Opinion

Subcontinental Drift

by:  Fahd Humayun

As global players reorient their power calculus, Pakistan’s maritime rim land is experiencing new cartographic anxieties. In Tehran this summer, President Rouhani, President Ghani and PM Modi heralded the Chabahar...
Opinion

Stabilisation Straitjacket: Budget 2016 and the Growth Bottleneck

by:  Sakib Sherani

Backdrop A nation’s budget and its overall economic policy framework are situated within a certain macroeconomic context.The mix of fiscal and other policies pursued by a government should respond to...
Opinion

Smokescreen in South Punjab

by:  Fahd Humayun

Back in May the Punjab Assembly unanimously carried a resolution hailing anti-terror operations in the province. On paper, the numbers look impressive: 10,000 intelligence-based operations have been carried out across Punjab since...
Opinions

The NSG and South Asian Security

by:  Zamir Akram

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an informal cartel of 48 countries that regulates nuclear commerce for civilian uses and prevents nuclear weapons proliferation met in Vienna on 9 and 10...
Opinion

Things Fall Apart: The Politics of US Aid to Pakistan

by:  Sauleha Kamal

In a clear case of déjà vu, the United States has blocked $300 million in military aid to Pakistan, making the release of the funds contingent on Islamabad taking demonstrable steps...
Opinion

A Primordial Gender Binary

by:  Daanika Kamal

The recent death of Alisha, a 23-year old transgender activist from Peshawar, has brought in stark relief the continuing neglect and lack of entitlements faced by the third gender in...
Opinion

Missed Opportunities

by:  Fahd Humayun 

As Tehran shakes off the morning-after effects of its international comeback, regional powers are lining up to cash in on the new Iranian moment, taking advantage of credit lines and...
Opinion

D-Penalty to D-Chowk

by:  Daanika Kamal 

The protests that followed Qadri's execution were not instituted on a remonstration of capital punishment There is a disconnect (and at times an overlap) between those rallying against the death...
Opinion

Representational Deficits in Electoral Reform

by:  Daanika Kamal

A functional democracy requires public ownership of the electoral process. In Pakistan, making these processes inclusive of women, persons with disabilities and minorities is even more important. The recently released...
Opinion

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

by:  Fahd Humayun

In what has been an erratic few months for an India-Pakistan relationship still grappling with how to steer clear of diplomatic reversals, the capture of Kulbhushan Yadav in Balochistan has created...