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By Amir Muhammad Khan Where can a country, where almost half the population is forced to live a miserable life below the poverty line, find the space to concern itself with democracy or dictatorship, constitutional amendments, human rights, and high moral values? It is often said that if a small, ignorant child is left alone with a poisonous snake, he will try to catch it. How would he know there is poison in it, or what harm it can cause? In the same way, what do nearly half of our people living below the poverty line know about democracy? What…

When Goldman Sachs projected that Pakistan could become the world’s sixth-largest economy by 2075, the headline carried an almost jarring sense of optimism for a country more accustomed to crisis than to long-range confidence. The forecast, stretching half a century into the future, did not offer a promise so much as a possibility. It invited Pakistan to imagine itself not as a perpetual outlier in the global economy, but as a central player shaped by the same forces now lifting parts of Asia and Africa into prominence. At the heart of the projection lay demography. Pakistan’s population, already among the…

By Uzma Ehtasham Pakistan and China have delivered a rare, coordinated message to the Afghan Taliban, demanding clear and verifiable action against all militant organizations operating from Afghan soil and insisting that Afghan territory must not be used against neighboring states. The message, framed in the language of zero tolerance for terrorism, was embedded in the joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the seventh round of Pakistan–China foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue. It was not merely diplomatic boilerplate. It reflected a deepening regional anxiety that Afghanistan, once again, is drifting towards becoming a permissive environment for militancy, with consequences that…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak Pakistan’s warning that terrorism emanating from Afghan soil has become the “biggest and most serious threat” to its national security is no longer a rhetorical flourish or a diplomatic posture. It reflects a reality that has hardened over recent years, measured in lives lost, borders destabilized and trust steadily eroded. The joint call by Pakistan and China urging Kabul to take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist organizations operating from Afghan territory therefore carries weight far beyond routine diplomacy. It signals growing regional impatience with denial, ambiguity and half-measures. The latest Pakistan–China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue…

By Siraj Narsi We live in an age of increasing polarization, where political, ideological, and religious narratives divide societies into rigid camps of “us” and “them.” These narratives thrive, unfortunately, because they are endlessly repeated—amplified by social media, where misinformation is often accepted as truth without verification, and where echo chambers reinforce existing biases. Even well-meaning people sometimes circulate these ideas with little pause for reflection, historical context, or critical inquiry. One visible consequence of this is the persistence of Islamophobia in the West, a fear rooted less in facts than in a lack of knowledge and ignorance of Islamic…

By Alia Zarar Khan We often carry more weight than we can reasonably bear and end up questioning our decisions, holding ourselves accountable for the mistakes of others or for circumstances that were entirely beyond our control. This tendency frequently leads us to search for excuses and, in doing so, pull ourselves into even deeper trouble. However, what if we learned to think the other way around and accept what cannot be changed? The question then arises: how can something be beyond our control when we so often hold ourselves responsible for our decisions? This is where self-sabotage quietly creeps…

By Syed Shamim Akhtar Pakistan’s sharp response to remarks by India’s external affairs minister is more than a routine exchange in a long history of diplomatic sparring. It reflects a deeper anxiety about where the region is heading, and about how narratives, if left unchallenged, can harden into accepted truths. By accusing New Delhi of irresponsibility and deflection, Islamabad is not merely rebutting a comment; it is attempting to reframe an argument about security, accountability and the direction of one of south Asia’s most powerful states. At the center of Pakistan’s statement is a familiar but unresolved claim: that India…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak For much of its turbulent history, Pakistan has struggled to present a coherent face of the state. Civilian governments and the military have often spoken in different registers, sometimes at cross-purposes, weakening policy execution at home and credibility abroad. In 2025, however, that familiar discord gave way to something rarer: a sustained alignment between elected authority and the military command, particularly around the National Action Plan and the long war against terrorism. Whether one agrees with every claim made by those in power or not, it is difficult to deny that the tone, coordination and confidence…