Farid Alam

 

Dismantling Pakistan’s Tribal Areas

October 24, 2018

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On May 31, 2018, Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, formally ceased to exist. Home to five million people, and covering more than 27,000 square kilometers, these seven tribal districts have attracted enormous international attention in the last two decades due to their shared border with war-torn Afghanistan. The government of… Read more

 

Pakistan Elections: Will Youth Right the Nation’s Course?

July 18, 2018

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On July 25, roughly 106 million Pakistanis will begin casting their ballots for 272 National Assembly members and 577 Provincial Assembly members to serve for the next five years. The results of past elections in Pakistan have consistently been mired in controversy. Accusations of vote-rigging from losing parties are common, as in 2013, when the Pa… Read more

The picture shows a stagnant pool of polluted water near buildings in Pakistan 

Pakistan’s Water: A Political-Economy Perspective

June 20, 2018

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Pakistan receives average rainfall of not more than 250mm per year, making it one of the most arid and most water-stressed countries on the planet. A 2016 WaterAid report estimates Pakistan’s annual water availability at 1,017 cubic meters per person, compared to 5,000 cubic meters per person in 1950. If current trends continue, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources warns, Pakistan will find itself at absolute water scarcity by 2025.

Pakistan 

Legislation Alone Cannot Protect Pakistan’s Children

January 17, 2018

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The murder and rape of seven-year-old Zainab Amin, whose body was found on a heap of garbage a short walk from her home in Kasur, Pakistan, has resulted in thousands of people taking to the streets in fury, demanding justice. The outpouring of anger resulted in violent clashes that left two dead. Police on Saturday released a sketch of the suspect,… Read more

 

The Struggle Against Religious Conflict in Pakistan

August 6, 2014

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On the third day of Eid-ul Fitar last week, two Hindu trader brothers from district Umerkot in Sindh Province were murdered in front of their home. An Ahmadi doctor was murdered in Chiniot in May 2014 while a Hazara Shia community in Quetta was attacked and two brothers were murdered by Lashakr-e-Jhangvi on Eid-ul Fitar in July 2014. The killing of Rashid Rehman…