Zahid Hussain is an author and journalist.
Zahid Hussain is an author and journalist.

FIRST it was Nawaz Sharif’s conviction and now the noose is tightening around former president Asif Ali Zardari. The plot is getting thicker.

Does it appear coincidental that days after Sharif’s conviction, a multibillion-rupee money-laundering scandal involving Zardari and his sister should surface?

One wonders why the case has been taken up now so close to the polls.

The timing of the action is particularly curious and has provided fuel to conspiracy theories about politicians being targeted before the polls in an effort to achieve the ‘desired result’.

Read the full op-ed here.

Opinion

Editorial

Collective security
Updated 12 Mar, 2026

Collective security

ERASING previously defined ‘red lines’, the brutal US-Israeli war on Iran has brought regional states face to...
Spectrum leap
12 Mar, 2026

Spectrum leap

THE sale of 480 MHz of fifth-generation telecom spectrum for $507m is a major milestone in Pakistan’s digital...
Toxic fallout
12 Mar, 2026

Toxic fallout

WARS can leave environmental scars that remain long after the fighting is over. The strikes on Iran’s oil...
Token austerity
Updated 11 Mar, 2026

Token austerity

The ‘austerity’ measures are a ritualistic response to public anger rather than a sincere attempt to reform state spending.
Lebanon on fire
11 Mar, 2026

Lebanon on fire

WHILE the entire Gulf region has become an active warzone, repercussions of this conflict have spread to the...
Canine crisis
11 Mar, 2026

Canine crisis

KARACHI’S stray dog crisis requires urgent attention. Feral canines can cause serious and lasting physical and...