By Sajjad Shaukat In order to resolve the menace of terrorism, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on January 29, this year announced the constitution of 4-member committee comprising impartial personalities to open negotiations with the warring Taliban. The committee has started contacts with all the militant groups, especially Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which has also welcomed government’s offe ...

By Asif Haroon Raja Some of the glaring reasons that have given rise to religious extremism in Pakistan are as follows: Early demise of Quaid-e-Azam resulted in leadership crisis, which persists to this day. Growth of regionalism gave rise to fissiparous tendencies. Antagonism between seculars and Islamists impeded constitution making for nine years. Widening gulf between rich and poor and callous attitude ...

      By Sajjad Shaukat No doubt, media have been playing a key role by educating and guiding the people regarding various developments and issues which have been taking place on global and regional level. Being the fourth pillar of the state, especially electronic media have brought the matters of public interest and bloody battles into our bedrooms. Thus, it has made difficult for the politicians to wage ...

By Asif Haroon Raja When war against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan was won by the Mujahideen duly supported by Pakistan in 1989, the US claimed that the war couldn’t have been won without surface to air stinger missiles. In its view, stingers made the difference and forced the Soviets to beat a hasty retreat. In the ongoing war on terror in which the US for all practical purposes has lost the war and its ...

By Sajjad Shaukat In the past era, the two warring parties used to follow the rules of the game and Geneva Conventions, while knowing each other’s target. Contrarily, war against terrorism is quite different, as it is against an invisible, mysterious and merciless enemy which does not respect any rule.  It is a war in which offence knows its target, but defence does not know. In this regard, during the last ...

By Ali Sukhanver More than 20 people died and more than 200 poling stations burnt to ashes; that is what happened there in Bangladesh on the Election Day. The opposition party BNP remained all aloof from the election process Today Bangladesh is passing through the ever worst phase of its history. The recent elections have changed the peaceful scenario of this heaven-like country into a blazing inferno. Mahf ...

By Asif Haroon Raja Indians are notorious for their impulsiveness and impish behavior and are famous for shooting first and taking aim later. Till recent the wrath of India’s heavy-handed tactics fell upon its neighbors, particularly on its chief rival Pakistan. Assuming itself to be a potential world power, it seems India has started to show eyes to its chief mentor which has since 1991 gone out of the way ...

     By Sajjad Shaukat Basically, prosperity of a Third World country depends upon foreign investment which needs political stability in that country in the modern era of economic development. On the other side, political instability which creates uncertainty in a less developed country, is not conducive for external businessmen. In these terms, the case of Bangladesh is of special consideration, where seve ...