Int’l Affairs

Change is inevitable and the sooner one adapts to it, the better it is for learning and improvement. After a very long time, finally the FPSC has come out of hibernation to revise the scheme of syllabi for CSS examination; Pakistan’s most prestigious competitive exam. This is a welcome change as it can be expected that now the truly talented …

Corruption may be defined as a behaviour where a public official deviates from his duties, and works for private gains. Certainly, it is illegal and dishonest behaviour on the part of  those who are at the helm of affairs. The problem of corruption is as old as human society itself though with the passage of time, the nature and modus …

INTRODUCTION The joint session of Pakistan’s parliament, from 6th to 10th April, 2015, culminated into a Resolution. Point 12 of the Resolution expressed the parliament’s desire that the Government should take steps to move to the UN Security Council (UNSC). What legal consequences such an expression can ensue, is the moot point of the instant write-up. Although many authors, in …

Since his inauguration as the President of Afghanistan, Dr Ashraf Ghani has been committed to putting Afghanistan on the path that could help create peace and stability in Afghanistan. During his recent visit to the United States, one of his major objectives was to garner US support for peace talks with Taliban. The support of Pakistan and China and their …

Election for the Mother of All Parliaments Owing to its many peculiarities and oddities as well as its efficacy in bringing excellent statesmen to the top, British electoral system is always a core area of interest for the students of Political Science. Parliament’s position at the heart of British government is the result of its success at absorbing the powers …

Is the Middle East Being Remapped? Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, has been embroiled in fighting for months since long. However, the situation has quickly reached a tipping point especially after the expanding conflict took an ominous turn on March 25 when Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against Houthi fighters who have tightened their grip on Yemen. Given …

On April 2, news emerged from Lausanne — a small and picturesque Swiss town on the shores of Lac Léman — that a framework for a nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers (P5+1) has been reached. The news was followed by a short joint press conference by Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, and Federica Moghierini, the High …

Hardly a month had passed since the gruesome attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School that another crisis hit the nation. This time it was a severe shortage of petroleum products that paralyzed most parts of the Punjab province. During this 12-day crisis, people had to wait in long queues to get some litres of fuel. The black marketeers fleeced people …

“Nothing goes off suddenly; even the earthquakes set in motion from the depth of the earth to the rooftops of villages.” This line from a poem written two decades ago by a renowned Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti was reflective of his frustration over the long-brewing political morbidity and authoritarian culture in the Arab world which he predicted will one day …

Too Soon to Celebrate? Apr 02: Iran and world powers agreed on the framework of a potentially historic deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme after marathon talks in Switzerland. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Judicial Commission! The Supreme Court of Pakistan constituted a three-judge commission to investigate allegations of rigging in the last general elections. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice …