President Asif Ali Zardari gave his second address to parliament today.  Again, it was in English, so a majority of Pakistanis had no idea what he was saying.  Not a great idea since Zardari faces a credibility gap with most Pakistanis, many of whom see him as an American puppet.
Vis-a-vis the Muslim League – Nawaz [...]

Politicians and policymakers love to throw around numbers.  Presented convincingly, they can mask the complexity and dismal nature of the ground reality.  Quantity and dollars spent do not necessarily equal quality, as this video shows.
The presentation, by Journeyman Pictures, shows U.S. Embedded Tactical Trainers (ETTs) and their struggle to weed Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers [...]

Below is the Pakistan-focused second part of “Rethink Afghanistan,” a documentary by Robert Greenwald’s production company, Brave New Films.
The film presents a somewhat diverse spectrum of opinion on Pakistan as it pertains to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.  Its central and most compelling point, which is expressed most clearly at the end by Stephen Kinzer, [...]

Here’s an excerpt from my latest external piece, published at World Politics Review:
A movement led by black-coated lawyers achieved a defining victory for the rule of civil law in Pakistan on Monday with the restoration of illegally deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. This highly popular movement provides an opportunity to strengthen the [...]

POLITICAL STABILITY:

PPP-PML(N) rivalry continues. Bitterness remains high. Trust between the two parties has almost completely eroded.
a. Nationally, there are many outstanding issues between the two major parties. The most important of these is the electoral disqualification of the Sharif brothers.
b. [...]

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Sadly, at least twelve persons were killed in a suicide attack two hours ago in Rawalpindi.  One ‘war’ has effectively ended, but another goes on.
Nonetheless, celebration of the win in the first old war continues.
Right now in neighboring Islamabad, GEO News is hosting a concert by the band Laal to mark the restoration of Chief Justice [...]

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will be restored — without conditions — by an executive order, according to Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N).
The quiet, patient man is on his third life, having been deposed twice previously by former President Pervez Musharraf.  Let’s hope he serves his term completely, without obstruction, [...]