Category: Pakistan

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612 Became 103,351: Punjab Police Has a Missing-Women Data Problem

Munaeem Jamal

Two Punjab Police reports used radically different recovery figures within five weeks. The deeper problem lies in what the state counts as an abduction, a recovery, and a resolved case. I had two Punjab Police numbers open on my screen in Karachi. The first was 612. In April 2026, Punjab Police told the Lahore High Court that 105,244 cases involving women’s abduction had been registered between 2021 and 2025. Police said 3,258 women remained missing and 612 had been recovered. The figures came from a report ordered by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum after years of litigation over an allegedly abducted … Continue reading 612 Became 103,351: Punjab Police Has a Missing-Women Data Problem

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Pakistan’s Hidden Child Domestic Labour Market: Who Controls the Wages?

Munaeem Jamal

Pakistan can inspect a brick kiln, but a child domestic worker can remain invisible inside a private home.The problem becomes more disturbing when parents or guardians receive months of wages in advance. If the child wants to leave early, who repays money the family has already spent?That financial pressure can reduce a child’s freedom to walk away.Media reports in Pakistan repeatedly show young maids reaching hospitals only after severe abuse has already occurred. The quieter cases rarely enter police files or labour statistics.My article follows the money behind child domestic work and asks a harder question: who actually controls the … Continue reading Pakistan’s Hidden Child Domestic Labour Market: Who Controls the Wages?

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Pakistan’s Banks May Be Missing the Real Hawala Trail

Munaeem Jamal

A Pakistani bank may see a normal Raast transfer.The transaction that explains it may have started in Muscat. FATF’s Oman case shows how a legitimate domestic payment can sit inside a wider hawala arrangement without Raast itself being compromised. That changes the compliance question. Banks cannot rely only on transaction value or one isolated payment. They need to examine customer behaviour, linked accounts and unusual transfer patterns. The harder problem appears when one bank sees only one leg of the chain while foreign investigators hold the information that gives the payment meaning. I examine how Pakistani banks can improve Raast … Continue reading Pakistan’s Banks May Be Missing the Real Hawala Trail

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Domestic Violence Law and the Family: What the Debate Gets Wrong

The Domestic Violence Law has become one of the most emotionally charged legal debates in Pakistan. For some, it is portrayed as an attack on the family system. For others, it is dismissed as a Western agenda imposed through NGOs and international pressure. But the real question remains uncomfortable and unresolved: is this law meant to destroy families, or is it a response to a reality that society has long chosen to ignore? Domestic violence in Pakistan is not a rare or imported phenomenon. It exists across cities and villages, among educated and uneducated households alike. The difference is not … Continue reading Domestic Violence Law and the Family: What the Debate Gets Wrong

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Why Comparing Theocracies to Democracies Misses the Point on Religious Freedom

The False Equivalence Between Theocracies and Secular Democracies A recent viral tweet argues that Muslims should be banned from political office in “Christian nations” because Christians cannot run for office in countries like Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, and Algeria. This argument, … Continue reading Why Comparing Theocracies to Democracies Misses the Point on Religious Freedom

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Dr Warda Murder Case and Pakistan’s Criminal Justice Gaps

What Happened in Abbottabad The murder of Dr Warda Mushtaq in Abbottabad has shaken public confidence far beyond Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A young medical professional disappeared after leaving her workplace. Days later, her body was recovered from a remote area. According to officially reported information and the post-mortem findings circulating publicly, Dr Warda Mushtaq died due to strangulation after severe physical assault. Law-enforcement authorities have confirmed arrests and stated that investigations are ongoing. This article does not speculate on suspects or motives beyond what has been formally acknowledged. The focus is not on individuals, but on systems. Why This Case Triggered … Continue reading Dr Warda Murder Case and Pakistan’s Criminal Justice Gaps

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A Karachi shop counter with a QR payment stand beside a cash drawer, illustrating Pakistan's shift from cash toward digital payments.

Why Pakistan’s Undocumented Economy Survived Every Government

Pakistan is rapidly digitising payments, expanding Raast and strengthening FBR’s tax technology. Yet retailers remain difficult to bring fully into the tax system. The survival of Pakistan’s undocumented economy increasingly looks less like a technology problem and more like an institutional test. Continue reading Why Pakistan’s Undocumented Economy Survived Every Government

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ذاتی داد رسی اور احتساب کی حدود

پاکستان میں حالیہ قانونی پیش رفت نے ایک پرانے مگر اب تک حل نہ ہونے والے سوال کو دوبارہ زندہ کر دیا ہے: جب کسی طاقتور شخصیت کو سزا سنائی جاتی ہے تو کیا یہ حقیقی احتساب کی علامت ہوتی ہے، یا محض اشرافیہ کے اندر طاقت کے توازن میں تبدیلی؟ جن افراد کو طویل عرصے تک مقدمات، پیشہ ورانہ رکاوٹوں یا ساکھ کو نقصان کا سامنا رہا، ان کے لیے الزامات کا ختم ہونا ذاتی سطح پر ایک بڑی راحت ہو سکتا ہے۔ برسوں کی غیر یقینی کیفیت ختم ہوتی ہے۔ عزتِ نفس کی بحالی ممکن ہوتی ہے۔ اس … Continue reading ذاتی داد رسی اور احتساب کی حدود