Pak Affairs

Myth 1: The allocation for defence is the single largest component in our budget. Not true.  The single largest allocation in Budget 2013-14 went to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The second largest allocation in Budget 2013-14 went to servicing the national debt. The third largest government expenditure, including off the budget allocations, are the losses at public-sector enterprises …

The Government of Pakistan is on a borrowing spree these days and the country seems to be a favourite borrower among the multilateral financial institutions too. The most recent package came from the World Bank Group which approved an assistance programme of one billion dollars on 2nd May, 2014 to support Pakistan’s economic reforms. The package consists of two Development …

General Raheel Sharif has, no doubt, endeared himself to countless people in Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Diaspora and at the international level who subscribe to the jurisprudence of UN mechanism (UN Resolutions) on Kashmir.  The character of political and military leadership in Pakistan sets trends in the manner of interest of the Islamic Republic and common man and woman in the …

The relationship between politics and economy still remains a favourite subject of economists. Pakistan’s history reveals a strong correlation between the two. Although with the changing pattern of politics and governments, the relationship never remained on the same pace. It’s a known fact that political instability deeply causes the uneven economic growth. The causes and impact of the interplay of …

Pakistan has earned quite a few unenviable distinctions. It now ranks high among the most corrupt countries, is a place where human rights are least protected and the media finds its freedom slipping from its hands. That it is also one of the three ‘the other two being Cameroon and war-torn Syria’ who ‘export’ poliovirus to other countries through their …

Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law’. The saying is apt for Pakistan, which suffers from excessive legislation. Most of the legislation is arcane in nature as it has been inherited as a colonial legacy. The successive Constitutions of Pakistan have had provisions that protected and ensured continuity of legal …

The 5th Youm-e-Shuhada, held at the garrisons all over the country, this year served a special purpose. It was an occasion as every year since 2010 for the nation to pay homage to the ultimate sacrifices rendered by its martyrs for the cause of their motherland. But more than that, it also served to awaken the nation from its disgusting …

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. Its roots can be traced back to the beginning of recorded history. Terrorism, a scourge and a menace that has shaken the very basis of modern world, is essentially an outcome of a lot of things. It’s like a punishment to a nation for no sins of its own, but of its leaders and …

The misperceptions and misconceptions regarding the safety and security at Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) have given birth to several counter debates among the nuclear energy supporters and anti-nuclear energy lobby within Pakistan. The subject needs to shed light on the rationality of anti-nuclear activists’ concerns and anxiety that the power plants are not working under appropriately stringent security arrangement. Has …

Major environmental issues currently confronting Pakistan include climate change, water-energy, pollution and waste management, salinity and water logging, irrigated agriculture, biodiversity and more that are too numerous to count. Pakistan, being one of the highly vulnerable countries to climate change impact, has to bear the brunt of its effects. Environmental hazards have become a major global issue this century. These …