Shahbag Square Thunderous Slogan ‘Joy Bangla

On 5 February 2013, suddenly Shahbagh intersection become lively as thousands of angry and frustrated young people thronged the place to demand maximum punishment of war criminals indicted for war crimes and a crime against humanity during the brutal birth of Bangladesh. On the tenth anniversary of Gono Jagaron Moncho, remembered

Is terrorism returning to Pakistan?

Earlier this week, a suicide blast ruptured the relative calm that had returned to Pakistan in recent years. The attack at a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 100 people and stunned many Pakistanis who thought the days of such horrific suicide bombings were long behind

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s follies

Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif's missteps, many of which are quite amateurish in nature, have plunged PML-N’s prospects, much like those of Pakistan, into the dark. Pakistan’s strategic planners have been searching for pliant governments for years, if not decades. One such plan was to insert Shehbaz Sharif, the current prime

Suicide bomber kills 34, wounds 150 at mosque in Pakistan

A suicide bomber struck Monday inside a mosque within a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 34 people and wounding as many as 150 worshippers, most of them police, officials said.  The bombing drew nationwide condemnation from opposition political parties and government officials. Ghulam Ali,

Bigotry against religious, sectarian minorities growing in Pakistan

On January 18, 2023, National Assembly approved amendments to Section 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860, enhancing the punishment for “defiling” the sacred names of wives, family and companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to 10 years with a million rupees fine. This is the newest slip down the slippery

2023 will be another year of intense instability in Pakistan

Pakistan broke its own standards of political instability in the year 2022 and entered 2023 with heightened polarization, without any foreseeable turn around in sight. Political unrest that started in the wake of the successful VONC against Imran Khan gripped the whole country. In fact, with the dissolution of the

Pakistan’s journey towards a sovereign default

Pakistan – for the first time in its peacetime history – is on the verge of a sovereign default. While this is due to a host of factors, the root of the problem lies in imprudent economic and debt policies – in only 22 years, the nation’s gross public debt

TTP militants attack on police station in Pakistan

A group of heavily-armed militants from the Pakistani Taliban attacked a police station in the suburbs of the restive northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday and killed three policemen, including a senior police officer, authorities said. Some six to seven militants attacked Sarband police station bordering Khyber tribal district with hand

Rebuilding climate-devastated Pakistan will run in excess of $16b

For decades, I have been privileged to witness the boundless generosity and resilience of the Pakistani people amidst grave threats and upheaval. From earthquakes and floods. To years of relentless terrorist attacks. To geopolitical nightmares like the wars in Afghanistan that have sent millions fleeing across the Pakistani border in search

Pakistan’s 2022 was a polarised polity amid economic crisis

Raza Rumi Pakistan's permanent crisis has only deepened through 2022. Raza Rumi on what 2023 holds for the nuclear armed crisis state. As the year 2022 ends, Pakistan’s deepening crisis of governance appears to be intractable. For all practical purposes Pakistan has defaulted without a formal announcement. The foreign exchange reserves have