Dr. James Dorsey discusses the US academic conference on ‘Hindutva’ and the controversies that surround it. To him, the conference and responses to it highlight a deterioration of constructive civil debate as racism and Islamophobia become mainstream.
Dr. Farid A Malik discusses the practice of 'Muk Muka' (Wheeling-Dealing) in Pakistani institutions. It was this deadly approach that gradually destroyed merit and ultimately led to the collapse of institutions. 'Muk Maka' has now become a way of life in Pakistan.
Umar Khalid Dar, a freelance writer, explains why the USA has withdrawn its forces despite zero military casualties in the last two years. He argues that the main reason for the USA withdrawal is because of changes in its strategic interest.
Shane Quinn, explains US involvement in the covert operations in Afghanistan and why the CIA was surveying Afghanistan as a replacement for its essential TACKSMAN signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection facilities, which had been located in Iran.
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.
