August 2012

A Case of Pakistan’s Flawed Use of Leverage Finally, it came out to be what was expected, Pakistan has allowed the Nato supplies through its territory. Resuming the Nato supplies may be something unpalatable for the far right elements in Pakistan, but it is not entirely bad. The thing to be understood is that the suspension of Nato supplies was …

Sixty-five years after our independence, where do we stand as a nation and as a member of the comity of nations? Are we living in ‘a democratic and progressive’ Pakistan as envisioned by its founders? Can we genuinely claim to be ‘upholders’ of fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human dignity? Have we been able to make Pakistan ‘a bastion …

IN the past week, Islamists have destroyed and desecrated the tombs of Muslim saints in the fabled town of Timbuktu in northern Mali, recalling the Taliban’s 2001 destruction of two giant Buddhas in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. In defiance of the West and many local Muslims, Islamists in northern Mali are prohibiting people from worshiping at tombs and erecting structures on graves. …

The claim of the democratically-elected government to ameliorate its relations with Tehran is a matter of concern for the allies of Cairo. The Asian countries have hailed the triumph of Morsi with ecstasy and at a high note. Russia, China and Iran have expressed their desire to strengthen diplomatic ties with Egypt. The situation in Pakistan was no different, but …

The Tokyo moot, which came on the heels of Istanbul and Bonn II initiatives in 2011 and extraordinary Chicago summit in 2012, was meant to determine the post-withdrawal reconstruction needs of Afghanistan, review the financial assistance requirements and make arrangements for the provision of international funding in at attempt to make the war-torn country stand on its feet.   The …

Russia and China are supportive of Assad’s regime. It can be said that they are not as intolerant against the regime as the Western powers are. The United Nations Security Council failed to support the resolution that was under chapter VII of the charter, against Syria. The resolution was tabled jointly by the United Kingdom and the United States ‘the …

The critical question still remains unanswered: is it the ruling elite or the sub-state elite responsible for the crisis of national integration and identity in Pakistan? As we celebrate 65 years of our independence as a state, the spectre of ‘national integration’, ‘identity crisis’, coupled with labels such as ‘failed state’, ‘failing state’ continue to haunt our polity. Each year …

Cruelty toward the Rohingyas is not new. They have faced torture, neglect and repression in the Buddhist-majority land since it achieved independence in 1948. Its constitution closes all options for Rohingyas to be citizens, on grounds that their ancestors didn’t live there when the land, once called Burma, came under British rule in the 19th century (a contention the Rohingyas …