On November 9, 2019, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor in a ceremony at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. This Corridor will allow Indian Sikh pilgrims without a visa to visit the Gurdwara which is the last resting place of Nanak Dev, the founding guru of the Sikh religion. At the inauguration of the Corridor, Prime Minister Khan stated, “Pakistan believes that the road to prosperity for the region and bright future of our coming generation lies in … [Read more...]

  Pakistan is in a tough recessional period. Job creation is essential to ending this recession. This is why many citizens were surprised when Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawwad Chaudhry asked the people not to look to the government for jobs stating that it is the private sector’s responsibility to provide employment. If this must be the case, the questions become how many jobs must be created and what can the public and private sector do in partnership to ensure the … [Read more...]

  In the period between September 17 and September 30, most of the 193 U.N. member state countries convened in a General Assembly of the United Nations. At the Assembly, they engaged in discussion, dialogue and debate on a wide range of topics such as development, peace and security, and international law. Since it was established, the U.N. has achieved major success on a number of fronts but the results in peace-keeping and conflict resolution have been mixed. Given this, it is … [Read more...]

  Two of the key points that Imran Khan stressed on August 19, 2018 in his first speech as Prime Minister were an emphasis on peace in the region and progress for the people of Pakistan. As an Indian American, I was heartened by these expressed priorities – recognizing that achieving improved relations with India and an economically stronger Pakistan would bring much more stability to this critical area of the world. I have monitored the performance of the Khan administration and here … [Read more...]

  Pakistan is among the leaders in climate change. Unfortunately, it is leading not in fighting climate change but as being one of the countries most affected by and at risk because of climate change. That’s what Yale’s 2018 Environmental Performance Index revealed. The Index ranked 180 countries in terms of their environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The five countries at the bottom of this list included neighbours India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It should be of little solace … [Read more...]

  Pakistan and India came to the brink of war in February this year when their air-forces clashed following a deadly suicide attack in Indian Kashmir’s Pulwama district. This was frightening because the only rational way forward for these two nuclear armed rivals must be peace and not war. This is the point that Tarun Basu makes in his article for last month’s South Asia Monitor in which he advises that both countries need to acknowledge their mistakes and act in the best interest of … [Read more...]

  Pakistan, under the new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, appears to be repositioning itself to be a regional peacemaker.  This is a positive step in a region that has been conflict torn for decades and where the divisive issues are compound and complex. This repositioning began early in Prime Minister Khan’s tenure when he offered to provide mediation assistance to end the Yemen war.  Early on, he also pledged to hold peace talks with arch-rival India and extended … [Read more...]