Rounded Analysis On Contested Issues; Spotlighting Blind Spots; Politics, Religion, Travel, Books
Biradari or kinship networks partly rooted in the Hindu caste system impact candidate selection, voter behavior, election outcomes in Pakistan's elections, particularly in rural areas of Punjab, which sends 55% of lawmakers to the national assembly
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 Pakistan's top job: 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
Any real challenge to the Pakistani military’s domination, which is linked to a series of events triggered after a new Tory party’s rise to power in London in the late 18th century, is easier said than done
Imran Khan’s falling out with the Pakistani military follows a pattern since the 1960s when Ayub Khan handpicked Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as his foreign minister at 35 in 1963 before the young politician revolted against his mentor two years later for failing to capitalize on the gains in the 1965 war and losing it with India at the negotiation table
Pakistan’s judiciary has had an unenviable record of legitimizing military rulers under the 'doctrine of necessity but has also over the decades managed to stand out by exerting a check on the executive and the military establishment
