An Election Shatters the Image of Pakistan’s Mightiest Force Pakistanis once thought of the military as the iron hand controlling the country’s politics. That illusion has been broken, creating one of the establishment’s biggest crises yet. Share full article Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan at a protest in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday. The

The Principal Secretary to Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi

By Umar Cheema Muhammad Khan Bhatti rose from the rank of grade-7 clerk to grade-22 officer, the only provincial civil servant attaining the highest grade. Soon after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in favor of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as chief minister Punjab, the first appointment he made was of his principal secretary. By then, he

Yasmin Niazi’s Friendship with Benazir Bhutto

by Yasmin Niazi Islam I was seventeen when I first met Benazir. My father, Dr Zafar Khan Niazi was Mr Bhutto’s dentist but beyond that, both my parents were avid Bhutto supporters. My mother rarely missed a ZAB rally or public meeting. Sometimes my siblings and I were also dragged to the jalsas after school. After Zia’s

Pakistan’s Army Wants the U.S. Back in the Region

Jan. 23, 2022 By Arif Rafiq Mr. Rafiq is president of Vizier Consulting, a political risk advisory firm specializing in the Middle East and South Asia. For years, Chinese and Pakistani leaders have described their relationship, forged by a common rivalry with their neighbor India, as “sweeter than honey.” But the Pakistani Army’s view of the relationship with

The Clownish Legacy of Chief Justice Nisar

The conviction of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz continues to riddle former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar by political controversies, continuously dragging him to the political thicket. Nisar, who continues to enjoy wider support within the judiciary, with the Supreme Court Bar Association President Ahsan Bhoon also backing him

Pakistan Must Reject Bill Silencing Dissent

Pakistan must uphold its constitutional obligation to guarantee the right to freedom of expression by rejecting the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2020. Under the bill approved by Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on April 7, 2021, those who are deemed to ‘intentionally ridicule the armed forces’ could face up to two years’ imprisonment

First-Past-the-Post System is Not Working

The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has called upon the Parliament to consider an immediate review of the inefficacy of the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system to yield truly representative legislatures and governments, and initiate wide-ranging discourse and negotiations on the adoption of Proportional Representation (PR) system that guarantees translation of more than 95 percent of

Pandora Leaks: Names of Pakistanis Involved

Politicians or politically exposed persons: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and his family Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi Ex-federal minister and Senator Faisal Vawda Son of PM’s former adviser for finance and revenue Waqar Masood Khan, Abdullah Masood Khan Family of Minister for Industries and Production Khusro Bakhtiyar PTI leader Abdul Aleem Khan PPP’s Sharjeel

Floods in Sindh

It is all happening in Pakistan – unprecedented floods, an economy on the brink, enduring political turbulence, an Army trying hard to maintain its clout while locked in combat with a political leader it once nurtured and nursed to power, former PM-turned street-fighter Imran Khan.  A Pakistani editor once said: “Can you tell me which other

Hamid Mir offers apology, says he didn’t want to defame army

In Jun 2021, Hamid Mir apologized over his speech at a protest against attacks on journalists and said he had no intention to defame Pakistan Army. A joint statement issued by a committee formed by the Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), the National Press Club and Mr Mir said Mr Mir briefed it about

Ban on TikTok in Pakistan

Conservatives have raised questions about public decency on the Chinese-owned service, but opposition groups see an effort to stop criticism of the country’s leadership. Using TikTok in Karachi, Pakistan. The app has about 20 million active monthly users in the country, the government says. Pakistan has become the latest country to ban TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media

Dr Farooq Sattar on Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19  pandemic has spread with alarming speed, infecting millions and bringing economic activity to a near-standstill. As a result many emerging and developing economies were already experiencing weaker growth before the crisis; the shock of pandemic now makes these economies face the challenges even harder. The pandemic will leave the world deep in debt. The