A Letter to the CM by Irfan Husain

Irfan Husain

DEAR Chief Minister,

When Saad Rafique, the railways minister, recently asked your party to improve its disgraceful performance in Sindh before criticising his government, it must have stung.

I don’t like the city I call home to be held up as an example of

Dragging it out by Irfan Husain

Irfan Husain

WHEN two parties to a conflict both declare victory, it’s usually a good thing. But in the aftermath of the Supreme Court intervention, both the PTI and PML-N are sulking, like two fighting schoolboys forced to shake hands by a grown up.

If the signs aren’t good, they are better than the possibly violent lockdown of Islamabad threatened by Imran Khan. How­ever, the PTI

Free the pigeon! written by Irfan Husain

Irfan Husain

INDIA has a population of over a billion, a thriving economy, a respected voice, a powerful military and an ancient civilisation. Its scientists have put a satellite into orbit around Mars.

So how does it proclaim its position in the world? By detaining a pigeon allegedly carrying a warning note to Prime Minister Modi. And for good measure, it has expelled a Pakistan High Commission staffer, Mahmood Akhtar, for espionage.

Brand Management written by Irfan Husain

Irfan Husain

MILITARY power is relatively easy to measure by counting the number of soldiers, tanks, planes, ships, etc. Economic might is quantified by readily available data on exchange rate, GDP, productivity, and so on.

But how do we measure soft power? This is a state’s influence abroad through the sum total of its cultural, scientific and sporting achievements, among many other factors. The image a nation acquires in the eyes of outsiders is a nebulous thing, and can be as easily destroyed as a car