DPS – IMF: friend or foe?

Impossible Mission Force – to the uninitiated, IMF, can stand for that! Nevertheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a crucial cog in the global financial system. Love it or hate it, it is here to stay. Although the IMF and World Bank came about as part of the Bretton Woods accord after World War…

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The Vision of Islam-3

So tell the tale — perhaps they will reflect. [Koran 7:176] The ShariahThe Five Pillars are the basic practices of Islam. They are relevant to every Muslim, though it may happen that many people never have to pay zakat or do not make the Hajj because their personal circumstances make it impossible for them to…

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Putin’s War

Vladimir Putin is a name that is the focus of geo-political analysts, journalists, statesmen and politicians across the world. He is a man that has changed the face of geo-politics with his hard decision-making. Many would call him an autocrat and an authoritarian but he has made a name for himself and has not allowed…

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Quran, Riba & Fiat Currency

.أَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰانِ الرَّجِيْمِ – بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم (279)..وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ ‎… if you desist (from taking Riba/ usury), repent, then you shall have your capital; neither shall you make (the debtor) suffer loss ( by asking for more) nor shall you be made to suffer loss…

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Food Security

Background: I must confess that the topic of ‘food security’ was farthest from my mind since my main focus has always been on Strategic and Foreign Policy doctrine for many years and also what Pakistan has to do to adjust strategically as well as tactically to curb and maneuver forthcoming regional and global challenges. However,…

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75 Years of Pakistan-US Cooperation

The completion of seventy-five years of bilateral cooperation between Washington and Islamabad gave rise to a brief round of celebration between the US and Pakistan. Leaders of both states formally conveyed to the international community their determination for exploring new dimensions of bilateral cooperation while celebrating the long history of their cooperative interaction. Diplomatic officials…

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Killing the Albatross

In his poem “the Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the classic English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge gave the message that has become a metaphor for killing the innocent and what follows once the sin is done. It became known as “killing the Albatross”. It is alluring that these metaphors of classic literature remain relevant even…

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