January 2020

Israel-Palestine Peace Process Unconditional US support for Israel impedes the way Dr M. Usmani On November 18, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a major shift in US policy, reporting that Washington now no longer considers civilian settlements by Israelis in the occupied West Bank to be in breach of international law. Pompeo’s statement, in effect, reverses a 1978 …

India’s Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 A Hindu Rashtra in the making? Abdul Rasool Syed Passage of the contentious bill titled “Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019” (CAB) by the Indian parliament has sparked violent protests throughout India. The bill as well as the intention behind has attracted scathing stricture from the people from all walks of life. It has, undoubtedly, shaken the …

COP 25 Long but barely fruitful Aftab Hussain Wahla COP or Conference of Parties is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is responsible for monitoring and reviewing its effective implementation, including institutional and administrative arrangements. The body is represented by 197 parties—countries and territories—and aims at curbing greenhouse gases (GHGs) to limit …

Babri Masjid Case and the International Law Kamran Adil Introduction The direction of global events is more towards power and interest-based decision making than towards rule-based system that was installed in the post-Second World War era. The direction is expressing itself in many manifestations. In the context of Pakistan-India relationship, after India’s executive toyed with the legal order of the …

The Scourge of Corruption Shamshad Ahmad Corruption is today an endemic problem of our times, afflicting all societies and countries regardless of the levels of their social and economic development or the type of their political system. It has become a global challenge with far-reaching social and economic consequences warranting comprehensive remedial strategies both at national and global levels not …

The Future of SMEs Tax policy needed to encourage banks to enhance loan portfolio Bilal Hassan The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector is considered the backbone of any economy due to its role in accelerating economic growth, creation of jobs and taming inflation. SME sector is of utmost significance for lower-middle income countries like Pakistan. It is responsible for …

The Case for a Knowledge Economy Innovation and knowledge have always been important to the economy. Today, there is growing recognition that the global economy is increasingly driven by “knowledge” rather than the traditional factors of production. Some economists even argue that the modern economy, during the past few decades, has become more knowledge-based. This is shown by the rise …

Digital Pakistan Vision Zafrullah Saroya Digital technology has already made significant headways around the world. It is boosting industrial and agricultural productivity across the globe, revolutionising healthcare and education, and enabling smart young men and women with little cash in their pockets to create billion-dollar companies. An example of the wonders of this technology can be seen in sub-Saharan Africa. …

Fifth- Generation War A war within: harder to fight, hardest to understand (be lose the battle to win the war) Prof. Dr Munawar Sabir ‘Fifth generation war’ (5GW) has become a talk of the town in Pakistan, especially being its victim in a full-fledged manner. However, before understanding what a Fifth-Generation war is, it is important to understand the previous …