Every Pakistani political leader has known that cultivating popular religious icons is how one makes it to the top. Muhammad Ali Jinnah began this game soon after the All India Muslim League suffered a crushing defeat in the 1937 elections. Although he personally detested...

Military rule – both overt and covert – has been terrible for Pakistan. Through its mega-sized foundations (Fauji, Shaheen, NLC, etc.) and insatiable greed for plots and plazas, the military has distorted Pakistan’s economy. And, by launching three wars against India, it has brought...

The reforms that a lot of people have proposed under the “Reimagining Pakistan” program are fine, but they are about fighting a fire. I don’t think they go deep enough. Pakistan has an economy built on the presumption of perpetual war. To sustain this,...