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Thursday November 14, 2024
Amir Hussain
Amir Hussain

  • April 11, 2023

    Land reforms in Gilgit-Baltistan

    This article is divided into two parts. The first part aims to introduce the key features of the proposed Gilgit-Baltistan Land Reforms Act 2023....

  • February 23, 2023

    How to make the KKH safer

    The recent collision between a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus and a private car on the Karakoram Highway near Shatial in Gilgit-Baltistan –...

  • February 11, 2023

    Rethinking GB’s energy

    The energy predicament in Gilgit-Baltistan , characterized by frequent power outages and inadequate voltage supply, poses a significant challenge...

  • February 06, 2023

    Energy in Gilgit-Baltistan

    Gilgit-Baltistan is grappling with a severe energy deficit, which has far-reaching ramifications for its economic and societal progress.From a...

  • January 27, 2023

    Desperation in Sindh

    The 2022 monsoon rains caused a disaster of biblical proportions in Sindh, which is already struggling with issues like lack of good governance and...

  • September 03, 2022

    Inclusive governance : Part - III

    The Local Government Acts for each province, in their current form, provide limited autonomy to local councils, concerning fiscal management and...

  • August 23, 2022

    Inclusive governance: Part - II

    After a short democratic term under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , the military once again got control of state power through General Ziaul Haq’s military...

  • August 19, 2022

    Inclusive governance: Part - I

    The motivation of writing a series of articles on local governance in Pakistan came from an insightful discussion on the subject organized recently...

  • August 13, 2022

    Crisis of political imagination

    It keeps us on our toes to defend the fortress of morality and keep the power of a shrewd politician far away from us. It keeps us engaged in a...

  • January 15, 2022

    Lost in jargon

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.In our era of neo-liberalism, the development...

  • January 05, 2022

    The ills of microfinance

    The conventional wisdom of according an unquestionable role to microfinance in poverty alleviation has recently been challenged partly because there...

  • December 20, 2021

    A watershed moment

    December 16 – which has just passed – prompts reflection, introspection and resolution for political course correction to build a federal...

  • December 08, 2021

    A history of hypocrisy

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.No reasons, explanations or lamentations on...

  • November 27, 2021

    A way out

    What has gone wrong with recent predictions about a possible tussle between the PTI government and state institutions? The controversy over the...

  • October 08, 2021

    Hospitality and tourism in GB

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.Gilgit-Baltistan has become the hub of private...

  • September 16, 2021

    Parents and patriotism

    During my recent visit to Karachi, I happened to talk with an ordinary resident, a father of two, about the dilemmas of conventional patriotism,...

  • August 21, 2021

    The brave Afghan girls

    While a 350,000 strong well-equipped Afghan National Army was disintegrating in the face of the Taliban offensive, a few brave Afghan girls stood...

  • August 06, 2021

    Gilgit-Baltistan matters

    Their beauty on the verge of being defaced and serenity being spoiled due to unplanned and unregulated tourism, the picturesque valleys of...

  • July 30, 2021

    Improving livelihoods

    There is scant authentic research available on alternative and effective rural development approaches in Balochistan. In common development...

  • July 17, 2021

    Resettlement in Tharparkar

    In my article of July 4, 2021 published in these pages as ‘Transition in Tharparkar’, I shared some of my thoughts about the contested nature of...

  • July 04, 2021

    Transition in Tharparkar

    I am writing this piece on the last day of my weeklong enriching journey to the heart of Tharparkar in Sindh. I am pleased to share with readers...

  • June 27, 2021

    War and weak states

    War is the most undesirable action to resolve interstate conflicts. Modern theories of international relations revolve around diplomatic means to...

  • June 19, 2021

    From MDGs to SDGs

    There has been a contested debate over the viability and consistency of policies adopted and actions taken by developing countries to attain the...

  • June 08, 2021

    Voices from Balochistan

    What keeps Balochistan poor was summarized succinctly by a local farmer of District Killa Saifullah while narrating stories of plight: “Our...

  • May 29, 2021

    Towards a new ideology

    Many of us would not believe that the Leviathan state still exists as a political reality in many parts of the world today.The argument goes like...

  • May 22, 2021

    Growth for Balochistan

    In my last article ‘Development for Balochistan’ , I tried to outline an alternative development paradigm for Balochistan as a process of...

  • May 02, 2021

    Development for Balochistan

    Balochistan is 44 percent of Pakistan in terms of its geography and is also the most resource rich province of the country. However, it seems as if...

  • April 17, 2021

    Poverty, politics and peace

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.As a social development professional with 15...

  • April 09, 2021

    The Naltar tragedy and beyond

    The unfortunate incident of an attack on a passenger van and the killing of six people in the picturesque Naltar valley of Gilgit-Baltistan a...

  • March 26, 2021

    Safeguarding involuntary resettlement

    In a previous article on these pages – published on Feb 20, 2021 – I had presented a summary of the evolution of land acquisition laws in...

  • March 20, 2021

    Land acquisition laws in Pakistan

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.Pakistan has always seen conflicts over land...

  • March 15, 2021

    The masculinity of power

    History, in a patriarchal society, is all about romantic indulgence with the past which is full of demons, fairies and witches to be overpowered by...

  • March 05, 2021

    PDM and the Senate

    Following the defeat of the PTI in the by-elections, there has been another shock for the ruling alliance: the PDM’s joint nominee Yousaf Raza...

  • February 26, 2021

    Weak states and war

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.War is the most abominable act committed by a...

  • February 20, 2021

    Understanding Iqbal

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.Commonly referred to as ‘Allama Iqbal – the...

  • February 12, 2021

    Contextualizing climate change

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.In climate change research and practice,...

  • February 02, 2021

    To my dear friend Zain

    January 30, 2021 was a tragic day for those of us who lost a great friend, an upright human being, an avid reader and a Marxist thinker beyond...

  • January 28, 2021

    GB: myth of energy crisis

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.Contrary to the political narrative of...

  • January 22, 2021

    Gilgit-Baltistan: after the elections

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.Amidst claims and counter-claims of transparency...

  • January 11, 2021

    GLOF, vulnerabilities and local action

    In my previous article, ‘Integrating GLOF into policy’ , I argued that increased frequency of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood makes it necessary...

  • January 04, 2021

    Integrating GLOF into policy

    Glaciers are considered to be a water tower for fresh water supply in the world and have become one of the most important subjects of discussion in...

  • November 18, 2020

    A land of unknowns

    It would have been a chilly Saturday with clouds of victory hovering over the defence lines of the Gilgit Scouts on November 1, 1947. It was a...

  • October 25, 2020

    PDM and the Orwellian world

    With all the colours of freedom of choice, liberal democracies have become more stringent and less tolerant of dissent and alternative politics....

  • October 16, 2020

    UNHCR and the refugee crisis

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.According to the UNHCR, there are some 70.8...

  • October 12, 2020

    Mainstreaming Gilgit-Baltistan

    The ongoing discussions about the political mainstreaming of Gilgit-Baltistan has captured media attention across the country. Bringing GB under...

  • October 02, 2020

    Broadening social protection

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.In my last article, ‘BISP and institutional...

  • September 25, 2020

    BISP and institutional reforms

    In the social protection debate we usually play down the role of short-term relief work in alleviating human suffering when emergencies hit, or...

  • September 18, 2020

    Ehsaas and the way forward

    The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.In my previous article, ‘Inclusive social...