The fetish of democracy
“90% of Indians have feudal, not rational, mindsets, full of casteism and communalism, which I often call ‘gobar’, so they are unfit to vote,” writes former Supreme Court of India Justice Markandey Katju.
Top stories
-
INTERNATIONAL
Eisenkot gets the mandate to form Israel’s next government
The Yashar leader has 28 days to turn the backing of 67 lawmakers into a coalition that can replace Benjamin Netanyahu, and warned that anyone who blocks it will be remembered for failing Israel
-
INTERNATIONAL
Trump says America ‘took a giant step back’ with midterm results
The president blamed the Democrats’ sweep for a one-day, $3 trillion stock market loss and promised Republicans would be back ‘bigger and stronger than ever before’
-
HEALTH
NADRA stops flu and meningitis jab bookings for Umrah travellers
Pilgrims can no longer register or pay for the vaccines Saudi Arabia requires through Pak ID or e-Sahulat, and are being told to go to Border Health Services directly
-
SPORTS
Hamza Zahoor’s unbeaten century gives Pakistan U19 win over India
Pakistan recovered from 61 for five to chase down 209 with three wickets to spare in Oman and go top of Group A at the Under-19 Asia Cup
-
POLITICAL
KP to set up faceless anti-terrorism courts, spend Rs70bn on police and CTD
The province’s home secretary says witnesses, prosecutors and judges in terrorism cases will be shielded, as the police get money to close gaps in manpower, surveillance and counter-drone defences
Ask Pakistan. Get the proof.
- What did the budget change for salaried workers?
- Why did the State Bank hold the rate?
- How much have remittances risen?
Every answer from Thursday Times reporting and the official record. On WhatsApp too.
Featured
Pakistan’s mineral ambitions need more than mines
As global investors gather for PMIF26, Pakistan must look beyond mineral extraction and invest in the infrastructure, skills and industries that can turn its geological wealth into lasting prosperity
Cheaper cars are welcome. Safer cars are overdue
The new auto policy starts from an honest diagnosis. It will be judged on the dates, the enforcement and the sums the government has not yet shown
Mars may still be volcanically alive, European orbiter finds
Hydrogen chloride rising from fresh cracks on the flanks of the Alba Mons volcano suggests magma may still be stirring beneath the planet’s surface, scientists say
More stories
Maryam Nawaz removes Jhelum DC and orders exam back to original date
Shrapnel damages Aramco building in Riyadh as Houthi missiles are shot down
The Lahore sound: why the world’s biggest DJs are chasing Pakistani pop
NASA picks eight firms for up to $10bn in moon lander deals
Netanyahu’s call for unity is ‘political panic’, Yair Golan says
Herzog to hand Eisenkot the mandate to form Israel’s next government
Trump offers UFC boss Dana White the job of White House press secretary
Trump orders Justice Department to investigate Democrats over ‘extortion’
Lamps, sweets and a long weekend: how Pakistan’s Hindus are getting ready for Diwali
Power cuts this weekend in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi: check your area
The Golden Temple glows on the eve of Diwali
A slogan on the tin will not feed Pakistan’s babies
No backpacks, no passengers: UAE delivery riders face new rules from January
Breakfast with the blind dolphins: a new Indus resort opens at Taunsa
Six satellite internet firms, Starlink among them, still await licences
Sony brings back the original Walkman headphones, now with USB-C
New auto policy promises cheaper cars and a big push for EVs
US sets up task force to choke Iran’s land and Caspian routes
A slogan on the tin will not feed Pakistan’s babies
The drug regulator’s new formula label is welcome. But Pakistan has had a strong law against formula marketing since 2002, and it has barely been enforced
“A warning on the label reaches the parent at the till. Almost everything that matters has happened before.”
-
Keep the Islamabad channel open
The US vice president now speaks to Field Marshal Munir almost daily. Pakistan should use that trust to push for a ceasefire that reopens Hormuz, and never let mediation become participation
7 min read
-
Close the scam centres, and the doors that keep them open
Karachi’s biggest raid yet shows the scale of a racket that steals from the world in Pakistan’s name. Arrests are not enough without the money and the protectors
8 min read
-
One Constitution Avenue needs more than a hotel
The government has taken back the towers and promised a five-star hotel. Refunds, a published report and a reformed CDA matter more
7 min read
What peace in the Gulf would be worth to Pakistan
Cheaper fuel, Qatari gas back for the winter, a safer path for Reko Diq and protection for the Gulf jobs behind Pakistan’s remittances: the sums behind the country’s stake in a US-Iran deal
Peace next door is worth more to Pakistan than to almost any country outside the war itself.
-
Five Indian-origin Republicans ran in the midterms. All five lost
Vivek Ramaswamy’s defeat in Ohio led a clean sweep against the party’s Indian-origin candidates, as Indian-origin Democrats won from Florida to Arizona and the community’s vote swung hard against Trump
7 min read
-
Eisenkot has the backing. He still needs a coalition
With 67 recommendations Israel’s former army chief will probably get the first chance to replace Netanyahu, but every road to 61 seats runs through a promise someone in his camp has made
8 min read
-
Record reserves, rolled-over loans: how Pakistan’s external sums work
Reserves are at a high and bond markets have reopened, but about a third of this year’s bill still rests on friendly rollovers
8 min read
Words by
Justice Markandey Katju
The way out for India
Elections cannot end India’s poverty and division, the former Supreme Court of India judge argues. Only a united people’s struggle can
Words by
Dr Muhammad Bux Dharejo
Sehat Dehleez is Balochistan’s healthcare breakthrough
Free consultations, e-prescriptions, referrals and family health records on one public platform: Balochistan has built a model the rest of Pakistan can learn from.
Words by
Abdullah Esquire
Rethinking Musharraf
I grew up in a PML-N house where the general was the villain of every story. Fifteen years on, I've stopped believing it.
Words by
Raza Butt
Fazl’s quarrel with the establishment: principle, or political exclusion?
He spent a career negotiating at the table of power. Now, locked out of the room, Maulana Fazlur Rehman has begun to sound like the man he helped remove.
Pakistan in Numbers
The prices and figures behind your bills and savings, kept up to date.
See all the numbers- InflationHow fast prices are rising, over a year10.3%Down from 11.1%Sep 2026
- PetrolPrice of a litreRs 346.00Down from Rs 352.597 Nov 2026
- Foreign reservesDollars the State Bank holds$21.52bnUp from $21.49bn23 Oct 2026
- Dollar rateRupees for one US dollarRs 276.55Down from Rs 276.667 Nov 2026
- Stock marketThe KSE-100 index173,887Down from 175,3806 Nov 2026
- Load-sheddingPower shortfall, as reported4,000 MWUp from 3,600 MW6 Oct 2026
How Pakistan lives.
Westline
How markets and wars dictate society.
Read Westline
The backlog Britain built
Ministers of both parties have spent a decade blaming the people in the queue. The numbers point at the people running it.
Abdullah Esquire
The Tories edge past Reform, but credibility is the real fight
Abdullah Esquire
Trump’s infatuation with Munir is a love letter to charisma
The Editorial Desk
Every Starmer stumble brings Kemi closer
TT Monitoring Desk
No backpacks, no passengers: UAE delivery riders face new rules from January
Riders must carry orders in approved boxes, wear uniforms, carry valid permits and never give anyone a lift while working, under federal traffic rules that take effect on January 1
UAE’s new traffic rules from January: five-car cap, child seats, nine-hour limit
What changes for drivers, delivery riders and e-scooter users under regulations taking effect on January 1
Hormuz crisis has drained nearly a billion barrels from world oil stocks, ADNOC chief says, as shipping hits 30% of a barrel’s cost
“The world has eroded its supply buffers,” Sultan Al Jaber tells the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi, with diesel stocks at a 35-year seasonal low in some markets
Shrapnel damages Aramco building in Riyadh as Houthi missiles are shot down
Saudi Arabia says an Aramco administrative building in the capital was hit in an attempted attack, with no one hurt, as air defences destroyed four Houthi missiles fired at Riyadh and the south
Aramco profit jumps 34.5% to $36.25bn despite attacks and lower output
Higher oil prices and a joint venture exit lifted the Saudi oil giant’s earnings, even as the Iran war cut its output and its facilities came under fire.
Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile after strikes on Yemen’s Ras Isa port, as Houthis threaten Aramco
Civil defence alerts were issued and lifted across southern Saudi cities, while Houthi media say seven people were wounded in coalition strikes in Hodeidah province.
KP to set up faceless anti-terrorism courts, spend Rs70bn on police and CTD
The province’s home secretary says witnesses, prosecutors and judges in terrorism cases will be shielded, as the police get money to close gaps in manpower, surveillance and counter-drone defences
Maryam Nawaz removes Jhelum DC and orders exam back to original date
The Punjab chief minister says intermediate Computer Science papers postponed for her visit will be held on Tuesday as first scheduled, after removing the official who recommended the delay
Six satellite internet firms, Starlink among them, still await licences
All six are registered as companies in Pakistan, but none can sell internet until the space regulator signs off and the interior ministry clears their foreign directors and shareholders
Why Afghanistan is called a global hub of terrorism
UN monitors, US intelligence and Russia all warn of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, as Pakistan becomes the country most affected by terrorism.
Through the Maldives, Pakistan stakes a claim to a bigger Indian Ocean role
A maritime security pact signed during President Muizzu’s visit gives Islamabad a foothold in waters New Delhi has long treated as its own backyard.
Asim Munir and Maldives’ Muizzu agree to deepen defence cooperation
The army chief met the Maldivian president in Islamabad on the second day of the first visit by a Maldivian head of state in 11 years, as the two countries signed a defence and maritime security pact.
Hamza Zahoor’s unbeaten century gives Pakistan U19 win over India
Pakistan recovered from 61 for five to chase down 209 with three wickets to spare in Oman and go top of Group A at the Under-19 Asia Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo retires from Portugal after 23 years, 234 caps and 146 goals
The 41-year-old hands back the number 7 shirt, weeks after walking out of the national camp
Hunza’s Maliha Ali stuns Russian champion at MMA World Championships
The 24-year-old won by split decision to reach the quarter-finals in Tbilisi, where her twin sister Manesha is also chasing a world title
From the paper’s own studio
Campaigns, films, adverts and launches, made in-house by the people who make the paper. Brands, causes and institutions can hire the same team.
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Promotion
- Production
The names and the hits
The people who have written for The Thursday Times, and the stories readers came for most.
Written for The Thursday Times
Reham KhanBroadcaster, formerly of the BBCCelebrity sufferings
Mohammad Ishaq DarDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterPurchasing power is being squeezed from the common man
Mian Javed LatifPML-N member of the National Assemblyعمران خان کا ایجنڈا
Absar AlamFormer PEMRA chairmanجنرل باجوہ کا بیٹا اور میرا بیٹا
Hina Parvez ButtPML-N, Punjab Assemblyلوٹ کے بدھو گھر کو آ رہے ہیں
Ahmad JawadFormer PTI information secretaryقیامت سے قیامت تک
Ammar MasoodChief editor, WE Newsاک نئی قرداد پاکستان
Hammad HassanColumnist, Jangثاقب نثار کے جرائم
Most read, all time
- World Bank places Pakistan in MENA, ending South Asia classification
- Islamabad beats New York, London and Paris in quality of life index
- Jemima Goldsmith finds love again with Irish financier Cameron O’Reilly
- Cristiano Ronaldo wins his first Saudi Pro League Title with Al Nassr
- COMMENTARYThe Superstar Playboy Politicians
- OPINIONThe reality of Dr Shahbaz Gill
- ANALYSISA detailed guide to Maryam Nawaz’s first 100 days as Punjab’s Chief Minister
- TORQUEPlanning a motorway trip? Here’s how to get your M-Tag, and what happens if you don’t
Ask Pakistan. Get the proof.
Every answer from Thursday Times reporting and the official record, with the proof behind it. On WhatsApp, in your own language.
Free on WhatsApp. Nothing to download.
