Opinion
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Do we still need army intervention?
If the regular paramilitary forces cannot prevent the homicides, government have no option but to turn to the military
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Real devolution
Without sufficient taxation powers, provinces will never have the funds to effectively run subjects being devolved.
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Dancing for joy? Haw hai!
Religion is not culture. Yes, the two get mixed, but argument that there is one way of following religion is false.
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Homosapiens too
Enmasse culture of incalculable hatred is whipped up and promoted to benefit from the frenzy thus generated.
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The genie is out
Mirza may have helped the Zardari/Malik duo to achieve the end they sought.
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The state in South Asia
The South Asian populations will remain young for several more decades while those in the West will age rapidly.
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A case of integrity and ethics
We cannot rule out the role of others in the run for the AG position becoming a ‘source’ for the media to malign Rana.
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Violence and democracy
Resisting violence is a battle for the human mind, involves defeating the appeal on which the violent group relies.
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Man on fire
Dr Mirza was successful in creating one of the most compelling spectacles of our already colourful political history.
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The East is red, in Dhaka
For the first time, next week, Delhi will dismantle Indian textile sector’s protectionist walls towards Bangladesh.
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Why not have two Eids in one country?
In my view, most of the time, Eid in KP used to be an expression of Pakhtun ethnic identity or sub-nationalism.
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Do foreign secretaries have brains?
Can foreign policy of a mid-level economically weak state developed without “Political and Intellectual Leadership”?
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Place names — II
Pakistani travel writers lack the background knowledge to write about their travels, end up destroying history.
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The making of the modern maulvi — III
Supremacy of Sunni theology over Shia or other sects within Islam was and still is,considered as much a settled affair
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Adjustment with an inhuman face
In this inflationary environment, development expenditure in 14 out of the 17 poorly defined pro-poor sectors declined
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Pakistan and Afghan reconciliation — III
Pakistan's safeguard in an Afghan reconciliation is our assistance and assurance to not permit foreign interference.
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God save us from the experts
I don’t agree that questions like whether women are competent to lead men in prayer require expert analysis.
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Building a new civil society
The lack of contact within even small localities is adding to the deterioration of the social fabric of the country.
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Is Urdu a warlike word?
Urdu is definitely not a jihadi language although the word Urdu evokes many embarrassing associations.
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A tripartite arrangement
Public policy choices should be made in context of the 3 large countries of mainland Asia-China, India and Pakistan.
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Pakistan and Afghan reconciliation — I
It would be in Pakistan’s interest to canvass vigorously for the maintenance of foreign assistance to Afghanistan.
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The ‘ganwaar’ politician
Fact is, just because I’m literate didn’t make me less corrupt.
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Foreign operations
Inviting the military is in principle an appeal identical to the familiar ‘doctrine of necessary’.
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Development and the environment
Economic growth must be redefined in terms of quantitative environmental costs of producing and consuming commodities.
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This thing called Islamophobia
Truth is Muslim refusal to integrate, in closed ethnic communities makes it difficult for citizens to embrace this.
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Sorting out Karachi’s troubles
One must not allow any group to run Karachi as an exclusive domain or allow it to be carved into mini ethnic-states.
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The making of the modern maulvi — II
Gilani wrote a 750-page tome about the conventional system of religious education to counter growing Wahabi influence.
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Fun is not endemic
Politicians, would be funny were they not so goddamned dangerous and disruptive.
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Place names
Army habitually abbreviates words, titles, etc and found the Baloch name Gwalisthap too long for their liking.
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Is gold the answer?
The more countries start to think about gold as an index, the more the authorities will try to keep price from rising.
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Control and confession by torture
Today, police torture is taken as a given.
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Born in Pakistan, murdered in America
Americans are unnecessarily maligned in Pakistan, yet so are Pakistanis in America.
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The arrival of the Neo-Gandhians — II
I might have had fewer problems with this Anna's alleged mass movement had it not so deliberately relied on Gandhi.
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An unravelling economy
Our national debt levels soared as fiscal facts refused to adjust to reality created by bursting of liquidity bubble.
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The kindly ones
Apparently, the MQM strike extended to cruising altitude as well. Maybe there are tires being burnt on the runway.
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Knee-jerk secularism won’t solve our problems
It is Iqtidar’s suggestion that Islamists might be something more than just mindless drones that troubles Siddiqa.
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Political dance of death
The most important reason for not embroiling army is that all political parties know what and who is going on.
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More Mayor, less Malik
Mustafa Kamal was a good one; he lacked real power. Karachi requires a directly-elected mayor with genuine power.
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Developing positives
Establishment of biogas units would assist in power production, minimising loadshedding, and helping the environment.
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Need for lowering expectations
Pakistan remains relevant but barely so and for all the wrong reasons.
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Pakistan, US and the FMCT
Pakistan can freeze its stocks unlike India, negotiate a treaty on future production or let Indian stockpile grow.
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Preparing for a revolution?
Those with power of pen, can write; others can use electronic media to bring change quickly.
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Anna Hazare’s narrow focus
In the cacophony of noisy support for Anna Hazare’s campaign, a Shehla Masood’s killing has gone virtually...
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The economy, stupid
Social research indicates that 42% of Pakistanis think corruption is the biggest threat to the nation.
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Preparing the population for a modern economy
Why has Pakistan done so much better in tertiary education than other large South Asian countries?
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Turning the other cheek in Pakistan
Imagine if hunger-strikers said they would maintain fast until all parties concerned sat down to broker a solution.
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A diversion to nowhere
Pakistan does not have unifying, centralising agency of internal ‘multinationals’ to knit India to Union government
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With zeal and fervour
While there was gloom and doom elsewhere in the country, the president dished out civil awards to zealous supporters.
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Remembering the goons
“The Goon Show is more than a comedy cult. It is a state of mind” is how Books and Arts put it in their Dec 1957...
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How Urdu got associated with Muslims in India? — I
Sanskritic words were removed from the Urdu language and Islamic cultural allusions and metaphors were put in place.