SUMMARY of “Teaching and gender,” Faisal Bari, Dawn, October 13th, 2023

This article sheds light on the issue of low wages and gender dynamics in the teaching profession in Pakistan. The story begins with a driver, Sadiq, quitting his job due to an insufficient salary of Rs40,000 per month. Despite understanding the financial challenges faced by families in urban areas, the employer couldn’t afford to pay more. Sadiq, with three children, accumulates debt each month due to expenses such as rent, school fees, and more. Similarly, the author discusses a colleague’s daughter, a school teacher with 18 years of education, earning a meager Rs18,000 per month. The author highlights that private schools, which now enroll over 40% of students in Pakistan, depend heavily on female teachers. Yet, these female teachers are paid significantly below the minimum wage. The article explores how this situation arises from a fragmented labor market for female participants and limited job options for educated women. It also addresses the fact that women often » Read More…

Detailed SUMMARY of “Unlearnt Lessons,” Maleeha Lodhi, Dawn, October 9th, 2023

Pakistan’s tumultuous political history holds numerous lessons that must be learned to break free from its troubled past. While some lessons have been absorbed, several crucial ones remain unlearned, leaving the country deeply divided and in a state of persistent political instability and economic fragility. There are at least five unlearned lessons that have significantly impacted the nation’s destiny.

The first lesson revolves around intensely antagonistic politics characterized by bitter feuds and relentless confrontations among political leaders and parties. The zero-sum mentality in politics treated opponents as enemies to be eliminated, rather than competitors, leading to a lack of tolerance for democratic norms. Such behavior has distracted from governance and public welfare, ultimately creating conditions » Read More…

Detailed SUMMARY of the Article, “Mutual Mistrust,” Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Dawn, October 8th, 2023

This article delves into the longstanding issue of mutual mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has roots dating back to the pre-independence era of 1947. The author explains that Afghanistan’s desire to revise the Durand Line, leading to the Pashtunistan movement, and its initial opposition to Pakistan’s entry into the United Nations set the stage for mistrust. Over the years, various geopolitical events, including the Pakistan-India war of 1965 and the Soviet and US invasions of Afghanistan, shaped the complex relationship. Pakistan hosted millions of Afghan refugees and supported Afghan mujahideen, hoping for a friendly Afghan government. However, this expectation remained largely unfulfilled, even during the Taliban’s recent rule in Kabul. The article explores ways for Pakistan to navigate this challenging relationship, emphasizing the need to treat Afghanistan as a sovereign state, maintain political contact with the Taliban without formal recognition, engage ideologically through religious scholars, work militarily with Afghan authorities to curb terrorism, boost economic ties, and coordinate » Read More…