Mumbai is a city of contrasts, never so apparent as one comes in to land at the International Airport. High-rise developments are pockmarked across shanty towns, ongoing construction of raised expressways snaking over slum areas to overcome the enormous traffic jams clogging the city. Dreams sometimes become a reality in this sprawling metropolis, multiple times…
By all accounts Hussain Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz were good friends, the tone and tenor of the BlackBerry exchanges clearly show they made for a lethal combination. The May 10 Memo was meant to be a specially crafted “neutron bomb” to (1) change the present national security parameters in Pakistan and bring it into line…
The compulsions for survival has driven our leaders over the past decade to allow the US-Pakistan relationship to gradually degenerate into a master and slave status. Pakistan is now subjected to various insults across the board periodically, in the past year motivated vilification of the Pakistan Army and the ISI by key US public officials…
The Supreme Court (SC) having given notice to several respondents in the Manzoor Ijaz – Haqqani Memo issue, the govt resorted to its usual ploy of attempting to frustrate the course of justice. The first salvo was Dr (??) Babar Awan’s vitriolic attack on Tariq Khosa, appointed by the SC as a one-man Commission to…
The New Year is usually associated with joy but this time around a great many countries approached it bad that happened, whether in Pakistan or outside seemed to be our fault or so we were told. And what about our leaders? They being interested mostly in self survival, fell over themselves in keeping the USA,…
Dear Readers, One of the most outstanding officers of the Pakistan, and certainly one of the bravest, Maj Gen (Retd) Naseerullah Khan Babar, SJ & Bar died in January 2011 after a prolonged illness. Some personalities are non-conformist but they always seem to make a positive difference, both in peace and war, to the Army…
Due credit must be given to US Vice-President Joseph Biden, as a US Senator he was the first high-ranking US functionary to recognise the rank injustice done to Pakistan over the years. US decision-makers, led by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, were unanimous in recognising Pakistan’s crucial role as the centre of gravity to resolve…
The US Strategic Dialogue is taking place only because everyone and his uncle knows that the US interest in Pakistan is mainly because of their own major problems in Afghanistan. Pakistan is central to any solution in the long suffering country, the US recognises that that Pakistan’s stability and well being is vital for peace…
In 1993, the Benazir Govt successfully implemented the National Anti-Narcotics Policy 1993 during its tenure. The Policy created various institutions and drug enforcement structures, however an effective mechanism to coordinate and integrate these efforts was lacking. The lack of consolidation in subsequent years resulted in an approach that was not cohesive, this led to continued…
EU’s recent trade concession giving tariff waivers to 75 categories of textile imports from Pakistan for three years has evoked exaggerated criticism from EU textile firms contending that since 75% of these relate to textile clothing, leather and related products, it would potentially destroy 140000 jobs in the EU countries. For the record these goods…
