Cabinet calls for developing digital infrastructure

Cabinet members have suggested that half of telecom spectrum auction proceeds should be deposited with the Universal Service Fund (USF), the entity responsible for developing digital infrastructure in the country. The suggestion came in a recent meeting of the cabinet, chaired by the prime minister. While discussing the upcoming spectrum auction, the cabinet members suggested […]

Dialogue, anyone?

Everyone is talking about talks but no one wants to talk. The glaring contradiction measures the difference between optics and hard reality. Within the optics domain everyone desires to look and sound reasonable. The hard reality, on the other hand, is based on cold and calculated assessment of the situation and the advantage that accrues […]

Avoidable accidents

Deaths from hits by heavy vehicles continue to occur in Karachi – with a young female motorcyclist and a seven-year-old boy being the latest victims, losing their lives on the road in Landhi and Manghopir, respectively. These untimely deaths are a heartbreaking reminder of the devastation that poorly-operated large commercial vehicles cause on our roadways […]

An antidote or ailment?

Every now and then, we come across pragmatic speeches, columns and academic discourses — not necessarily from the beneficiaries of the system — that echo the idea that we, as a nation, seldom learn from historical follies. This might, for many, sound like mere blunders or thoughtless insanity; yet the unapologetic pursuit of these common patterns across […]

Trouble for Tehran

There is a situation in Iran, and it warrants a political solution. Protesters seem to be losing their patience. Well, the government too. Thus the Islamic Republic faces an existential crisis. Nonetheless, it is a given that any moves for a ‘regime change’ as maneuvered at the behest of external forces, especially the US, would […]

TTAP warns army against political role, calls for nationwide protest on Feb 8

Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Saturday said the military must remain within its constitutional framework, warning that if it wished to engage in politics, it should relinquish its security role and seek power through elections. Speaking at a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, Achakzai said no country could function […]