Vociferous and unequivocal

The love of one’s country is the greatest virtue of a civilized man”. This is a famous quote uttered by Napoleon Bonaparte. I fully concur with this very saying of the great general, for I consider myself insignificant without my country. From the very outset, I was ordained to think about doing something substantial for Pakistan; I have obeyed those orders, and will continue to do so till the very end. The patriotism that has been inculcated in me has made it difficult to digest the current state of the country. Hence, there are various things that annoy me about the current situation of Pakistan. The first phenomenon that really pinches me is Pakistan’s abysmal economic growth which is currently at 2.4 % according to the latest economic survey of Pakistan. Indeed, this is disappointing and not something to boast about, for the country is endowed with all the resources that one can ask for, be it copper, gold or other minerals, not to forget our talented population. I get more fru...

INTRODUCTION: The year, 1979 was very eventful, to say the least; early in the year, the Iranian revolution overthrew the western stooge Raza Shah; Pakistan was under martial law, while Afghanistan was still under turmoil, after the Saur Revolution of 1978.However, there was one event which left an indelible impact, not only on Afghanistan, but also on Pakistan; the event in question is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This invasion culminated into a proxy war between the two heavyweights, namely USA and USSR ; this was the last Cold War battle. Afghanistan became the centre of attention for a good part of 9 years, but Pakistan had a significant role to play in the surrogate war. The country became a conduit, which assisted the Afghan freedom fighters to resist the Soviet Union . President, General Zia turned from a pariah to a champion of modernity. Pakistan became a US ally in the war, and hence, received huge sums of money, which helped her a great deal, but she had to...

Our country, Pakistan is endowed with virtually everything that one can ask for. Not only, is the country enviably rich in resources, but also in heritage and culture. Moreover, the country is strategically located, owing to the proximity to China and Central Asia. The founding fathers of the nation had envisaged a prosperous future; they wanted Pakistan to have a high status in the comity of nations. However, as of now, the country stands way below that status. Many critics say that dictatorship which remained the governing system for a good part of 3 decades; this theory may well be true, especially if we look at our neighbor, India which is fast developing as a regional power, has not ever seen a military chief abrogate their constitution. The last of the military regime ended initially, when the PPP led coalition took charge of the government in March, 2008 and then on 18 th August, General Musharraf relinquished the presidency. Hence, after a lapse of 9 years, a democratic gove...

I want to say sorry to my nation”. This is what Shahid Afridi said on the 30 th of March, 2011 when the team lost under his command in the semi final of the coveted World Cup to arch- rivals and eventual champions India. He apologized for leading a fragmented, jaded and weak team to the top 4; something which he envisaged on the 9 th of February, 2011. The talismanic all-rounder was stripped-off from captaincy by the infamous ex-chairman PCB Ijaz Butt. This step must have delighted his critics, especially when we consider that the darling of the crowd took a short-lived retirement. However, much to their disenchantment, he came back with a vengeance; ever since his come back he has scored 335 runs and taken 29 wickets with 5 Player-of-the-Match awards. The captaincy conundrum has once again appeared in Pakistan’s cricket, owing to the likelihood of skipper Misbah’s removal from captaincy of the shorter formats.   The anti-Afridi lobby is vociferously campaigning against his rein...

Karl Von Clausewitz said that war is an extension of diplomacy by other means. States as unitary actors resort to war to protect their vital interests, but both the realists and idealists aspire for peace, albeit they have different routes. They yearn for peace because war is devastating. Who else would know better about war than arch-rivals India and Pakistan; both countries have fought wars in 1965 and 1971, not to disregard those fought in 1948, 1984 and 1999. Both states have attained nothing, but a condition of perpetual enmity. Off-late, peace overtures have been made and perhaps some progress is evident in trade; Pakistan has given MFN status to India, amidst hue and cry. Peaceful coexistence is something that we all covet, but that requires both countries to revise their policies. However, if we delve into Indian defense related developments then there is a need to get skeptical about their seriousness in peaceful coexistence. Readers must be made cognizant of India’s...