Ummah & democracy
Islam perhaps is the only faith which provides a strong example of early democracy.
Dr Niaz Murtaza
A collapsing system
Huge stresses have often toppled elite systems globally.
Electing bigots
Pakistan has yet to elect a bigot.
A rudderless state
We have an economic or political crisis every two to three years.
Covert autocracy
Durable economic progress requires political progress first.
Dharna politics
Distilling lessons from past protests is important.
Zia’s Pakistan
In each sphere, Zia injected new toxic strains.
Civilisation states
There is a desire to buck democratic accountability.
Eschewing politics
The short tenures of civilian façades show the futility of ploys.
Retreat or control?
A lazy explanation is to blame military dominance on civilian misrule.
Our best era
Durable security comes from durable political progress.
Should Pakistan allow dual citizens to contest elections? Yes
There's no rational reason for depriving dual citizens of a basic right.
Economic fantasy?
IMF programmes do not focus well on finding durable solutions.
PTI’s traits
Pakistan has a struggling ruling team.
Vacuous ideas
The aim seems to be to keep the focus on the opposition’s past misdeeds.
Whither Pakistan?
The pendulum is now moving back towards autocracy.
Punjab LG law
The law contains features that mirror false ideas.
Cornered tigers?
Can Imran rally his PTI team to bounce back to deliver on its promises?
Pakistan at 100
‘Good’ policies will likely undermine elite interests.
Centralised rule?
However ugly the face of devolved elected rule is, it causes much less damage.