September 2026

Neither Artificial nor Intelligent

Editor's Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the mantra of the current era. We are surrounded by previously unthinkable advances in this field — facial recognition, natural language translation, voice recognition and generation, autonomous vehicles and so on — and new breakthroughs seem to emerge almost daily. However, it is also true that while intelligent machines can outperform humans in manifold tasks, as well as learn new ones, they literally do not understand what they are doing. Understanding comes from context. The uniquely human labor of filling in the cracks between bits of data with unprogrammable awareness is what creates meaning and constitutes a whole reality. This piece explores why human intelligence is still preferable – and desirable – to AI. The author also suggests that the way forward is using AI as a help, not mentor, to humans.

Confabulating with Arslan Hafeez

In Conversation with Bilawal Hussain 33rd in Sindh; PMS 2023-24

Resilience and Fragility

The Anatomy of an Uprising

Editor’s Note In a damning statement that exposes the reality of the current governance system in Pakistan, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi argued that Pakistan's current governance model had effectively "collapsed" after decades of failing to deliver. Although his stance was on the need for creating more administrative units or provinces to overhaul the country's outdated governance system, yet what he implicitly acknowledged was that the repression and oppression cannot live longer. That is why he feared that if Pakistani “cockroaches” unite, they can turn everything upside down. In the following write-up, the author has drawn a comparison of South Asian nations of Bangladesh and India, where repressive regimes has faced the wrath of public, to offer some lesson for Pakistan.

The Art Of Phychological Warfare

Editor's Note Psychological warfare, the planned use of propaganda and other psychological operations to influence opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of opposition groups, was once an afterthought, but it is now the primary battleground in modern-day wars. While psychological operations have long formed part of military strategy, modern tools now allow adversaries to target human cognition at an unprecedented scale and level of precision. Today, our attention is being harvested, our biases are being weaponized, and our sense of reality is being systematically dismantled, not by armies, but by algorithms. That's why psyops are fast emerging as a strategic concept that frames human cognition as a “sixth domain” of competition, alongside land, sea, air, cyber and space. In the following piece, the writer discuses the threats being posed to the existing world order by psychological warfare.

The Future of Human Intelligence in the Age of AI

Editor's Note Until recently, we the humans have been able to be smug about our abilities. But at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is making remarkable progress, it seems that our self-image as the smartest entities around is losing its vitality. Today, AI systems not only beat us at the most complicated games, but they can also write polished prose and win medals in maths. Tech CEOs promise us that superhuman AI is just round the corner. So, in an age of AI, are human minds still special, or merely also-rans? To find answers to this question, exploring the growing connection between human intelligence and AI is becoming increasingly important. In the instant write-up, which will be published in two parts, the author has asserted that we, the human beings need to elevate our own intelligence while using AI as a powerful collaborator.

The World's Biggest Risks

Traditional vs Islamic Finance

As global financial markets evolve and diversify, the contrast between traditional finance and Islamic finance has garnered increasing attention. Rooted in distinct philosophical, ethical and legal foundations, these two systems present unique approaches to managing money, investing and facilitating economic activity. In the instant piece, the author explores the foundational differences between Islamic and conventional finance.

An 'Islamic NATO' ?

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the three most important Muslim countries in world politics, have recently signed a collective defense agreement. Officially called the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, this historic pact received global attention due to its central promise of collective defence: any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be considered an attack against them all. Some media outlets called the pact a precursor of a 'NATO of the East', a Sunni Nato and even a Muslim Nato. However, these comparisons seem premature, as the signatories have described the pact only as defensive in nature. The instant write-up explores the central question: Is this pact a harbinger of an Islamic NATO?

Generational Categorization

An Exclusive Interview with Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kamran - Vice Chancellor of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur

The 10 Countries that Control Global Trade

Data Bank

Scientifically Speaking

World in Focus (July-Aug'26) - NATIONAL

World in Focus (July-Aug'26) - INTERNATIONAL

GK Tidbits

MCQs/NATIONAL - INTERNATIONAL

China's Vision for a New World Order

Humanity at Crossroads - Where are the Peacemakers ?

Editor's Note Humanity today stands at a profound crossroads. On the one hand, we inhabit an era of extraordinary scientific achievements, unprecedented connectivity and remarkable technological advancement. Yet on the other hand, the world remains troubled by an unsettling paradox: despite such progress, armed conflicts continue to scar our planet. Wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Iran are enough to rattle the conscience of those who yearn for peace. The choice we have is between the continuation of conflicts and devastation thereupon, having catastrophic results, and the transition to a peaceful world. In the instant write-up, the author notes that the challenges before us are immense, but so is the potential for transformation. He advocates for humanity to embrace compassion, wisdom and global responsibility to end the tragedies of war, as it will eventually give way to a more harmonious civilization.

Shifting AI Geopolitics

The 123 Agreement as Counter-Prophecy

Editor's Note The USA's peaceful nuclear cooperation agreements rarely make headlines, but the one signed with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands out as a big deal given longstanding American concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. It lays the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation. Although the agreement was hailed as a “historic agreement” by the Saudi press and experts, Trump's subsequent comments claiming to condition the deal on the Abraham Accords spoiled the celebrations. In the following write-up, the author has dissected the agreement from various aspects, and presented some pragmatic foreign policy ways forward for Pakistan.

The Makkah Pact

Editor's Note On August 7, a historic milestone for the Muslim world was achieved in the holy city of Makkah when Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a landmark defence agreement aimed at deepening military cooperation and strengthening collective deterrence. The most prominent of pledges made in this pact is that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against them all. The pact came as the three countries navigate growing regional tensions, including concerns over Israel's expanding military reach and Iran's regional influence. The instant write-up discusses the salient features of the pact, tracing the regional security situation as well as the question whether it is another step towards an Islamic NATO.

The Message from Jantar Mantar

Editor's Note In India, thousands of cockroaches have shaken the foundations of once-invincible Modi government's strong rule, as their wider campaign for educational reforms and accountability, transparency and justice in the education system has remained largely successful. To many observers, the protests by CJP are another chapter in India's political history and their success depicts a profound shift in how India's youngest generation understands politics, institutions and the social contract itself. The CJP protests will eventually disappear from the headlines. What will remain is what they revealed about this generation. Governments that recognize this transformation will shape the politics of the coming decade.

The New Maritime Alliance

Editor's Note On July 30, Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries, including Pakistan, announced the creation of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance as a framework to strengthen collective maritime defence cooperation. The coalition is aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The alliance comes as shipping through these critical waterways has declined sharply following a Houthi maritime blockade, raising concerns over global energy supplies and international trade. In the following write-up, the author has explained the whats, whys and hows of this new 14-nationa alliance.

Multilateralism is the Way Forward

In September, world leaders will gather in New York for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, one of the most important platforms for practicing multilateralism. The session is being held at a time when the world is embroiled in trade wars, active military conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions among the major powers, i.e. China and the United States, which are building their respective spheres of influence while the United Nations remains as silent as an indifferent bystander. Amidst this state of affairs, there is an urgent need to reimagine the multilateral system and put humanity on a new course to meet existing commitments and solve long-term challenges, especially because our multilateral tools and institutions are unable to respond effectively to today's political, economic, environmental and technological challenges.

Why Economic Growth Fails to Eradicate Poverty

Editor's Note Economic debate in Pakistan revolves around two contrasting narratives. The government insists that the national economy is achieving stability and improvement – rising gross national product (GNP), record high foreign exchange reserves and controlled inflation. The other side paints a bleaker reality – rising unemployment, persistent inflationary pressure and worsening poverty. Government's claims apart, one reality that no one can deny is: economic growth is not clearly visible in the daily lives of most Pakistani households. This widening gap between macroeconomic stability and household experience is now the central economic issue in Pakistan. In the following write-up, the author has analyzed in detail as to why economic stability and growth do not translate into better lives of the citizenry.

E-Courts in Pakistan

Editor's Note The justice system in Pakistan is broken; it has become increasingly vulnerable to political influence and institutional capture. It has failed to deliver timely and efficient justice to the citizens. The country's judiciary continues to face heavy case backlogs, slow trial processes and limited access to justice in rural and remote areas. So, to deal with this imbroglio, due to which courts take years to decide the cases and public trust in the country's judicial system is eroding, some necessary steps are urgently required. A complete overhaul of the judiciary, with the ordinary litigants’ interests and facilitation at the front and center, is pressingly needed. One basic step of this overhaul could be the introduction of e-courts in Pakistan that will be quite helpful in making expeditious dispensation of justice a facility for Pakistani citizens, not an ordeal.

Pakistan's Crisis of Federalism

When Pakistan came into existence in 1947, it had a vast geography and provinces having distinct languages, cultures, political priorities and economic conditions. At that time, the only viable constitutional arrangement that could accommodate ethnic diversities and promote national cohesion was federalism. However, for the last 79 years, federalism has been a running negotiation between the center and provinces, civilian and military rule and centrifugal and centripetal forces. Despite the inevitability of decentralized governance, successive regimes in Pakistan could not come up with a power-sharing mechanism that could address structural problems that undermine national cohesion. Federalism, be it fiscal, political or administrative, could not take deeper roots in Pakistan's polity, impeding national growth and development and even undermining national integration, evident in the form of the secession of East Pakistan and growing grievances among smaller provinces against Punjab. Understanding how Pakistan has arrived at this stage and why a centralized form of government couldn't perform despite favorable circumstances is critical to answering why our state struggles to school its children, tax its citizens equitably and balance its books.

Principle of Double Penalization and Criminology in Pakistan

Taxation of Small Shopkeepers

The Economic Pivot of the Makkah Agreement