
Husain Haqqani
The Indian Express Group

Wednesday 19 March '08
The opening session of Pakistan’s newly elected National Assembly has raised hopes and revived fears about the country’s...Wednesday 27 February '08
Pakistan’s politicians have clearly scored a major victory against what is euphemistically called ‘the establishment’ in Pakistan.Wednesday
20 February '08In its 60 years of independence, Pakistan has never changed its government through an election.Wednesday
13 February '08Here is a quiz question for all readers. Who told London’s Sunday Times...Sunday
30 December '07Benazir Bhutto’s assassination could be a setback to populist-democratic forces. But it also has the potential to mobilise strong backlash against the militarist and centralised paradigm of the Pakistani stateWednesday
5 December '07On November 28, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan’s chief of army staff...Friday
16 November '07Between them, Pakistan’s four military rulers since 1958 have virtually created a new concept in political science that can best be termed ‘the divine right of army chiefs’.Monday
5 November '07General Pervez Musharraf may not call it so but his proclamation to suspend Pakistan’s constitution in his capacity...Tuesday
23 October '07The tragedy that marred Benazir Bhutto’s triumphant return home reinforced several truths that have either been played...Wednesday
17 October '07Pakistan is a land of many incongruities. The military, and to a lesser extent the civil bureaucracy, wield power but lack...Thursday
11 October '07Unless the Supreme Court of Pakistan rules otherwise, General Musharraf has been “elected” to a five-year term...Wednesday
3 October '07Warning for Pakistan: A military mindset that does not recognise the value of civilian control eventually descends to the depths where Burma finds itself today.Wednesday
26 September '07... he will suffer a crisis of legitimacy. The general and the military must soon make a choiceWednesday
19 September '07Why can’t Pakistan go through leadership changes like mature nations, with a clearly defined election process, implemented by an undisputed mechanism?Wednesday
12 September '07Pakistan’s dictators have a set pattern as, unfortunately, do its political leaders. The Nawaz Sharif episode illustrates thisWednesday
5 September '07Events in Pakistan are demonstrating that the process of political change at the end of a dictatorship is complicatedThursday
30 August '07The country’s establishment negotiates with influential foreign players and refuses to talk to Pakistan’s own leadersWednesday
22 August '07Turkey’s forthcoming presidential election offers an opportunity to define secularism in the Muslim world as a political system ensuring separation of theology..Wednesday
1 August '07Pakistan’s elite can remain oblivious to the system’s dysfunction and unpredictability at the nation’s perilTuesday
24 July '07For more than five decades Pakistan’s military rulers have depended on the country’s judiciary to provide a fig leaf of legitimacy for their arbitrary decisions.Wednesday
18 July '07To make a break with the past, Pakistan’s army must first acknowledge its mistakesWednesday
11 July '07Recent incidents in London and Pakistan frame the same problem: Instead of recognising the need to modernise the Muslim world, the jihadists claim they can Islamise the modern world through violenceWednesday
20 June '07The army’s role in Pakistani politics is underlined by the faith people have in its ability to restore order. So Musharraf’s troubles don’t necessarily mean the military is losing influence. Dysfunction, not radical Islam, is Pakistan’s big nightmareWednesday
13 June '07Pakistan’s history tells us that to have a stable future, the country needs some robust politicsWednesday
6 June '07As the axe falls on live talk shows and news analyses on TV, the mood in the street remains defiant. The army top brass has pledged support to Musharraf. But is that enough to insulate the general from the consequences of his unpopular moves, is the question in Pakistan