PEACE CANNOT SURVIVE ON DENIAL
The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan is no longer confined to diplomatic disagreements or the movement of goods across a shared frontier. It has become a question of…
The Public Purview
Dr Zafar Khan Safdar
THE HUMAN COST OF OUR PEACE
Pakistan’s fight against terrorism is often described through numbers, military operations and territorial gains. But behind every security briefing lies a more painful reality…
A FUTURE DENIED: HOW PAKISTAN IS FAILING ITS CHILDREN
A country’s priorities are written into its budget long before they become visible in its future. They can be seen in the classrooms its…
THE WAGE THAT CANNOT BUY A LIVING
Every morning before sunrise, thousands of factory workers and daily-wage earners across Pakistan leave their homes to begin twelve-hour shifts. They return long after…
THE POPULIST CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRACY
Democracy often erodes gradually, as public frustration deepens, political divisions harden and institutions lose their capacity to restrain those in power. Populism gains ground…
BENEATH THE RUBBLE: A NATIONAL RECKONING FOR SCHOOL SAFETY
On the morning of October 15, parents in Peshawar sent their children to school with the simple, unquestioned hope that they would return home…
PAKISTAN’S MISSING EXPORT ECONOMY
Dr Zafar Khan Safdar Pakistan has spent decades trying to increase its exports, yet it has never fully resolved a more fundamental question. Why…
FILTERING THE FUTURE: A DIGITAL ECONOMY ON AN UNSTABLE INTERNET
For a growing number of Pakistanis, the internet is no longer a place they visit. It is where they work. A software engineer in…
FRAUD BEHIND THE HEADSETS: THE CALL CENTRE SCAMS
Pakistan has become a destination not only for legitimate foreign investors, students and workers, but apparently for foreign nationals who can enter the country,…
BORN WITH A DEBT
Every Pakistani citizen now carries a debt of roughly Rs325,000. A newborn carries it. A labourer carries it. A pensioner carries it. Even the…