The Day After

One day after news of the Jaffar Express hijacking spread like wildfire across Pakistan, the operation has concluded. Thirty-two terrorists were killed, and the vast majority of hostages were safely rescued. This swift and decis...

Attending Balochistan Politically

Years ago, the Centre used to appease Balochistan by extending offers such as the Aghaz-e Haqooq-e Balochistan package of 2009 – to be implemented in three years. This is no longer the case. The Centre is now least interested ...

23-Mar-2025 Read More

SMOKERS’ CORNER: THE BLA RECKONING

In August 1974, one Abdul Majeed Baloch hid himself in a tree with a grenade in hand. The tree was located just outside a venue in Quetta where the then prime minister of Pakistan, Z.A. Bhutto, was holding a public rally. At the...

23-Mar-2025 Read More

NAP it in the bud

Despite the media focus on the reported ‘hard state’ remarks by the army chief at the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) meeting earlier this week, the huddle also saw agreement on a renewal of comprehensive...

23-Mar-2025 Read More

Countering insurgency

The growing intensity of the Baloch insurgency has led to a debate on how to tackle it. Security institutions vow to address it with force, and want to see Pakistan as a “hard state”. On the other hand, sections of the int...

23-Mar-2025 Read More

The breeding ground for terror

KARACHI: Pakistan is once again trapped in a relentless vortex of terrorist violence, with attacks growing more frequent and lethal over the past two years. The country now ranks second on the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) for 20...

23-Mar-2025 Read More