MAY 2021

THE RUSSIA-CHINA-PAKISTAN TROIKA A partnership that can change the world During the Cold-War era, India was non-aligned. However, because of the hostile US stance, it was forced to engage with erstwhile Soviet Union for weapons supplies and other help in the UNSC. India has been battling the US trade and technology sanctions since 1974 onwards following the Pokhran nuclear test/explosion. …

The Covid Vaccination and CSR People are being vaccinated against Covid-19 pandemic very systematically across the globe but, ironically, there is a huge amount of reluctance, reservations and distrust. From its authenticity to efficacy, people are in a continuous state of indecision. At one hand, there have been earnest supplications to find the antidote to this venomous contagion and, on …

Securitization of Water Issue in Pakistan The securitization of water resources demands vigilant perception of threat, a robust mechanism for securitization moves and some extraordinary measures to counter that. In this piece, this scribe has tried to contextualize the need of securitization of water scarcity in Pakistan. To begin the discourse, it is pertinent to highlight the need for perception …

PUNISHING RAPISTS Lessons Learnt From Motorway Rape Case On aggressive media outcry, all the components of the criminal justice system responded to the case. The unsecured space of the newly-developed motorway – that was not being policed earlier – was secured overnight and all the bureaucratic wrangling on its legalese came to an abrupt end. Provincial police, i.e. the Punjab …

New Strides in Pak-Russia Relations A Primer on Russian Foreign Minister’s Visit to Pakistan Overview Relations between Pakistan and Russia have undergone transformation in recent years, thanks to the new alignments and strategic realities. The rapprochement between the former Cold War rivals began in 2011 when Pakistan’s relationship with the US hit the rock bottom. At that time, a decision …

Global Gender Gap Report 2021 and Pakistan We have witnessed an increased presence of women in almost every field of life; from politics to sports; from education to civil services of Pakistan, and so on. Gender quotas in politics and civil services have helped many a women to come to the mainstream. The government has also taken various steps for …

From Tax Exemptions to Tax Credits A Paradigm Shift Tax authorities in Pakistan are struggling to put in place a balanced tax policy for taxation of income, goods and services. Recently, on March 22, 2021, the government has implemented the Tax (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, to secure $500 million tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Through this Ordinance, the …

Diplomacy in the Age of Twitter ‘Media pervasiveness’ as the scholars call it, is an undeniable fact of life. Be it the launch of attacks on Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden stealth operation in Abottabad or Tahrir Square uprising in Egypt, they are stark reminders of the immense power at the disposal of media to cover real-time actions. The impact of …

Role of Decentralization, Delegation and De-concentration of Powers in PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY Power is distributed among different organs of a state in a manner that no organ may intervene in the exercise of power by the other – a hallmark of modern democracy. The executive is responsible to facilitate and provide amenities of life to the masses and also make …

US-China Strategic Competition under Joe Biden In late 2017, China–US relations shifted dramatically when the Trump administration officially labelled China as a strategic competitor. Many believe strategic competition will continue to define the relationship under the Biden administration. China–US strategic competition under the Trump administration was rather malign. First, it was a competition to undermine rather than outperform the other. …