The Reality versus Theory
In practical terms, reality comes before theory, for a theory seeks to ‘explain’ what already exists. Like gravity which existed
Federalism on trial
The federating units of might have raised a voice if they knew that the principles cited in the Pakistan Resolution were not
The debate goes on
The fact that the League’s Central Working Committee in April 1946 amended the Pakistan Resolution and replaced the word ‘states’
The majority issue
Having suffered at the hands of the Hindu majority, politics in Pakistan has a constant majority-versus-minority streak.
The key element of independence
Our own history stands testimony to the fact that economic independence is what matters above every other aspect of sovereignty.
The year of the pandemic
IF there was ever a moment in modern history when life as we know it came to a halt, it was the beginning of the ...
A year of two halves in Pakistan
IN March, when China and Europe were hit hard by the virus, Pakistan reported its first coronavirus death; at an...
Newsmakers
ZINDAGI TAMASHA: Though cleared by the censor boards, the movie never got an official release in the country. Winner of the Busan
PTI versus PTI
The ruling party was more under pressure owing to its own shortcomings rather than anything done by any other entity.
Transparency at stake
THE accountability juggernaut continued to roll on in 2020. Its path was uneven, for even as it bore down...
A Motley Alliance
While there were visible signs of anxiety among the rulers, not many see the PDM achieving much success in its stated targets.
Not an ‘exceptional’ year
WHEN it comes to Sindh, just about everything is seen through a particular political lens by the rest of the ...
A fluctuating graph
Coming in the middle of an improving situation, the crisis of 2020 was different from anything seen in national history.
Recognition Blitz
For most part of the year, the Saudi silence on the growing ties between the Arabs and Israel was deafening until IT came out with
Back to a bipolar world?
The China-US relationship is like a bad marriage that must continue due to the vested – and common – interests.
Saving the Quaid
The core of Jinnah’s personality needs to be retrieved and protected in the face of multiple threats emerging from the diverse
Time to idealise Jinnah’s Pakistan
The Quaid’s relevance in Pakistan has remained intact, but we have failed to follow his principles, ideals and vision which he set
The telegram that remained unanswered
THE Quaid-i-Azam was an ardent supporter of a Palestinian state. When Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben...
The most critical player on the Indian chessboard
SOME 16 months before Pakistan came into being, the Time magazine ran a cover story on India — more specifically ...
A prototype of a true leader
Any discussion about Jinnah generally revolves around his role as a politician. The fact is that there was much in his personality
Conceptual confusion
HOPE constitutes a vital factor in mobilising people for a cause. It becomes all the more relevant when there is...
Into the future via the past
There is enough evidence in history to believe that Pakistan will continue to move forward.
Keeping pace with a global phenomenon
Pakistan is not alone as a country drifting away from the vision of its founding fathers.
Democratic dynasties
Political parties demand democracy but do not practise it themselves.
The spillover effect of feudal mindset
Like the losers adopt the traits of the victors, society at large seems to have adopted the attitude of the landed gentry.
Partition’s unfinished agenda
While Pakistan terms Kashmir its lifeline, India considers it an in integral part. The struggle continues.
Overcoming the impossible
From being the best ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity to the founder of an independent state, Jinnah remained an outstanding leader
Scoring under stress
An overly demanding educational landscape leads to academic stress which obstructs students’ ability to ...
Going abroad, but why?
While perception does influence choices when it comes to higher education...
Learning photography
Away from professional studies, there is a world that helps you bring out the creativity buried inside you.
The digital dilemma
Students in Pakistan have no way of taking up digital marketing as a degree course because no university...
A social investment
Exposure to cross-cultural setups goes way beyond the domain of mere academic qualifications.
Preparing to go abroad
English language testing has more to it than you think.
A rat race with no winners
There is a lot to learn while doing MBA, but the opportunity cost today seems a
bit too high to warrant ...
Jinnah and violence
THE coupling of the Quaid’s name with a malevolent noun is done deliberately – to jar the senses like a mild...
Passing the torch
“…The Mussalmans of India are a Nation…the problem in India is not of an inter-communal character, but...
Jinnah: the man, the myth and the vision
MOHAMMAD Ali Jinnah was the first political leader to protest against the Salt Tax, calling it “iniquitous, ...
Quaid’s ideals ignored in all walks of life
RECORD of the past few decades shows that with the change of the government, the situation in the Islamic Republic...
Jinnah firmly believed in equality for all
“Remember we are building up a state which is going to play its full part in the destinies of the whole Islamic...
The final storm of conquest
IN the overall context of Indian independence movement, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s successful espousal of...
Jinnah’s forgotten precept
ACCORDING to Hector Bolitho, one of Jinnah’s biographers, scrupulousness and uprightness were few of the several...
Newsmakers: When India went bonkers
IT was a year when India, by its own standards, went bonkers. From revocation of Article 370 to Citizenship (Amendment)
Cover Story: Change or continuity
The good moments in politics in Pakistan are just that — moments.
Triumph of Greed
Bahria's modus operandi has been the elephant in the room for a long time even though its activities were no secret.
National: Cornered but not quite
COURTS, parliament, hospitals, tentative agreements, accusations of last-minute betrayal – yet it is moot if 2019...
A Dysfunctional ECP
THIS was a happening year. Indeed, it was. But under the debris of all the important economic and political...
Judiciary: Treason now accountable
AT last a conviction for high treason has been recorded and, hopefully, Article 6 of the Constitution can no longer...
Economy: Talking the big talk
Will the govt walk the critical walk in 2020?
Mideast: Turmoil, turbulence, travails
THE death of two men starkly opposite in character, and America’s abject surrender once again to Zionist power...
Sale mania
SOCIAL media is replete with examples of people pushing and pulling each other to grab discounts when a sale at a...
Why malls? Why not?
MOST people believe that the trend of visiting malls has been on the rise of late. “It’s so convenient. You go ...
An evolving revolution
With the ever-growing community of cellular subscribers in Pakistan, the mobile banking industry has made great...
What’s in a brand?
WE have all heard people complimenting and asking each other about their favourite brands. Be it a wedding or a...
Wonder women
HAVE you ever seen a tightrope walker in a circus, walking through a thin rope trying to balance himself with a prop...
Living in a post-truth world
IN an era when misinformation is readily available, especially over the internet, trust in the news sources is...
Time to kick it where it hurts
THE most obvious solution to most problems often happens to be a bit too simple to execute. Really. Take for...
Life in the times of sit-ins
IT has been some years now that the residents of Islamabad – and, for that matter, those of its twin city...
In search of novelty
THE election 2018 slogan of creating a ‘Naya’ (new) Pakistan was clearly a sincerely meant theme to express ...
The unfinished agenda
AT the time of partition of the Indian sub-continent in August 1947, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Mahatama...
Wanted: a democratic political party
While democracy is an integral component of statecraft, it is nowhere to be found within political parties.
Going round and round and round
IF the mass acceptance of Imran Khan was ever in doubt, the issue should have been settled on the evening of July ...
One way or the other, the future is digital
Significant policy interventions and investments may strengthen the technological ecosystem and help it move forward.
Middleman dominance
AGRICULTURE is a commercial proposition taking care of many a livelihood. Every farmer adopts a cropping pattern...
The ground reality
AWAY from the entire debate surrounding tobacco consumption, there can be no argument about the hardcore legality of...
Food processing potential needs to be optimised
FOOD processing and packaging across the world have seen a boom in recent times, and the Pakistani market is no...
The missing link
Though transforming raw products into consumer-ready goods requires a lot of doing, there is no way out if we want to
Onwards and upwards
THERE is no doubt that Pakistan’s retail sector is moving onwards and upwards. That much is beyond debate. When it...
Research rigmarole
AS experts put it, one word that defines agriculture research scene in Pakistan is ‘directionless’. It lacks sustained
Ensuring energy, water and food security
A show of political will, coupled with sustainable long-term efforts, will help develop policies to pave the way towards
A potential saviour
PAKISTAN is an agricultural country and its salvation lies in moving forward in that direction. This is not to say...
The territorial dimension of the Lahore Resolution
The territory of Pakistan exudes subtle as well as explicit diversity.
Nationhood re-defined post-Balakot
INDIAN military misadventures in February 2019 and after created a premise for Pakistani polity.
The challenge of national integration
The challenge of national integration in Pakistan is as old as the history of this country.
The importance of retrospection
THERE are three days that the Pakistani nation celebrates every year as national holidays — Independence Day on...
Entrepreneurship is critical
ENTREPRENEURIAL spirit is often not given due weightage in our social mix. The general discussion not just in...
The critical disconnect
WE often get to see young graduates moaning about lack of opportunities for the freshies in the job market and that...
The many shades of teaching
AS a chalk-stick is struck against the blackboard, the first words of the day appear in front of 20 pairs of cheeky...
The work-study equation
YOU should not have been doing your bachelors in Computer Sciences. Instead, you had all the potential of doing well...
Going the extra mile
STUDIES are demanding throughout, but when it comes to undergraduate and graduate studies, it only gets tougher by...
Shall it be the heart or the mind?
SAYS Naeem, a father of five: “I wanted at least one of my children to study medicine and become a doctor. Though...
An unwanted glut
BACK in 2017, the then head of Higher Education Commission (HEC) had told pubic with a heavy heart that the country...
The emerging option
TAQI is a young banker working for a large local bank in Karachi. With a relevant degree from IBA his career is set...
The road to Knowledge Economy
WHY is it that when you are told by a young person that he or she intends to pursue ‘higher education’, you...
The fun is for all to have
WHAT is lifestyle? It can be different for different people and there are a lot of variables in between that govern...
The dreaded three words
DEATH in the extended family, delay in salary, mobile snatching incident, your laptop taken over by ransomware, or...
Visitors from the East
IN Pakistan’s recent turbulent history, across the length and breadth of the country, isolation from the rest of...
Hectic, but worth it
IF you have ever lived in a joint family system in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, you must have been haunted,...
The wonderful life of couple-preneurs
ACCORDING to Forbes, couples who own and run a business together are called couple-preneurs. I am one half of it …...
Shopping convenience
THERE were times when one would go to the local market and spend hours selecting whatever one wanted to buy –...
The myth of thumbs and hearts
I REMEMBER watching a few years ago a documentary which explained a theory saying that humans have anatomically...
Irritatingly elaborate affairs
MRS Ahmed was quite happy, and was receiving the guests with a smile and a tinge of pride on her face. Why ...
Tying the knot in style
VIRAT Kohli and Anushka Sharama got married in a close-knit wedding in an Italian suburb far, far away, not only from...
Nostalgia and the ‘90s
THE Seaview promenade would be strewn with a reflection of puddles. Driving past them, one would often spot slight...
The grandma expertise
EVEN in this age of great scientific advancements, we somewhere somehow use the grandma expertise, especially her...
All adrenalin won’t do
GOING on a international vacations takes a lot of planning. Deciding on a destination is just the start. Visas,...
International: Shock around the globe
ONE man’s murder preceded by torture and slow death seemed for once to have overshadowed larger tragedies and...
It was More of the same at NAB
DURING his first press conference after being appointed the chief of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in ...
Newsmakers: A horror story that put humanity to shame
IN a year of political and economic turmoil, the collective conscience of the country was put to test early in the...
Year of the fog
The year will be remembered as the year Dar’s growth rates unravelled.
Perspective: The year of the atmospherics
What are the key words that might define the year that it was? Naya Pakistan? U-Turn? Accountability?
Is Pakistan-India ice silently breaking?
In 2018, Modi may have missed a big chance to change the discourse with Pakistan, which could have been to his benefit.
In search of a legacy
Justice Nisar created headlines not just in courtrooms but by visits all across the country.
Naya Pakistan: The changing change
The PTI victory had some remarkable features indicating that change also dictated many compromises.