By Faisal Shakeel

Karachi’s reputation as a relatively safe city was shattered again as terrorists detonated two bombs and wreaked havoc on the conclusion of Ashura, a religious event observed by the Shias. A little over a month back another Ashura procession was bombed in the same city in an apparent attempt to fan sectarian violence.

By Faisal Shakeel

The revelation by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that notorious security firm Blackwater, now known as Xe, is operating in Pakistan did more harm to the sitting government than anything else. The media zeroed in on his admission and beamed across the country the previous statements of US and Pakistani officials denying Blackwater’s presence in Pakistan.

By Asif Akhtar

Slowly, the trend of diplomacy seems to be setting in on this "War on Terror", moving away from the gruesome Bush Doctrine that said so clearly "we don't negotiate with terrorists". Not only has the Obama Administration changed the original mission of eradicating all "Talibanised" elements, it seems to have instructed its Af and Pak counterparts to do the same.

By Faisal Shakeel

You can easily spot the passenger vans engaged in headlong races on the busy roads of Lahore. The passengers, who aren’t strapped into their seats, swing at every twist and turn of these raucous roller-coaster rides, and must fight continuously to retain their balance and their seats.