In the maritime environment of the 21st century, oceans are coming under increasingly sharp focus as new power centers emerge due to nation states extending influence beyond their shores, which is often at odds with the dynamics of global politics. This is a cause for concern for many countries since oceans and seas are generally…
“Jis se jigar-i-lala ma thandakho wo shabnam,daryaoon ke dil jis se dahel jainwo toofan,har lehza hai momin kee nayee shaan nayee aan”(so breathtaking as to produce the sublime feeling of dew in the depths of heart;so awesome as to make the storms in ocean tremble). This is Iqbal’s portrayal of a ‘momin’ (guardian of faith)….
United Arab Emirates (UAE) is slowly but surely on the path of further democratization. Most recently, UAE held its 3rd Federal National Council (FNC) elections and the process of politicization has been further strengthened. FNC is playing a tremendous role in the political stability and sustainability of the UAE. It provides true spirits of democracy…
‘Being a friend of the United States is like living on the banks of a great river. The soil is wonderfully fertile, but every four or eight years the river changes course, and you may find yourself alone in a desert’. Pakistan’s Army Chief and President General Muhammad Zia ul Haq to CIA director William Casey,…
Article 25 of the Indian constitution states that: “Every person has the right to practice their faith as they choose, or no faith at all without fear or discrimination”. However, in practice such rights are flouted quite frequently. The ongoing beef controversy in India has reinforced the conviction behind the creation of Pakistan. Many Muslims…
A fictional depiction of true facts, “Exodus” by author Leon Uris is a moving account of the struggle of Jewish refugees escaping persecution and discrimination in Europe to get to Israel (Middle East) after World War 2. Sixty years later history is repeating itself but in the reverse direction. Migrants from the Middle East and…
We are in the state we are in is because we have been compromising on targetting corruption, now it has become a part of our lives. The penetration is so deep that it has subverted society to the extent that the corrupt do not hide their corruption anymore. In fact they flout their newly acquired…
This article is part of PoliTact’s recently launched initiative to look at the events of the Pacific region from the vantage point of South Asia. In order to do this, one has to also study where South Asia belongs in the larger strategy of major international powers. Under this theme, various political, security and economic…
August 04 was the fifth death anniversary of Safwat Ghayur. An army officer who met Safwat first time described him as “a lean man, with loosely fitted clothes, a hint of pattas (a pushtu word for hair coming down over the neck) peeping out from behind his beret, with a swagger in his gait, a…
“By the soul and Him Who perfected it and inspired it with knowledge of what is wrong for it and what is right for it: indeed successful will be the one who keeps it pure, and indeed failure will be the one who corrupts it!” (Qur’an;91:7-10); “And verily We have raised in every nation a…
