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Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. On Sunday, three workers of the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) and one Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant were killed during an exchange of fire between the two sides in Mamond tehsil, Bajaur Agency. The clash erupted after TTP men arrested the son of TNSM Bajaur chapter chief Dr Ismail Khan, who is a close aide of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, as well as 15 workers on Saturday...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. On Thursday, United Nations nuclear inspectors in North Korea left the country amid an escalating standoff over the regime’s April 5 rocket launch. Earlier this week, North Korea withdrew from an international nuclear disarmament deal and claimed that ongoing six-party nuclear talks ‘have become useless’. The expulsions and decision to restart the Yongbyon nuclear...

Phase one of India’s month-long parliamentary elections kicks off on April 16. The 714-million-strong electorate appears to be split between myriad parties and their competing platforms, with the result that analysts predict a new government hamstrung by coalition politics. What do you think are the issues that will be on Indian voters’ minds when they go to the polls? Employment? The economy? Communal issues? Or India’s global standing?

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current topics on this forum. Sufi Islam has recently been coming under attack across the country. A number of shrine caretakers in Sindh have been mysteriously murdered. Last week, in Buner, Taliban militants locked down Pir Baba’s shrine and continue to guard its entrance. Last month, Sufi mystic Rehman Baba’s shrine in the outskirts of Peshawar was bombed by militants. What explains these assaults on...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. US Senator John Kerry arrived in Pakistan on Monday to discuss a proposed bill envisaging US$1.5 billion of economic assistance per year to Pakistan over the next five years. During his visit, Senator Kerry, who is also the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will touch on regional and security issues in meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister...

Dawn.com invites readers to debate current affairs in this forum. On Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari called upon the government to take the appropriate steps to implement the Charter of Democracy. The CoD has many points on its agenda, including the removal of undesirable powers to the president that he enjoys under the 17th constitutional amendment as well as the restoration of the constitution as it stood in 1973. President Zardari has described...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. Pakistan rejected on Tuesday a US proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas against terrorism and militancy as differences of opinion between the two countries over various aspects of the war on terror emerged. The proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas had been floated by US presidential envoy for the region Richard Holbrooke and Joint Chief of Staffs Admiral...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. The United States’ new Afghanistan policy focuses on targeting Al Qaeda and ensuring that attacks against the West are stopped. As part of the new strategy, the US is planning to engage Taliban militants who have comparatively moderate views and are willing to lay down their arms. According to US National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones, moderate Taliban include those militants...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. By now, most Pakistanis have seen the video of a teenaged girl being flogged by Taliban militants in Swat. The footage, captured on a mobile phone, has angered the nation and provoked condemnation and calls for inquiries among government circles. That said, there are some elements, such as a leader of the Awami National Party, who claim the video release is aimed at undermining...

Dawn.com invites its readers to share their memories of April 4, 1979, in this forum. Thirty years ago, the nation awoke to learn that ex-Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had been hanged in Rawalpindi’s central jail. Although most Pakistanis were expecting Mr Bhutto to face severe punishment, no one was prepared for what happened at 2:00 a.m. on April 4, after all the mercy petitions made to General Ziaul Haq were rejected. Gruesome details...