HAVING failed to mobilise new revenue lines or broaden the base of taxation, the federal government is now reduced to knocking on doors it has no business to be knocking on. The finance minister is now telling his provincial counterparts that the size of the federal divisible pool will need to be reduced by as much as 8pc in order …

By Faisal Kutty Over sixty-eight years after the universal declaration of human rights was adopted by the UN, the debate continues as to whether the document truly reflects universal values. Upon its adoption on December 10, 1948, former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the commission on human rights, expressed her hope it would become “the Magna Carta of …

By Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi The outgoing year of 2016 can be described as the year of confrontation and political status quo. The confrontation focused on the Panama Leaks (April onwards) between the PML-N government at the federal level and in Punjab on the one hand and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the other. Despite the persistent efforts of the …

BY Malik Muhammad Ashraf Water, water everywhere  Pakistan and India have been involved in intractable discussions to resolve the dispute regarding construction of two hydro electric power plants namely Kishenganga and Ralte being built by the latter in violation of the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. So in view of the stalemate on the issue Pakistan requested the World …

BY Tariq Mushtaq Superpower chess board The United States, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, has “done all it could to destroy the atmosphere encouraging cooperation.” From day one, there was apprehension: how could Washington cooperate with Russia to form a common front against rebels when they are backed by Washington itself? As the month started, U.S.-Russia relations …

Pakistan’s foreign policy choices, like any other country, are determined by international and regional geopolitical trends as well as by its domestic environment. Foreign policy formulation in Pakistan has also taken imprints of global situation that is rapidly transforming, regional situation that remains complex and domestic environment which offers multitude of both challenges and opportunities. On global stage, profound transformations …

As President Barack H. Obama’s second term is coming to its end and Donald J. Trump has been elected as the new president of the United States, it’s time to make a critical evaluation of Obama’s foreign policy. President Obama entered the Oval Office with an avowed aim to “change” the United States. However, when he is leaving the office, …

We need peace-mongering, not Indian media’s warmongering Be it conventional or non-conventional, war in both terms is a great catastrophe for the humanity. In the annals of history, we find great wars that were fought to colonize and conquer the territories but they all ended up in massive humanitarian crises. World Wars I and II may have redrawn the world …

“Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”  — Prof. Stanely Wolpert All nations pay rich homage to their heroes to mark their outstanding services but for us, the services of the undisputed leader of the South …

A new World Bank report suggests that South Asia is the world’s fastest growing economic region  2016 and is expected to hold this spot at least through to 2017. With growth in the offing, a young population of 1.6 billion people, and a burgeoning consuming class, every global producer is eager to trade with South Asia now, and subsequently, the …