On the evening of Oct 22, 2017 as I was entering Quetta Club with a CPNE delegation for a dinner hosted by the Speaker of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly Ms. Rahila Durrani, my son Zarrar sent me a WhatsApp snapshot of my three grandchildren in Halloween costumes from New York. By some odd coincidence fully…
For a country blessed with many rivers, the perennial scarcity of water in Pakistan is because of the shortage of storage capacity. While problematic presently, a full blown crisis is not so far in the distant future. While all provinces face shortages of water, Balochistan stands out as the most affected. This looming disaster can…
In contemporary international relations, sovereign states often switch alliances and forge relations with their former adversaries with the intent to fully maximise their national interests. So, it can safely be said that the national interests of a country determine the direction and nature of its foreign policy. The ongoing bonhomie between Russia and Saudi Arabia…
Over the years many highly developed economies with sophisticated markets and long functioning banking systems have faced significant banking crises or banking failures. The role of Central Banks is critical in not only preventing and/ or pre-empting failures but acting to resolve matters should the bank fails. On the macro level banking failures can result…
The Leverages of US and PakistanWith the announcement of Trump’s South Asia policy, the US-Pakistan ties have once again entered a period of tumult. His speech had all the ingredients that would put Pakistan in a state of paranoia, and perhaps that was one of the immediate intensions of the new policy. His speech was…
“It is difficult to envisage some thirty or forty generals and a smaller number of admirals and air force commanders appointed solely by Providence to be the sole judges of what the nation needs”. The Times, April 6, 1961 In 2017, Pakistan is going through another cycle of severely strained civil-military relations. While a certain level…
Disqualified as Prime Minister (PM) by the Supreme Court (SC) on July 28, Nawaz Sharif was forced to relinquish his position as President of PML(N). On Monday, Oct 2, 2017 the Constitution of Pakistan was made mockery of by “Election Act 2017”, an Amendment in contradiction of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. Tailor-made…
IntroductionThe 21st century political order is changing its direction towards new alliances that would shape the future discourse of the new world. Among the actors that would like to stay relevant in the world to come are the United States of America, China and Russia. Their role is very much dependant on the alliances they…
Since Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot change their geographical locations, it is in their long-term economic and security interest to bury the acrimonious past and forge ties. Whenever Islamabad and Kabul remain at loggerheads due to cross-border terrorism, India grabs the opportunity by further driving wedges between the two countries with the intent to maximise its…
All of a sudden it has dawned upon the Trump administration that China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) project passes through ‘disputed territory’, hence the US must oppose it. For quite some time, China phobia has paralyzed rational thinking in the US policy making circles, the malice is bipartisan. Earlier Obama had also opposed setting…
