‘Neither the begging bowl has been broken nor 5 million jobs and 100m houses provided’ Farman Ali Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government has miserably failed to fulfill its electoral promises. The dream of a “change” has shattered within a year. Unless structural and drastic changes are made in state policies, power structure and fair distribution of wealth and resources are ensured, any …

Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to provide relief to citizens when he came to power last year, but his government has only added to their miseries, says Harris Khalique. by Harris Khalique When Imran Khan was elected as Pakistan’s prime minister on August 17, 2018, some Pakistanis saw him as the the best option, but others saw Khan as a messiah, …

Dr Asim Sajjad IT is undoubtedly true that Pakistan has been looted and plundered by ruling elites for the best part of its existence, that our collective history would read very differently if this looted wealth had instead been used to meet people’s needs, and that finding ways and means to arrest the use of public office for private gain …

Awami Workers Party in collaboration with Senior Journalists Forum is holding a public dialogue to offer a national alternative approach to Pakistan’s economic crisis next week   Herald Report Pakistan is set to begin its 13th International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme since the late 1980s, purportedly to curb twin deficits and structurally adjust the economy to ‘promote long term growth, …

Aasim Sajjad Akhtar Many readers will recognise that the title of this column is borrowed from an online marketplace that is increasingly popular in Pakistan. This refrain is emblematic of the ideas that dominate our society and world, ideas that most of us endorse uncritically on a daily basis. My question is: what’s the difference between the slogan ‘Bech de!’ …

Displaced from their land by multinational mining companies, nomadic herders defied the odds to preserve their heritage for future generations by Rod Austin Just 10 years ago, the district of Khanbogd, in southern Mongolia’s Omnogovi province, was a barely known region of eastern Asia. That changed with the discovery of gold and copper deposits below the seemingly endless Gobi desert, home to a …

Professional bodies of teachers, students, workers, doctors and political activists reject IMF’s bailout  prescriptions, cut in PSDP Herald Report Academics, students, workers, young doctors and progressive activists have rejected the proposed plan of privatisation of key sectors of education, health and cut in education budget.  The recent decisions of privatizing health sectors and cut in budget for Higher Education Commission …

Five books that students, scholars, academics and researchers who are interested in contemporary Pakistan should read, recommends Dr Ammar Ali Jan   Pakistan Day is celebrated today to commemorate the Lahore resolution (later termed Pakistan Resolution) passed at Muslim League’s annual session held from the 22nd to the 24th of March, 1940. Such occasions provide a good opportunity to reflect …

Do we want recognition or should we focus on ending our growing social marginalization and economic inequality? Sultan Abbas Outsiders perceive Hunzukutz (people of Hunza) as a closely-knit community, rarely mingling with others, mostly self-absorbed and largely boasting of their marginal achievements. This self-delusional culture has allowed the evolution of an internal competition on flimsy and superficial pretexts. We appear …

Pervez Hoodbhoy BANGLADESH is not some Scandinavian heaven. It is poor and overpopulated, undereducated and corrupt, frequented by natural catastrophes, experiences occasional terrorism, and the farcical nature of its democracy was exposed in the December 2018 elections. But the earlier caricature of a country on life support disappeared years ago. Today, some economists say it shall be the next Asian …