For seven decades, Pakistan’s development story ran on a familiar script: Western governments wrote checks, and Islamabad built projects. That script effectively ended on January 20, 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order suspending nearly all US foreign assistance. Thirty-nine major USAID-funded projects, worth more than $845 million, were halted overnight, affecting an estimated […]
Op-Ed
Who Am I? A Life Reconstructed Through Legacy
There are moments in a nation’s story when private grief becomes woven into public history. For Imtiaz Rafi Butt, born on 22 September 1948, that intertwining began before he was old enough to understand loss. His father, the industrialist and early Pakistan Movement supporter Rafi Butt, died in a plane crash at the young age […]
DLTL Extension: A Strategic Step Towards Revitalising Pakistan’s Rice Economy
In an economy struggling to enhance exports and stabilize foreign exchange reserves, every policy that strengthens Pakistan’s export competitiveness deserves recognition. The Government of Pakistan’s decision to extend the Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL) Order 2026 for another three months is one such timely initiative that has been widely welcomed by the rice […]
What’s in a Name? Rivers, Nations and the Indus Civilisation (Part II)
RECAP: Part I discussed how unstable modern claims become when ancient geographical terms are treated as national property. More shatteringly for hardliners sitting in New Delhi, the names India, Hindu and Hindustan all trace, through Persian and Greek transformations, to Sindhu, the ancient name of the Indus–a river that flows mostly through Pakistan. It goes […]
GSP+: One Yardstick for All
The European Commission’s latest GSP+ report has revived a familiar debate. The question is not whether Pakistan should continue improving its human rights record. That is an obligation every state owes to its own citizens. The real issue is whether the same standards are applied everywhere, or whether human rights have increasingly become a tool […]
Pakistan Cannot Afford to Miss the AI Revolution
History rarely waits for nations that hesitate. Every industrial revolution has rewarded those who embraced change early and punished those who chose complacency. Steam transformed manufacturing, electricity powered modern economies, and the internet reshaped commerce and communication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the next defining revolution, but unlike previous technological shifts, this one is unfolding at […]
The Four-Day War That Shattered India’s Illusion of Being a Regional Hegemon
The recent launch of a book by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor, claims by Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh that Indian forces destroyed multiple Pakistani aircraft during the Operation, and comical claims by Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti that Indian forces had shot down 13 Pakistani aircraft during the May 2025 […]
The New Poor Don’t Look Poor
On any weekend in Pakistan, the restaurants are full. Wedding halls sparkle late into the night. Shopping malls remain crowded. Roads are packed with SUVs, and social media feeds overflow with vacations, new gadgets and carefully curated lifestyles. If appearances were our only measure, we would conclude that Pakistan’s middle class is thriving. It is […]
Overpopulation or Underplanning?
The world is almost ready to celebrate World Population Day on July 11, when the global population is approaching seven billion and is expected to reach nearly ten billion by 2050. However, before we begin blaming ourselves for the rapid increase in population, we must ask an important question: is overpopulation truly a present reality, […]
Taliban’s Genetic Comedy in India
The diplomatic arena has morphed into an existential comedy club where the Taliban administration’s cabinet ministers seem to be competing for the title of “Most Unintentionally Hilarious Diplomat.” The recent genetics lesson delivered in New Delhi by Agriculture Minister Mawlawi Attaullah Omari, who passionately declared that Afghan and Indian DNA is “one and the same,” […]