UN chief condemns terrorist attacks in Pakistan:Death toll rises to 54

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Friday's two separate terrorist attacks in Pakistan. "We very much condemn the terrorist attacks that took place in Pakistan, killing more than 50 people. The people responsible need to be held to account," said StephaneDujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, when asked for Guterres' reaction

Blast in southwest Pakistan kills 52, 50 hurt:Reuters, Islamabad

At least 52 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Friday in a suicide attack on a religious gathering which was held to mark the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, health officials and police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which comes

Skyrocketing inflation puts food security in Pakistan at risk

“We are under extreme stress about skyrocketing prices of essential edible commodities and the cost of gas and electricity. The situation is becoming worse because every day. We must pay more for wheat flour, sugar, tea, milk, oil, etc.,” Azizullah Khan, a civil servant, says. Khan draws a monthly salary of

Can Pakistan-India Nuclear Deterrence Hold?

Twenty five years ago, on May 28, Pakistan conducted five nuclear tests (a sixth was done on May 30). The tests were a response to India’s five nuclear tests, conducted on May 11 and 13. Both governments, after the tests, declared a moratorium on further testing. A quarter century since

The Parliament that murdered democracy in Pakistan

There can be no doubt about the fact that parliamentary democracy in Pakistan will take years to recover from the devastation inflicted upon it in the last five years. Over the last few years, Pakistan’s parliamentarians, individuals who have sworn to protect and uphold the Constitution, have betrayed both the letter

Pakistan parliament to dissolve for an election without ex-PM

Pakistan's parliament was due to be dissolved Wednesday, ushering in a technocrat-led interim government to oversee an election that will not include the country's most popular politician, Imran Khan. The country has been in political turmoil since the former international cricket star was booted from power in April last year, culminating

Is democracy impossible for Pakistan?

The PTI's recent run in with the establishment has brought Pakistan's innumerable fault lines to bear on the country's already fragile politics. Is a democratic trajectory even possible under these circumstances? The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old world is dying and the new cannot be born. In

Imran Khan’s ‘Vandana’ for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

For more than a decade there was a simmering debate spearheaded by the netizens, academicians, journalists, researchers, social justice activists and civil society in Pakistan on war crimes, genocide and rape as a weapon of war by marauding Pakistan military during the brutal birth of Bangladesh in 1971. Long before the

Pakistan’s SC orders release of ex PM Imran Khan

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, two days after his arrest sparked countrywide violence. Supreme Court chief justice Umar Ata Bandial also asked Khan to issue an appeal to his supporters to remain peaceful, as the country faced growing turmoil in its streets. The supporters

Counter Narrative — Operation Searchlight

“The Moving Finger writes; and having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a line Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it” (Rubaiyat, Omar Khayyam) Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, made a startling announcement on landing in Karachi,