Pakistan’s Ministry of States and Frontier Regions has unequivocally pledged to continue aiding and assisting Afghan refugees. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has released a statement saying Pakistan will continue to accord due protection the refugees. It is a sign of our national strength that though the government may be [...]
As the first decade of the new millenium draws to a close, we are all, I believe, thinking about the difficulties that we have faced, but with a hopeful eye to the future. Pakistan has overcome many obstacles since its founding, and there will be new obstacles to come. But I have faith that our [...]
Mr. Cyril Almeida wrote recently about the Supreme Courts recent actions and questioned whether or not there was some agenda of the chief justice in addition to what has been popularly discussed in the public dialogue. As Almeida points out, “If you believe CJ Iftikhar’s court is trying to wipe out corruption entirely or make each and every [...]
The Daily Times today reminds us of the importance of tone and civility in a mature democratic state. Democracy requires the people to be involved and quesitoning their government and leaders, regardless of political party or regionalism, but this quesitoning must be done through proper channels and always with the point being to strengthen the nation, [...]
Dr. Syed Mansoor Hussain puts the questions about corruption, NRO, and our political class into a global perspective in his column, “The world is not ending any time soon.” This is a point it is most important to consider – politicians are not prophets or holy men, they are simply men and women who work on issues [...]
Pakistani political history has shining stars. They came onto the scene ready to defend our country’s promise, even give their lives for this very cause. I am thinking of one person in particular. In defending the principles Pakistan was founded upon, she had a brilliant career, and an untimely death. But in following her dreams, [...]
This column by I.A. Rehman was published in Dawn on 24 December. The fact that in its response to the Supreme Court judgment of Dec 16 the nation is divided cannot be denied, and prudence demands that the causes of this division should not be brushed aside without careful scrutiny. A large section of society believes that [...]
President Zardari wrote the following column which was published the The Wall Street Journal on 28 December. It is encouraging to read him say, during this ongoing public discussion of post-NRO political situation, “So let the legal process move forward. Those of us who have fought for democracy against dictatorship for decades do not fear justice; we embrace [...]
Thought provoking analysis of the post-NRO climate by security analyst Ayesha Siddiqa in Dawn. Siddiqua takes apart the common problems with thinking about the NRO verdict and how is best for Pakistan to move forward. Linear thinking is about viewing the world from the perspective of a straight trajectory without bothering to appreciate the nuances. The problem with this [...]
Yesterday there was a post about a report about Nawaz Sharif’s properties that asked the Supreme Court and the media to please not have a witch hunt but to have impartial justice. This is, of course, not the only column that has requested that there not be witch hunts in place of justice. Last week, Asma [...]