Just when everything seemed to be coming good for Pakistan, the Army MI-17 crash in Naltar brought us literally and figuratively down to earth. What made this great tragedy different was that the Ambassadors of Norway and Philippines as well as the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian Ambassadors, lost their lives. Several other Ambassadors…
Dear Readers, After days of heated debate and argument, a joint session of Parliament passed a unanimous resolution to remain neutral and stay out of the Saudi-led air campaign targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen. However the resolution stated that Pakistan should be prepared to come to Saudi Arabia’s aid if the latter’s sovereignty or territorial…
Immersed in turmoil for various reasons ever since the Arab Spring started with Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in Tunisia on Dec 18, 2010, separating the permutations and combinations of allies and foes in the Middle East given any country or sub-region is mind-boggling. Beset with multiple crises ourselves, mostly of our own making, we are desperately…
Fast becoming increasingly dangerous for the region, and for Pakistan, the Yemen situation has inherent contradictions and complications that need to be addressed. The Saudis have not minced words in claiming our help – and fast. We can understand their impatience, for them it is a pretty straightforward transaction. They pay us for the manpower…
Pakistan’s geo-strategic crossroads location connecting China with South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia was confirmed by the signing of agreements pertaining to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Islamabad. Envisaging construction of roads, rails and power plants, nearly US$ 35 billion (of the US$46 million)…
Not many people would have heard the word ‘optimism’ in Afghanistan but this is changing now. In a country where transfer of power has rarely been peaceful, the country survived a month long political crisis over a presidential election that was marred by fraud. With a new political order being installed the people are now…
In Pakistan, whether in cricket or politics merit is a disqualifier. Just before the ICC World Cup our regular opener Muhammad Hafeez sustained an injury, he could have stayed on, missing possibly one game only, but he was packed off post-haste so that Nasir Jamshed could be rushed in to take his place. In the…
With a real estate tycoon (take a wild guess?) buying up votes with his tax-free money in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Assembly for PPP candidates, “horse-trading” for the upcoming Senate elections went into overdrive. While cause for anxiety for the PTI-JI ruling Alliance in KPK, five PML-N legislators in Balochistan failed to show up for a…
Dear Readers,When PM Sharif visited India last May to attend Narendra Modi’s inauguration as Prime Minister many believed this could lead to a lessening of tensions but this was not to be. Pakistan has always taken the first step towards reconciliation hoping for meaningful change; this time around too, Sharif’s visit was another attempt to…
The Peshawar APS terrorist atrocity struck an emotional chord through the broad swath of the country, the unspeakable crime against humanity succeeding in what our leaders across the board have failed to do for decades, unite the nation. The mass revulsion for the terrorists themselves and their acts notwithstanding, their known sympathizers came under severe…
