Cover Story

Generals will come and generals will go but Pervez Musharraf will always be remembered for his modesty and his dislike of hypocrisy.

The purpose of this piece is not to analyse the personality of General Pervez Musharraf and the period of his rule but to look for his contributions that will have a lasting imprint on Pakistan.

In the era of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s economic performance was impressive in terms of income per capita, employment generation and poverty alleviation.

General Pervez Musharraf’s decision to join the US-led coalition to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda was unavoidable.

The TTP has cleverly affiliated some of its objectives with the political goals of some Pakistani religious and ethnic-oriented political parties, particularly Baloch and Pashtun nationalists.

The year 2023 will be a make or break moment for Pakistan. Some decisive measures are required by those who matter in terms of dealing with widespread frustration, pessimism and gloom about the present and future of the country.

The year 2023 will be a make or break moment for Pakistan. Some decisive measures are required by those who matter in terms of dealing with widespread frustration, pessimism and gloom about the present and future of the country.

The year 2023 will be a make or break moment for Pakistan. Some decisive measures are required by those who matter in terms of dealing with widespread frustration, pessimism and gloom about the present and future of the country.

In a republic with weak institutional and regulatory control on checks and balances in state governance, the ‘One Percent Republic,’ mainly represents the fraternity of the upper crust.

How can a country like Pakistan with such immense natural resources end up being a one-percent republic?

How can you say that Pakistan’s elite will rescue the country from sovereign default, despite on-going economic slump together with the deteriorating living conditions today? To make it happen, how and from where could the elite arrange such a huge sum of 27 billion dollars?

Each new occupant in Islamabad brings a new recipe for economic growth, and each new initiative brings results worse than the previous ones.

Successive governments, including the present one, have made serious attempts at improving civil-military relations, but mostly on the basis of compromises and undermining the Constitution.

Even if the military withdraws or refrains from direct intervention in the political sphere, its vast resources and its past experience of political power are likely to make the military remain a political factor.

Perhaps the answer is the introduction of a presidential form of government based on the American model with direct elections.

At this crucial juncture when Pakistan needs political stability and single-mindedness at the top decision-making levels more than ever, there’s a need to demarcate the scope as well as limitations of civil-military relations without running the risk of unconstitutional intervention or institutional trespassing.

For sound governance under a democratic system, should there be complete separation in Pakistan’s civil-military relations?

The appointment of the next Pakistan Army chief will be made in the context of existing civil-military relations and institutional traditions.

Inequality in Pakistan comes in two forms: industrial assets and land. Of late the latter has become an important contributor to the incomes of the rich.

The World Bank Group’s engagement in India is guided by the Country Partnership Framework (CPF), developed in collaboration with the Government of India,

Regional cooperation has the potential to produce significant gains across all countries of South Asia.

Pakistan is the most urbanized country in South Asia. Its magacity Karachi can be transformed into a livable and competitive urban centre with smart policies and tools.