Dec 2021

POLICING EXTREMISM and TERRORISM IN PAKISTAN The aforementioned points are by no means exhaustive and are very much fallible. The only purpose of stating these points is to initiate discourse that can think of policing as a ‘service’ to the society and not as an ‘instrument’ as envisaged by the …

Understanding the Impact of Income Tax Expenditures on Economy The estimated loss of revenue due to income tax, sales tax and customs duty expenditures was Rs.448 billion, Rs.578 billion and Rs.288 billion, respectively, in 2020-21. Thus, total revenue sacrificed due to tax expenditures in 2020-21 was Rs.1314 billion. Sectors that …

Xi-Biden Virtual Summit Breaking ground for a more constructive, stable relationship At a time when the relations between the United States and China are at a historic low, the presidents of the two countries – US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping – spoke, on November 15, for …

US China Rivalry in South Asia During the Cold War, South Asia was largely considered a peripheral theatre. US-Soviet competition affected the countries in the region and shaped their choices, but the Subcontinent itself was not generally the primary, or even secondary, arena in the superpower rivalry. It was only …

To Steer China’s Future, Xi Is Rewriting Its Past On November 11, the leaders of China’s ruling Communist Party set the stage for President Xi Jinping to extend his rule next year, praising his role in the country’s rise as an economic and strategic power and approving a political history …

The Climate Challenge The Glasgow Pact is characterized by the consensus of the member countries to “phase down” the coal instead of the “phase-out”. The difference in wording represented the clash of interests as major coal-consuming countries such as India, China and South Africa, objected to the term “phase-out,” stating …

How Western Leaders Destroyed The Muslim World After the US-led crusade in Afghanistan, it was Iraq, then Libya, followed by Syria and Yemen leading to Saudi Arabia under the guise of ‘war on terrorism’. The US Congress was powerful to sanction the 2003 bogus war against Iraq. The same fate …

Deglobalization and International Liberal Order With the 20th anniversary of 9/11, immediately preceded by the return of Afghanistan to Taliban control, it is hardly surprising that the future of the US-led liberal international order has come under renewed scrutiny. In recent weeks, the news has been replete with harrowing images, …

COP26 A Lost Opportunity? Conference of Parties, or annual gathering of 200 plus heads of state or their high-powered representatives, is one such response on the behalf of humankind. Since 1995, when COP first met in Berlin, Germany, this supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate …

The Global Methane Pledge The Global Methane Pledge includes six of the world’s ten biggest methane emitters: the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Mexico – China, Russia, India and Iran, the other four in the top 10, have not signed up. While it is not part of the …