Ok, he’s not hosting Saturday Night Live, but Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will be accepting — in person  – an honorary membership of the New York City Bar Association on November 17th.  Chaudhry was given the honor in absentia in January, when he was under house arrest. The event is free and open to the public.  It [...]

The Balochistan province of Pakistan was hit by a strong earthquake this morning.  The death toll, currently at around 200, is expected to rise.  Over 15,000 are homeless.  Night temperatures in the area approach freezing. The hardest hit city, Ziarat, was home to Quaid-e Azam in his last months.  The structure of his summer residence, [...]

Sense and sanity, so it seems, are slowly infusing into the policy making and debate on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Six developments in recent weeks provide some encouragement (though each is not without its flaws): 1) The Saudi-sponsored talks between the Afghan Taliban and Karzai’s government A smart strategy would be to: continue to engage the [...]

Asif Zardari’s quest to consolidate power in Pakistan proceeds without much political opposition. Today, he replaced the retiring Chief of Navy Admiral Afzal Tahir with Vice Admiral (now Admiral) Noman Bashir, who superseded Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Asaf Humayun. Admiral Bashir also happens to be the brother of the Zardari-appointed foreign secretary, Salman Bashir,  [...]

Police prevented an assassination attempt on ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan today in Charsadda, NWFP. A suicide bomber was shot in the head as he tried to make his way into a gathering (hujra) at Wali Bagh led by Khan. The bomber released the trigger upon his death, setting off the blast. At least five [...]