Rifaat Hamid Ghani

Democratic exchange

WHETHER the completion of this government’s tenure is indeed a reinforcement of the democratic process will only be known if it is voted out when national elections are held. Published 16 Apr, 2012 12:10am

Debating corruption

IT is a pity the government was so evasive of the Swiss case and fought shy of uncapping it. For the resultant... Published 15 Jun, 2010 12:00am

Amending hype and hope

IT is not possible to think of the 18th Amend- ment without thinking of the precedents and traditions it follows.... Published 25 Apr, 2010 12:00am

Conspiracy game

WE cannot wish away fixations in our neurotic polity (which also features some rather outstanding psychopaths and... Published 08 Mar, 2010 12:00am

Post-NRO ball game

ONE should make allowances for the PPP leadership. Not only was the more operative co-chairman long cut off from the... Published 18 Jan, 2010 12:00am

Debate on the bill

RECENTLY, freedom of speech has been speaking much of past lies and deceptions in Pakistan`s civil and military... Published 12 Oct, 2009 12:00am

Northern Crown lifts Super Cup at LRC

LAHORE, Oct 11 Fancied dark-bay colt Northern Crown lived up to his top breeding credentials powering to victory in... Published 12 Oct, 2009 12:00am

A law that should go

WHY are the blasphemy laws still on the book? Parliament is sovereign; there is official and public consensus that ... Published 21 Aug, 2009 12:00am

The PPP after Benazir

THE PPP is irrefutably the federal leader party-wise and irrefutably democratically elected, insofar as elections... Published 29 Jul, 2009 12:00am

The quicksand of war

IT is of course politically incorrect to say it is not our war. Factually correct is that we make it more and more... Published 18 Jul, 2009 12:00am

Not a failed state

PERHAPS the most worrisome aspect of any crisis in Pakistan is the fact that the government does not inspire enough... Published 11 May, 2009 12:00am

Is chaos to follow terror?

The ISI syndrome. Not only do Pakistan`s politicians have it, Americans have it too. Difficulties in the`quash... Published 20 Apr, 2009 12:00am

No room for failure

WHEN considering the long march we should think not just in terms of kilometres from Lahore to the federal capital... Published 14 Mar, 2009 12:00am

Terror politics

THAT terrorism is a political tool is obvious. Yet, engulfed by outrage at the terrorist`s inhumanity, it is easy to... Published 05 Jan, 2009 12:00am

Founders, martyrs, keepers

IT should have been a founding anniversary that vindicated. But vindicating the democratic transition into the PPP`s... Published 15 Dec, 2008 12:00am

Abstinence is not enough

OUTSTANDING in the mess the gentleman who just vacated the president`s office left is the ambivalence of what lies... Published 02 Sep, 2008 12:00am

The sweets of power

AT the penultimate moment, Gen (retd) Musharraf stepped down. It is true that he has spared us much agonising by... Published 22 Aug, 2008 12:00am

The electoral backdrop

BENAZIR Bhutto`s elimination from the scene has made an enormous political difference in that we no longer know ... Published 04 Feb, 2008 12:00am

The LFO and beyond

IF PAKISTANIS ask what aborts their democratic governments, they might ask even more pertinently what impels their... Published 15 Dec, 2003 12:00am