Back in 2010, a clause in the 18th   Amendment acknowledged the right to information as a basic constitutional right of all Pakistanis. It took till 2013 for the PPP-led Senate, through the Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage to approve the Right to Information Act. The act was widely praised by civil society and NGOs as among …

JERUSALEM is one of the world`s most sacred and contested cities. Yet what is beyond doubt is that ever since 1967, Israel has been occupying Arab East Jerusalem, a fact that virtually the entire global community recognises. However, any mention of the city`s Palestinian and Arab character, and the fact that it is under illegal occupation, is enough to send …

National Oct 18: The ECP decided to randomly scrutinise annual statements of assets and liabilities submitted to it by the lawmakers. Why Scrutiny? Submission of details of assets and liabilities is a mandatory requirement under Section 42A of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), 1976, and Section 25A of the Senate (Elections) Act, 1975. Members of the Senate, National …

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN The destruction is so complete that it obliterates even a sense of time. At a glance, the video shot from a drone could show Berlin in 1945 or Grozny, 2000. Mass death erases all distinctions. The place is Aleppo, Syria, the Mashhad district, or what remains of it after recent attacks by Syrian government forces and their …

The shape of regional alliances and rivalries in South Asia has become clearer in the past few days first during the BRICS summit in Goa and then with further Chinese statements on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The announcement that the nuclear reactor in Chashma, funded and constructed by China, has now been connected to the grid came just days after …

HERE was a time when the BRICS grouping was considered a serious affair by the world community. Comprised of the largest emerging world markets, the group was looked upon as an engine for the global economy, with a potential role in lifting economies out of the wreckage of the great financial crisis of 2008. BRICS has presided over the formation …

By: Saeid Jafari TEHRAN, Iran — In recent years, tension between Iran and Turkey has been rooted in differences over regional developments rather than bilateral disagreements. Indeed, if one reviews the exchanges between the two neighbors during the past two decades, one can see that clashing policy toward regional issues has been virtually the only source of conflict. Now, however, …

By George Friedman This is an election in which anything can happen. Nevertheless, for now at least, it appears that Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the United States. For the moment, we can turn away from the real issues of this world to the question of what Clinton’s foreign policy might look like if she wins. It …

National Oct 17: Third unit of the Chashma nuclear power project in Pakistan went into full operation. It is China’s third overseas reactor. China`s first overseas reactor at Chashma went into operation in the year 2000, while the second was completed in 2011. The fourth one is expected to go intofulloperationintheñrsthalfofnext year. It has been built by the China National …

BY: JAWED NAQVI THE direct message from Cyril Almeida`s aborted harassment in Pakistan and the nuanced message from the BRICS summit in India have an unwitting connection, beyond their incidental Goa link. The Pakist an establishment would lil(e to deny though they may not succeed that the world wants them to fix the security apparatus`s apparently stubborn need to court …