Pakistanis have elected their new leadership. The change of guards in a truly democratic fashion has taken place. The elections saw one of the highest voter turnout in history -- estimated to be in the vicinity of 60 percent. It was also for the first time that there...

Three hundred (300). That's the number of people estimated to have been crushed to death in a Bangladeshi garment factory. Nearly three hundred people also perished in the factory fire in the Pakistani city of Karachi last year. In another incident, over 100 people burnt to...

Pakistan was an exception to the rule. In sharp contrast to general perceptions, Pakistanis were largely able to freely access the Internet. No wonder Fox News reported that Pakistan ranked at the top when it came to countries with the largest number of porn watchers. The ranking

It has been three weeks since the deadly fire at a Karachi garments factory consumed 289 lives. It was the deadliest industrial disaster in contemporary times but failed to blip on the global conscience radar. Not even in Britain, which was an importer of goods manufactured...

Three hundred and twenty-five people are confirmed dead in two separate infernos in just under 24 hours, in the largest and second-largest cities of Pakistan. This is not the final death toll, as more bodies might be discovered. Parallels can be drawn to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that happened...

This post first appeared on PolicyMic.

Amid much controversy, Tehran played host to the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. While Iran tried -- and failed -- to use the occasion to further its controversial goals, the conference did not yield any constructive results. It is about time...

The judicio-political circus in Pakistan is in full swing these days. Although much has been written on the quagmire, few, if any, have focused on the plight of the common Pakistanis. The real stakeholders of Pakistan have no interest left in the political upheavals or the controversial decisions churned out...

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited India on last Sunday. It was planned as a private visit to a famous Sufi shrine but as things transpired; it turned into a semi-official visit. The president took a large entourage with him on taxpayers' money. He also donated

There have been abnormally high pollen counts in the southern United States. On March 19, Atlanta saw a pollen count of 9,000 particles per cubic meter, a new record from the previous high of 8,164 pollens per cubic meter. You will find the allergy maps glowing bright red...

Pakistanis have been jolted by two major shocks this week. The first one is about massive rigging of the recently concluded Senate elections. The second one is the resurfacing of a 22 year-old scandal. One in which the military was accused of distributing money to politicians to win electoral favors....

A little over 1.7 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan. That is the official figure from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. A statistic that is only half true. According to Pakistani government's counts, 2.15 million registered Afghan refugees are living in the country. It...

Nothing good is coming out of Syria. Bashar al-Assad is adamant on turning a deaf ear to international criticism and pleadings by human rights activists to stop killing his own people. The UN Security Council has been held hostage by Russia and China and can't even pass a meek condemnatory...

There has been much speculation about the future of democracy in Pakistan these days. Prophets of gloom are seeing generals at the ready. Optimists are hoping for a reconciliation. Reality lies between the two extremes. While the military is not ready to stage a coup, there are also fewer chances...

Suicide bombings are a completely new phenomenon in Syria. During the 10-month long struggle for democracy, the activists largely remained peaceful despite the inhumane crackdown by the Assad regime. The recent bombings -- the latest of which occurred on Friday when 26 people were killed in the capital...

Another year is coming to a close in Pakistan. One in which the nation saw its fortunes dwindling further. There was no respite from floods though they affected a smaller region this time. Terrorist attacks and drone strikes claimed hundreds of lives and the political circus and economic woes continued....

President Asif Ali Zardari is back from Dubai, where he went to seek medical treatment. His departure from the national scene set off a number of rumors. The most popular being that he will not return and will possibly resign. In response, the president went to the extent of

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who assumed office in September 2008, is facing tough times. He is on a mysterious tour to Dubai, apparently to receive medical treatment but rumor mills are in full swing about his resignation and self-imposed exile. His career, if it actually ends, is...

After killing over 3,500 people, the brutal dictator of Syria is finally feeling the heat. He initially accepted the Arab League plan, under which he simply had to rein in on his murderous army. Later on, however, he seems to have opted out of it. On Sunday, which...

Steven Paul Jobs, the God to many, is not my hero and never will attain such a position. He has been eulogized as the savior of the modern world. Some are even saying that the world would not have been the same without him. Now that three weeks have passed...

Pakistanis share a love-hate relationship with China. They love to turn to China if things are not good on the Western -- well, mostly American -- front. They are quick to ditch the long-term strategic understanding with China if the United States warms up due to changing international scenarios. In...