistan have expressed their determination from time to time to complete the IP gas pipeline project but there is little hope of its completion in the near future. In March 2010, Iranmore...
INTERVIEW

The power behind the throne

Ask Faryal Talpur about the most difficult phase of her life and she doesn?t come out with a reply. She?s never considered anything difficult, she says. Very few people have the ability to make a statement like that in a self-effacingmore...
REGION

Way forward

The US is on track so far with the troop drawdown schedule set in President Barack Obama?s West Point speech in December 2009 ? and reaffirmed in the declaration of the NATO summit held at Lisbon in November 2010 ? despite recent setbacks like reactions to US troops to weaken the Taliban and goad them to talks ? for reconciliation and a possible coalition gotmore...

CARTOON
SECURITY

The tinderbox province

Punjab is the most populous of Pakistan?s provinces and is inhabited by 45 percent of the total population of the country.more...

The fountainhead

South Punjab, which otherwise is considered economically among the most backward areas of Pakistan, more...

How to curb human barbarity

There is no denying the fact that man, despite being the crown of creation, is the most oppressed beingmore...

Unsung heroes of Swat?

It was November 2007. Sitting cross-legged in a dingy room adjacent to Fazlullah?s Imam Dheri seminary, Sirajuddin hadmore...

After the lull....

Forever changing their tactics, the militants belonging to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and more...
CULTURE

The spy who didn't love me

AGENT Vinod, the recently released Bollywood flick,has shot itself somewhere in the nether regions before taking offmore...

The counterfeit experience

Humans are infatuated. Let?s just say that because it sounds good. And then let?s talk for a moment about an infatuation with continuity, not only of the body,more...

Spring is in the air!

Spring is supposed to be the season of colors; we should also know how to play with them. Let?s welcome the multihued spring with some vivaciousmore...
PARLIAMENT

Some hits, some misses

The current national assembly, which is the 13th national legislature of Pakistan, completed its 4th year of the 5-years term on 16th March 2012. With this, the present National assembly became the 4th national legislature of the country which could cross the 4th year mark in the 65-year histor more...

It gets better, trust me

This piece reflects on the last four years of Pakistan?s journey into democracy, and raises three questions; what have we accomplishedmore...
HUMAN RIGHTS

Conversion or coercion?

In Pakistan, not only the people, but walls too do the talking, especially on stormy issues. We saw that while driving from the small town of Daharki in the northern Ghotki district of Pakistan?s Sindh province. The wall chalking declared thatmore...

Miniorities: driven to despair
Every new day brings evidence that the members of the religious minorities are getting more and more desperate over their failure to get their grievances redressed. The reason is that,more...
CORRUPTION

Who would've thought

At a time when the political dispensation is being criticized for poor governance, the parliament and its oversight committees need to be more vigilant. The key fiscal accountability tool available to the parliament is the National Assembly?s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The committee, which is supposed to guard the public purse and culprits were and bring them to bookmore...
SOCIETY

Predators in the Calssroom

Violence against women is a universal phenomenon and it needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms particularly when the crime also tarnishes the sacred teacher-student relationship. Gone are the days when teachers ? once revered as father figures the grades, transcripts and the test results and there is seldom a re-evaluation. The prestige of teachers who are doctorates with plenty of experience (domestic and abroad) is very high more...
SATIRE

Democracy is like a pet turtle

For many years now, a multitude of political leaders, opportunistic hacks, clerics, celebrities and sundry opinion leaders have been moaning more...

?The power behind the thrones?

by Irfan Bukhari

Ask Faryal Talpur about the most difficult phase of her life and she doesn?t come out with a reply. She?s never considered anything difficult, she says. Very few people have the ability to make a statement like that in a self-effacing manner. The PPP women-wing president is one of them. Prod a little more, and it?s clear she has seen her share of tough times in politics. Back in 1997, her husband, brother and father were all in jail. This was when she contested an election for the first time. ?I had no intention or aptitude to join politics. But my father wrote me a letter from jail, one that changed my life. He asked me not to lose faith or courage. To put in a fight for the honour of the party.?more...