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Nadeem F. ParachaNaya Daur |

The phrase "Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires" is perpetuated by the Taliban as a way to mythologise the image of the 'invincible' Afghan.


Sectarian outfits in Pakistan, such as the TLP, remain outsiders to the ideological lineage of the Palestinian struggle they claim to defend.


From activists to politicians — societies routinely construct, romanticise and discard their chosen symbols of virtue and rebellion.

Constant interchangeable usage of the terms "Islamic" and "Muslim" in public discourse has resulted in an inability amongst most to understand the...

Secular ideas, when imbued with sacred meaning, turn politics into a ‘moral mission’ and reshape democracy’s character in the

Cricket, whether one likes it or not, is inescapably linked to the turbulent waters that Pak-India relations tread and to suggest

Years of ‘judicialisation’ have expanded courts’ role far beyond adjudication in Pakistan. Letters, lectures and public spats

From the Indus to the Rio Grande, rivers are no longer just lifelines — they are now battlefronts. As climate change shrinks and

Calls for new provinces in Pakistan often resurface with promises of solving governance crises. But Karachi’s long, tumultuous

From Washington DC and Brasília to Islamabad, populist uprisings have been framed as revolts of the people against

For decades, Pakistan’s political and cultural discourse has been framed as a struggle against ‘Westernisation’. But the real

The PPP’s hold over Sindh, despite what some may argue, isn’t because of weak opposition — it is the result of electoral functiona

History offers examples of separatist movements succeeding with foreign help — but most often, they become pawns in geo-political rivalries. Is the...

History offers examples of separatist movements succeeding with foreign help — but most often, they become pawns in geo-political

Pakistan’s ideological evolution, from Muslim nationalism to Islamic nationalism, has often been misunderstood. Now, the

While Western nations and institutions still cling to a fading post-WWII framework, even as the ground beneath them shifts,

The evolution of modern political parties, from groups created to protect the interests of the elite into structures that precip

Like most fed only on Pakistani textbooks, the former minister of information Fawad Chaudhry is woefully ignorant about

As globalisation frays the fabric of civic nationalism, nation-states from India to Russia are embracing an older identity model — the...

US-Israel relations are a pragmatic, policy-driven marriage that is now straining under growing criticism and domestic misgivings in the US.

As societies grow increasingly divided along political and cultural lines, and as consumer identities rapidly change, brands must

From Pakistan’s political myth-making to India’s media-fed fantasies of war, the truth is currently struggling against a tide of

If history is cyclical, as posited by some generational theorists, is Pakistan about to enter a new era of optimism and prosperit

Indian social media posts babbling about alpha males, and the larger confusion in the country’s polity, are the result of a

India stoked a war expecting a ‘fractured’ Pakistan to crumble. Instead, it was met with unexpected national unity, military push

In an age of rising populism and fragile states, Pakistan’s ‘hybrid system’ may be less about democratic ideals and more about

From viral videos to populist protests, fame in today’s world is fast, frequent and fleeting. But the pursuit of attention,

Far from being a spontaneous uprising of the people, modern populism has evolved into a carefully curated performa

Contrary to popular mainstream narratives, feudalism in Sindh has long been in decline as a new middle class

The middle classes, in both the Global North and South, have co-opted the Left’s ideological tools to serve their own upwar

The concept of ‘free speech’ is celebrated as a cornerstone of democracy, yet history shows that it has always been controversial

For decades, nations plagued by terrorism and political instability, such as Pakistan, have tried to project a ‘soft image’ to the world.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army’s journey from radical student activism to a well-equipped militant force mirrors the

In an age where historical narratives are increasingly weaponised and distorted to serve contemporary agendas, are we

Cricket’s greatest captains have always harboured the ability to galvanise their teams when the odds seemed to be against them.

History has shown that transgressions by and against the state, when left unpunished, tend to resurface with greater

Despite the progress of science and reason, myths and conspiracy theories continue to thrive — even among educated people.

Fukuyama’s famous thesis was meant to signal liberal democracy’s ultimate victory over all other political ideologies. But

Technological advancements come with the notion that they are liberating people from the old, soulless forms of capitalism. But

Pseudo-archaeology has played a big role in constructing mythical histories that feed into imagined pasts that ultimately only aid the political aims...

Pseudo-archaeology has played a big role in constructing mythical histories that feed into imagined pasts that ultimately only

As the far-right gains momentum across the West, Western academics long fixated on ‘fragile democracies’ in the Global

Populism thrives as a political style rather than a concrete ideology, merging theatrics and emotional appeal to captivate the

As youth-driven activism links consumption with ethics, many local alternatives are thriving by aligning themselves with

For over a decade now, several books have claimed that one country or the other is on the verge of ‘collapse’. Most of these books are about China....

There’s an interesting term in political science called ‘self-coup.’ A self-coup is when an elected president or prime minister tries to retain or...

There’s an interesting term in political science called ‘self-coup.’ A self-coup is when an elected president or prime minister tries to retain or...

In the April 1968 edition of a now defunct English daily, Business Post, one Yaqoob Sultan wrote an article in which he described a conversation he...

'Authentic’ has become quite the buzzword — especially in the world of consumer brands, and even in politics. Apparently, Gen-Z is all about...

A party hoping to establish itself in the mainstream may evolve from the left or from the right. But the evolution is almost always towards finding...
