Bharatiya Janata Party’s projection as the only bulwark against the belligerent neighbour Pakistan and its alleged allies within has paid rich political dividends to India’s ruling party, making any breakthrough in hostile ties between the two countries increasingly difficult
Poor leadership choices and nepotism stemming from long-standing dynastic political culture have hindered effective governance in Pakistan and, among other things, contributed to the Pakistani economic crisis from 2022 to 2024
Krishna Kumari Kohli smashed three glass ceilings as a woman from a poor family of Pakistani Hindu Dalits when she became a senator on Pakistan People’s Party ticket from a general seat
Prohibition in Pakistan has been relaxed over the years with provincial governments granting more permits to individuals and hotels to sell alcohol amid a debate on the benefits of the liquor ban
By 2016, Pakistan emerged among the top five overseas markets for Bollywood films, which fuelled a multiplex boom in that country and also helped revive a comatose Pakistani movie industry
From Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor to Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, Indian film stars have ruled hearts in both India and Pakistan but only a handful enjoyed the level of adulation that Madhuri Dixit did across the divide
Urdu-Speaking Muhajirs accounted for 3.5 percent of united Pakistan’s population in the 1960s but they occupied 21 percent of the positions in the civil services that helped them shape the country in its infancy including through the adoption of their mother tongue as the national language
The Pakistan Peoples Party has faced criticism for dynastic politics and corruption but its history of promoting women to top positions, including Benazir Bhutto as the first woman Prime Minister, and inclusive values remain its redeeming factors
One Prime Minister ended up losing his life and another almost spent the rest of it behind bars despite thinking they covered all the bases for having the right man for arguably Pakistan’s top job—the Army chief
That Punjabis have dominated Pakistan’s armed forces is common knowledge but this has not necessarily been true about its leadership with Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking Muhajirs having punched above their weight in leading the army
