I had become accustomed to believing that in general, governments just don’t give a damn about their populations, unless, of course, it was election time. If you had the luxury of being a dictator, even elections weren’t a concern. The now classic example is that despite literally millions of people protesting against the [...]

Pakistani student Samad Khurram’s refusal to accept an award from the American Ambassador at his Roots College’s ceremony in Islamabad is in stark contrast to the slavish behaviour of Pakistan’s rulers. His complete blanking of the ambassador had left her initially speechless and bewildered as she heard Mr. Khurram’s brief statement at he podium.
His point [...]