The architecture of a nation is often beautifully reflected in the harmony between its constitutional promises and its operational realities. Yet when one gazes upon the geopolitical posture of Pakistan, one finds an intricate labyrinth of institutionalised deceit. It is a state that has mastered the dark and tragic art of diplomatic illusion. On the global stage, its civilian representatives wear masks of victimhood, eloquently pleading for international solidarity, financia

What the amendment is aiming to do is already happening. The army has long played a major role in politics, the judiciary has long been under pressure, the provinces for years have been squeezed on finances and powers. From where I stand across the Pir Panjal in a Kashmir that still breathes with hope as part of the world’s largest democracy I watch with a mixture of relief and sorrow what is happening in Pakistan. I am grateful that I am free from the kind of oppression that