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In the softly heated halls of Washington, the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace convened, bringing together an eclectic mix of global actors under the banner of reconstruction and stability. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan—nations bound not only by geography but increasingly by pragmatic diplomacy—signaled a nuanced yet determined approach to regional and global challenges. What unfolded was more than a foreign policy ceremony; it was a window into the complex recalibration of influence in a fragmented world. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s interventions captured this duality perfectly. On one hand, he announced Kazakhstan’s readiness to dispatch peacekeepers and medical…

By S.M. Inam Afghanistan stands at a crossroads, though the path ahead appears grim. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a scathing critique of the Taliban’s return to power, highlighting what she describes as a systematic suppression of women and an alarming curtailment of civil liberties. In a recent article for Foreign Affairs, Clinton paints a stark portrait of a country where half of the population is effectively excluded from political, social, and public life, with consequences that reverberate far beyond individual freedoms. Since the Taliban’s resurgence in August 2021, Afghan women have faced an unprecedented rollback…

By Asghar Ali Mubarak As conflict in Gaza draws the world’s attention yet again, Pakistan finds itself navigating the intricate and often perilous terrain of Middle Eastern diplomacy. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Washington to attend the inaugural meeting of the so-called ‘Board of Peace’, hosted by former US President Donald Trump, is emblematic of Pakistan’s efforts to assert itself as a constructive player in international peacekeeping, while balancing its longstanding support for the Palestinian cause. The Board of Peace, a new multilateral forum, is intended to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza following the ceasefire agreement and to…

By Atiq Raja In an era saturated with information, answers are everywhere. Search engines respond in milliseconds. Artificial intelligence predicts, suggests, and even solves problems once thought uniquely human. Knowledge is no longer scarce; it is abundant. Yet amid this overwhelming availability, one human skill—a skill that has long driven innovation, discovery, and leadership—is quietly fading: the art of asking questions. We live in a culture that rewards answers. Right or wrong, a solution is valued, verified, and often celebrated. Questions, on the other hand, are more complicated. They require reflection, courage, and patience. They invite uncertainty. Moreover, in doing…

By Wadood Mehsud SOUTH WAZIRISTAN UPPER: The mayor of Sarwekai, Shah Faisal Ghazi, criticised the continued absence of officials and the non-functioning of several government departments in South Waziristan Upper, saying the situation had caused serious hardship for local people. Addressing a press conference at the Mehsud Press Club alongside chairman Ishaq, he expressed concern over the performance of key departments and urged higher authorities to take immediate action. The briefing focused on regional issues, particularly in the health, agriculture, livestock and local government sectors. Ghazi said he had recently visited several government offices across the district and found the…

By Abdul Qadir Mahesar DADU: A meeting chaired by the deputy commissioner of Dadu, Syed Murtaza Ali Shah (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), reviewed measures to ensure compliance with official food prices and strengthen market surveillance across the district during the holy month of Ramazan, with the stated aim of upholding the sanctity of the month and protecting the public interest. The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner I Wajahat Ghafoor, Assistant Commissioner Dadu Samiullah Wagan, Assistant Commissioner Mehar Ghulam Fatima Ghalo and Assistant Commissioner K N Shah Ishaat Z Zahra. The deputy commissioner directed that citizens should be given an easy mechanism…

By Shakeel Hussain Classical literature endures because it speaks to struggles that never truly vanish, echoing through the lives of successive generations. One such work, Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain, offers more than drama; it offers insight into the persistent human pursuit of dignity, identity, and liberation. Written in the post-colonial Caribbean, the play explores the psychological and social dimensions of oppression, and yet its themes remain strikingly relevant today. When read alongside the contemporary realities of Venezuela, Walcott’s work becomes a lens through which we can perceive how ordinary people navigate the pressures of social, economic, and political…

By Atiq Raja In a world too often divided by faith, Karen Armstrong’s A History of God emerges as a rare and vital bridge, drawing thoughtful connections across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. First published in 1993, the book is far more than a theological treatise; it is a sweeping historical exploration of humanity’s evolving understanding of the divine over the past four millennia. Armstrong does not concern herself with proving or disproving God’s existence. Instead, she asks a question far subtler, far more enduring: how has the idea of God changed as civilizations, cultures, and human consciousness itself have changed?…

By Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal History has a way of speaking to us across the decades, sometimes in whispers, sometimes in thundering reminders. In the story of the Indian subcontinent, few chapters resonate as powerfully as the role of Bengal’s Muslims in shaping the destiny of Pakistan. From the political stirrings of Dhaka in 1906 to the historic Lahore Resolution of 1940, and ultimately the decisive elections of 1946, it was the people of Bengal who were at the forefront of translating the abstract ideals of the Two-Nation Theory into a palpable demand. Their contribution was not peripheral; it was central,…