The Friday Times

The Friday Times (TFT) is an independent newsweekly published in English in Lahore, Pakistan.

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Articles

Regime Change In The West: Capitalism Hits The Buffers

6 days ago | thefridaytimes.com | Shahid Ahmed

There is growing discussion in Western academic circles – a phenomenon that has become more pointed with the election of Donald Trump in the US – that the economic and political model that the West has followed with varying degrees of enthusiasm since the end of World War II has come to the end of its useful life.
War As Spectacle: How Indian Media Stages A Battle Before First Bullet

1 week ago | thefridaytimes.com | Rohinee Singh

The other night, I found my seven-year-old son leaping from sofa to sofa, clutching a plastic jet in one hand and shouting, “Strike! Strike! Target destroyed!” When I asked what he was playing, he replied with wide-eyed enthusiasm, “Like on TV! India is winning the war again!” He had no idea what war really meant—no clue of blood, loss, or diplomacy. But he had clearly absorbed the nightly theatre of Indian news channels, where toy planes have grown into TRP missiles.
Do We Really Know The Cost Of War?

1 week ago | thefridaytimes.com | Salman Durrani

In times when patriotic sentiments are at their peak on both sides of the border, and have dangerously transformed into war hysteria, it becomes difficult—but absolutely necessary—to ask a common-sense question: do we really understand the cost of war? On social media, mainstream news, and even in everyday drawing room conversations, there is a flood of emotional slogans and memes about a potential war between two neighbouring countries, Pakistan and India.
A Daughter’s Tribute To Her Father

1 week ago | thefridaytimes.com | Nermeen Shaikh

Najmuddin Shaikh September 4, 1939 – March 28, 2025 My father left this world just over a month ago. It is difficult to characterise the time before and after. Taking care of the ill has a certain urgency; there is no time outside that time. But the time of mourning has a strange duration.
CPEC At 10: Broken Promises And Balochistan’s Continued Neglect

2 weeks ago | thefridaytimes.com | Adnan Aamir

It has been ten years since the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a project that promised to bring about a major economic shift in Pakistan. While some progress has been made, the overall picture is far from the original vision. Security challenges, weak governance, and delays have played their part. Yet, the most critical and painful part of this story is the exclusion of Balochistan.
High Fuel Prices, Empty Promises: Shehbaz Sharif’s Risky Bet On Balochistan’s Development

3 weeks ago | thefridaytimes.com | Adnan Aamir

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government recently made a controversial decision to block a planned reduction of Rs10 per liter in petroleum prices, despite a decline in global oil prices. Internationally, petrol and high-speed diesel prices had fallen by about six and five dollars per barrel, respectively, over the past two weeks. Yet the government increased the petroleum levy to a record Rs80 per liter. Instead of passing on the relief to the public, it chose to retain higher prices.
A World Ruled By Autocrats

1 month ago | thefridaytimes.com | Zahid Hussain

The failure of liberal democracies in recent decades to address people’s problems was evident in the recent election results in many countries. There is widespread discontent among people with their governments' misplaced priorities as they struggle to make ends meet, pay bills, obtain quality education for their children, access affordable healthcare and housing, and live in safe communities.
How Gwadar Became A Part Of Pakistan?

1 month ago | thefridaytimes.com | Adnan Aamir

A recent statement by Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi sparked widespread backlash and reignited a long-running debate over Gwadar and its place in the larger issue of Balochistan’s grievances. In a controversial remark, Abbasi claimed that ‘Gwadar is not a property of anyone’s father or grandfather.’ He added that it was purchased by Pakistan from Oman in 1958 by paying money. This comment drew strong reactions, particularly from voices in Balochistan.
Dr. Haroon Ahmed: A Healer, Comrade, And Peacemonger Across Southasia

1 month ago | thefridaytimes.com | Beena Sarwar

Dr. Haroon Ahmed was to be one of the key speakers at the Southasia Peace Action Network, or Sapan, seminar on the last Sunday of June 2021. The seminar, titled 'Neighbours in Peace and Health' focused on public health as a basic human right, and I was excited about having Haroon Cha, as I called him, on the same platform as another public health giant, Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, from Bangladesh. Sadly, Dr. Haroon suffered a stroke just a week earlier and was unable to join.
ABHI & National Foods Launch Earned Wage Access To Empower Employees With Financial Flexibility

1 month ago | thefridaytimes.com

ABHI partners with National Foods Limited to provide Earned Wage Access, enabling real-time salary withdrawals for employees, promoting financial well-being and control.