Debate of the week

Pakistan’s fiscal standing has been at a crucial stand-point ever since the current democratic government came into power. Even though foreign reserves have increased stably, partly due to record remittances, the rupee still fights a depreciating trend and the country faces a huge fiscal deficit, largely on the back of excessive government borrowing. The government’s domestic debt has jumped by 67 per cent to 5.462 trillion rupees since the PPP...

Inspired by the Wall Street rallies that began on September 17, protestors worldwide have joined in the movement against financiers and politicians they accuse of ruining global economies. Dozens of cities across the world, including London, Frankfurt, Washington Australia, Tokyo and Hong Kong, are holding demonstrations today in a show of solidarity with “Occupy Wall Street”, which is being coined as the “people powered movement for democracy.” According...

First it was the Sitara-e-Imtiaz awards that our government gave out so generously to numerous people that barely deserved them. Now, we are faced with the reality of knowing that our very own Interior Minister Rehman Malik has received an honourary degree of Doctorate from the Karachi University. What’s more shocking than the fact that Malik is now Dr. Malik, is the reason given to explain why he was chosen: The degree has been awarded in recognition...

“…involved in corruption, committing irregularities and serious violation of law and indulging in favouritism and discrimination.” This is the introduction to Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new chairman Zaka Ashraf, at least according to a petition filed against him in the Supreme Court by a senior officer of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) of which Ashraf is the serving chairman. Quite an enviable track record (details...

Although Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated that the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and India will not affect ties with Pakistan, it is clear that this has already started being perceived with suspicion. The dynamics of the region, the tension between the two neighbours and the US-led war on terror could possibly lead to further obstacles aggravated by this pact. Karzai said that Pakistan is a “twin brother” and India is...

Violent riots broke out in Lahore and other cities in Punjab after prolonged power outages. The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) has been criticised for instigating these riots. The party encouraged its workers to join the protests against the outages but subsequently failed to protect public property. The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) boosted its supplies in a bid to deflate the PML-N’s plans to capitalise on the crisis, which...

Pakistan announced its test squad for its upcoming series against Sri Lanka in UAE on Sunday and while the team wore a familiar look, there were a few notable inclusions and omissions. Aizaz Cheema, who impressed on his debut in Zimbabwe recently, got the nod ahead of Tanvir Ahmed in the 15-man team. Ahmed, who has been a consistent performer for Pakistan in the absence of the banned Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and has played a good foil to Umar...

With the vast majority of dengue cases initially plaguing Punjab, almost half the districts in Sindh are also in the grip of the mosquito-borne fever now. There have been 116 deaths and more than 10,000 infections in the city of Lahore alone. Whereas, the latest figures released by Sindh’s provincial dengue surveillance cell showed that 567 patients suffering from dengue fever were admitted to various public and private hospitals in Karachi...

In a surprising development, India has agreed to support EU’s trade concession package for Pakistan, something it had vetoed previously. They have termed it as one of the “big-ticket concessions”, in return of efforts for enhancement of bilateral trade between the two countries. A statement issued by the commerce ministry in Islamabad said that Pakistan and India had agreed to work jointly to double their bilateral trade from the current $2.7...

It is heartening to see a tiny school running in the streets of Heera Mandi; the promise of an education for the children of commercial sex workers. These children are ostracised by society; rejected by default even before they develop personalities and relationships. The “Apni Taleem” project by SHEED, an NGO working in the locality for the uplift of sex workers and their children, offers a one-year foundation course that allows students to read...