2013

Historically speaking, Pak-India bilateral relations have predictably been unpredictable. The more both countries seem to make headway the more pitfalls they have to contend with in trying to negotiate this fragile and volatile relationship. Just at a time when all was set for the third round of composite dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi, the incidents at the Line of …

The retirement of Benedict XVI on Feb 28 was the first time in nearly 600 years that a pope stepped down. This situation forced the Roman Catholic Church to begin the ancient election process known as ‘Conclave.’ For centuries, the procedure of electing a new pope was simply called a ‘papal election.’ That was, until 1274, when the word conclave …

Nayyera Haq Nayyera Haq, Urdu Spokesperson of the US State Department, comes from a family of Punjabi descent with roots in Multan and Lahore. She holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University where she served as a Fellow of Journalism and Law. She has been the student of history in University of Michigan, one of the top universities of the …

As the majority of coalition forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan at the close of 2014, concerns are growing for the future of the detainees they must leave behind. During the course of the twelve-year war, NATO troops have apprehended thousands of suspected insurgents, most of whom have been released or transferred to the Afghan authorities. However, renewed fears regarding …

Long-awaited Gas Pipeline agreement has been finally inked by Iran and Pakistan. Both countries signed historic deal partly out of feeling of Islamic solidarity, to take Pakistan out of energy crisis, and partly to frustrate Western countries’ imposed isolation on Iran in the name of nuclear programme. The gas pipeline is not the only one that will limit to Pakistan …

Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. The oil rich Middle East, Central Asia bestowed with natural resources, and South Asia having the potential for growth, for this century. …

News From National & International Press  National Jan 16: The ministry of Law and Justice issued the notification for the appointment of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi as Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges. Jan 17: MPA Manzar Imam, a member of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was killed. Jan 17: The …

The debate on the creation of new provinces evokes a mixed response, pitting the emotionalists or alarmists against the rationalists. Pakistan is passing through an innovative phase of history, particularly due to its experimentation with a new form of federalism as enunciated in the 18th Amendment. While the model of centre-province relations in the 1956, 1962 and 1973 constitutions remained …

The Greek philosopher and polymath, Plato, who is also referred to as the father of idealism in political philosophy, is, by any reckoning, one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy. Following is a panoramic view of the life of this great …

1. The fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. — Bertrand Russell 2.    Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. — Martin Luther King Jr. 3.    Try to learn something about everything and everything about something –Thomas Henry Huxley 4.    Wit …