‘ANTI-CORRUPTION drive’ has been the primary slogan of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s movement for naya Pakistan with the promise of across-the-board accountability to cleanse the system of the proverbial cancer of corruption. On Sept 17, 2018, a significant step was taken in this direction when Pakistan, led by its law minister, Dr Farogh Naseem, and British Home Secretary Sajid Javid, …
Read More »“Development and environmental conservation must go hand-in-hand”
Interview with German Ambassador to Pakistan Martin Kobler German Ambassador to Pakistan Martin Kobler isn’t just a diplomat but a great fan of Pakistan’s breathtaking landscape and environment. His views on environmental conservation have gained overwhelming popularity on social media, calling upon the authorities to protect natural resources from degradation. In an interview with TNS, Martin Kobler shares his views …
Read More »The Kashmir challenge
INDIA cancelled talks with Pakistan blaming it for ‘acts of terror’, along with a vicious attack on the newly elected prime minister. Pakistanis and Indians back their own versions regarding an alleged atrocity. Tragically, the truth is rendered irrelevant. The prime minister, however, must ensure he gets to know the unvarnished truth. Otherwise, like his predecessors, he will be systematically …
Read More »Water management
THE ushering in of a new government has generated excitement in Pakistan for a political paradigm shift, with the promise of strengthening public institutions, good governance and accountability to advance citizens’ social and economic well-being and to protect our environment for future generations. Will we see a paradigm shift in the water sector? What should such a shift look like? …
Read More »Post-merger challenges
The KPK government’s move to hold local government polls in merged tribal areas is seen as a huge stride in the right direction The progress on the post-25th Constitutional Amendment and subsequent reforms in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) has become a classic example of “running to stand still”. The government formed yet another taskforce on September 5 …
Read More »Under the FATF sword
The recent raids of the Federal Investigation Agency on the currency dealers in the famous Sarafa Bazaar of Peshawar triggered afresh the debate on the issue of money laundering and the associated menace of terror financing and the rough ride Pakistan is experiencing with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Sarafa Bazar — though mainly known as the gold jewellery …
Read More »Learning from China?
IN a couple of recent public comments, Prime Minister Imran Khan referred to drawing lessons from China. Can we learn from China, given the uniqueness of its historical experience, cultural and civilisational outlook, political discipline and command economy of a one-party system and national cohesion? Are there areas where China’s example offers relevance? China’s experience of the last century has …
Read More »Reforms and the police force
The PTI’s biggest achievement was the improvement made in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police under the KP Police Act, 2017. Imran Khan has attributed this success to former PPO Nasir Khan Durrani, who had his full backing. According to news reports, Durrani introduced ruthless in-house accountability by dismissing almost 800 policemen and awarding punishments to over 6,000 staffers. He established police …
Read More »Changing field of disaster management
From relief to resilience Our region faces mild to mid range jolts of earthquake frequently and the recent shaking of Lahore with epicenter near Nankana Sahib indicate possibility of future seismic activity in Punjab. Earthquake of 8th October 2005 that left 75,000 dead and 3.5 million homeless reminds us of how unprepared we were as government and as masses. The …
Read More »Future of Pak-US relations
As things stand, Pak-US interests in security and economic wellbeing are poised to diverge even further We have grown into the habit of conceiving political arena as if it were the extension of our social relationship. Every time, a high profile American official is on a visit to Pakistan, an exercise in déjà vu revisits: what we have been doing …
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