Saleem Akhtar Malik

The United Arab Republic was established on 1 February 1958 as the first step towards a larger pan-Arab state, originally proposed to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser by a group of political and military leaders in Syria.

This “independent-looking" business tycoon cum media baron who had lived peacefully all along Ayub's Martial Law, however, could not pull along with General Yahya Khan who replaced Ayub Khan in April 1969.

The PDM government alleged that it was a conspiracy by Imran Khan and his party to further destabilize the country which is already on the tenterhooks and, to create a civil- war like situation, pitting the military against the people of Pakistan

Starting in the 1950s, American diplomats were gradually allowed to play the role of kingmakers. Pakistanis, to this day, as a gesture of ridicule, refer to the US ambassador in Pakistan as the “viceroy”.

Severe internet connectivity issues were reported across the country’s big cities in the week following the arrest of a popular politician on cooked-up charges. Protests erupted throughout the country after the arrest.

The present politico-economic turmoil in Pakistan provides breeding grounds for centrifugal forces, particularly in the restive Balochistan province. Presently, Balochistan is ripe for foreign intervention.

While the Kartarpur Corridor is operationalized, ostensibly to facilitate the Indian Sikhs, one should not ignore that Qadian, the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, the Punjabi prophet, is located just 45.5 km to the east of Kartarpur.

Pakistan rejected the Indian claim and said that the PAF did not suffer any losses in the dogfight. One IAF Mil Mi-17 helicopter was also lost due to a friendly fire incident.