Columns

For the first time since 2008, the price of oil in international markets surged above the US $100 a barrel mark this last week. Since it coincided with the end-of-the-month review of prices on the domestic front, it indeed was a surprise that the Pakistani regulators didn't bat an eyelid and retained the pricing on the whole raft of petroleum products.
Doesn't make sense in an economy where the GDP has for the last three years been limping along at a growth rate of a mere two to

The US government gave a $900 billion plus package rescue plan to get its economy out of recession. Most of that money was earmarked for the financial sector: the sector that had led the economy into recession in the first place. Within the financial sector, most of that money was focused on bailing out the very firms that had been at the forefront of the actions that led to the global recession. Even when receiving financial bailouts from the government, which is taxpayer money, many

It's amazing how the United Kingdom still manages to reclaim its ability to charm the world. Blighty has certainly fallen on hard times since the credit crunch so much so that the upcoming marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton seems to have given the whole country some much needed cause to celebrate. But even royalty must take a back seat when the Chief Mouser prisses, preens and purrs in the Cabinet Office. Easily dethroning Winston Churchill as the cutest civil servant ever,

I was at Sharjah, one of the Gulf countries, when I read about the confidential records of Israel's negotiations with Palestine from 1999 to 2010. I could sense a feeling of shock in the Arab world about how Palestine could offer the territories which meant so much to it unilaterally to Israel. This was before Egypt was in ferment. However, I was sad to see that Tel Aviv had missed the biggest opportunity to live in peace, not only with Palestine but all the West Asian countries. How

The violent agitation in Tunisia and Egypt and street protests in Yemen and Jordan are symptomatic of political predicament of a large number of Middle Eastern countries that were not touched by the democracy wave of the post-Cold War era.
An authoritarian and oppressive regime can last over a long period of time because its power base is narrow and the power elite are fully entrenched. It is not easy to shake them quickly. Such a regime often runs out of much of its steam and

Mr P J Crowley, spokesman of the US State Department has confirmed that the name of Raymond Davis has been misreported. It is abundantly clear that he had assumed a pseudonym. Only persons with nefarious aims tend to do so. Since the name is incorrect, it is obvious that whatever kind of visa, if any issued, under this alias, is also not valid. So his presence in Pakistan is also without lawful authority. Mystery still persists as innumerable questions arise not only from the media

High heels, Prada bags, Charles & Keith ankle boots, Sula wine, exposed cleavages and a private jet. Lit events are the new cool for the beautiful people, if the 6th Jaipur Literature Festival is an indicator. I just returned from there. Next week Karachi is hosting its lit fest. At least two of my Delhi friends (authors Sadia Dehlvi and Rakhshanda Jalil) are packing their bags. Will Karachi be as glitzy as Jaipur, which was the place to see and be seen at? There was music, kisses,

It is incredible to observe the speed of revolutions in these Internet days. Just a generation ago, pent-up anger - once it was finally released into street protests and mass demonstrations - did not translate into actual change for months or even years.
The delay in getting results was matched by the delay in getting international attention and thereby international public support. The 1979 Iranian Revolution actually began in 1978. It took almost exactly one year from the time

The phrase "contempt of court" covers a variety of situations. For example, it can refer to situations when a particular person or authority refuses to obey a court order. It can also refer to what is called "scandalising the court".
Those types of contempt are not problematic. Everybody agrees that people should do what judges tell them because otherwise the judicial system would collapse. Similarly, everybody agrees that it is not a good idea to have litigants telling judges

Debate has been dying by inches for some time in Pakistan. It however did the whole symbolic death rattle shudder thing right about the time Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan galumphed onto the scene like a rampaging bison.
The fact that Dr Awan represents a trend is much more ominous than her own behaviour, because even though the MNA from Sialkot may stand out rather where her style of 'debate' is concerned, she is actually not alone. Most political debate (with notable exceptions) on

The first question that popped into my mind the minute I heard that nearly all of Egypt was under curfew was, quite literally, "Where's Rehman Malik?" Indeed, events that have been unfolding in the valley of the Nile as of late seem to indicate that the people with an ancient tradition of being subjugated and tyrannised by annoyingly longevous pharaohs have grown weary of King Ramses Hosni Mubarak XVI the third. Given that these are the same people who curse mummies' tombs with

Since the protests in Tunisia and Egypt began, many have celebrated the 'power to the people', the expression of opinions and the impending change. All of that, to a large degree, makes sense. Tunisia and Egypt have had oppressive regimes and the gentleman at the helm of affairs in Egypt has outlived many of our dictators. Hosni Mubarik is insisting that he will 'not stop serving the people' whereas the people seem to have had enough of his service. His humility has been on full

Hope is dying in Jinnah's increasingly apologetic Pakistan
When Imran Khan's 'cornered tigers' won the World Cup 19 years ago, I had a strong hunch we would long remember him and his leadership. The subsequent years proved how Thar-like the yearning has been (save for a T20 bash in the English summer of 2009 but even that was an aberration). The sepia tones of Khan holding aloft the Waterford crystal trophy are now all that we have to rekindle the aspirations of this nation. <br

The US Vice President Mr Biden's recent visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan has intensified the debate about the nature and durability of relations between the two countries. In a PTV program on 14th January 2011, the anchor repeatedly asked the participants if the US would prove to be reliable partner in the future or would once again abandon Pakistan, what its real intentions in befriending Pakistan are etc.
The most interesting issue raised by a statement of the foreign office

Today, America is not only the sole superpower of the world; it is also the leading voice of the West. The recent US visit of the Chinese President Hu Jintao provides an opportunity to look into the history of Sino-West relations because the present is often shaped by the past experiences. Presently, in the Sino-US trade, the Chinese trade surplus is nearly $230 billion. In addition, the Chinese hold almost $ one trillion in US debt. Most analysts predict China to emerge as the

"How do you read the situation?" a friend asked.
"I cannot," I replied. "The pages are blank. Let the imagination run."
"Let it run."
"Anything could happen in a flux. The situation could go many ways. But that doesn't mean that some forces are not trying to channel it towards their own interests."
"Who could they be?"
"Well, America is first. Then there is the army, most likely in tandem with America. The third is the hidebound mullah under the generic name

Veena Malik might not be the flag bearer for traditional feminism, but that does not take away from the fact that she is, in her own way, challenging the limits of the dominant religio-cultural discourse in Pakistan, which seeks to conflate superfluous notions of honour with the female self.
For all intents and purposes, Malik is part of an industry that objectifies women in the crudest, most misogynist manner. But that cannot be held against her in a society that actually