Analysis, commentary, and argument on the political and social questions of our time — written by students engaging seriously with difficult issues.
Dr. Ali Salman responds to Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque's sweeping claim that Pakistani economists are useless, tracing their historical contributions from Mahbub ul Haq's Human Development Index to modern social safety nets — and arguing that the profession's influence depends as much on political will as intellectual quality.
Dr. Ali Salman argues that Pakistan has turned the budget presentation into a national fanfare — and that this itself has become the problem. A case for making the budget a boring, stable, and honest exercise in public finance.
Drawing on Herbert Marcuse's critique of one-dimensional society, this essay examines how social media has replaced authentic engagement with performative display — and what that means for political culture, mental health, and our collective search for meaning.
An on-the-ground account of the 2024 to 2025 Kurram conflict, tracing its roots from colonial-era land disputes and the Frontier Crimes Regulation to the broken promises of the 25th Constitutional Amendment.