(By Mohsin Tanveer) The two-day visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Washington, culminating on 19 November 2025, will be recorded as one of the most consequential diplomatic events in the modern history of US–Gulf relations. Against the backdrop of a red-carpet welcome, fighter-jet flyover, and a black-tie dinner attended by global…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) It is August 2025. A young woman in Lahore switches on the fan; nothing happens—another eight-hour load-shedding. In Karachi, sewage flows openly in the street outside a private school that charges Rs 90,000 a month. In Quetta, a bright Baloch engineering graduate boards a bus to the Iranian border—he has a Canadian…
(By Quratulain Khalid) The recent sentencing of Sheikh Hasina Wajed to death by a Dhaka tribunal on November 17, 2025, marks a poetic yet overdue reckoning. This verdict, handed down in absentia for her role in the brutal 2024 crackdown that claimed over 800 lives, exposes the fragility of her so-called “iron-clad” rule and the…
(By Khalid Masood) I. Introduction On the morning of November 14, 2025, Patna’s counting centers turned into theatres of disbelief. As the NDA’s tally surged past 200 seats, shell-shocked RJD workers gathered outside the strong rooms shouting “EVM chor hain!” In Muzaffarpur, an elderly woman—her calloused hands clutching a State Bank passbook—summed up the election…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) The State of Pakistani Politics Today In Pakistan, a nation founded on the ideals of Islamic justice and self-determination, politics has become synonymous with betrayal, corruption, and self-enrichment. According to the common perception, the current phase of political activity is in the hands of people who are so self-serving and devoid of…
(By Quratulain Khalid) In Pakistan, where cultural emphasis on medicine and engineering has long defined “success,” a seismic shift is underway. Parents across the region, from bustling Karachi to the serene valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, still envision their children’s futures through the lens of white coats and hard hats. Yet, as the world hurtles toward…
(By Mohsin Tanveer) Introduction The integrity of a legislative body is paramount to a functioning democracy, yet in countries like Pakistan, the indirect election process for the upper house—the Senate—has been consistently plagued by allegations of vote-buying and “horse-trading.” This practice, where wealthy individuals allegedly purchase their seats by paying huge sums to electors (Members…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) I. Introduction Afghanistan, a landlocked country situated at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, has long relied on its neighbors for trade. Pakistan, in particular, has historically been a key trading partner. However, recent political tensions, economic grievances, and security concerns have prompted the Afghan government to announce a decision to stop all trade…
(By Khalid Masood) In the rugged terrains of South Waziristan, near the volatile Afghan border, a nightmare from Pakistan’s past nearly repeated itself on the night of November 10, 2025. What began as a brazen assault on Cadet College Wana—a premier institution grooming the nation’s future military leaders—unfolded into a tense, hours-long siege that tested…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction The question of disarming Hamas stands at the heart of one of the most enduring and volatile conflicts of the modern world. Since the group’s formation in the late 1980s, Hamas has evolved from a religious-political movement into a multifaceted force that governs, resists, and survives. Every major military escalation in…
