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Most Repeated Essay Topics in CSS and PMS (2016 to 2026)
This compilation covers every CSS essay paper from 2016 to 2026, including the CSS Special 2023 paper, along with the PMS Punjab essay papers for the same period. Each topic is placed under the theme it tests, followed by an analysis of the themes that repeat most often.
1. Governance, Democracy and Politics
Crisis of good governance in Pakistan: Need for reforms and institution building (CSS 2016)
The creation of new provinces in Pakistan: Implications for an integrated country (CSS 2016)
Will “Rule of law” always remain an impracticable myth in our country? (CSS 2018)
Democracy in Pakistan: Hopes and Hurdles (CSS 2018)
Democracy and illiteracy do not move together (CSS 2019)
Corruption is the root cause of all social ills (PMS 2019)
Polarized politics: The issues and challenges of democracy in Pakistan (CSS 2020)
Bureaucracy doldrums (CSS 2021)
Democracy without justice is tyranny (PMS 2022)
Digital democracy, social media and political participation (CSS 2022)
Ideal governance model for Pakistan (PMS 2024)
Pragmatism vs passion in politics (CSS 2024)
Political polarization: Governance and society (CSS 2024)
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it (CSS 2025)
Rich in politicians, we desperately need statesmen (CSS 2025)
Dynastic politics is the worst mockery of democracy (CSS 2025)
Local Government System: The missing link in Pakistan’s governance structure (CSS 2026)
2. Economy, Trade and Development
Promotion of tax culture in Pakistan: Perspective, prospects and challenges (CSS 2016)
Does foreign aid help to achieve economic stability? (CSS 2016)
Economic growth without distributive justice breeds violence (PMS 2017)
Real development should transform people’s lives, not just economic statistics (CSS 2018)
Pakistan’s informal economy: The way forward (CSS 2020)
Promoting tourism in Pakistan: Opportunities and challenges (CSS 2020)
IMF bailouts: Roads to stability or recipes for disaster (CSS 2020)
Human Resource Development is key to the progress and prosperity of any country (PMS 2020)
Price hike in Pakistan: The worst of all worries (PMS 2021)
Industrial reforms: A key to sustainable growth (PMS 2021)
Inflation: A result of poor economic policies or a part of global economic woes (PMS 2022)
Global trade and trade policies of China (CSS 2022)
Is there such a thing as ethical consumerism? (CSS 2022)
Human development and economic sustainability (CSS 2022)
Developing countries must be able to reap the benefits of international trade (CSS Special 2023)
Pathways to Pakistan’s prosperity (CSS 2024)
Revitalising the agriculture sector of Pakistan (CSS 2026)
3. Globalization
Brexit means globalization is the rhetoric of the privileged, and capitalism will return ferociously as ever (CSS 2017)
Can globalization and nationalism co-exist in the long run? (PMS 2017)
Do you think that Pakistan is gradually progressing to become a globalized and multicultural country? (PMS 2019)
Pros and cons of globalization (CSS 2021)
An analysis of the concept of globalization of markets (CSS 2022)
Globalization: The end of austerity (CSS Special 2023)
Globalization and national economics (CSS 2024)
Globalization: Reducing or exacerbating poverty (PMS 2024)
4. International Relations and World Order
More and more international military engagements by the United Nations; is the world moving towards peace? (CSS 2017)
Are modern wars not holy wars? (CSS 2017)
The relevance of the OIC in the global political scenario and its role in promoting and protecting the interests of the Muslim world (PMS 2017)
New war fronts lie in economic zones (CSS 2019)
The recent standoff between China and the US and its impact on Pakistan (PMS 2020)
Right-wing nationalist resurgence in Europe, US and Asia is creating ripples in the democratic world (PMS 2020)
Intercultural communication is panacea to avoid third world war (CSS 2021)
The impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on the world economy (PMS 2021)
Global politics and international relations (CSS 2022)
Unipolar, bipolar or multipolar: New direction of the world (CSS Special 2023)
BRICS and Pakistan: Prospects of recovery (CSS 2024)
Sovereignty: Reality or mirage (PMS 2024)
Hamas-Israel conflict: A test case for world conscience (CSS 2025)
Emerging Multipolar World Order: Opportunities and risks for Pakistan (CSS 2026)
Nations have no permanent friends and enemies; they have only permanent interests (CSS 2026)
5. Pakistan’s Foreign Policy, Security and Kashmir
Geostrategic location of Pakistan: Challenges and opportunities in the 21st century (PMS 2019)
Pakistan and the future of Kashmir cause (CSS 2020)
Global power dynamics and Pakistan’s foreign policy (CSS 2020)
Analyze the status of Kashmir in the backdrop of abrogation of its special status by India and options for Pakistan (PMS 2020)
Changing contours of the foreign policy of Pakistan (PMS 2024)
Pakistan and global peace (PMS 2025)
Cyber security as the new national security frontier (CSS 2026)
The one who controls the sea, rules the world (CSS 2026)
There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy (CSS 2026)
6. CPEC and Regional Connectivity
CPEC and its socio-economic implications for the region and the world (CSS 2018)
The CPEC is expected to transform positively the whole socio-economic condition of Pakistan (PMS 2019)
CPEC and “India-Middle East-Europe” corridor: New war fronts (CSS 2024)
7. Education
Economic prosperity of a country is directly proportional to the level of literacy (PMS 2016)
A person who won’t read has no advantage over a person who can’t read (PMS 2017)
Higher education in Pakistan: Ills and remedies (CSS 2018)
Classrooms decide the future of the nation (CSS 2019)
Higher education should be given only to those, on merit, who are intellectually superior (PMS 2019)
Our education system is perpetuating socio-economic inequalities in the society (PMS 2020)
Women universities as agents of change (CSS 2020)
Meaning purposive education (CSS 2021)
Can the Single National Curriculum pave the way for the desired ideological integration in Pakistani society? (PMS 2022)
Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone (CSS 2023)
Online learning is not only convenient but often more effective than traditional classroom instruction (CSS 2023)
Children must be taught how to think, not what to think (CSS Special 2023)
Societal stereotypes rather than economic factors are barriers to female education (PMS 2024)
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest (CSS 2025)
8. Gender and Women
Gender equality is a myth! (CSS 2016)
Frailty, thy name is woman (CSS 2016)
Feminism is not really a Third World issue (CSS 2017)
New waves of feminism and our culture (CSS 2019)
Gender equality: A popular slogan (CSS 2021)
The controversial issues of feminism in contemporary women’s rights movement (CSS 2022)
Both parents should assume equal responsibility in raising a child (CSS 2023)
Boys will be boys (CSS 2023)
Pakistani women have the same chances as men (CSS Special 2023)
Frailty is no more the name of a woman (CSS 2025)
9. Science, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Social Media
The emerging power of social media: Prospects and problems (CSS 2018)
Expanding information technology: A curse or blessing (CSS 2019)
Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution? (CSS 2020)
Human inventions move the societies backward (CSS 2021)
The future of artificial intelligence (PMS 2021)
Innovations are never-ending headways (PMS 2022)
People have become overly dependent on technology (CSS 2023)
Artificial intelligence has overpowered its bounds (CSS Special 2023)
Social media has destroyed real life communication (CSS Special 2023)
Artificial intelligence: The death of creativity (CSS 2024)
Does social media deepen social divisions or promote inclusivity? (PMS 2024)
10. Environment, Climate, Water, Energy and Food Security
Water crisis and national unity (CSS 2016)
Dilemma of water and energy crisis in Pakistan: The way forward (PMS 2016)
Environmental pollution is an incurable disease; it can only be prevented (PMS 2016)
The threat of global warming and the ways to counter it (CSS 2018)
Do not waste water even if you were at a running stream (CSS 2021)
Global warming: Causes, effects and solution (PMS 2021)
World food system: The economies of agriculture (CSS 2022)
Not all recycled projects are cost effective (CSS 2023)
Phase out of fossil fuel and Arab economics (CSS 2024)
Reforestation as a global urgency (CSS 2025)
Food security is national security (PMS 2025)
Strategies for post-flood rehabilitation in Pakistan (PMS 2025)
11. Terrorism, Extremism, Human Rights and Tolerance
The war on terror has contributed to the growing abuse of human rights (CSS 2016)
Human rights is one of the most fundamental issues facing humanity as well as the most sensitive and controversial (PMS 2016)
Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue (PMS 2016)
In the fight against terrorism and corruption, it is imperative not to compromise human rights and civil liberties (CSS 2018)
Universal human equality is utopic (CSS 2021)
Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains (PMS 2022)
Intolerance: Causes and way forward (PMS 2024)
12. Media, Propaganda and Freedom of Expression
I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it (CSS 2020)
Freedom of expression: A double-edged sword (PMS 2021)
How is terrorism and its perception shaped by the mass media? (CSS 2022)
The power of propaganda and the Muslim world (CSS 2024)
13. Society, Culture and Social Issues
Is colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s progress? (CSS 2017)
Being a minority is a fate no one wants. Can nationalism be really inclusive? (CSS 2017)
Respect for diversity can lead to unity in nation (PMS 2019)
To encourage healthy eating, higher taxes should be imposed on soft drinks and junk food (CSS 2023)
Youth bulge: A demographic dividend or a demographic bomb? (CSS 2026)
Countering the growing menace of beggary (CSS 2026)
Politicisation of sports: A new challenge (CSS 2026)
14. Health and Pandemics
COVID-19: A wake-up call for Pakistani researchers (CSS 2021)
Analyze the impact of COVID-19 on Pakistan and recommend steps to mitigate its effects (PMS 2020)
15. Islam and Religion
Let there be more light in the corridors of worship (CSS 2019)
So surely with hardship comes ease (CSS Special 2023)
Justice, fairplay and kindness in Islam (PMS 2025)
16. Literature, Language and Art
The place of Urdu in Pakistan and the Supreme Court’s ruling on making Urdu the official language of the country (CSS 2016)
Literature is a lonely planet of idealists (CSS 2017)
Brevity is the soul of wit (PMS 2017)
Urdu literature and Progressive Movement (CSS 2019)
Art for peace (CSS 2019)
Do we really need literature in our lives? (CSS 2020)
“I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed” (CSS 2021)
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell (CSS 2025)
17. Philosophical, Ethical and Quotation-Based Topics
It is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years (PMS 2016)
Modernity is an unending project (CSS 2017)
Ideologies thrive on notions of resistance, yet change is a simulation (CSS 2017)
Life without controversy is no life. But why one should not choose the safe haven of conformism? (CSS 2017)
Soft words are hard arguments (PMS 2017)
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears (CSS 2018)
Beware the barrenness of a busy life! (CSS 2018)
Truth is lived, not taught (CSS 2019)
Sometimes we do not see what we see (CSS 2019)
Imagination is more important than knowledge (CSS 2022)
The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action (PMS 2022)
The one who uses force is afraid of reasoning (CSS 2023)
The fool speaks and the wise listens (CSS 2023)
A friend walks in when everyone else walks out (CSS 2023)
It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be (CSS Special 2023)
No legacy is so rich as honesty (CSS Special 2023)
Hope: The greatest driving force (CSS 2024)
Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated (CSS 2025)
True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice (CSS 2025)
The impact of choices on our future (PMS 2025)
Outside the comfort zone (PMS 2025)
18. Most Repeated Themes (Ranked)
Philosophical and quotation-based topics: 21 topics. Almost every CSS paper since 2017 includes two to four abstract or proverb-based topics.
Governance, democracy and politics: 17 topics. Polarization appeared in both CSS 2020 and CSS 2024, and democracy-related topics appear in nearly every paper.
Economy, trade and development: 17 topics. IMF dependence, inflation, taxation and prosperity are constant favourites.
International relations and foreign policy combined: 24 topics. Multipolarity appeared in CSS Special 2023 and again in CSS 2026, and great power rivalry is a regular theme.
Education: 14 topics, with strong emphasis on higher education, inequality and purpose of education.
Environment, water and food security: 12 topics. Water crisis and global warming recur in both CSS and PMS.
Science, technology and AI: 11 topics. Artificial intelligence alone appeared in CSS Special 2023, CSS 2024 and PMS 2021.
Gender and women: 10 topics. CSS has asked about women or gender in almost every year from 2016 to 2025.
Globalization: 8 topics, appearing in CSS 2017, 2021, 2022, Special 2023 and 2024.
19. Topics That Returned in Almost the Same Form
“Frailty, thy name is woman” (CSS 2016) returned as “Frailty is no more the name of a woman” (CSS 2025).
“Gender equality is a myth” (CSS 2016) returned as “Gender equality: A popular slogan” (CSS 2021).
“Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated” appeared in earlier CSS papers before 2016 and was asked again in CSS 2025.
The Voltaire quotation on freedom of speech appeared in an earlier CSS paper and was repeated in CSS 2020.
CPEC was asked in CSS 2018, PMS 2019 and CSS 2024.
Kashmir was asked in both CSS 2020 and PMS 2020.
COVID-19 was asked in both PMS 2020 and CSS 2021.
Political polarization was asked in CSS 2020 and CSS 2024.
Literacy and economic prosperity appeared in older CSS papers and again in PMS 2016.
Globalization and nationalism appeared in CSS 2017 (minority and nationalism) and PMS 2017.
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