Author: admin
By Sudhir Ahmed Afridi I agree unreservedly with the federal minister for planning and development, Ahsan Iqbal, when he describes Pakistan’s rapid population growth as a grave national problem and likens it to a state of emergency. His call to treat population control as a national priority is not alarmist; it is overdue. Anyone who has recently navigated the chaotic traffic of Islamabad or Peshawar cannot escape a troubling thought: if this pace continues, the simple act of walking may soon become an ordeal. The congestion we experience daily is not merely an urban inconvenience; it is a visible symptom…
By Uzma Ehtasham Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Balochistan was more than a standard political engagement; it was a carefully timed affirmation of national unity, designed to send a clear message that the province and the federation are inseparable. In a country often marked by regional disparities and socio-economic tensions, the visit was a symbolic as well as practical gesture, aimed at reassuring the people of Balochistan that their needs, aspirations, and rights are central to Pakistan’s broader development agenda. Addressing the province’s long-standing grievances, the prime minister underscored that Pakistan is a shared homeland, and that…
Negotiations are underway between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that could see nearly $2 billion in Saudi loans converted into a defence deal centered on the JF‑17 Thunder fighter jet, a development that has the potential to reshape military and economic ties between the two countries. The talks, sources in Islamabad say, reflect both Pakistan’s urgent financial needs and Riyadh’s recalibration of its security partnerships in a Middle East where the role of the United States has become increasingly uncertain. According to officials familiar with the discussions, the proposed arrangement is part of a broader effort to operationalize a defence agreement…
By Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal Great nations take pride in their civilization, history, and language, and they never separate these elements from their personal existence or collective identity. These attributes are not merely cultural ornaments; they are the spiritual foundations upon which a nation’s character rests. Across the world, particularly in diplomatic circles, English has become a convenient medium of communication. It allows people from different regions to converse on equal footing. Yet even in such environments, there are leaders, officials, and dignitaries who, despite having full command of English, choose to speak in their national languages. They do so without…
PART-1 By Dr Barkat Ali Khan and Dr Iqra Shamsher In every era and civilization, the strength of a nation has been measured not only by its wealth, armies, or political power, but by the character and capability of its women. A woman is not merely a part of society—she is its soul, its foundation, its heartbeat. If society is a structure, she is its cornerstone; if it is a tree, she is its roots. Without strong, educated, and empowered women, no society can truly thrive. The role of women in nation-building is neither a new debate nor a modern…
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…