Sajid Opines

  Institutions are the backbone of any country. If institutions are strong enough, there is no need to rely on personalities. However, the situation is different in Pakistan. The role of institutions is very controversial let alone strong enough. Ideally, of the three pillars of the state, the legislature should be the supreme, however, there should be checks and balances. But that is not the case. The only powerful body is the military establishment. The second in hierarchy is judiciary which usually acts as the supporting organ. Whether it was Bhutto's case in 1970s, Nawaz Sharif in 2018 or Imran Khan in 2024 or any other, it has taken the same line as that of the establishment. This needs to change and the sooner it happens, the better. Judiciary should be partial and decide matters purely based on law and the constitution of the country.

  It is said about history that 'History Always Repeats'. However, history could not be so predictable anywhere else than in Pakistan. Anyone who is aware about the power games in Pakistan knows that the big boss has always been the military establishment and politicians are only used to give a civilian face to the government. At least mostly if not entirely. Interestingly, no prime minister in Pakistan has completed the five year term in office and no PM has ever escaped to roam free after being ousted.  Some were assassinated and their commission reports were never pursued or were never made public. Almost every PM faced jail terms due to whatever dubious charges were alleged. In 2018, it was Nawaz Sharif and now it is Imran Khan. Somehow, politicians are themselves to blame, because they never follow the civilian supremacy route. If they do so, they are replaced with alternatives and the cycle repeats.

  Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy. A parliamentary democracy is a system where public chooses their representatives and those representatives then elect the country's prime minister. In such a system, prime minister is the head of the government. Although our constitution has defined the form of government for us, but still few people think a presidential system is better. The debate over presidential system and parliamentary system is not new. Very recently, PTI in its tenure had intensified this debate through its ministers and social media. Their is argument is not an academic one. They argued that a presidential system would empower the president more than a prime minister in a parliamentary system. They went on to elaborate that a prime minister is susceptible to manipulation from the electables but a president would not be so. Their argument is simply a manifestation of their desire to see president Imran Khan more assertive than prime minister Imran Khan. They do not s

In an unfortunate event, a girl in Ichra Bazar was surrounded by a mob of religious zealots. She was accused of having being involved in disrespecting religion by wearing a dress, which they perceived to be Quranic verses or so. The truth is far from it. The dress she wore had no such verses on it, rather it was simple Arabic language.  Such dresses are common in Arabic world. And Arabic is their language just like we have our own languages. Religion has nothing to do with it. Fortunately, she was saved by a brave woman police officer. This incident is yet another addition to the already lengthy list of blasphemous cases against people without any solid proofs. Many people are not fortunate to come alive from such situations. For example, Mashal Khan, Sri Lankan manager, Salman Taseer etc. The state needs to come harder on such people who misuse the name of religion.

  For more than a decade now, Pakistan Peoples Party has been ruling Sindh. The party members are mostly feudal lords who enjoy unlimited power and influence over the poor masses. The hold of feudal lords on significant resources naturally gives them the means to influence the political system or even be part of it. The Pakistan Peoples Party is not even in a mood to resolve this issue. Even if it tries to do so, there would be huge consequences. However, the youth is increasingly in the process of awakening. They have realized that without shunning this feudal system, a just society is impossible to imagine.  Unfortunately though, their voice is increasingly is been suppressed by the elders of their family. The elder know full well that questioning the powerful elites is similar to striking your head to a wall. The elders, however, have also realized that the powerful elites have destroyed the province. If the youth continues to empower itself with knowledge, feudal system is bound to

  Although, there is no denying that many people in Pakistan still do not have access to internet or they do not have smartphones due to whatever reasons. However, it is also true that the presence of internet is affecting us all. The most obvious example of this is absence of recreational activities at traditional 'Otaaqs'. People in villages may not be using internet, their colleagues have moved on, leaving them with little social circle. Similarly, people in Pakistan may think that there is still a long way to go for Artificial Intelligence to show its effects on us, But that is not true. Students have already started using AI tools in their educational journey. In fact, AI is going to revolutionize everything around us. It may take another decade or so, but what is sure is that there is no going back. Although, AI would not entirely replace humanity and takeover, but it will certainly affect us. If we are to stay relevant in the age of AI, we have to make sure that we conti

  Social media is everywhere. Anyone with a smartphone is using at least one social media. The reach of social media is so massive that organisations have setup their own social media pages. With so much benefits, it has its fair share of negative points that should be mentioned here. The one most commonly cited problem with social media is that it is a breeding ground for fake news. It has become very difficult to control the spread of fake news. In case of traditional media, which used to be the only source of information, there were lesser chances of a news turning out to be fake. The primary reason being mechanisms of checks and balances in case of traditional media. The editors make sure the authenticity of the news item. That said, there were still chances of traditional media being the spokesperson of the government. Social media is different. There are no checks and balances for whatever is published. Moreover, the news breaker could be anyone, with or without journalistic know