Rana Kanwal talks about how Pakistan's education system is entirely focused on dress codes instead of improving the quality of education. Moreover, educational crimes are on the rise among teachers in Pakistan because our justice system is being neglectful as ever.

Prof Zamir Ahmed Awan thinks the US has always used Pakistan's soil for its own strategic interests and when it could not do it anymore, it immediately distanced itself from Pakistan and got closer to India. It proves true that Pakistan is a pivotal state.

Dr. Farid A Malik talks about Pakistan's efforts of jumpstarting the stalled bureaucracy of the country as Kamran Ali Afzal has taken charge as Chief Secretary (CS). He further stresses the need for effective monitoring which will provide data for real accountability.

Dr. James Dorsey thinks that the Taliban’s record in recent weeks on making good on promises to respect human and women’s rights, as well as upholding freedom of the press, is mixed at best. The Taliban made it clear that their definition of inclusivity is different.

Saad Rasool thinks the ‘system’ is not working. Maybe the fault rests with a particular political party, or the Army, or a few judges, or the culture, or the time, or the people. Nevertheless, we need to amend our ways and bring fundamental changes.

By blaming Islamism as the reason for the destabilisation of the Middle East and Africa, Blair conveniently forgets that Al-Qaida and other violent movements, including Osama bin Laden himself, were and are creations of western intelligence agencies.

Even before the Taliban took control of Kabul, China started deepening diplomatic ties with the group. Since then, Chinese officials have said that Beijing respects Afghan's right to decide their future, implying that the Taliban’s victory reflects the people’s will.

There is a widespread perception in Afghanistan that Pakistan wants a government in Kabul and has a nefarious agenda when in reality there is no such agenda. Considering this, Islamabad needs to be careful as its every move will be greeted with suspicion.

According to Sameed Basha, Soft power differs from hard power through the display of one's cultural identity, history and values rather than its militaristic character. This is to aid in the construction of its own cultural image and project its identity to the world.

Apart from occupying Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, India went through an act of aggression transgressed upon the Muslim-ruled princely state of Junagadh and occupied it by force. This was done soon after the partition of the Indo-Pak sub-continent.

While investment in youth is a promising and rewarding one for the economic and social progress of the nation, unfortunately, in Pakistan, such investment is limited, despite 60 percent of its population being below the age of 30. We look at the role one training institute set up by by the FWO with Japanese cooperation, Construction Technology Training Institute (CTTI), plays to help youth employment through prioritizing vocational skills.

Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared but also affects their communities and society as a whole.