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Digital screams: Women on the frontline of enforced disappearances
“In the age of digital platforms, the voice of those whose loved ones have been forcibly disappeared can no longer be silenced,” said Hina Jilani, a human rights lawyer and activist. “These platforms...
View ArticlePiety paradox: How iddat became the casualty of a turf war over Pakistan’s...
Since its inception, Pakistan has been a battleground for clashes between religious and secular ideologies, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and minorities. The reflection of this...
View ArticleSuo motu — a distorted instrument rendered unrecognisable in Pakistan
Earlier this week, a new bill was introduced in the National Assembly, almost a year after the last amendment, seeking changes to the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers. The bill demands that at least...
View ArticleNo, Pakistan is not Israel’s doppelganger
I started to read Faisal Devji’s 2013 book Muslim Zion in a cafe in Lahore where the Palestinian flag dominated one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. I would look up at it every now and then when I was...
View ArticleBLA-TTP collaboration in Balochistan: alliance or anomaly?
In a series of unprecedented and highly coordinated attacks across 11 districts of Balochistan, militants killed over 50 security personnel and civilians, particularly those hailing from Punjab in a...
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Mansehra’s Monroe Trail is a wonder, but it needs help
The Monroe hiking trail, nestled deep in the dense pine forests of Mansehra district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was intriguing, to say the least. The fact that it was not on many people’s bucket...
View ArticleAssault on the Constitution? Legal fraternity voice reservations with...
The proposed ‘Constitutional Package’ — a series of constitutional amendments that, among other things, aim to fix the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s tenure for three years — has become contentious even...
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For Tirah Valley’s internally displaced, there’s no way home
Haji Kareem, 45, hasn’t been home in over a decade. For the past 12 years, he has moved from one relative’s place to another, sometimes even seeking shelter inside caves and partially damaged mud...
View ArticleConstitutional Package — judicial overhaul or national suicide?
A draft of the 26th Constitution Amendment Bill is in circulation. If this is indeed what is being contemplated by the government, I am reminded of the words of a doctor friend — sometimes there are...
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Karachi and the heat trapped in it
Her home was only a few minutes from the sea, but for Sheema, a domestic worker living in Karachi’s Neelum Colony, it may have been a continent apart. When the first heatwave of the summer set in, the...
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Karachi’s holey roads
A wise man once said: “When it rains, water comes. And when it rains some more, more water comes.” What this wise man failed to explain to the over 20 million citizens of Karachi was why each time it...
View ArticleUnder the veil: What’s behind Kabul’s incremental approach to stricter laws
Mainstream and social media platforms were flooded with criticism earlier this month after an Afghan envoy sparked controversy by remaining seated when Pakistan’s national anthem was played at a...
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Fall in Hunza — where nature paints with gold
To escape the monotonous routine of city life, I packed my rucksack one October afternoon and headed for the mountains to satisfy my wanderlust. This has become a routine over time; every year, I plan...
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Beyond borders: What my interactions with Indian journalists taught me about...
“You’ll see, these Indians will form their own groups and won’t mingle with us with an open heart,” a Pakistani colleague remarked on our first day of the Chevening South Asia Journalism Program (SAJP)...
View Article25th time the charm? How Pakistan can bid adieu to the IMF once and for all
Pakistan finds itself back in the arms of the IMF — for the 25th time. The much-anticipated $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), stretched over 37 months, offers temporary relief to a shaky market....
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Burying the lede in Gaza for 75 years
“You cannot continue to victimise someone else just because you yourself were a victim once — there has to be a limit.” Edward Said wrote this nearly 50 years ago, but the limits he wrote about have...
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Mining for thunder: Can coal be the reason behind Thar’s lightning crisis?
Gulab Bheel, 44, was working on his land in the village of Ukraro, Tharparkar when heavy clouds started gathering towards the east. Loud claps of thunder accompanied by flashes of lightning dominated...
View ArticleDear politicians, our house is on fire
For the past several weeks, Islamabad has been on edge. Not that it’s been all peace and love for much of Pakistan’s existence. The past few weeks, however, have been particularly manic — characterised...
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Special report: Why are Pakistan’s weather forecasts so cloudy?
Raise your hand if you have recently cancelled plans due to unexpected rain or intense heat. Do you check the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) weather forecast before stepping out of the...
View ArticleFourth Schedule: Combating terrorism or silencing dissent?
Muhammad Farooq Mehsud, a veteran journalist who has been covering militancy and political affairs in Pakistan’s volatile tribal areas since 2011, was not prepared for the shock when he first heard the...
View ArticlePakistan’s climate victory: A seat at the table, but is the funding enough?
The announcement of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt was a significant diplomatic victory for Pakistan, as was its formalisation at COP28 last...
View ArticleCircular debt — the hidden force behind rising electricity costs
The real crisis in the power sector is not about power generation; rather about debt. Surplus power generation capacity isn’t a bad thing — it’s an opportunity to drive industrial growth and stimulate...
View ArticleJudicial capture: Lawyers react to ‘diluted’ 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill
Following weeks of upheaval, the coalition government on Sunday finally passed the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate, hours after it was approved by the federal cabinet....
View ArticleCaught in the web: Surveillance, data protection and AI in Pakistan
Some weeks ago, a LinkedIn user shared a video about a man in Lahore whose CNIC had been used to post bail for different people in separate cases. The man told a Vlogger that he had gone to a xerox...
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A year after SC annulled military courts, civilians await justice
On October 23, 2023, the Supreme Court struck down the section of the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, which allowed the court martial of civilians. The majority judgements were authored by Justices Munib...
View ArticleThe tech dream: Pakistan urgently needs a strategic roadmap for the IT sector
Pakistan’s IT sector came into the spotlight recently amid internet slowdowns and disruption in cellular services. While the usual rhetoric from official quarters has sought to pacify concerns, it’s...
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The year of Qazi: maverick in freefall
Ever since they brought out that word, we stood warned. “Reputed judicial maverick sworn in as new chief justice,” said Stratfor. “Pakistan’s maverick chief justice aims to restore court’s...
View ArticleWhat would a Trump or Harris presidency mean for Pakistan?
The US presidential election is just days away, and many within Pakistan are keeping a close eye on the race for obvious reasons. The elections have also led to an increased debate, both within...
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In America’s gripping political chess game, what is really at stake?
Said Lord Byron famously, “While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall; And when Rome falls — the world.” As America’s high-octane presidential race makes...
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