Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

Aasim Sajjad Akhtar is a professor of political economy at the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. He is the author of four books and has organised with Pakistan’s socialist left and various progressive movements.

Pakistan’s heyday as US–Iran mediator is a thin veil over its domestic crises

Field Marshal Asim Munir is riding high on Pakistan’s mediation of US–Iran talks, but the country remains beset by economic crisis, a rapacious elite, IMF-imposed austerity and violent insurgencies

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 22 Jun 2026

Pakistan’s heyday as US–Iran mediator is a thin veil over its domestic crises

Neo-liberalism and dictatorship

Sixty years after the emergence of aid as a strategic tool, its geo-political importance is undiminished. While there has been a renewal of more overt forms of capital accumulation

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Sep 2005

Compromise and cohabitation

George W Bush and General Pervez Musharraf are reportedly good friends. They are also both, at least apparently, on the hot-seat. George Bush is dealing with the rapidly deteriorating

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 31 May 2004

A corner of Pakistan

It is possible that there will be an unprecedented social upheaval in Pakistan in the not too distant future. This upheaval will not necessarily be organised or guided by political

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 27 Mar 2004

Nukes, sovereignty, and empire

There has been an incredible outpouring of public and private emotion in Pakistan over the "detention" of the country's most prominent nuclear scientists, including the best-

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Feb 2004

A PARADE FOR THE GENERAL

Fourteen months after the general election, General Pervez Musharraf's Legal Framework Order (LFO) has finally become part of the constitution. What has seemed like an eternity of wrangling

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Jan 2004

REVOLUTION AND RESPONSIBILTY

The release of the annual report of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was accompanied by the usual fanfare, including a very deliberate assertion absolving the Pervez Musharraf regime of

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Dec 2003

Fauji’s foundation

Before starting to question the logic of why the Fauji Foundation is buying out PSO, it is worth considering why PSO is being sold in the first place.

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Nov 2003

Collapse of the neo-liberal consensus

Conciliation and cooperation are the catchphrases of the liberal world. However, only a short time ago (even if it now seems like a long time ago), Western civilisation was busy

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Oct 2003

A tale of loot and plunder

There is an assault underway on the natural resources of the world. The assault is spearheaded by multinational capital, which needs to consume more and more to be able to

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Sep 2003

The lie industry

The website of the United States Central Command recently reported that Pakistan suffered a USD 10 billion loss (almost one-third of total external debt) because of its support for

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 Jun 2003

The Legal Framework Order

The nightly broadcasts of Pakistan's public network television channel, Pakistan Television (PTV), towards the end of April were dedicated to the standoff between the government and the opposition

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

/ 1 May 2003