New Wave Pakistan

Invited by The Economist to share his perspective from prison, Imran Khan, the ousted prime minister of Pakistan, sheds light on the unjust suppression of his party. Currently incarcerated, Khan highlights the constitutional illegitimacy of caretaker administrations at various levels of government and the skepticism surrounding the promised February 8th elections, particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He points to the questionable actions of the election commission, emphasizing its defiance of the Supreme Court and hindrance of his party's democratic processes. Khan attributes his removal to the establishment's interference, influenced by American pressure. Amid economic challenges and personal persecution, he calls for fair elections as the only path to political stability and democratic governance in Pakistan.

Host Rabia Mehmood is joined by Shuruq As'ad, a senior journalist based in Jerusalem and the representative and spokesperson of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate, also serving in the journalist secretariat of Palestine.

After 672 days of conflict, the tension persists in the Russia-Ukraine war. Recent updates reveal ongoing complexities, with Ukraine's ground operations near the Dnipro River offering a potential strategic advantage. Despite reported Russian advances in areas like Avdiivka, the situation remains in a state of stasis, with both sides facing challenges in achieving decisive breakthroughs. The conflict's fluid and complex nature is evident as territorial gains and losses unfold amid geopolitical tensions and international responses.

Nauraiz Rana, an economist at the World Bank, is accompanied by Dr. Nadeem ul Haque, a Senior Economist and former Deputy Chairman at the Planning Commission of Pakistan, and Trade Policy Advisor to the Minister of Commerce, with a background of 22 years at the IMF.

The Colorado Supreme Court has disqualified Donald Trump from the state's Republican presidential primary, marking the first use of the rarely invoked insurrection clause in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Amid escalating air quality concerns in Pakistan, authorities have taken unprecedented steps, including school and market closures, and cloud-seeding efforts in Lahore. Despite initial success, the crisis, fueled by urban development and environmental negligence, has led to economic losses and health issues. Critics argue that the government's focus on short-term fixes neglects underlying problems like deforestation and emissions. As elections loom, political tensions and other priorities overshadow urgent environmental action, emphasizing the challenge of balancing economic recovery and sustainability.

Raza Rumi discusses Meta's content moderation policies in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Renowned economists Steve Haney and Harry Dent are asserting that the upcoming year, 2024, will be marked by a substantial and imminent mega-recession, particularly impacting the United States. The preceding three to four years have been notably tumultuous for both the U.S. and the global economy.

Host Amina Saqib is joined by Junaid S. Ahmad, a distinguished Professor of Religion and Global Politics at the University of Leeds. BRICS, initially conceived as a financial proposition by the prominent economist at Goldman Sachs, has evolved into a formidable intergovernmental organization. Its establishment of a new development pact has propelled it to substantial global prominence and financial influence. The question arises: could BRICS potentially challenge the established Western geopolitical financial dominance?