Pak Affairs

A powerful social accountability tool Freedom of information is not only a human right, but also an essential tool to engage and empower citizens to demand accountability from governments, and fight corruption. That is why ‘right to information’ (RTI) and the relevant laws, as well as the associated institutions have become a symbol of a society’s commitment to good governance. …

By: Asad Hussain The ever-worsening bilateral relationship of the two archrivals, Pakistan and India, is fast moving towards an unmanageable phase of circumstances. During the recent months, a warlike situation has been witnessed on the Line of Control (LoC) and in India-occupied Kashmir. The two neighbouring states are excessively involved in waging propaganda wars only to defame each other. The …

Introduction Change is equal to resistance: the outlook is true for the public sector and more so for the justice sector of Pakistan. In mathematical proportions, the increasing expectations and the decreasing patience on the part of the public are proportional to the increasing inertia and decreasing flexibility on the part of organizations and institutions in the public sector. Strangely …

By: Sarfraz Saroya ‘Plant for Pakistan’ and other possible avenues While Pakistan is facing multifarious challenges like a sagging economy, depleting foreign exchange reserves and a skyrocketing trade deficit, there is another serious problem which will put Imran Khan’s cabinet in real trouble: climate change. When he unveiled his party’s 100-day plan for the country in May 2018, he showed …

By: Qurat ul Ain Aman In the Context of Pakistan Being a developing country, Pakistan is grappling with a number of issues at present. These issues are not just limited to the social sector but also include economic and political domains. Strenuous efforts are being put in, both by the government and the private sector, to bring prosperity to the …

By: Asad Hussain Water is the most important element for the survival of living beings; without it life cannot sustain. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been facing severe blows and acute problems owing to the scarcity of water. According to a report by the Washington-based World Resources Institute, Pakistan will be the most water-stressed country in the South Asian region by 2040. …

An imperative to reducing tax evasion To pay debt servicing charges of $7.479 billion (principal amount of debt $5.186 billion plus interest amount of $2.293 billion) for the fiscal year 2018, the government is in dire need of funds. Therefore, to meet its obligations and to finance budget of Rs 5,103.8 billion during 2018-19, the government will be searching new …

Among many daunting issues and challenges Prime Minister Imran Khan has inherited from the PML-N government on internal and external fronts, the one related to handling Afghanistan crisis is perhaps the most critical. In his very first telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, the issue of terrorism and fighting militancy in Afghanistan became a hot topic and …

By: Andrew Korybko Towards a Strategic Partnership? Russia and Pakistan are well on their way to reaching a strategic partnership in the light of four very high-profile events that have taken place during the recent weeks, and sticking to the roadmap of “Rusi-Pakistani Yaar Yaar” (“Russians and Pakistanis are buddies”) could allow their relations to blossom to the point of …

Mike Pompeo’s Visit and the Future of Troubled Ties During the past few weeks, there have been a lot of developments – both positive and negative – in bilateral relations of Pakistan and the United States. The latter has been dealing heavy blows to Pakistan; inclusion of Pakistan’s name in the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force, barring …