Entries for 'Umar'

The army and judiciary need to remove the irritants which have clouded the once strategic relationship between the two institutions; which kept the ship of the state afloat despite many diehard challenges, political demagoguery involved in rampant corruption and bureaucratic betrayal of state structure.

Pakistan’s one major problem is political insularity especially our failure to embrace a merit based and depoliticized civil service and institutions; a corruption free and progressive taxation, a dynamic good governance based strictly on rule by Law. We cling to antiquated ideas of mughal-e-azam notion of governance; where dissent is treated as treason which carries death penalty for punishment. The power flows from the divine right of kings; meaning thereby that the ruler is always right and can never ever do anything wrong. We have failed in everything, from respecting a traffic signal to embracing market based globalism.

Imran Khan is a name that comes up often in political debates among people affiliated with Pakistan. In times of trouble many see him as a ray of hope in a jungle of darkness. Others however, have accused him of playing popular politics, not taking a stance on important issues, and – when I heard this it blew my mind – being a terrorist sympathiser.

This massive disconnect and the glaring absence of a broad-based national narrative provides the conducive environments for a select group and coterie to seize and exercise the political clout; something I frequently refer to as “The Mindset of 1935: Pakistan’s Achilles Heels” (TheNation 10/1/2010).

PTI Rawalpindi launches its FIRST Newsletter. Complete newsletter (in PDF) is available at: PTI Rawalpindi Newsletter

Raymond Davis’ firing spree is no surprise. This was the unsaid message of Obama’s third surge and comes to pass with alacrity like many other violent incidents in Pakistan; drones escalation to the use of banned sectarian outfits and undercover sting operations.

The progress of a country's revenue generation directly depends on the growth of its economy and the fairness of its tax collectors to deliver. However, at the broadest and lowest level of this enforcement lie a mass of people with different ideas, idiosyncrasies, historical traditions and daily experiences. This diversity is intertwined at the very top with governance manifested by its politicians, establishment, enforcement and intellectuals. Consequently, the tax culture of a country will always take the colour of its top tier.