Archive for November, 2008

If the federal Pakistani government had smarter politicians and media managers in office, they would have shown interest in Charity and Veronica Bowers. Almost eight years ago, the

The gap is too obvious between what Pakistani government representatives state and what appears to be the reality. For example, the recent statements by the president and prime

I don't belong to the lawyers' community but that doesn't mean that I am unaware of their activities. The greatest lawyer was the creator of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad

He's a doctor by career but a journalist by profession. How convenient is that! Yet, the maverick who rose to dizzying heights just in a span of eight

What was projected to occur within the next few weeks in my last article has come to pass already; the drones for the first time attacked a target

As the world's attention turns increasingly to Pakistan and its role in tackling the threat of globalised terrorism, the country's perception abroad is evolving. More than seven years

I am leading a delegation of parliamentarians to China at the gracious invitation of the Chinese Communist Party in its 30th year of reforms celebrations. It’s my first

The US has raised the stakes by firing missiles from its drones at a target in the southern district of Bannu in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). It

President-elect Barack Obama took the stage in Grant Park, Chicago, just before midnight on November 4, scanned the sea of people assembled to listen to him, and greeted

Twelve years ago Pakistan’s only and the Muslim world’s first Nobel laureate Professor Abdus Salam passed into eternity on November 21, 1996. Salam was chased and hounded both

They are in there and yet no one seems to acknowledge their presence. These elephants are realities that all of us can see but because of fear, self-interest,

Despite the common feature of the region, each Middle Eastern country does has its own distinct feel, as I found travelling from Egypt to Jordan. Jordan is much

There has, in recent weeks, been much discussion on the role of the media. Is it irresponsible and sensationalist, selling bad news and despair? Is it a reflection

The Predator strike on a Bannu village marks a first: the first missile strike outside FATA (the acronym to describe the seven tribal agencies--now the scene of the

There was a moment at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, venue of the ongoing World Performing Arts Festival, which underscored the dichotomy that has today become a distinguishing feature

I am no expert in FATA or the tribal areas, and speaking Pashto at home hasn't made me one. But whenever I talk to the custodians of the

Those counting on Asif Ali Zardari's reinvention, that as president he would cast off the baggage of the past and be a new man, can be reminded of

My current travels through the Middle East, to understand the Islamic schooling systems in the countries of the region, is providing some interesting comparisons between Middle Eastern societies

There is little doubt that we have been through a very bad period. If the economy is a barometer of a nation's health, nothing good has happened for

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light," Welsh poet Dylan Thomas had famously urged in one of his finest works. The people of Pakistan have raged for

In his Politics among Nations, Hans Morgenthau defined national security as "the integrity of the national territory and its institutions." Till recently, national security meant a state's freedom

On November 8, 2008 newly elected US President Barack Obama in a telephonic conversation with President Zardari offered to play role in revival of Depleting Economic condition and

Forgive my lack of politeness but sometimes it serves to get right to the point. The government should immediately relieve Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar of his current portfolio. Mr Mukhtar

For a country tottering on bankruptcy, it seems strange to appoint a cabinet of nearly 60, thereby breaking the record of another all-time great prime minister, Mr Shaukat