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The Sea-Based Nuclear Trap: Why India's Maritime Triad Threatens South Asian Stability

The Sea-Based Nuclear Trap: Why India's Maritime Triad Threatens South Asian Stability

New Delhi's recent operationalisation of its maritime nuclear leg, with at least 12 warheads deployed on its SSBN fleet, marks a perilous turning...

latest 10

The Friday Times

Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja

One Window, No View

One Window, No View

Pakistan has been installing investment windows since 1989. Each arrived with an announcement, a mandate, and the implicit promise that the previous...

latest 40

The Friday Times

Irsa Bilal

The Price Of Unending Power Ambitions

The Price Of Unending Power Ambitions

Power is an undeniable reality which can be used and misused. Unending power ambitions are rooted in human nature, which tends to cause destruction....

yesterday 20

The Friday Times

Dr Moonis Ahmar

The Price Of Water Will Be Judged At The Tail

The Price Of Water Will Be Judged At The Tail

At the farm gate, a government demand notice never arrives as an economic theory. It arrives as another bill. That is why Punjab’s revised abiana is...

yesterday 20

The Friday Times

Mohsin Leghari

The Time Has Come To Raise The Cost For Afghanistan's Taliban

The Time Has Come To Raise The Cost For Afghanistan's Taliban

The attack on the Sindh Rangers facility in Karachi is a warning Pakistan cannot afford to dismiss. Security forces prevented what could have been a...

yesterday 30

The Friday Times

Ishtiaq Ahmad

Reciprocal Radicalisation In Global Media

Reciprocal Radicalisation In Global Media

In a recent column for Quillette — an Australian online publication — philosopher Maarten Boudry described how a Flemish public broadcaster...

yesterday 20

The Friday Times

Mohammad Nafees

Pakistan’s Focus Should Be On Resolving Domestic Issues

Pakistan’s Focus Should Be On Resolving Domestic Issues

If a country is domestically stable, with economic vibrancy, good governance, and the rule of law, then it makes sense for it to engage in mediation...

saturday 150

The Friday Times

Dr Moonis Ahmar

Saving Rawal Before It Is Too Late

Saving Rawal Before It Is Too Late

We write as concerned citizens on a matter that deserves the Prime Minister's direct, personal attention: the slow collapse of the watershed that...

saturday 20

The Friday Times

Engineer Arshad H Abbasi

Why Militancy Persists In Pakistan's Merged Districts

Why Militancy Persists In Pakistan's Merged Districts

On June 24, personnel of the Bomb Disposal Unit and police in Upper South Waziristan successfully defused an improvised explosive device in the...

saturday 40

The Friday Times

Adnan Khan Mehsood

Education Spending: The Declining Trend Persists

Education Spending: The Declining Trend Persists

The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025–26 opens its chapter on education with an encouraging portrayal of the country's educational progress,...

saturday 100

The Friday Times

Dr Shahid Siddiqui

Underneath Global War On Drugs: Profits, Power And Narcoterrorism

Underneath Global War On Drugs: Profits, Power And Narcoterrorism

June 26 marks the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),...

saturday 40

The Friday Times

Dr. Ikramul Haq

The Art Of The Possible: Why Diplomacy Is Pakistan's Core Development Strategy

The Art Of The Possible: Why Diplomacy Is Pakistan's Core Development Strategy

In the brittle, anxious summer of 2026, the world watches as the Middle East teeters on a precipice. The recent conflict between the United States and...

26.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Mir Fahad Gabol

After The War: The Battle For The New Middle East

After The War: The Battle For The New Middle East

Wars may end with a ceasefire, but strategic contests rarely do. They simply move from the battlefield to diplomacy, political influence, and the...

26.06.2026 60

The Friday Times

Ishtiaq Ahmad

Why India Must Lead South Asia Toward Regional Integration

Why India Must Lead South Asia Toward Regional Integration

The debate over the future of US–India relations carries a lesson that reaches well beyond Washington and New Delhi. If the strategic assumptions...

26.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Umer Bhatti

A Climate Budget That Doesn't Believe In Climate

A Climate Budget That Doesn't Believe In Climate

In April, Pakistan signed its first-ever bilateral carbon market agreement with Norway under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, a deal described as a...

25.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Nadia Tahir

The Cost Of Stability In Pakistan's Provincial Finances

The Cost Of Stability In Pakistan's Provincial Finances

The combined provincial budgets presented in June amount to nearly Rs. 12.7 trillion for the fiscal year 2026–27. Excluding personnel salaries,...

25.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Dr Madiha Riaz

The Muslim World's Sovereignty Problem

The Muslim world possesses nearly every ingredient associated with national strength. It commands vast energy resources, occupies some of the...

25.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

M Shaban Uppal

Pakistan's Quiet Crisis Of Trust

Pakistan's Quiet Crisis Of Trust

Societies rarely decline dramatically. More often, decline arrives quietly—through small compromises, tolerated wrongs, and the gradual erosion of...

24.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

M Shaban Uppal

Between Populism And Pragmatism: Would Pakistan’s Diplomatic Opening Look Different Under Imran Khan?

Between Populism And Pragmatism: Would Pakistan’s Diplomatic Opening Look Different Under Imran Khan?

Pakistan’s reported role in facilitating renewed communication between Washington and Tehran has done what such moments always do in Islamabad: it...

24.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Saad Hafiz

Pakistan's Diplomatic Ascendancy: Managing Crisis In An Age Of Global Disorder

Pakistan's Diplomatic Ascendancy: Managing Crisis In An Age Of Global Disorder

History rarely announces the arrival of a new diplomatic actor with fanfare. More often, states rise in influence gradually through a succession of...

24.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Syed Khawar Mehdi

Pakistan Has Done Iran A Great Favour. Is Tehran Ready To Return It?

Pakistan Has Done Iran A Great Favour. Is Tehran Ready To Return It?

President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Pakistan was remarkable not only for the warmth of the welcome he received but also for what it revealed...

24.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Ishtiaq Ahmad

What Has The Iran War Fundamentally Changed?

What Has The Iran War Fundamentally Changed?

Following the question posed in the title of this piece, the next one is: how ready is Pakistan to align with the new realities that have emerged in...

23.06.2026 60

The Friday Times

Dr. Hasan Zafar

Afghanistan: Who Pays The Price, And Who Plays The Game

Afghanistan: Who Pays The Price, And Who Plays The Game

The characterisation of Afghanistan as the graveyard of empires has long depicted it as an exceptional site where major powers repeatedly fail. While...

23.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Mohsin Durrani

Pakistan’s Water Future Hinges On What Lies Beneath Its Rivers

Pakistan’s Water Future Hinges On What Lies Beneath Its Rivers

For decades, the national debate on water has kept circling the same set of concerns: how much is coming in, when floods will arrive, how many dams...

23.06.2026 80

The Friday Times

Riaz Missen

Not A Single Drop More: Why The Indus Waters Treaty Cannot Be Unilaterally Held In Abeyance

Not A Single Drop More: Why The Indus Waters Treaty Cannot Be Unilaterally Held In Abeyance

In 1960, when Eugene Black and the World Bank brokered the Indus Waters Treaty, they did not simply settle a dispute between two new states. They...

22.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Engineer Arshad H Abbasi

Nobody Inaugurates Maintenance

Nobody Inaugurates Maintenance

Every government likes to build. A new building earns a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A new bridge becomes a headline. A new hospital is hailed as a symbol...

22.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Mohsin Leghari

Lake Lucerne Summit: Headway In US-Iran Relations Not Seen In Decades

Lake Lucerne Summit: Headway In US-Iran Relations Not Seen In Decades

The first session of high-level talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), concluded in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, represents a...

22.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Omar Quraishi

The Risks Behind India's Growing Nuclear Arsenal

The Risks Behind India's Growing Nuclear Arsenal

The recent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) policy document (2026) clearly indicates that India has been deploying 12 nuclear...

22.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Dr. Zafar Khan

Benazir – A Matchless Leader

Benazir – A Matchless Leader

The first child of Z. A. Bhutto and Begum Nusrat was born on this day, 21st June 1952, with rosy cheeks. He was named Benazir – a Persian and Urdu...

22.06.2026 50

The Friday Times

Ambassador M. Alam Brohi

Can Technology Fix Pakistan’s Broken Tax System?

Can Technology Fix Pakistan’s Broken Tax System?

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is once again being reinvented! The proposed transformation plan envisages a three-wing structure separating audit,...

20.06.2026 80

The Friday Times

Dr. Ikramul Haq

Constitutional Courts And The Retreat From Judicial Power

Constitutional Courts And The Retreat From Judicial Power

Four months have already passed since the establishment of the Constitutional Courts and no major controversy is in sight besides its own birth by the...

20.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Barrister Hamayun Sarfraz

Thar Coal And Pakistan’s Imperative For Energy Sovereignty And Economic Resilience

The US-Iran conflict is another reminder of Pakistan's vulnerability to global black swan events and its continued reliance on imported fuels....

19.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Muhammad Ali

The Cost Of Constancy: Evaluating Pakistan’s Cross-Border Predicament

The Cost Of Constancy: Evaluating Pakistan’s Cross-Border Predicament

Pakistan finds itself trapped in a gruelling security dilemma along its western frontier. Recent “precise and calibrated” strikes carried out by...

19.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Saifullah Mahsud

The Dawn Of The Islamabad Accord And The Triumph Of Regional Diplomacy

The Dawn Of The Islamabad Accord And The Triumph Of Regional Diplomacy

The signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran marks a watershed moment in...

19.06.2026 50

The Friday Times

Akram Saqib

Is Dissent No Longer Patriotic? The Architecture Of Silence In Pakistan

Is Dissent No Longer Patriotic? The Architecture Of Silence In Pakistan

The Islamabad lower courts were relatively quiet on 24th January 2026, as the local bar had announced a strike because two of its lawyers had been...

19.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Hassan Raza

NFC: A Provincial Entitlement Or A Federal Reward?

The present debate on the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award is overwhelmingly skewed against the provinces and thereby presents a myopic...

18.06.2026 40

The Friday Times

Raja Hamza Anwar

The Encounter Machine

“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.” — Albert Camus Nine-year-old Hania Ahmed should still be alive. Instead, her life...

18.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi

Pakistan Believed In Iran Amid Threats Of Nuclear Annihilation. That's Credibility

It took Pakistani mediators months of relentless negotiations, travelling, passing messages, and even enduring blowback from the UAE—one of its...

17.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Ali Warsi

How Pakistan Pulled Off The Impossible—And Why Its Diplomatic Role Is Far From Over

As diplomats prepare for the formal signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, an increasingly familiar debate has emerged over who deserves...

17.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Ishtiaq Ahmad

One Rule For The Elite’s Club, Another For A Christian College’s Heritage

Two parcels of state land sit on the same colonial avenue, and the government treats them as opposites. The Lahore Gymkhana holds about 112 acres for...

17.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Asif Angelo Aqeel

Why Reform Always Hits The Wall

Nearly 60 per cent of net federal revenue goes to interest payments. Subsidies and tax exemptions (Rs 2.53 trillion) for influential groups exceed...

17.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Yousuf Nazar

South Asia’s New Balance Of Power

The decision by the United States Department of Defense to restore the name of its Indo-Pacific Command to its original designation, the Pacific...

17.06.2026 60

The Friday Times

Omar Quraishi

Why 2028 Could Tempt Modi To Strike Pakistan Again

The notion that India might attack Pakistan in 2028 is primarily rooted in the growing economic and political challenges confronting Narendra Modi. I...

17.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Dr Hasan Zafar

From Identity To Revenue: The Unfinished Promise Of Digital Public Infrastructure

In 2007, under the most powerful hybrid regime, the hard drives from thirteen specific computers at the headquarters of what was then called the...

16.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Tariq Malik

Pakistan’s Education Crisis Is Now An Economic Emergency

Pakistan's education debate has long remained confined to a narrow framework of literacy rates, enrolment figures and infrastructure deficits....

16.06.2026 90

The Friday Times

Dr. Fayaz A. Soomro

The Political Lessons Of Kashmir’s Latest Crisis

Amid continued sit-ins, shuttered markets, communication disruptions, and clashes that have reportedly claimed at least twenty lives, the crisis...

16.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Syed Mushahid Hussain Naqvi

Pakistan Economic Survey 2025–26: Seven Warning Signals From The Agricultural Sector

Agriculture remains one of Pakistan's most important economic sectors. It contributes approximately 24 per cent to national GDP, employs nearly...

16.06.2026 90

The Friday Times

Dr. Tariq Aziz

Pakistan’s Budget And The Politics Of Unequal Relief

The dust has settled on the latest federal budget, and as expected, the reactions are as polarised as the economic strata of the country. On...

16.06.2026 20

The Friday Times

Mohammad Nafees

Islamic Banking In Pakistan: Beyond Symbols, Towards Real Economic Transformation

Few economic debates in Pakistan generate as much passion, confusion and political symbolism as Islamic banking. More than four decades after the...

16.06.2026 30

The Friday Times

Sakib Berjees

From Crisis Mediator To Global Player: Pakistan’s Diplomatic Moment

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement that the United States and Iran have reached a peace agreement marks what could become one of the most...

15.06.2026 70

The Friday Times

Omar Quraishi