Pak Affairs

The 21st Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan after the Presidential assent on 7th January 2015 has become the law of the land. Notional debate on the substance of the Amendment in the media is still on. The purpose of this writing is to briefly examine some aspects of the Amendment.

The year 2014 has been a period of tumult as well as great gains in the realm of foreign policy. Pakistan’s relations with its neighbours except India and other superpowers improved a lot during this year. Pakistan, keeping in view its geostrategic position and econo-political conditions in present times, needs to enhance its bilateral relations with other countries. The association …

Pakistan verily has a dynamic political history and street politics has always been a crucial part of it. Protests, processions, long marches and sit-ins have occurred during military dictatorships and civilian regimes alike. Sometimes largely peaceful and sometimes marred by bullets and blood, protest movements have achieved varying results in the past.

The massacre of 132 children in grades one to ten and nine of their teachers in a Peshawar school shook not only Pakistan but the world also. These innocent children wiped out by beasts and not humans became yet further victims in the atrocious war waged by terrorists; because whether it is Columbine and Newtown in the United States,

Ever since the emergence of Pakistan on the map of the world as an independent state, there has been an intense debate over the model of governance to be adopted in order to run the affairs of the country. Constitutions have been formulated with unanimous consensus by the parliaments, have been subject to fundamental amendments, and have been abrogated by …

Since assuming power last year, the PML-N has shown chronic political ambiguity and ambivalence regarding the issue whether to hold talks with Taliban or take firm military action against the outfit. The PTI also has vacillated on the TTP issue. Recently, PTI chief Imran Khan divulged that his party’s and the KP government’s inability to initiate dialogue with the TTP …

A controversy about the privatisation of Pakistan’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) has been brewing from the very onset of this (PML-N) government taking office. Regrettably, the uncertainty about the fate of our public sector organizations compounds with each passing day and ‘uncertainty’ as we know in the corporate world is any organization’s worst enemy.

The Eighth Trilateral Summit of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey concluded in Ankara on 13 February, 2014. The theme of the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Turkey Trilateral Summit this year was “A sustainable peace in the heart of Asia.”

“We recognize that Pakistan is a vital partner in supporting a secure Afghanistan, and we know how closely Pakistan’s own security is linked to Afghanistan’s success. That’s why addressing the threats posed to both Pakistan and Afghanistan by cross-border militancy is a key aspect of our conversations this week.” (John Kerry’s remarks at the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue: January 27, 2014)

Pakistan is a country having vast natural resources but, unfortunately, it is unable to manage the scattered and divided network of national assets. All mismanagement and encroachment upon our internal affairs is due to intellectual vacuum and political dilemmas. Ironically, we are not independent enough to introduce some healthy economic reforms.