The number of overseas Pakistanis – those having either permanently migrated or out of the country temporarily for work – recently crossed the astonishing landmark of 10 million. For comparison’s sake – over 120 individual countries of the world have populations less than this number!

Even if it may not seem so, winning is the easy part for successful parties in countries that undergo periodic electoral exercises to win political mandates from the public for governance. Translating these mandates from projected progress to actual socioeconomic development is harder.

This is the global year of elections like few others in recent memory. Over 60 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in South Asia, will hold national polls and elect new governments in 2024 – an average of more than one per week!

That most Pakistani marriages – over three-fourths – are not unions of equality for women is borne out again by a new study about perspectives and practices related to their civic registration and enforcement of rights.