Vociferous and unequivocal

In just about a couple of hours from now, Shahid Afridi will turn 33. People may contest his age, but we shouldn’t be bothered. This piece will succinctly shed-light on his odyssey in the game of cricket, as a tribute to him. Hailing from the fierce tribe of the Khyber Agency, Afridi showed his affinity for the game in his salad days in Karachi. His frenzy for the game in general and love for Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir, in particular gave him the impetus to take big strides. The culmination point   of his efforts was obviously playing for Pakistan at the stage that matters. I need not delve into how he managed to land in Nairobi from the West Indies. However, the unknown rookie pashtun dazzled the cricketing world on a bright sunny day at Nairobi. Much to the surprise of the Sri Lankans, a leg spinner , playing his 2 nd ODI was sent-in at number 3. I wish that I had witnessed the carnage, for the 16-year old Afridi pulverized the best in the business. He conjured a record ...

Wilsonian diplomacy lies at the heart of American foreign policy decision-making. America has pursued her Geo-strategic goals, which naturally show realist proclivities under the garb of liberal ideas of Woodrow Wilson.   I am not blaming the United States, for the international system is anarchic and brutal; national interests ought to be looked after in earnest. Leave these theories of international politics and American advent to diplomacy aside. Let’s apply the realist worldview to the policies adopted by our neighbor, India. Chuck Hegal’s remarks regarding India’s role in subverting Pakistan have certainly not been likened by the Indians and the so-called Pakistan liberals. The question is why aren’t we interested even to think about what Hegal opined? Hagel spoke about India’s influence in Afghanistan post 9/11, which culminated in the strategic partnership between the former and latter. The ambit of the partnership ranges from education to security! _ Military trai...