Baqir Sajjad was unlocking his car after meeting a British diplomat at a renowned café in an Islamabad market when he was approached by two men in civilian clothes. “Why did you meet him?” he was asked. Sajjad – who is a foreign affairs and national security correspondent for Pakistan’s leading English newspaper Dawn – was exasperated. He showed them his credentials and explained it was part of his routine to meet diplomats from all over the world. The men, whom Sajjad believed were “low-level

On October 30, the entrance to Pakistan’s Parliament House, in Islamabad, was bustling with journalists, parliamentarians, and political activists. But rather than reporting, the journalists were protesting. A few sat on the ground, making pakodas—a South Asian fried snack—while others, placards in hands, chanted angry slogans. The reporters had gathered to protest random and immediate layoffs by their media organizations. Over the past few weeks, dozens of journalists had been fired, their emp

Voting rights, peaceful polls, transparency: All are key to fair elections. Another building block is an independent media, which many Pakistanis say is under threat ahead of tomorrow's vote.

TWO Pakistanis arrested by the Army on charges of facilitating the attack on the 12 Infantry Brigade’s headquarters in Uri are Class 10 students who strayed across the Line of Control (LoC), the family of one and the principal of his school have told The Indian Express. The Ministry of External Affairs said the two had confessed to facilitating the “infiltration of a group of four Jaish-e-Muhammad cadre who carried out the Uri army camp attack.” Faisal Husain Awan, a resident of Potha Jandgran n

The public perception after the crackdown against protestors is overwhelmingly anti-PML(N), while the Pakistan military has gained more sympathy for refusing the act against them. The stage has now been set for the PML(N) exit in the elections next year.

It’s a homecoming for former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif as he lands on Friday, only to be arrested by the anti-graft body at the airport. He, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz, was found guilty in an anti-corruption case. Nawaz himself was sentenced to ten years in jail, while his daughter, who is said to be his heir-apparent, faces seven years. Several rumours were associated with his return, including some stating that a deal was being struck between Nawaz and the powerful milita