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Pakistan: Practicing power, and the PTI’s ‘change’ policy

By Ahsan Butt Wed, Feb 29, 2012 3:57AM UTC View Comments

One thing worth noting about the PTI and its campaigning is the extent to which they’ve adopted gung-ho and fiery rhetoric. This is not just with regard to its characterizations of other parties and personalities, all of whom are some combination of corrupt, venal, self-serving, pusillanimous, and scum. This is also with regard to its...

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On the 20th amendment, and Imran Khan’s bizarre opposition to it

By Ahsan Butt Wed, Feb 22, 2012 12:07PM UTC View Comments

Last week, the government and opposition in Pakistan came together to carry out a very impressive achievement. Both houses of parliament, after some back and forth, passed the 20th amendment. Amongst other things, the 20th amendment provides for a fully independent election commission and an institutionalized, orderly transition by setting out the contours of the...

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PTI turncoats and what they say about our party system

By Ahsan Butt Mon, Dec 26, 2011 8:44PM UTC View Comments

Javed Hashmi, waving goodbye to his party, part of a larger trend

There is a conventional wisdom story out there on how the PTI is becoming a big, bad, scary machine. The story goes something like this: Imran Khan is personally popular –> higher chances of success in elections for PTI –> more big-name turncoats join the party –> higher chances of success in elections for PTI...

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Advani Yatra: Octogenarian leader has reasons to smile at last

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Sat, Nov 19, 2011 8:23PM UTC View Comments

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President L.K. Advani, right, and Chief Minister of Gujarat state Narendra Modi look on during a farmers rally in Gandhinagar, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Ahmadabad, India, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005. Pic:AP

In early October when Bharatiya Janata Party strongman, Lal Krishna Advani, decided to embark on his sixth political sojourn – aka Yatra – he would have known that the tool had run its course in India. He would have been aware of the fact that the Yatra was unlikely to electrify India like the Somnath...

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Five thoughts on the Imran Khan rally

By Ahsan Butt Fri, Nov 11, 2011 5:29AM UTC View Comments

Yes, I’m about 10 days late with this, but I’ve been super busy, so this is really my first chance to talk about the PTI rally in Lahore and what it implies. I am sure you were waiting with bated breath for this. 1. There are some parallels between Imran Khan and Zulfi Bhutto Obviously...

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