Energy-starved Pakistan’s solar rush

Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt. The quiet energy revolution has spread from wealthy neighbourhoods to middle- and lower-income households as customers look to escape soaring electricity bills and […]

The honour that kills

Bano Satakzai stood on the cracked earth of Dagari, a village that once echoed with her childhood laughter. Across from her stood men she had known her whole life — uncles, cousins, neighbours. In another life, they had passed her plates of rice at weddings. Now, they clutched rifles. She had chosen to be with Ehsan […]

The next domino

The Domino Theory explains how one event sets off a series of similar events. The theory is not attributed to any single author but is a concept that gained popularity during the Cold War. The theory suggested that if one country fell to communism, the neighbouring countries would also succumb to the same, like dominoes. […]

CII on birth spacing

Pakistan stands at a critical demographic and health crossroads. With one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world outside Africa, a population of almost 250 million, high food insecurity and limited water, there is an urgent need for population policy reforms that keep the living alive while reducing the pace of new additions. […]

Dilapidated school buildings

In a province where dilapidated buildings have already caused too many deaths — mainly due to heavy rain causing infrastructural damage — over 3,000 school buildings in Punjab pose an urgent threat to the lives of students and teachers. Despite repeated warnings, Punjab School Education Department’s failure to tend to this crisis reveals their abrasive apathy towards […]

Policing in Kashmore

A month after citizens protesting in Islamabad were assured of police action in Kashmore, there isn’t any notable progress in the context. There has been a change in police command, but the oppression of citizens, including kidnapping for ransom, extortion and other heinous acts, continues unabated, as it has for years. Four kidnapped individuals remain […]

President Zardari confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on USCENTCOM Chief Gen Kurilla

President Asif Ali Zardari has conferred the prestigious Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) award on General Michael E. Kurilla, Commander of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), in recognition of his contributions to regional security and the strengthening of bilateral military ties, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public […]

PM to continue remittance scheme for overseas Pakistanis amid record inflows

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to continue Pakistan’s facilitation scheme aimed at encouraging overseas Pakistanis to send remittances through formal channels, the Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday. According to the official statement, the prime minister directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release funds on a priority basis under the Workers’ Remittances Incentive Scheme. […]