Pak Affairs

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the buzzword these days, not only in Pakistan and neighbouring countries but also in the capitals of many countries around the world. CPEC is not a standalone project, it’s a part of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative under which Chinese government envisions to connect China in general, and its western regions in particular, with …

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have a long history of undergoing the despotic rules and brutalities. The historical atrocities have been compounded by ongoing human rights violations by India. According to Asia Watch, ethnic cleansing, fake encounters, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrests and detentions have reached unprecedented proportions in Kashmir. Moreover, the use of pellet-guns on …

The bombing of Quetta’s Civil Hospital that claimed the lives of more than 70 people, most of them lawyers who had gathered there after their leader’s killing earlier in the day, has once again left our wounds agape and the entire nation was engulfed by the feeling of intense pain. The nation wants an end to such agonizing and despicable …

Marc-André Franche, the country director for UNDP Pakistan for four years, recently bade farewell to Pakistan to take a position as the Chief of Financing at the United Nations Peace building Fund. Unlike most of his peers from international development community, Marc has usually been found very vocal about the causes and consequences of Pakistan’s socioeconomic problems. In an interview …

Popular TV drama, Udaari, and mind-boggling incidents of child kidnapping are reflections of the fact as to how the innocent children, who otherwise deserve love and care, are being treated in our society. Kidnapping incidents have moved all but the government which characteristically stands apathetic. Pakistan, according to an estimate, is the third biggest country in the world in terms …

Taxation policy has been widely used as an instrument to enhance the size of formal economy, considered crucial to allow economy to operate at full employment level, fizzle out underemployment, wipe out poverty, ensure gender equality and stabilize economic growth. Empirical evidence shows that workers in the informal economy face higher risk of poverty than those in the formal economy. …

Killing girls in the name of honour has emerged as a rising phenomenon and a daunting challenge for the Pakistani society especially in recent months. Although it has also been done in the past, the rising number of such macabre incidents is heart-wrenching, to say the least.  It is also a fact that due to conservative outlook of the Pakistani …

The state is a historical institution; it emerged in the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe as a system of consolidated rule that dwelled in subordinating all other institutions and groups, temporal and spiritual. However, state in the 21st century is more convoluted a nation, since statehood now appears to be more popular and sought-after than even before. Today’s state has a …

On August 11, 2016, the National Assembly passed the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) 2015 after the Senate of Pakistan had unanimously adopted it on 29th of July after successful negotiations between the government’ and the opposition in the parliament. The bill is yet to receive the Presidential assent. The ‘draconian’ bill has been heavily criticised by the …

Since coming into power, the incumbent government has paid special attention to improving country’s economy and making it an investment-friendly place. As a result of the relentless efforts of government’s financial team, the country has made great strides in the realm of economic development, a fact recognized by numerous international rating agencies and financial institutions. However, country’s performance on foreign …