MONETIZATION OF WAR IN TRIBAL AREAS
	The existence of this value chain in the war in tribal areas has turned it into a commodity. Trading takes place at various levels and today warring pays high dividends to one who is able to negotiate through it. If war is a commodity, how has this affected the institutions administering tribal areas? More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 6 September, 2007

	FACTORS AFFECTING THE AFGHAN PEACE JIRGA
	The US lapsed into the same error as the Pakistan military, when it took over Kabul; some Pushtun venom and ill will could be assauged by providing them with jobs at the lower rung of the bureaucracy and military, reflecting Afghanistan’s demography. By not doing so, an ethnic aspect was added to a bad situation. Because of this failure, the internal situation in Afghanistan has become worse and does not bode well for the future. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 20 August, 2007

	A PEACE JOURNEY TO KABUL
	I had returned to Kabul after thirty-five years. In 1972, Kabul was a pulsating cosmopolitan city; but these days it wore a decrepit look, as if accusing us of neglect. In some sense, Kabul is right. She deserved much better. At the same time there was a sense of anxiety and disquiet – I wondered, whether a similar fate awaited Kabul’s sister cities of Peshawar and Quetta, if the peace jirga failed? More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 14 August 2007

	IMPACT OF 9/11 LEGISLATION ON PAKISTAN
	Democratic Presidential hopefuls have lost touch with reality; Obama said that under his Presidency an attack on Pakistan would remain a possibility if it did not prevail on the Talibans. Another candidate has threatened, that if terrorists attacked the U.S, he would be willing to bomb Mecca and Medina with nuclear weapons! He may have triggered another set of agitation in the Muslim world and convinced the doubters that the War on Terror is really a modern day Crusader War. It is a highly immature statement. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 3rd August, 2007

	IMPLICATIONS OF THE MUSHARRAF AND BENAZIR DEAL
	A couple of months ago BB and Nawaz Sharif had signed another non-starter called the charter of democracy. Both committed never to negotiate with the military; in a sense it echoed the innocence of the Garden of Eden and did not take into account the feudal and military reality of Pakistan. Perhaps BB because of her feudal background is better equipped to analyze quickly the expedient opportunities thrown up by a collapsing Musharrafian system, than the urbanite Nawaz Sharif. A national government is need of the hour – Musharraf is peripheral. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 29th July, 2007

	DEATH OF ABDULLAH, MAHSUD
	Abdullah Mahsud died as he lived - bravely and with a certain disdain for life. Rumour has it that he killed himself rather than allow capture. He was in his early 30’s. It is always sad when someone dies, but what is very tragic in his case is that things could have been so different for this person. Fate could easily have dealt him a different hand. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 25th July, 2007

	REASONS FOR THE PASHTUN REBELLION
	The current fighting is taking place only in the Pashtun belt of Afghanistan and Pakistan; many believe that a sort of genocide of the Pashtun is under way, since most of the dead are Pashtun. Naturally, there is a ground swell of support amongst the rural population for the Talibans, as they are perceived to be fighting to protect their culture and customs, including religion. It is a formidable Pashtun resistence principle, which has been used before also. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 20th July 2007

	LESSONS FROM THE LAL MASJID ASSAULT
	On the night of 10th July, the Pakistan army began its operations against the Jihadis entrenched in the Lala Masjid complex, Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. By the afternoon of 11th July, all resistence had ceased and the leader of the resistence, Ghazi Rashid lay dead. A military solution to the Lal Masjid crisis was both tragic and unimaginative. It showed the working of a system, which was both tired and under stress. It also indicated Pakistan’s unpreparedness to deal with hostage situations; the standard operating procedures were found lacking. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 13th July, 2007

	CRISIS OF STATE IN PAKISTAN: Part 2
	The reason for the institutional debacle of Pakistan and its rapid descent into insignificance lies principally in the Legal Framework Order of 2002. A masterly compendium of laws aimed to turn Pakistan into a security state under the domination of the military and institutionalized through the National Security Council. This was “gifted” to Pakistan by the military-feudal elite of the Punjab, courtesy the 17th amendment. This document, which was sanctified by the Supreme Court has changed the nature of the country and provided space for its rapid Talibanization. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 27th May 2007

	CRISES OF STATE IN PAKISTAN: Part 1
	It is certain that when key institutions are manipulated whimsically, state failure is a natural consequence. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on 21st May 2007