SHARE        Friday, March 8, 2024
Pakistan's Divisive Election has made Governing More Difficult In a democracy, cycles of electoral manipulation and contested outcomes are unacceptable. Despite the divisive results of the 2024 elections, it is essential that political elites prioritize structural and economic reforms, and ongoing governance work.

SHARE        Tuesday, February 6, 2024
February 8th is a crucial day for democracy and development Pakistan has been unable to achieve an appropriate balance between democracy and development. The approaching elections are a good chance for a change of direction. We should seize this chance.

SHARE        Monday, January 15, 2024
Why is Pakistan 'underachieving' in Asia? The political, economic, and social problems in Pakistan that hobble development and dilute power have many dimensions. Betting on a reversal in the country's fortunes will be dicey without fundamental reforms. It will need a solid change in the lives of ordinary people for them to have positive aspirations and a stake in the country.

SHARE        Saturday, December 23, 2023
Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan Pakistan has limited options in the short term to change the rules of the game stacked against progressive democratic change. It cannot afford more failed political gambles. Sharif is a seasoned politician with an engaging style who can balance diverse interests.

SHARE        Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Coexistence not violence is the only option in the Middle East The first step towards peace is a ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate cessation of hostilities. A framework towards coexistence, such as the revival of the 1993 Oslo Accord that envisioned a two-state solution, must follow. The fundamental moral principles of equality, freedom, popular sovereignty, and tolerance must apply.

SHARE        Sunday, October 22, 2023
The Challenge of Economic Reform in Pakistan The rentier state favored a consumption-led, import-intensive growth model that proved unsustainable. It trapped the country in a vicious cycle of fiscal deficits and perpetual borrowing. However, the rentier era is over.

SHARE        Saturday, September 16, 2023
Authoritarianism is not sustainable in Pakistan Pakistan needs representative democracy for survival and progress, not authoritarianism or institutional interference. State repression is a slippery slope that can lead to everyone living in fear and crisis. The establishment must realize that capitalizing on political instability to secure its position has run its course.

SHARE        Sunday, August 27, 2023
Deprivation and the Threat of Violence in Pakistan Frustration, alienation, and desperation are causing social unrest, rising terrorism, and forced emigration. The ruling elite's heartless lack of concern for the impoverished is a hazardous course. There is a dangerous national security threat when the poor and marginalized are shut out and alienated from society.

SHARE        Friday, August 4, 2023
Pakistan Schools Expand Religious Education Education is the key to Pakistan's development as a nation, yet the state of the public schooling system is abysmal. Teachers are poorly trained, infrastructure is close to non-existent and the curriculum is more focused on producing spiritual subjects than learners capable of critical thought.

SHARE        Monday, July 3, 2023
The ceaseless desire for transformational leadership People's pent-up desire for a new dynamic leader will not end with Imran Khan, as dreadful governance draws them to hope and miracles. The future mass movement promising change has to ensure maximum and sustained participation from all strata of society.

SHARE        Sunday, June 11, 2023
Revenge culture and personality-driven politics drives democratic backsliding in Pakistan The government is gloating over its pyrrhic 'victory' and rejoicing in downsizing the Imran Khan-led PTI. Banning politicians and political parties will prove counterproductive. Promoting democracy and free and fair elections may help the country do better.

SHARE        Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Book Review: Pakistan Origins, Identity and Future The basis for the partition that Hindus and Muslims are separate nations has remained contentious. The author argues that contrary to official history, the case for the division of India, based on the flawed premise that Hindu and Muslim were separate nations, known as the two-nation theory, was hugely speeded up by the British colonialists and the political and religious leaders of the period to serve their narrow interests.

SHARE        Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Pakistan needs peace with India Pakistan's rivalry with India stands to benefit no one. It is time that Pakistan's strategic decision makers realize that making peace with India is in Pakistan's national interest. India must show a broad vision and encourage a sense of a different South Asian future in which all can play a constructive role.

SHARE        Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Optimism is in short supply in Pakistan As some politicians embark on a project aimed at reimagining Pakistan in the face of grim circumstances, one has to believe that recovery is possible. After rapid national decline, rethinking a better future is a natural reaction. But, just "positive visions" and "romantic illusions" will not help to rebuild on sounder foundations.

SHARE        Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Pakistani Taliban aim to takeover the state Absent the implacable resolve to combat terrorism, the Pakistani Taliban resurgence can have dangerous consequences. There is an urgent need to reestablish the writ of the state and respect for coercive state power. The fact that officialdom and the population at large are not fully aware of the growing threat of radicalization of society is troubling.

SHARE        Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Pakistan grapples with prospects of impending sovereign default As Pakistan inches closer to default, we must reckon with the scale of the economic challenge that our nation faces. It is a monumental challenge for Pakistan to reform an economy based on low productivity, coupled with protectionism in the form of bans and high import tariffs, unsustainable levels of elite consumption, unsustainable debt, and excessive defense spending.

(2 comments) SHARE        Sunday, January 15, 2023
Talibanization of Young Minds Textbooks contain enormous religious content and instill moral superiority; they are used to construct students' monolithic Sunni Islamic identities, disregarding diverse cultural and religious beliefs. Infusing fundamentalist religious doctrine in school curriculum and textbooks risks the development of a parochial and confrontational worldview.

SHARE        Wednesday, December 21, 2022
The Crisis of Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan Politicians must learn that military intervention is not a democratic mechanism. Without the military option, they would have to find solutions from within the political system. Pakistan is too used to generals being politicians in uniform more than leaders of armies.

SHARE        Saturday, December 3, 2022
The culture of corruption runs deep Corruption is as toxic as it is pervasive. No matter how small, exploitation for self-gain disproportionately taxes the underprivileged. It weakens meritocracy in governance and curbs free market competition. In the long term, these processes increase social inequality and erode democratic institutions.

SHARE        Saturday, November 12, 2022
Fault lines impairing US-Pakistan Relations Is Pakistan an out-of-control country with nukes that threaten global security? Surely that description more accurately applies to Russia. Its leader, Vladimir Putin, often threatens to use nuclear weapons in his genocidal campaign to subdue Ukraine.