In an increasingly globalised world, we are geographically very beneficially at the crossroads separating South Asia with Central Asia and the Middle East, this must be converted to our geo-political advantage. The new nation state of Pakistan felt quite vulnerable because of Indian hostility on its eastern borders and by Afghanistan’s obstinate refusal on the…
The Soviet invasion in 1979 precipitated a large influx of Afghans into Pakistan, mainly from the Kabul elite, the affluent bought up residential homes and even small businesses, mainly in transportation. As the war reached the countryside the not so affluent started to cross over to escape being caught in the cross-fire. The Afghans (mostly…
Dear Readers, The Indian govt’s decision to revoke Article 370 of India’s constitution that ensured the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) its own constitution and independence over all matters except foreign affairs, defence and communications, is undoubtedly the most controversial political move in the last seven decades that will have serious repercussions. Human rights abuses in…
The three-day historic visit of the Pakistani PM Imran Khan to the US has come to an end. The overwhelming perception one gets from the visit is that a closer relationship between the two countries than during the last five years looks possible. The future will show if that hope is justified. While Mr. Trump’s…
Historically gold prospects always attracts adventurers, the sites are usually fought over, not only by individual prospectors and/ or mining companies but by nations. Possibly the biggest copper and gold deposit in the world, why should Reko Diq be an exception? In 2010 the Reko Diq Mining Project was calculated to be a US$ 3.3…
All of Imran Khan’s trips abroad as PM has been of great importance to Pakistan. The most anticipated (and more important than others) was his 3-day trip of the United States (US). Primarily Pakistan badly needed to mend fences with the US on a number of thorny issues, secondarily we had to attract very much…
The ‘established’ political parties of Pakistan today have mainly dynastical family rule like that of Z.A. Bhutto, his descendants (and opportunistic adherents through marriage like Asif Zardari), that of Maulana Mufti Mahmood, Baccha Khan’s family and more lately of Nawaz Sharif’s, feudal to the core. The exceptions were Jamaat-e-Islam (JI) and the MQM. The MQM…
Having stabilized somewhat after a rather rocky start the PTI government and PM Imran Khan seem set on their attempt to steer course towards real change, with across-the-board accountability the central plank of their campaign. The dire economic situation shows some signs of hope: With 2.1 million people filing their tax returns, the highest in…
It remains unclear if BJP can scrap the special status Kashmir has enjoyed for over fifty years by deleting articles 35A and 370 from the Indian Constitution and if so, can such fundamental change legally be introduced into the basic Law of the Land by just a Presidential Order without a vote in favour by…
Dear Readers, The World Economic Forum (WEF) has been the catalyst for global initiatives, historic shifts, industry breakthroughs, economic ideas and tens of thousands of projects and collaborations. Its strategy is simple and effective bring together the most relevant leaders from all sectors of global society and discuss and identify the best ways to address…
