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Islam and the state has always been a debatable issue in Pakistan. Cultural Islam continually dominates the lives of the Pakistanis. There was no main dissent among different sects, and people actively participated in each other’s religious affairs. The radical strain proliferated by Zia’s Islamization resulted in the worst sectarian strife ever. Introduction Militancy in Pakistan has deep roots in …

A welfare state is determined by the type of government. If the government provides all the services for the welfare or wellbeing of its citizens, then it can be called a welfare state. Such a government is a part of the lives of its people at every extent. It caters for the physical, material and social needs. The main objective …

To say that dams are crucial for a country’s sustainable socioeconomic progress is to state the obvious. Water security has emerged as a key theme of public policy discourse at global level as countries are taking immediate steps to replenish their water resources by building more and more dams and making judicious and efficient use of water. For the last …

The boilerplate versions of different aspects of Pakistan Affairs are in abundance; the Constitution of Pakistan is no exception. The chief versions of the Constitution that often come under discussion are: the 1956 Constitution, the 1962 Constitution and the 1973 Constitution. The standard comparison of the three versions involves similarities and dissimilarities among them. The similarities highlight the basis of …

Bernadotte Croce, the famed Italian philosopher, lays down that “the practical requirements which underlie every historical judgement give to all history the character of ‘contemporary history’ because however remote in time events there recounted may seem to be, the history in reality refers to present needs and present situation wherein those events vibrate”. As with history, so with the lives …

Introduction | Pakistan is one of the countries highly affected by the climate change phenomenon. Pakistan is exposed to multiple forms of natural and manmade disasters. Natural disasters range from earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides, and sea-based hazards. These disasters result in colossal losses almost every year. But, unfortunately, the matter is still at the lowest priority for the government. …

Historically, the Pak-Afghan relations have often seen fluctuations, especially in the last three decades. During the Zia era, President Dauod and General Zia-ul-Haq reached a consensus to ‘freeze’ all the unresolved issues between the two countries, and start working for a prosperous beginning for the both brotherly states. However, unfortunately, their understanding had to be short-lived as the communist coup …

Relations between India and Pakistan have long been strained by a number of historical and political issues. The relationship of the two South Asian nations has been plagued with hostility and suspicion. Regional peace, and to an extent, the peace of the world has been held hostage by this bitter hostility for the past 67 years. Recently, new Indian government …

The issue of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) has been in focus in Pakistan for the past many years. The increasing fiscal deficit has further sharpened the focus on the losses of SOEs, and most analysts advocate privatization as its solution. However, keeping in view the experience at the national and international economic level, this is not a viable solution. Despite all …

The Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries were supposed to meet to ’talk about talks.’ India cancelled the dialogue at the eleventh hours as ‘punishment’ after Pakistan’s high commissioner in Delhi met with Kashmiri political groups. In the aftermath, there has been a dramatic escalation of shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. This latest failure by both states …