EDITORIAL (February 09, 2010): During the last few days signals have emerged from India regarding the resumption of talks between the two countries. On Monday, Indian home minister P. Chidambram said that bilateral talks with Pakistan could be on the anvil if he visited Islamabad for the SAARC Interior Ministers conference being held in Islamabad on February 20.

EDITORIAL (February 09, 2010): A day before US Treasury Secretary Timothy Giethner's observations that China would begin letting its currency appreciate, US President Barack Obama vowed to get tough on trade and exchange rates - putting currency high on a growing list of disputes with China.

EDITORIAL (February 09, 2010): The rising cost of living has pushed people to the tether's end, leading to frequent public protests. Following the latest increase in POL prices, intra-city transporters in Lahore went on a protest strike on Wednesday, making things that much harder for people who depend on public transportation.

EDITORIAL (February 08, 2010): Pakistan Institute of Development Economies (PIDE) is a premier economic policy research organisation of the country. Serious consideration must, therefore, be given to its views whenever these are made public.

EDITORIAL (February 08, 2010): American boots on Pakistani soil - that is something which has never been admitted by the Pakistani authorities. Hence the confusion as to what actually happened in Kota, in the Lower Dir district, on Wednesday when a security convoy was ambushed allegedly by the Taliban, killing seven people including three foreigner-looking persons.

EDITORIAL (February 07, 2010): The new policy announced by the National Judicial (policymaking) Committee, to clear the backlog of cases within a year, was widely hailed. It was maintained that if implemented in letter and spirit, it would bring the country's judiciary at par with the best in the world.

EDITORIAL (February 07, 2010): The CIA-operated drone attacks against suspected targets in Pakistan's tribal areas started some six years ago, but it was the deadly suicide bombing of the intelligence agency's office in Khost, Afghanistan, last December that seems to have provoked massive retaliation, with considerably stepped up attacks.

EDITORIAL (February 06, 2010): According to a section of the press, citing a draft audit report, financial irregularities to the tune of 2.8 billion rupees have been identified in the Punjab government accounts. The cases include examples of financial indiscipline, bypassing of established criteria, excess payments and non-observance of rules and procedures in development and non-development expenditures.

EDITORIAL (February 06, 2010): But security was already stepped up following at least 40 target killings in last five days in Karachi. Those killed included political activists, common labourers and small traders. The incidents led to recriminations amongst the major political parties in Sindh. In the National Assembly, the opposition demanded a debate on the Karachi killings.

EDITORIAL (February 06, 2010): On Friday, two suicide bombers on motorcycles struck a bus and country's largest public sector tertiary-care hospital - Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre - where the dead and wounded of the first blast were being rushed, killing at least two dozen people in two blasts in a city largely isolated from terror attacks.