ARE the days of the government numbered? This is a question (or gossip) in Islamabad these days; I call it ‘a question’ because it is not the only one, which in itself reveals that it has its take...
THE budget is here and the government has rarely looked happier. For a change, the budget-related press conferences were held by confident ministers, eager to answer questions. They pointed out that t...
POLITICS in Pakistan appears to be dead. However, this is only because of the beating it has taken. Like whack-a-mole, it pops up when least expected. The moment headlines about international events n...
IT’S been a year since the May that Pakistan will celebrate. A few cycles ago, we had the unfortunate May 9, which too cannot be forgotten but for reasons best not to get into. But last year brought...
I HAVE a confession to make. I was far from a kid when the Harry Potter books came out and I inhaled them after being introduced to them. I didn’t just read them but also noted the publication dates...
THEY came, they talked and they left, only to return within a day. That was true of the Iranians but not the Americans who were to fly in from DC but last-minute changes to their plans meant they neve...
THERE is a war in the neighbourhood and Pakistan is playing the role of the mediator, trying to convince two old foes to smoke the peace pipe and let bygones be bygones. Old habits die hard, however, ...
THE action-packed weekend, which came early to Islamabad, also ended quickly. By Sunday afternoon, the US-Iran talks had taken place and the two parties flew back without much to show publicly for the...
BALOCHISTAN witnessed a series of coordinated attacks on the weekend. Though details continue to be sketchy, a number of cities in the province were targeted, including Quetta, Gwadar and Noshki. It w...
THE young chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, is attracting considerable attention, since he has been catapulted into this position. Much of it has been because of the criticism direc...