To say that dams are crucial for a country’s sustainable socioeconomic progress is to state the obvious. Water security has emerged as a key theme of public policy discourse at global level as countries are taking immediate steps to replenish their water resources by building more and more dams and making judicious and efficient use of water. For the last …

The issue of food security and unhindered, dignified access to food has been at the centre of policy debates. However, what has brought this matter on global radar screen is its inclusion in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The spectre of consistently increasing food prices, rising global population and supply-side constraints have woken the world community to the need of affirmative …

On the eastern front, despite Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s peace overtures to Modi government, Islamabad has little option but to wait and watch as to how Modi goes about business. Mr Modi has yet to articulate his Pakistan policy. However, it is not difficult to identify some of the strands that would define the Indian government’s approach towards Pakistan. New …

The economic model pursued by the successive governments since the establishment of Pakistan has premised mainly on the fact that the creation of enabling environment for the big businesses through favourable economic policies, tax exemptions and rebates will pave the way for growth. The idea governing the formulation of business-friendly policies has been that the emergence of a powerful business …

Pakistan continues to be afflicted by the worst power outages which have crippled the national economy. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, energy crisis is causing a 2-3% loss to GDP. Here darkness, literally, holds sway over the land. But, the crisis did not spark off all at once; the situation was in the making for a long time, …

It is commonly said that crises bring with them a set of challenges and opportunities alike. But, in order to convert these challenges into opportunities, a dynamic and visionary leadership broad-based consensus on, and unshakeable faith in, the national purpose. In the absence of a clear direction, crises only culminate in confounding the confusion and sharpening the already existing divides. …

Until the recent past, wars were fought to pursue oil interests. But, now the era of wars for protection of energy interests is over. The world is fast moving towards a new kind of wars and that is wars over water. The way water security has emerged as a key theme in overall national security frameworks underscores the importance of …

The happenings during the holy month of Ramadan showed yet another time, if, at all, any further reminder was needed, that Pakistan’s internal security challenge still remains the most daunting. As a newspaper report highlighted, more than 350 people have lost their lives since the new government took office in early June. As if the Bannu jailbreak was not enough …

No subject has attracted more attention in Pakistan than the effective civil service reforms. Though political parties come up with promises to revamp the civil services, yet little has been done in practical terms till today. Introducing reforms aimed at improving the service delivery and meeting the aspirations of people is the need of the hour. There is no denying …

History will remember May 11, 2013 as a defining day in Pakistan’s history as on this very day Pakistanis came out in large numbers to vote despite threats from the terror outfits. Their vigour on the polling day delineated the fact that they had great faith in democracy. The smooth transition of power from one elected government to another elected …