Pakistan is no stranger to whirlwinds – indeed many would argue it is always in the eye of the storm. While, in March, the country was rocked by the post-Pulwama effects – closing its airspace as people across the country slept to the sounds of overflying military aircraft – then in April, the government suffered a tornado of its own making as Imran Khan ousted his star opening batsman Asad Umar.
We at Global Village Space had interviewed Asad for September issue and we had declared him to be the “Man in the Eye of the Storm”. Another significant drop from the team was Fawad Chaudhury; if in Asad Umar case inefficiency was cited as the reason then in Fawad’s case it was his bluster and “over efficiency” in defending his government that earned him the wrath of many around the Prime Minister.
Our issue this month looks at what is happening in Pakistan and our special feature, “Challenges of Governance” by Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Editor Global Village Space, explains how and why William Shakespeare’s unforgettable lines “tired, sick, guilty and beset by rebellion, King Henry IV is feeling the weight of his crown…uneasy lies the head that wears the crown..” now apply to Imran Khan’s first eight-month in power – as he confronts one challenge after the other.
Amir Zia, Chief Editor Hum News, dissects the current public debate over the 18th amendment and points out the anomalies that exist and why the arguments for fixing these need to be distinguished from the ambitions of the politicians who are hijacking the discourse for personal reasons.
On the economic front, Dr. Waqar Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former Finance Secretary, who has spent decades fixing nuts of bolts of country’s economy argues that Pakistan faces a critical juncture as it enters the latest IMF program; hence it should seek the maximum assistance possible.
The World Bank has been Pakistan’s important stakeholder since 1952; we sat down with its pro-innovation country director, Patchumuthu Illango, to understand the intricacies of his work and Pakistan’s challenges for development. From Delhi, Sanjay Kapoor, Editor Hard News, characterizes the 2019 Indian general election as one in which India is fighting for its very soul.
He points out that Pulwama appears to have strengthened all those ideologues who believe in majoritarianism but promises that all is still not lost. Dr. Zafar Jaspal, Professor International Relations at Quaid-e-Azam University, alerts us that nuclear undertakings by India post-Pulwama indicate that it is now willing to forego its “No-First Use (NFU)” policy on nuclear weapons.
Finally, in light of revelations that Israeli experts were present alongside Indians in Rajasthan during the Balakot strike, Jan Achakzai, former Advisor to the government, argues that Pakistan needs to move out of its blinkered horse policy towards Israel and recognize the reality that Israel is a strategically important power in the Middle East – a country that Pakistan needs to engage with. Enjoy reading and do give us your feedback.
Najma Minhas
Managing Editor