Pak Affairs

President Erdoğan’s Visit to Pakistan Long Live Pakistan-Turkey Brotherhood! On 13th of February, President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reached Islamabad on a two-day visit to attend the sixth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The visit came at a testing time for both countries and it, indeed, speaks to the durable nature of the relationship. Although Turkey and …

Juvenile Justice System The United Nations General Assembly adopted Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 20th November 1989. So far, 190 nations have ratified the Convention. It provides for social, economic and cultural rights of the children. Being signatory to this Convention, the parties are bound to abide by its articles. Pakistan ratified CRC on 12th November …

FBR versus Traders Revival of CNIC condition and its effects on tax compliance Tax revenue plays a significant role in economic growth and development of a nation, which is evident from the fact that countries with higher tax-to-GDP ratios are more developed as compared to countries where these ratios are low. Pakistan is included among developing countries because it collects …

40 YEARS OF AFGHAN REFUGEES Predicaments and policy options for Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan has completed 40 years of hosting Afghan brothers and sisters, with open arms, grateful hearts, smiling faces and tolerant minds, with minimal international support. They have been here since 1979 when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and compelled needy Afghans to take shelter in their second …

Projecting Pakistan’s Soft Power  in this anarchical world, the states continuously interact with each other in one way or another. Power is considered the lifeblood in international politics but in this globalized world, the concept and nature of power are in transition. According to Joseph S. Nye, the use of power today has shifted from an emphasis on hard power …

India’s Citizenship Law  ignoring national and international furore, both houses of Indian parliament, i.e. Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States), passed a controversial amendment to the country’s 1955 citizenship law. The controversial as well as highly discriminating against the Muslims, the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2019, which received presidential assent on December 13 to …

Exploring the Radical Notion of Feminism  The 21st century has seen various worldwide movements gain momentum, with feminism being a prominent one. Women have faced countless cruel forms of institutionalized discrimination, in different cultural settings since time immemorial. This is an undeniable truth, making feminism — a movement seeking to create equality for women in the social, political, economic and …

A New International World Order  At the present time, it seems outrageous to speak out on behalf of a new multilateral institution. The current trend is moving in the opposite direction, with so-called “strong men” around the world propagating a return to the rule of the strong over the weak. To these populists, this means that international rules-based agreements, as …

The Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act, 2020 Introduction A new law is in the making. On 10th of January 2020, the National Assembly passed ‘The Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act, 2020’. It is likely to be passed from the Senate, and will ultimately get its assent from the President before it becomes the law check. The said law …

Policy to bridge the Sales TAX Gap  Sales tax is the most significant source of Pakistan’s budgetary revenue. In 2017-18, total sales tax collection on goods and services was Rs. 1,715 billion. However, the sales tax gap, which is the difference between the actual tax collection and the amount that would have been collected if every taxpayer was fully compliant, …