By: Chen Shilei With a high-level forum on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, scheduled to take place in Beijing from May 14-15, approaching, the China proposed initiative has again drawn the world’s focus. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, …

By: Imaan Mazari Hazir  “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on”. The saying goes something like that – though different versions are attributed to different people. Information, for better or for worse, has an inherent capacity to be taken out of context and moulded to fit whatever paradigm a …

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held on May 14 to 15 in Beijing. The following is some basic information about the Belt and Road Initiative. ORIGINATION The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 2Ist Century Maritime Silk Road. The initiative was put forward for the first time by …

By: KHURRAM HUSAIN Details from original documents laying out the CPEC long term plan are publicly disclosed for the first time. Plan eyes agriculture Large surveillance system for cities Visa-free entry for Chinese nationals The floodgates are about to open. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Beijing over the weekend to participate in the One Belt, One Road summit, and …

By: SALMAN RASHID Pakistanis have the greatest knack for making the worst possible choices insofar as the natural environment is concerned. In 2016, motoring north on M-2, I was very pleased to see large scale destruction of the non-native, water-guzzling eucalyptus underway. On another trip shortly afterwards I was aghast to notice that the stumps, about a metre in height, …

By: RAMSHA JAHANGIR A spectre is haunting Pakistan — the spectre of social media. For Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, it is even “lethal for democracy” — no control, no censors, just pure, unadulterated rhetoric. A growing war of information has encapsulated the political landscape of Pakistan. Now, online discussions can quickly transcend into angry mobs and 140 characters can cost …

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said intra-regional trade and connectivity was crucial for sustainable economic development of Asia and the Pacific region. The finance minister also extended unequivocal support to One Belt and One Road — a giant initiative undertaken by China for economic progress and prosperity. “Pakistan fully supports the One Belt One Road Initiative,” said Dar while …

By: Shahid Javed Burki Colonialism brought Europe and the West to Asia and Africa. The tide has now turned. Demographic change and immigration are now bringing Asia and Africa to the West. The West prevailed in the first encounter that took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. The lands it conquered and ruled for centuries didn’t have the military …

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, often known as the founder of modern political science, was an Italian Renaissance historian, politician and philosopher. He was a senior official in charge of diplomatic and military affairs, and Secretary to the Second Chancery in the Florentine Republic. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs and poetry. He is best remembered for his “Il Principe” …