Elections in Pakistan are over. Though the mandate is regional, as no party has shown a nation wide presence, PML-N has attained a majority in Pakistan’s national assembly after 18 independent candidates joined the party. D. Raghunandan of Newsclick.in discusses the factors governing the present political environment of Pakistan with the senior journalist Seema Mustafa.

Who is more civilized ? India or pakistan? The debate is at its peak after the deaths of Sarabjit and Sanaullah but nobody is talking about the conditions of prisons and prisoners' rights. Prabir Purkayastha of Newsclick discusses the ignored reasons behind the deaths of Indian and Pakistani prisoners with two human rights lawyers, N.D. Pancholi and Nandita Haksar.

India is not just the hawks and the anchors on television, but a large motley of sane people holding sober and rational views.

Bakht Arif is a Pakistani artist and singer, well-known for her song 'Zinda Lash'. The song ,derived from the Cranberries’ Zombie, is a cry against the injustices plaguing the society. Bakht Arif speaks to Newsclick on the making of the song and shares her experiences.

The formation of the Anjuman-e-Mazareen-e-Punjab (Association of Punjab’s Tenants) in Pakistan signaled the re-carving of political space by Punjab’s peasants.  This interview with Asad Farooq, Professor in the Law Department at LUMS, charts the development of Anjuman-e-Mazareen-e-Punjab from its formation to its recent struggles. The interview was conducted by Qalandar Bux Memon, co-editor with Madiha R. Tahir and Vijay Prashad of Dispatches from Pakistan (LeftWord, 2013).

Senior Journalist Seema Mustafa discusses with NewsClick the current political scenario in Pakistan. She says the Pakistani Taliban and terrorism within is a major problem in Pakistan. The pull-out of US troops from Afghanistan, slated in 2014 is also a major worry for Pakistan. In the ensuing General Elections in 2013, She feels the PPP led by Zardari, is better placed to make a come back.

Dr. Gershon Baskin, the initiator and negotiator of the secret back channel for the release of Gilad Shalit writes about Israel's assassination of Ahmed Jaabari in the Daily Beast.

Karamat Ali, the well-known labour and human rights activist in Pakistan believes that the brutal shooting by Tehirik-e-Taliban of a young girl for wanting to study is a defining moment in the history of Pakistan. The outpouring of anger and grief can the transform political discourse in Pakistan, and indeed South Asia, if we can seize this moment

Right-wing political parties and some of the religious groups appear to be trying hard to somehow confuse the issue by interlinking the TTP attack over teenage Malala Yousufzai with drones attacking North Wazirstan.

Dr. Taimur Rahman, the founder of Laal Band and the General Secretary of the Communist Mazdfoor Kissan Party of Pakistan, discusses with Newsclick his new book, "Class Structure of Pakistan". In this book, he analyzes the class structure from the time of the Mughal Empire, through the distortions of the colonial era to the class structure of contemporary Pakistan. He notes that the non-agricultural sector of the economy is dominated by petty commodity production and large scale production system, whether in the state or corporate owned sector occupies a relatively small part of the economy.