ContextThe Balkan states have come a long way since the Yugoslav wars and the ethnic cleansing of the 90s. The region has improved both economically as well as politically. Slovenia and Croatia have become members of the EU while all other countries in the region are actively working towards this goal. However, despite the tremendous…
Since 2002, the Pakistan army is involved in a rapidly evolving struggle against terrorism. When the first shots of this new war were fired, the Pakistan army was neither trained nor prepared for the conflict. Confusion, complacency and utter incompetence at all levels gave an upper hand to the extremists all over the country. First,…
Terrorist Activities in Pakistan Suicide AttacksA suicide bomber blew himself up while three others were killed in a joint search operation carried out by Police and Intelligence Agencies in Rachna Town and Khan Colony near GT Road area in Lahore District on June 29, reports Daily Times. According to details, during the raid, a suicide…
The sick loan portfolio in the banks started to swell as early as the mid-eighties, the same was not publicly acknowledged in the banks’ books. Throughout the nineties, huge lending decisions were taken in Islamabad instead of being analysed threadbare in the banks’ boardrooms by professional bankers. Handpicked persons having no professional background were placed…
The landmark Supreme Court (SC) judgment validating Parliament’s enactment of laws authorizing trials of terrorists by military courts was widely hailed throughout the country. Greeted with a sigh of relief, public opinion registered a massive surge of hope and aspiration. The SC ordered that the military courts adopt the basic principles and procedures of a…
“By the soul and Him Who perfected it and inspired it with knowledge of what is wrong for it and what is right for it: indeed successful will be the one who keeps it pure, and indeed failure will be the one who corrupts it!” (Qur’an;91:7-10); “And verily We have raised in every nation a…
The communication gap between the British officers and native Indian troops was blamed by the British for the mutiny in the Army of the British East India Company leading to the 1857 War of Independence. To propagate British imperial rule after 1857, an Indian Viceroy Commissioned Officer (VCO) rank was instituted to facilitate effective liaison….
Dear Readers, Having just celebrated the 68th anniversary of its independence in grand style, some soul searching is still in order to evaluate where Pakistan stands today. Successive governments failed to establish or implant the concept of ‘unity in diversity’ among Pakistanis by failing to develop pragmatic policies whether educational, related to economic development, preservation…
When NAB was established in 1999 the initial target was to go after those who had done bank fraud and/or did not return the loans taken on flimsy pretexts. The first monies recovered was from bank defaulters, over Rs 50 billion in the first two years. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) then stepped in…
President Erdogan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, inter alia, discussed the prospects of the budding Afghan peace process during their meeting in Chaklala on August 01. Over the previous years Turkey has been taking keen interest in a negotiated settlement of the Afghan crisis; initiatives like Istanbul, Ankara and Heart of Asia processes are just…
