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Content Copyright jWorldTimes.com

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Jahangir World Times

Published: April, 2012

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We Want Peace and Understanding between

Various Parties of Pakistan which do not
Agree with One Another

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Interview with Tajik Ambassador HE Zubaydullo N. Zubaydov

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Jahangirs World Times: How do you comment on the bilateral relations between Pakistan
and Tajikistan?
HE Zubaydov N. Zubaydov: We are enjoying cordial relations with Pakistan. Our relationship is
good and growing further. But this is not satisfactory for us because it is not as good as the political
relations between the two countries. We have a proposal of trade agreement between Tajikistan,
Pakistan and Afghanistan and would discuss at the sideline of fifth Regional Economic
Cooperation Conference for Afghanistan (RECCA) conference to be held on 26th and 27th
March this year. We want that Tajik trucks should travel to Pakistan without any problem and
similarly, Pakistani trucks may move easily to Tajikistan without any problem. When trade grows,
relationship will be further strengthened. There is good news for businessmen that during the visit
of President Zardari to Dushanbe to attend RECCA, National Bank of Pakistan decided to open its
branches in Dushanbe. This will support business community as they can open their accounts and

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transfer their amounts. Probably, there will be a direct flight of Tajik Air between Islamabad and
Dushanbe during the first week of April. This will be one more step for promoting relations and
trade between the two countries.

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JWT: Tajikistan is organizing fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference' for

Afghanistan. What are objectives?
HE Zubaydov: Peace in Afghanistan is very important for peace in the region. And for peace in
Afghanistan, regional countries participation is also very important. The President of Tajiksitan
Imam Ali Rehmon always emphasizes the role of regional countries to ensuring peace in
Afghanistan. The fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan will be held in
Dushanbe on 26-27 March, 2012. It will be attended by 40 countries of the world. We are grateful
that Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to attend the conference. All sides will
look into how best they can cooperate to ensure reconstruction and economic stability inside
Afghanistan.

The objective of the conference will be to look into different scenarios as to how to improve
security, electric supply, transmission lines, mining and industrial process in Afghanistan. We feel
these projects are crucially important for peace in Afghanistan.

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In engaging business leaders, senior government officials, civil society representatives, artists, and
scholars, the Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, presents an
opportunity to translate the vision of a more stable and prosperous region through a stable and
prosperous Afghanistan.

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The over-arching goal of regional cooperation in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy
(ANDS) is to contribute to regional stability and prosperity by restoring Afghanistan's central role
as a land bridge between Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East for
the exchange of commerce, culture, and ideas. RECCA V will deepen this regional cooperation
agenda by focusing attention on: i) Achieving Economic Development through Building
Infrastructure (Transport and Energy); ii) Developing Human Resources though the Promotion of
Vocational Education and Training; and iii) Advancing Investment, Trade, Transit, and Border
Management through Cooperation between National and International Authorities.

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JWT: As you talked about Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan attending the RECCA
conference, whether there will be any trilateral meeting between troika?
HE Zubaydov: We will be honoured to receive President Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai for
RECCA as well as for Jashan-e-Nauroz. There will be bilateral talks between Presidents of Pakistan
and Tajiksitan as well as a trilateral summit between the Presidents of Pakistan, Tajikistan and
Afghanistan.

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JWT: Pakistan and Tajikistan are clubbed together in a quadrilateral mechanism along with
Russia and Afghanistan? What progress has been achieved on this platform?
HE Zubaydov: This mechanism is very important for the region as well as for Afghanistan. For
quadrilateral mechanism, the proposal was made by our President Emamali Rahmon and the first
two summits were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The third quadrilateral summit is scheduled to be
held this year in Islamabad. The forthcoming quadrilateral meeting in Islamabad will be very
important because Russia has stated many times its interest for cooperating in restoration of peace
in Afghanistan. All of us need to devise different mechanisms for brining peace and tranquility in
Afghanistan.
JWT: When is the third quadrilateral summit between Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Afghanistan being held in Pakistan?

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HE Zubaydov: It is expected that the third quadrilateral summit will be held in Islamabad in
September this year. All these countries are trying to cooperate with each other against terrorism
and drug trafficking as well as bringing peace and development in the region.

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JWT: Russia promised to provide financial contribution for CASA-1000 projects connecting
Central Asia with South Asia in terms of electricity transmission. What is the latest now?
HE Zubaydov: Yes, it is true that Russia has shown financial contribution of $500 million for
CASA-1000 project. The said projects will connect Central Asia with South Asia by provision of
electricity. We are already providing 300 MW of electricity to Afghanistan; we are trying to bring,
on the same transmission lines, 1000 MW electricity to Pakistan. Our four countries have already
established a joint commission which is working in this direction.

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JWT: There has been a lot of talk about regional connectivity whenever there have been
discussions on the issue of regional cooperation. What is the progress so far?
HE Zubaydov: Without good trade, there cannot be good relations between the countries. Therefore,
we are trying our best to open roads through Wakhan corridor between Pakistan and Tajikistan. This
is one of the projects related to connectivity. Secondly, there is a railway connectivity project
between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As we know, a delegation of Pakistan railways will attend the
RECCA meeting and avenues for cooperation will be discussed.

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JWT:What message you would like to communicate to the people of Pakistan?

HE: Zubaydov:First of all, I wish all the best to the people and nation of Pakistan. We want peace
and understanding between various parties here who do not agree with each other. Pakistan is very
important country not only for Tajikistan but for regional peace.
S.M Piracha

SHOWING FACE

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Merely showcasing the presence of a few privileged and heavily painted females
with designer outfits in our cabinets or assemblies is neither gendermainstreaming nor empowering of women. They only epitomize a lust for selfdisplay and an effrontery of affluence that only aggravates a sense of
humiliation among the larger female population of the country.
Ageing and Health
Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's Oscar-winning documentary 'Saving Face' has rightly brought laurels to
her and to her team-mates for highlighting globally an issue that had hitherto remained unnoticed
and unreported even in Pakistan. The 40-minute documentary focusing on acid attacks against
women in our country is indeed a bold attempt to change lives but more than that, it unveils the true
face of a society the bulk of which is still living in medieval times. Sharmeen Chinoy's 'Saving
Face' could perhaps be better called 'Showing Face' of a country where women continue to be
denied their basic rights and fundamental freedoms as equal citizens.

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Prime Minister Gilani has done well by announcing a high civil award for Sharmeen but he would
do even better if he took concrete measures to erase this ugly scar from the face of the nation. It is
not enough just to appreciate Sharmeen's courage and creativity in highlighting the disgraceful issue
of acid attacks on women through an award-winning documentary. He should not transfer his own
responsibility to artists by asking them to continue to act as a catalyst in bringing positive change in
the society. The change in society will come only through governmental efforts and affirmative
political and economic action genuinely addressing the core issues underlying women's socioeconomic backwardness in Pakistan.

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The problem is that the overbearing feudal and tribal power structure in Pakistan has been too
deeply entrenched to let any systemic change take place. The empowerment of men and women in
the country doesn't suit them. They have always resisted reform in the country which they fear will
erode their vested power and influence base. Successive governments in Pakistan have only paid
politically motivated lip-service to the cause of women. No government, not even the present one,
has ever shown the courage needed to grapple with the primitive gender norms inherent in our legal
system and customs.

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Pakistan remains one of those countries where women even in the twenty-first century are subjected
to primitive gender norms which are at the root of the pervasive political, legal, economic and social
inequalities that perpetuate women's lack of access to resources, education, health care,
employment, decision-making and participation in public life. They are also victims of gruesome
forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, with pervasive denial of justice. Acid
attacks are just a tip of the iceberg. Violence against women in our country is endemic and
widespread.
Despite the relative privilege of some elitist women, the large majority of women in Pakistan
remains structurally disadvantaged as a result of our discriminatory legal system and obscurant
norms and attitudes. They are subjected to barbaric and senseless customs and laws. There are
systemic, almost insurmountable barriers to justice confronting victims of violence, rape and other

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excesses. Some of the victims prefer to seek asylum in other countries rather than live under
conditions of insecurity in their homeland. The world knows this bleak reality.

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Pakistan as a leading player in international forums making significant contribution to the

promotion of global consensus on issues related to social and economic inequalities is obliged by its
ratification of international treaties to ensure respect for women's rights and fundamental freedoms.
These include the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) for the advancement of
women, which recognized that equality between women and men is a matter of human rights and a
condition for social justice, and is also a necessary and fundamental prerequisite for equality,
development and peace.
The change in society will come only through governmental efforts and affirmative political and
economic action genuinely addressing the core issues underlying women's socio -economic
backwardness in Pakistan.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw), to
which Pakistan acceded in 1996, requires the government to take action to eliminate violence
against women as a form of discrimination that inhibits women's ability to enjoy rights and
freedoms on a basis of equality with men. Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), which Pakistan signed and ratified two years ago, requires our
government to ensure the rights to life and security of the person of all individuals in their
jurisdiction, without distinction of any kind, including sex.

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Unfortunately, our performance in implementation of commitments under these international

conventions is pathetic. Clear violations of international law on the rights of women occur daily in
our country and are regularly chronicled in the reports of international human rights organizations.
Laws that discriminate against women remain in the books and are actively enforced while
discriminatory access to government resources and services continues unchecked. No wonder,
global forums keep flagging Pakistan for its flagrant violation of women's rights to life and
security of the person.

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Ironically, in our implementation reports on Beijing Platform of Action, we have been forthright in
identifying our systemic failures while showing no capacity for remedial actions. We acknowledge
harmful traditions and customary practices rooted in an exploitative feudal and agrarian structure of
our society, poverty, lack of education and lack of awareness among women of their rights as the
principal causes of exploitation and violence against women in Pakistan. Despite the relative
privilege of some elitist women, the large female majority remains structurally disadvantaged as a
result of our discriminatory legal system and obscurant norms and attitudes.

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Widening gender inequalities in our country will not be bridged just by acknowledging what is
wrong with us. The gender gaps will be closed only with concrete and sustained actions backed by
the requisite allocation of resources to promote literacy and basic health services for women in
Pakistan, especially in rural and other backward areas.

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Effective legal measures, including penal sanctions, civil remedies and compensatory provisions are
also needed to protect women against all kinds of gender-based violence and harassment.

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Indeed, a lot needs to be done by the government for genuine gender-mainstreaming and
empowerment of women in our country through the elimination of discriminatory policies and
mediaeval practices. Instead of indulging in diversionary antics, which at times may be inconsistent
with our religious and cultural value system, we need to focus more on coherent and concrete legal
reforms even if we have to resort to reversing some of the existing policies and laws. It is the
responsibility of the government and parliament to do so. We should be applying our energies and
resources to plugging the gender gap in education, health and employment. It is in these critical
areas that Pakistani women need to be included in the mainstream.
Acid attacks are just a tip of the iceberg. Violence against women in our country is endemic and
widespread.
In recent years, no doubt, there has been a conspicuous increase in the number of women in our
political institutions but merely showcasing the presence of a few privileged and heavily painted
females with designer outfits in our cabinets or assemblies is neither gender-mainstreaming nor
empowering of women. They only epitomize a lust for self-display and an effrontery of affluence
that only aggravates a sense of humiliation among the larger female population of the country.

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Those elitist women who are elected to assemblies or appointed to public offices need to present
themselves as an example of austerity and simplicity eschewing at least in public their ostentatious
and lavish lifestyle.

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The key to our social problems regarding the betterment and empowerment of women in Pakistan
lies in comprehensive legislative and budgetary packages to close the existing gender gaps in our
health, education and employment sectors, and to remove all gender-based barriers in our legal
system.

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In the ultimate analysis, a nations interests and capabilities, its problems and disorders, and its
operational approach towards ending the sense of socio-economic deprivation determine its health
and inner strength.
In our case, the stability and survival of our nation will depend not on winning Oscars but on the
system and methods of our government, on our policies and priorities, and on our ability to redress
our systemic fault-lines and socio-economic inequalities. Showing a healthy, peaceful and pleasant
face is what will finally matter.

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The author is a former foreign secretary

Shamshad Ahmad
The writer is a former foreign secretary.

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Iran Parliamentary Elections and Beyond

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Given the complex nature of politics in Iran, the recent elections hold farreaching impact on domestic as well as foreign policy front. Since the
Presidential elections in 2009, President Ahmedinejad has been faced with
intense criticism by clerics and other conservative leaders for intending to
expand the power of the presidency, on charges of increasing corruption in his
government, disrespect towards human rights and above all promoting a
'moderate' version of Islam which is strictly prohibited as per the principles of
the Guardian Council.
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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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The politics in the Middle East has always been the focus of international attention. The region,
according to some political geographers is an area of 'chronic instability'. Besides the longstanding
Arab-Israel conflict and more recent 'Arab Spring' in many states of the region, Iran remains to be
in spotlight for several reasons, including domestic political instability, hard-line stance towards the
West, posing a challenge to the interests of extra-regional stakeholders in the region and above all
facing sanctions by the United Nations on its nuclear programme.
Of late, the parliamentary elections in Iran in March this year once again drew attention of states,
analysts and media across the globe. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, theocracy is what
defines the politics of Iran which is run under the supreme leadership of Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Hosseini Khamenei. The elections were held for the ninth Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majlis
since the Islamic Revolution. The first round of elections is said to have been a contest between the

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supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad which has resulted in a
clear victory for the supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei posing several challenges to the President
Ahmedinejad till his second term as President of Iran ends in 2013.

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Given the complex nature of politics in Iran, the recent elections hold far-reaching impact on
domestic as well as foreign policy front. Since the Presidential elections in 2009, President
Ahmedinejad has been faced with intense criticism by clerics and other conservative leaders for
intending to expand the power of the presidency, on charges of increasing corruption in his
government, disrespect towards human rights and above all promoting a 'moderate' version of Islam
which is strictly prohibited as per the principles of the Guardian Council. When, in 2005, Mahmoud
Ahmedinejad was elected as the President he was fully backed by the Supreme Leader and even
following his controversial victory in the presidential elections in 2009, Ahmedinejad was
patronized by the Supreme Leader. However, deviation from some crucial policy principles by
Ahmedinejad led to a rift in his relationship with Ali Khamenei. The Conservatives, who were
united till last year, now are divided after President Ahmedinejad dared challenge the Supreme
Leader over the choice of intelligence chief in April last year.
Following the defeat of the country's only former prime minister and a close ally of former
president Mohammad Khatami, Mir-Hussein Mousavi, in the presidential race against
Ahmedinejad, the reformists led a 'Green Movement' in support of Mir-Mousavi and calling for
freedom of expression and transparent democracy. The movement was repressed brutally and the
government launched a crackdown on protestors, many of whom were arrested, faced trial and later
hanged. The violent suppression of the movement largely ended the protests.
The country has been under a semi-crisis situation since the 2009 elections which were not only
criticized and labeled as 'rigged' but also led to a series of protests and demonstrations against
President Ahmedi-nejad. Following the defeat of the country's only former prime minister and a
close ally of former president Mohammad Khatami, Mir-Hussein Mousavi, in the presidential race
against Ahmedinejad, the reformists led a 'Green Movement' in support of Mir-Mousavi and calling
for freedom of expression and transparent democracy. The movement was repressed brutally and
the government launched a crackdown on protestors, many of whom were arrested, faced trial and
later hanged. The violent suppression of the movement largely ended the protests.

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Now, the defeat of several candidates affiliated with Ahmedinejad in the recent elections is a rebuke
to the President by the Supreme Leader. In the absence of the reformists who had boycotted the
elections, the contest between the two groups of conservatives was not of ideology but for political
power and control of state's resources. The Supreme Leader seeks to abolish the office of the
president as it stands in contrast to his position according to the Iranian constitution. Hence, the
results of elections are likely to reshape the domestic political landscape of the country and also
impact upon its foreign policy. Once sidelined, Ahmedinejad would have less or no influence over
the choice of his successor. The loyalists to Ali Khamenei comprise of traditional, moderate and
radical conservatives. The traditional conservatives have deep roots in the clerical establishment.
On the other hand, moderate conservative factions are mainly war-veteran technocrats, while radical
conservatives generally include individuals with roots in the security-intelligence apparatus who
depend on the support of revolutionary institutions such as Revolutionary Guards. Many important
positions are likely to be occupied by the candidates affiliated with the Supreme Leader which may
further aggravate the discontentment among public, especially the reformists. This political bedlam
would be detrimental to the economy already battered by international economic and financial
sanctions and the society faced with repression of human rights and in dire need of reforms,
especially democracy.

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With regards to Iranian nuclear programme, though Ali Khamenei maintained a hard-line stance
towards the West, the country is likely to come under strict international sanctions. As stringent
measures against Tehran remains to be a priority of the United States, the elections were an effort
by the leaders to present to the world the legitimacy of the government in Iran in the wake of
growing discontentment among public and increasing international pressure and sanctions on Iran's
continued nuclear programme. On the other hand, Iran's close relationship with Russia and China is
also threatened. Since 1991, Iran enjoyed strategic relationship with Russia. Moscow has been a
major arms supplier to Tehran. In addition, Russia supplied short and long-range anti-aircraft
missiles and shipped tons of low-enriched uranium reactor fuel to the Russian-built nuclear power
plant in Iran. Previously, Moscow has maintained that there are no proofs of Tehran intending to
develop nuclear weapons. However, the country has voted in favour of the United Nations sanctions
on Iran.

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Similarly, Iran had good diplomatic, economic and military relationship with China. In 2009,
China became Iran's most significant trading partner with exchanges worth 21.2 billion dollars.
Beijing is also said to have supplied dual-use chemical and dual-use metal to Tehran which Iran
could use to develop weapons, including long-range missiles. China is also a significant source of
Iranian gasoline imports and even expanded gasoline imports to the country. Like Russia, China
has also supported Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology. Beijing maintained its stance towards
resolution of Iran's nuclear issue through negotiations and peaceful means. Though the country now
has voted in favour of UN sanctions on Tehran, it maintained to continue economic ties with Iran. In
view of its relationship with Russia and China and strategic significance in the region, Iran was
granted Observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a grouping led by Russia
and China. The policy shift towards Iran by Russia is mainly due to its changing spheres of interest
in the Middle East and beyond. The strategic relationship between Russia and Israel is growing.
Also, of late, Russia is more concerned of its interests and influence in East Europe and Central
Asia, including Ukraine, Georgia and some other former Soviet republics.

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The next round of elections would be decisive in terms of the future course politics in Iran. The
revolutionaries who once had successfully abolished the autocratic rule of Shah in 1979 are now
challenged by the groups uniting to bring change in the country. Iranians from all walks of life want
stability inside and on their borders and a government that would introduce and deliver on the basis
of reforms. With 30 percent inflation, a 35 percent increase in food prices, a 50 billion dollar
deficit, and an unemployment rate of 16 percent, Iran's rulers will have a hard time convincing the
population that they would have a respectful, prosperous and secure future.

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Postal address: House No: B-63, Street No: 6, Block N, North Nazimabad, Karachi.
Nabiha Gul

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*Nabiha Gul is a researcher and analyst on international affairs and a visiting faculty member at the
Department of International Relations, University of Karachi.
Email: coldpath1@gmail.com

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Balochistan in the midst of the New Great

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It is high time for the people of the whole Pakistan to raise their concerns about
their brethrens and to play their role by bringing Balochistan to mainstream.
The leaders who are really competent, visionary and honest should be given way
to the throne. Pakistan needs a paradigm shift and shuffle in its social, political
and economic models.
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Despite the fact that Balochistan is blessed with immense treasures of natural resources like gold,
copper, oil, gas, hydrocarbon etc., situated at idiosyncratic geo-strategic and geo-economic location,
its inhabitants are passing their lives in abject poverty. The province has been deliberately kept
deprived of its basic rights-human as well as legislative. Over 63 percent of its unfortunate
population is living below the poverty line. Pathetic situation of health, education, other social
sectors and law and order due to utter neglect on the part of political pundits has engraved among
the Balochis, a deep sense of deprivation, unraveling desperation, ever-increasing frustration and
unending alienation. Short shrift given to Balochistan by self-centered rulers is beyond doubts.
These wretched circumstances of the province have been whimsically exploited by external powers
for its strategically and commercially important location. The province has been turned into the
battle field of the great game to be played for world politics. Few years back, new maps of the

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province were published in Washington in which `Great Balochistan,` including the parts of Iran
and Afghanistan, was predicted. The sub-nationalist elements are assisted and the province is overridden with rebellions and separatist movements. In this whole episode, Pakistan`s subsequent
governments have played second fiddle by their reckless and ruthless attitude towards Balochis.
More is aggravated by impulsive dictator and the new democratic mess. Although packages are
announced for this Pakistan's largest province and 120 million budget has also been delivered to
every member of its assembly yet no tangible development is witnessed in its untamed vastness due
to corruption, incompetency and insincerity of the ruling elite. Resultantly, volcano of frustration is
on the verge of busting and the youth is joining hands with the nationalist rebels who have been
vociferously demanding a separate and independent state of Balochistan right even after the
emergence of Pakistan on the globe. This movement is now aided and abetted by the forces for
which intact Pakistan is not in their long-term strategic interests.

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On February 17, 2012, an extremely derisive step has been taken by Dana Rohrabacher, an
American congressman, by tabling a resolution supporting independence of Balochistan, on
humanitarian grounds, in US House of Representives. Is US and its cronies really concerned about
rights of Balochis or these forces have their own axe to grind in the guise of humanitarianism? As
aforementioned that hegemonic designs of great powers have found a great compatibility with
separation of Balochistan due to numerous reasons and they are now out to gain it before their
partial withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. C. Christine Fair well-known American writer and an
assistant professor in the Georgetown University in her recently written article "Rohrabacher`s
blood borders in Balochistan" reveals that she refused to attend the US hearing despite being invited
there and terms the whole drama the "partisan politics and possibly resource grabbing activity that
has nothing to do with ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan".

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Admittedly, the situation of the province demand solutions on priority basis but who are these
powers to poke their noses in Pakistan`s internal affairs? Have they solved all the chronic issues of
human rights violation which are far horrifying than that of Balochistan, many of which being
acknowledged by UNO as well. Why not such expeditious step on Kashmir issue, struggle of which
is endorsed by UNO and its human rights situation is gauged by Amnesty International as gravest in
the world? Where the use of brutal violence, extra-judicial killings, abductions, forced detentions
and inhuman torture have been legitimized by passing an Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA), in July 1990 which utterly violate the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of
12 August 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts
(Protocol II), 8 June 1977. Even recently discovered mass graves of Kashmiris in which "Most of
the dead were young men. You could see their shiny teeth; you could tell from the skull, he was

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very, very young. One day I found a young man.... He had been badly tortured. Both his hands and
feet had been chopped off," says Sidiq one of the witnesses (Foreign Policy magazine of USA:
Basharat Peer September 29, 2011), have failed patently to attract the attention of these so-called
world`s humanitarian activists. To keep all these atrocities hidden, world largest "democracy" has
imposed strict curbs on media to cover the Jammu and Kashmir but no power has worth to ask.

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Americans and world powers are unwilling to play any positive role to help poor Palestinians to get
rid of the subjugation of Tel Aviv despite the presence of UN resolutions. Knowing the fact that
Israeli authorities are not really to halt illegal settlements, Obama Administration never even posed
to cripple its economic and military assistance to Israel. And no practical step was taken when
Flotilla humanitarian ship going for humanitarian aid of starving Palestinians, was attacked by
Israelis Defence Forces. Why always selective love for justice and humanity? Why only where it
suits to interests?

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Though Baloch leaders like Akhtar Mangle, have endorsed this Rohrabacher`s resolution but here it
is also to be decided first that either Balochis are ready to afford any humanitarian adventure if
launched by International imperialist forces parallel to those they already launched on humanitarian
grounds namely Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq
respectively. The adverse human rights situation in both these countries has gone out of proportions
as compare to the time before "humanitarian interventions" by the western powers. Taliban regime
was severely criticized for its grave violation of women rights but after more than 10 years "rescue"
operation of US-lead allied states, condition of women due to "violence, dismal healthcare and
brutal poverty make Afghanistan the world's most dangerous country for women, with Congo a
close second due to horrific levels of rape", Thomson Reuters Foundation expert recent poll has
said. The Karzai administration has crossed all limits of corruption and poppy cultivation in the
country`s history.

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In Iraq where allied forces, on the fake pretext of Human Rights and weapons of mass destruction
(WMD), annihilated the whole country and engraved on the annals of history, one of the most
horrifying episodes of death and terror. Now situation is that majority of Iraqis are aspiring for
Saddam's era because to them it was far better than this western engineered democratic regime. I
am not a political person, but I know that under Saddam Hussein, we had electricity, clean drinking
water, a healthcare system that was the envy of the Arab world and free education through college,
Iraqi pharmacist Dr. Entisar Al-Arabi told American peace activist Medea Benjamin in 2010. I
owned a pharmacy and I could close up shop as late as I chose because the streets were safe. Today
there is no security and Iraqis have terrible shortages of everything electricity, food, water,

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medicines, even gasoline. Most of the educated people have fled the country and those who stay
look back longingly to the days of Saddam Hussein. (see Common Dreams, August 20, 2010).
Then as reported by Washington Post on May 5, 2007, It is a common refrain among war-weary
Iraqis that things were better before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. It is now an open secret that
invasion in Iraq was actually for oil not for freedom of the oppressed nor WMD. As Former
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, in his 2007 book, 'The Age of Turbulence: Adventures
in a New World': I'm saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone
knows: The Iraq war is largely about oil. So it can be hoped that no Balochi would be willing to
face the situation as suffered by Iraqis and Afghan people but would peacefully raise their voice
through true representatives.

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It is high time for the people of the whole Pakistan to raise their concerns about their brethrens and
to play their role by bringing Balochistan to mainstream. The leaders who are really competent,
visionary and honest should be given way to the throne. Pakistan needs a paradigm shift and shuffle
in its social, political and economic models. To counter external intervention Pakistanis have to
become a true nation like Turks, Iranians and Chinese.

py

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The writer is a Defence and Security analyst

mustansar.tasir@gmail.com
Mustansar Hussain Tasir

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Eurozone on the Horns of a Nasty Economic

Dilemma

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An analysis of measures taken and efforts made to overcome the economic crisis
of eurozon and the prospects of their proving to be fruitful.

Co

Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

World leaders spent colossal amount of time in 2011 to resolve the eurozone crisis which spun out
of control. Foreign Secretary William Hague called the euro a burning building with no exits.

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Tragedy of circumstances is that 2012 looks set to be not much different than 2011. Eurozone
governments hammer out new rules to reduce the scale of economic crisis that is spilling over their
borders.

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To join the currency, member states had to qualify by meeting the requirements of the treaty: budget
deficits, inflation, interest rates and other monetary disciplines. Of EU members, the UK, Sweden
and Denmark declined to join the currency. Since then, there have been many twists and turns for
the countries that use the single currency.

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So what really caused the crisis was a big build-up of debts in Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal,
Spain, France, UK and Germany. Each country promised to keep their total borrowing each year to
less than 3% of their GDP the total output of their economy. And to join the euro in the first place,
they were also supposed to have debts less than 60% of their GDP. The latter requirement was
dropped at the outset, because otherwise Germany itself would have failed to qualify. Its debts,
when the euro was created in 1999, were 60.9% of its GDP. Then the entire stability pact had to be
scrapped, as Germany broke the 3% annual borrowing limit every year from 2002 to 2005.

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It is interesting to study the countries caught in debt web. Greece is heavily indebted to eurozone
countries (252% foreign debt to GDP) and is one of three eurozone countries to have received a
bail-out. Its debts have reached 300bn euros the highest in modern history. Italy has a large
amount of debt, but it is a relatively wealthy country compared with Greece and Portugal. France is
most exposed to Italian debt. Ireland fell into recession as a result of the global credit squeeze. It
shows a very high level of gross foreign debt to GDP (1,093%) because, although it is a small
country, it has a large financial sector. The UK is Ireland's biggest creditor. Portugal, the third
eurozone country to need a bail-out, is in deep recession. It is currently implementing a series of
austerity measures as well as planning a series of privatisations to fix its shaky finances and reduce
its debt burden. The country is highly indebted to Spain, and its banks are owed 7.5bn euros by
Greece.

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Besides the above-mentioned four countries having high risk status, there are Spain and France in
medium risk. Spain owes large amount to Germany and France. However, its number one worry is
bailed-out Portugal, which is indebted to it by billions of euros. The bursting of a housing and
construction boom in 2008 had plunged Spain's economy into a recession deeper than in many other
European countries. Europe's second biggest economy (France) owes the UK, the US and Germany
the most money. However, like in Germany's case, these countries also owe France billion in return.
France's problem is that it is greatly exposed to the eurozone's troubled debtors. Its banks hold large
amount of Greek, Italian and Spanish debt.

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The UK economy remains in the doldrums and the country is highly exposed to Irish as well as
Italian and Portugal debt. The UK in turn owes hundreds of billions to Germany and Spain.
Anyhow, it is at low risk status with 436% foreign debt to GDP.

CS
SF

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The biggest European economy (Germany) owes France, Italy and the US most money. However,
these economies also owe Germany billions in return. Regarding its relationship with the troubled
eurozone countries, Germany is exposed to Greek, Irish and Portugese, but mostly Spanish debt.
And as Europe's industrial powerhouse, any problems in Germany mean more problems for the
eurozone, and for the wider international system. Germany is inflicted with 176% foreign debt to
GDP, being at the lowest risk according to some other calculations as well.
Among mounting debts, Europe is struggling to find a way out of the eurozone crisis. After Greece,
Ireland, and Portugal were forced to seek bail-outs, Italy approaching an unaffordable cost of
borrowing has been the latest focus of concern.

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When a country can no longer handle its debts, those overseas banks and financial institutions that
lent it money are exposed to losses. This spreads the trouble across the world.

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The current situation in Greece and beyond is the biggest test the euro has ever faced. The EU
ordered France, Spain, the Irish Republic and Greece to reduce their budget deficits. The EU tells
Greece to make further spending cuts. All the member states are stressed to stay within the 3%
borrowing limit. The leaders of Germany and France have reached an accord on measure to help
resolve the debt crisis. After marathon talks in Brussels, the leaders say some private banks holding
Greek debt have accepted a loss of 50%. Spain is planning 30bn euros of spending cuts this year.
Outsider Switzerland feels Europe's pain. About half of Switzerland's exports are going to the
eurozone, close to 60% to the EU, so once there is a recession in Europe this is a drawback for the
Swiss economy. Everything from cheese, to watches to machine tools had become too expensive for
the EU, and orders were cancelled.
Economic crisis created social chaos across Europe. In Greece the number of unemployed and
homeless grow week by week, leaving many Greeks deeply pessimistic about the future. Plenty of
people queue up for the free tins of beans and packets of soup. Pensioners cannot afford the costs in
even the public healthcare system. They are no longer entitled to benefits. A third of Greeks now
live below the poverty line. There are some who are unable to afford organic fruit and vegetables.
For almost everyone, there is a sense of uneasiness, of anxiety about the future and how to survive
it. The government was told to cut dramatically the minimum wage and to scrap a habit of paying a
holiday bonus equal to one or two months' extra pay. Some 30,000 public sector workers are to be
suspended and monthly pensions of above 1,000 euros cut by 20%. Some economists argue that by
making people poorer the measures will simply shrink the Greek economy, reducing tax revenues
and increasing the deficit. A third of a million Greeks lost their jobs last year, as the government
enacted budget reforms to fight debt. The number of people registered as unemployed remained
above a million in December 2011, amounting to 21 per cent of the workforce.

CS
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to pay 28bn euros towards Greece second
bailout of 130bn euros. The bailout is intended to help keep Greece funded until 2014.
Although the immediate threat of defaulting on its debt looks to have been averted, Greece still
faces years of economic struggle.
Spain was staring into the same financial abyss that had already swallowed Greece, Portugal, Irish
Republic and Italy. When it joined the euro in 1999, it broke the debt rule, with a ratio of 62.3%.
Households are cutting their spending as they struggle to repay their debts. And unemployment

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always high in Spain has shot up to 21.5% of the workforce. Spain's budget deficit for 2011 was
8.5% of GDP. All of which makes financial markets nervous about lending to Spain.

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The Italian government debt, at 118% of GDP is certainly high. Its economy is so weak. Italy is
plagued by poor regulation, vested business interests, an ageing population and weak investment, all
of which have conspired to limit the country's ability to increase production. Now the market has
lost confidence in Italy. If nobody will lend to Italy, then Italy cannot repay the debts. And if Italy
cannot repay its debt, then nobody will lend to it.

dT

France, like most other European countries, faces the twin conflicting imperatives of trying to find
growth while lowering debt.

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Germany, the great European financial disciplinarian, was struggling because the cost of
reunification with the former East Germany had left a big hole in its budget. The economy of
Germany grew at nearly 4% and last year at 3% more than decent by European standards. Latest
figures show that it slowed at the end of 2011. The indications are that this year it will grow by
about 0.5% measly by recent standards, but far from the recession expected elsewhere.

Co

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Outsider Switzerland feels Europes pain. About half of Switzerlands exports are going to the
eurozone, close to 60% to the EU, so once there is a recession in Europe this is a drawback for the
Swiss economy. Everything from cheese, to watches to machine tools had become too expensive for
the EU, and orders were cancelled. The strong Swiss franc has caused tremendous problems for the
export sector. As a result, many Swiss manufacturers are introducing measures aimed at cutting
their costs, from increasing working hours and pegging salaries, to actually laying off workers. If
Europes economic woes continue, Switzerland too will feel the pain.

Co

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In the wake of recent measures taken by EU leaders, eurozone shows tentative signs of recovery
though it has to go a long way to recover the effects of ill-managed economies.
The writer is a freelance journalist, analyst and poet.
Tasadduq Shiar

m.
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Iran Hankering for Nuclear Bomb

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Iran has always imagined itself as the natural hegemon of its neighborhood. As
the Persian Empire shrank over the centuries and Persian culture faded with the
arrival of more riveting western mores, Iran's exaggerated view of itself
remained largely unbroken. By dip of history, Iranians believe that their nation
deserves regional incomparability.
Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Loud claims of nuclear achieve-ment, threats to close critical international waterways, alleged
terrorist plots and hints of diplomatic outreach all are emanating from Tehran right now. This
recent, confrontation between Iran and the West reached new he
ights as Israel accused Iran of a bombing attempt in Bangkok and targeting Israeli diplomats in
India and Georgia. And yet, an Iranian nuclear negotiator signaled that Tehran wants to get back to
the table.

py

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How Iran really goaded for Nuclear Bomb? What, as strategists might ask, are the sources of
Iranian conduct?

nt

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The key to untying the Islamic republic lies in understanding Iran's insight of itself. More than any
other Middle Eastern nation, Iran has always imagined itself as the natural hegemon of its
neighborhood. As the Persian Empire shrank over the centuries and Persian culture faded with the
arrival of more riveting western mores, Iran's exaggerated view of itself remained largely unbroken.
By dip of history, Iranians believe that their nation deserves regional incomparability.

m.
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However, Iran's foreign policy is also built on the foundations of the theocratic regime and the 1979
revolution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini pass on to his successors an ideology that divided the
world between oppressors and the oppressed. The Islamic revolution was a battle for emancipation
from the cultural and political tentacles of the dissipated West. However, Iran was not merely
seeking independence and autonomy, but wanted to project its Islamist message beyond its borders.

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Iran's enduring revolutionary dedication may seem puzzling because, in many ways, China has
come to define our impressions of a revolutionary state. At the outset, ideology determined Beijing's
foreign policy, even to the detriment of its practical interests, but over time, new generations of
leaders discarded such a rigid approach. Today, there is nothing particularly communist about the
Chinese Communist Party.

CS
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oru

By the 1990s, Iran appeared to be following in the footsteps of states such as China and Vietnam, as
pragmatic leaders such as Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and reformers such as Mohammad
Khatami struggled to emancipate their republic from Khomeini's onerous ideology. But what makes
Iran peculiar is that this evolution was deliberately halted by a younger generation of leaders such
as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who rejected the pragmatic approach in favor of reclaiming the legacy
of Khomeini. Returning to the roots of the revolution became their mantra.
Under the patronage of a stern and doctrinaire supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a war
generation is taking control in Iran young rightists who were molded by the prolonged war with
Iraq in the 1980s. Although committed to the religious cradle of the state, the nave reactionaries

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have at times been critical of their elders for their obedience in the imposition of Islamic cultural
restrictions and for the rampant corruption that has engulfed the nation. As Iran's revolution
matures, and the politicians who were present at its creation gradually fade from the scene, a more
doctrinaire generation is taking command.

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This group's international outlook was shaped by the devastating Iran-Iraq war. In the veterans' selfserving view, Iran's failure to overthrow Saddam Hussein had more to do with superpower
intervention and less to do with their poor planning and lack of resources. The Western states and
the United Nations, which failed to register even a submissive protest against Iraq's massive use of
chemical weapons, are to be treated with suspicion and hostility. Struggle and sacrifice have come
to displace dialogue and detente.

jW

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As with Khomeini, a central opinion of the young conservatives' foreign policy perspective is that
Iran's revolution was a remarkable historical achievement that the United States can neither accept
nor accommodate. The Western powers will always plot against an Islamic state that they cannot
control. The only way Iran can be independent and achieve its national objectives is through
confrontation. The viability of the Islamic republic cannot be negotiated with the West; it has to be
claimed through steadfastness and audacity.

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Iran's nuclear program did not begin with the rise of this war generation. The nation has long
invested in its atomic infrastructure. However, more than any of their predecessors, Iran's current
rulers see nuclear arms as central to their national ambitions. While the Rafsanjani and Khatami
administrations looked at nuclear weapons as tools of deterrence, for the conservatives they are a
critical means of solidifying Iran's preeminence in the region. A hegemonic Iran requires a robust
and extensive nuclear apparatus.

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The problem with this approach is that, once such a nationalistic narrative is created, it becomes
difficult for the government to offer any concessions without risking a popular backlash. Yet, Iran's
determination to advance its nuclear program has come at a considerable cost. Today, the country
stands politically and economically isolated. The intense international pressure on Iran has
seemingly invited an interest in diplomacy.

CS
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From Tehran's perspective, protracted diplomacy has the advantage of potentially dividing the
international community, shielding Iran's facilities from military retribution and easing economic
sanctions. Iran may have to be patient in its quest to get the bomb: it may have to offer confidencebuilding measures and pacify its allies in Beijing and Moscow.
Can Tehran be pressed into conceding to a viable arms-control treaty? On the surface, it is hard to
see how Irans leaders could easily reconsider their national interest. However, it may still be
possible to disarm Iran without using force. The key figure remains Khamenei, who maintains the

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authority and stature to impose a decision on his reluctant disciples. A coercive strategy that exploits
not just Khomeinis economic distress but his political vulnerabilities may cause him to reach
beyond his narrow circle, broaden his coalition and inject a measure of pragmatism into his states
deliberations.
Moazam Bashir Tarar

jW

orl

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Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and the Wounds

of 1971

Some facts about the life, achievements, sacrifices and dedication of an unsung
hero of Pakistan movement and struggle for the restoration of democracy in it.
Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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5 Dec 2011 was the 48th death anniversary of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Not a single
newspaper in Pakistan published any news or article in this regard. I remember when I went to East
Pakistan in 1966, every other shop in Dhaka, Commilla and Jessore displayed his pictures. He was
very popular in East Pakistan, but in the West Pakistan, he was projected as pro-congress, having
links with Gandhi. No one ever bothered to learn the facts. No worthwhile written material was
available about his life except in Government propaganda books , till the publication of biography
24 years after his death in 1987.

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While carrying out research for this paper, I discovered he was one of the founders of the Pakistan
Movement, who lead the Muslim League from the front, winning 115 seats in 1946 elections that
enabled Muslim League to become the majority party in the Bengal Assembly thus strengthening
the case for creation of Pakistan. He was a great Muslim leader, having started his political life by
joining the Khilafat Movement in 1920, was deputy Mayor of Calcutta during the 1926 Hindu
Muslim riots. He was in the forefront for defending the innocent Muslims in the courts. As minister
for Food under Kh Nazim ud din during the Famine in Bengal 1942-45, he earned a lot of respect
from both Hindus and Muslims alike. He became the Muslim League Chief Minister of United

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Bengal (54% of the entire Muslim population) after the 1946 elections. He was the author and
mover of the Delhi Resolution of 1946 that made the amendment for a United Pakistan.
The Leadership of the then ruling Muslim League took arbitral action against him by banning his
entry to Pakistan and enacted an order that any one not having residence in Pakistan would lose his
seat in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
On 5th August 1947, Khwaja Nazim ud din an unpopular leader was nominated as new CM of East
Pakistan at Karachi. HS Suhrawardy being a popular CM of United Bengal was ignored? Why this
decision was taken is a mystery? Earlier Quaid e Azam had personally given task to Suhrawardy to
negotiate for a united Bengal / Assam as well as retaining Calcutta as part of East Bengal.
Suhrawardy left Karachi on 9 August 1947, after learning about a scheme for Massacre of Muslims
in Calcutta, to meet Mr. Gandhi to save the Muslim Lives irrespective of threat to his personal and
Political life. The Leadership of the then ruling Muslim League took arbitral action against him by
banning his entry to Pakistan and enacted an order that any one not having residence in Pakistan
would lose his seat in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

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He came to Dhaka in March 1948 to take residence there. The federal government directed the CM
East Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin to ban his entry into East Pakistan and extradite him. The
orders were issued by none other than Kh Nazimuddin who himself got elected to Bengal Assembly
in 1937 through H S Suhrawardy, who had won on two seats and surrendered his second seat. IG
East Pakistan Zakir Hussain himself delivered the orders. Zakir Hussain was against him because he
did not give him out of turn promotion as CM of United Bengal. ( Mr. Zakir Hussain was rescued
by 3 commando battalion of Pakistan Army in Chittagong during April 1971, ALLAH has his own
ways)

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After the Death of his father, Mr. HS Suhrawardy came to Karachi in 1949. The Federal
Government directed the Karachi Bar not to enroll him as lawyer. The Bureaucracy led by Ch
Muhammad Ali implemented the order. He went to Punjab and got himself enrolled as a lawyer in
the then Montgomery district Bar and stayed in the house of Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Mamdot at
Lahore to start his practice. His first case in Pakistan was to Defend Nawab Iftikhar Mamdot. Later
he was one of the Main defence Lawyers in 1951 Conspiracy case. (Faiz Ahmed Faiz wrote a poem
in Praise of Mr. HS Suhrawardy, the only one in his life.) These and other such reasons laid the
foundation of Bangladesh. H S Suhrawardy was appointed neither the Prime Minister nor CM of
East Pakistan, in spite of being the leader of 54% Muslim population of Pakistan and sitting Chief
Minister of United Bengal. The Government knew about the independent mindset of H S
Suhrawardy who was not acceptable to the then Establishment. The next nail in the coffin of United
Pakistan was declaring Urdu as National Language at Dhaka, a proposal not acceptable to the

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people of East Pakistan, who were proud of their language and rich culture.
The next nail in the coffin of United Pakistan was declaring Urdu as National Language at Dhaka, a
proposal not acceptable to the people of East Pakistan, who were proud of their language and rich
culture.
During the 1954 elections his party, along with Sher e Bengal Party, as United Front won all the
seats in the East Pakistan Assembly except 9 that were won by the ruling Muslim League. However,
the elected government of A K Fazal e Haq, (the mover of 1940 Pakistan Resolution) was
dismissed. A CSP officer, Maj Gen Sikander Mirza, a descendent of Mir Jaffer and an active
member of the anti- democracy/people group was appointed Governor. He ordered the arrest of
2000 people over night; They arrested all the poor rickshaw drivers and petty shopkeepers
irrespective of their affiliations. (Altaf Gohar being Deputy Secretary Home, implemented.)

ht

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Mr. Suhrawardy did not give up and again won elections and was appointed Law Minister. Mr.
Suhrawardy convinced the people of East Pakistan to give parity to West Pakistan in spite of being
54% of the total population while framing the 1956 Constitution. In 1956, he was elected as Prime
Minister of Pakistan. He began a tour of West Pakistan and East Pakistan for the cause of united
Pakistan. He later visited USA, where he was given a warm reception not only by the US
government but also by the people of USA at private receptions. As Prime Minister of Pakistan, he
did not change the Pakistani Ambassador Ch Muhammad Ali to US, his opponent from the Muslim
League, because Ch Muhammad Ali was a heart patient and was getting treatment in the USA.

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He opposed President Ayub who even wanted to appoint him as his Vice President. Ayub Khan
arrested him in 1962 and every word in his letter to Ayub Khan is worth in gold. He informed Ayub
Khan that when he was fighting for freedom and the Pakistan Movement Ayub was nowhere at that
time. This letter can be read in the book written by his cousin Begum Shaista Ikramullah (OUP1991), and in his Memoirs compiled by M. H. R. Talukdar published in Bangladesh in 1987 and
reprinted by OUP in 2009. What a tragedy that nothing was available about this great man's life
prior to 1987.
In 1956, he was elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan. He began a tour of West Pakistan and East
Pakistan for the cause of united Pakistan. He later visited USA, where he was given a warm
reception not only by the US government but also by the people of USA at private receptions.
There is another incident, which speaks of West Pakistan Bureaucracy attitude towards an
independent-minded East Bengal Prime Minister. Mr. Altaf Gohar in his interview to Javed
Chaudary confessed that as DC/DM Karachi he did not allow Mr. Suhrawardy the Prime Minister to
address a public meeting of Awami League on 14th August but instead gave the same ground to
Muslim League on the same day. The Prime Minister left for Dhaka a day earlier to address /hold
the public meeting in East Pakistan. At the Airport before his departure, he only informed Mr. Altaf
Gohar that he was going to Dhaka because the DC/DM Karachi would not allow the Prime Minister
of Pakistan to hold a public meeting on the Pakistan's Independence Day. In spite of this affront, the
Prime Minister did not take any action against the DC/DM! He fought for democracy and the cause
of united Pakistan until his death in Beirut.

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Now is the time for us in Pakistan to give him his due recognition by celebrating his 50 years of
death in 2013. The government should name a major road in the main Blue Area in Islamabad as H
S Suhrawardy Avenue. Punjab, Karachi, Peshawar, Baluchistan and Quaid e Azam universities
should institute a chair after him and carry out research about his life, his achievements and his
works.
References:Humood ur Rehman commission report;
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy by Shaista Ikramullah;
Memoirs of HS Suhrawardy by Talukdar ,oxford;

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The Great Divide, HV HODSON;

Pakistan in search Of Identity by Mubarik ali;
Gai Dinnoy kay SOORAJ by Javed Ch ;
East Pakistan to Bangla desh;Days Decisive by Serajuddin hussain;
Three Presidents, three prime minister by Abdul Qayyum;
The separation of East Pakistan by Hassan Zaheer;
Hum Nafus by Masud Mufti;
Quaid e Azam as I knew him by MAH Isphani;
Divide and Quit by Penderel Moon; Transfer of power papers; Alama Mashiqis speech at nasir
bagh Lahore in 1954/56.
The writer is a veteran of 1965 and 1971 wars and a visiting faculty member of various prestigious
management and administration training institutes of Pakistan.

The Tale of Two Gas Pipelines

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Clinton's remarks were in response to Congressman Rep Lewis asking the US

secretary of state why the budget request for the State Department included a $1
billion request to help Pakistan address its energy problems.
Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Secretary Clinton said the Turkmenistan pipeline was a better alternative, predictable and will avoid
business with Iran. She added that embarking on the construction of a Pakistan-Iran pipeline is in
violation of the Iran sanctions act. We all know what the consequences of that law are, she added.
Secretary Clinton added that this move would be particularly damaging for Pakistan because the
country's economy is already ailing and would further undermine Pakistan's economic status.
Two days later, while addressing industrialists and the business community in Multan Chamber of
Commerce, Nina Maria, the US consulate general in Lahore said: Pakistan should better find
solutions domestically for their energy crisis than going for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.

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Emphasising on alternative sources of energy, Maria said that the US government has donated $15
million for thermal power stations which will be constructed in Muzaffargarh. The project would
generate about 1,400 megawatts of electricity and will be completed in November 2012.

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The US consulate general was of the view that the pipeline was three years away from being
completed and it wasn't something that Pakistan had to move on immediately.

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You have other domestic programmes which can be easily upgraded. You can work on them with
co-ordination from us before considering the I-P gas pipeline to alleviate the country's energy woes.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while Addressing the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Foreign Operations has said that Washington has made it clear to Islamabad that the proposed IranPakistan pipeline could raise serious concerns under the Iran Sanctions Act. She further said that the
US favoured the alternative Turkmenistan pipeline for Pakistan.
try's energy woes.

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Ultimately Pakistan will have to solve its own problems and find its own answers, said Maria.
However, Pakistan in response to this stance of the US has reasserted its firm resolve and
commitment to cooperation with Iran, particularly in the energy sector, as the US renewed its
opposition for the multibillion dollar Iran-Pakistan (I-P) gas pipeline project.

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We are a sovereign country and we will do whatever is in the interest of Pakistan, Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gilani said while responding to a question on Prime Minister Online, a programme
hosted by Pakistan Television and Waqt News.

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The prime minister said that while Pakistan wants to expand ties with the US on the basis of mutual
interest and respect, the US should refrain from interfering in Pakistan's internal affairs.

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Earlier, a more direct Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said projects with Iran were in the
national interest of Pakistan and will be completed irrespective of any external pressures.

oru

All of these projects are in Pakistan's national interest and will be pursued and completed
irrespective of any extraneous considerations, the foreign minister said at a press conference at the
Foreign Office.

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As far as our bilateral relations and co-operation is concerned, we do not make it contingent on
views and policies of any third country. All friends of Pakistan must understand our energy needs.
We cannot afford to be selective. However, we want to add the element of credibility with the US,
said Khar.
She did not, however, explain how Pakistan would respond if the US did penalise Islamabad in case
it went ahead with the project.

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We'll cross the bridge when it comes, Khar said.

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Whether Pakistan will restrain the US pressure or not? , no one is in a position to give the correct
answer . Should Pakistan make the issue as a matter of its national soverengnity? Or just look it as
an economic problem and go for its own economic interests? To find the correct answer we have to
first look into the details of the both projects.

orl

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The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed
by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from
Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The abbreviation comes from
the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the
Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue.

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The roots of this project lie in the involvement of international oil companies in Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan in early 1990s. As Russia, who controlled all export pipelines of these countries,
consistently refusing to allow the use of its pipeline network, these companies needed an
independent export route avoiding both Iran and Russia.

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The original project started on 15 March 1995 when an inaugural memorandum of understanding
between the governments of Turkmenistan and Pakistan for a pipeline project was signed. This
project was promoted by Argentinian company Bridas Corporation. The U.S. company Unocal, in
conjunction with the Saudi oil company Delta, promoted alternative project without Bridas'
involvement. On 21 October 1995, these two companies signed a separate agreement with
Turkmenistan's president Saparmurat Niyazov. In August 1996, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline, Ltd.
(CentGas) consortium for construction of a pipeline, led by Unocal, was formed. On 27 October
1997, CentGas was incorporated in formal signing ceremonies in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, by
several international oil companies along with the Government of Turkmenistan.

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Since the pipeline was to pass through Afghanistan, it was necessary to work with the Taliban. In
1997 the then U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Oakley, moved into CentGas. In January 1998,
the Taliban, selecting CentGas over Argentinian competitor Bridas Corporation, signed an
agreement that allowed the proposed project to proceed. In June 1998, Russian Gazprom
relinquished its 10% stake in the project. On 7 August 1998, American embassies in Nairobi and
Dar es Salaam were bombed under the direction of Osama bin Laden, and all pipeline negotiations
halted, as the Taliban's leader, Mohammad Omar, announced that Osama bin Laden had the
Taliban's support. Unocal withdrew from the consortium on 8 December 1998, and soon after
closed its offices in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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The new deal on the pipeline was signed on 27 December 2002 by the leaders of Turkmenistan,
Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2005, the Asian Development Bank submitted the final version of a
feasibility study designed by British company Penspen. 'Since the US-led offensive that ousted the
Taliban from power,' reported Forbes in 2005, "the project has been revived and drawn strong US
support" as it would allow the Central Asian republics to export energy to Western markets "without
relying on Russian routes". Then-US Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ann Jacobsen noted that: "We
are seriously looking at the project, and it is quite possible that American companies will join it."
Due to increasing instability, the project has essentially stalled; construction of the Turkmen part
was supposed to start in 2006, but the overall feasibility is questionable since the southern part of
the Afghan section runs through territory which continues to be under de facto Taliban control.
On 24 April 2008, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement to buy natural
gas from Turkmenistan. The intergovernmental agreement on the pipeline was signed on 11

December 2010 in Ashgabat.

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The 1,735 kilometres (1,078 mi) pipeline will run from the Turkmenistan gas fields to Afghanistan.
Most of sources report that the pipeline will start from the Dauletabad gas field while some other
sources say that it will start from the Lolotan gas field.

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In Afghanistan, the TAPI will be constructed alongside the highway running from Herat to
Kandahar, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be
the Indian town of Fazilka, near the border between Pakistan and India.

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For security reasons, the Asian Development Bank had proposed alternative routes in Afghanistan.
One alternative was through Taskepri in Turkmenistan to Shebarghan and then through Balakh,
Mazar-i-Sharif, Samangan, Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan, and Peshawar, Nowshera,
Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan to India. Another alternative was a route through Serhetabat,
Shindand, Delaram, Kandahar, Quetta, Lora Lai, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan.

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The pipeline will be 1,420 millimetres (56 in) in diameter with a working pressure of 100 standard
atmospheres (10,000 kPa). The initial capacity will be 27 billion cubic meters (950 billion cubic
feet) of natural gas per year of which 2 billion cubic meters (71 billion cubic feet) will be provided
to Afghanistan and 12.5 billion cubic meters (440 billion cubic feet) to each Pakistan and India.
Later the capacity will increase to 33 billion cubic meters (1.2 trillion cubic feet). Six compressor
stations would be constructed along the pipeline. The pipeline was expected to be operational by
2014.

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The cost of the pipeline is estimated at US$7.6 billion. The project is to be financed by the Asian
Development Bank.

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Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline between energy deficient Pakistan and energy rich Iran is a feasible and
doable project, but it has been lingering since 1995 when an MOU was signed to construct the
pipeline between Pakistan and Iran. The project was designed to deliver natural gas from Iran to
Pakistan and India. The 2775 km (approximately 1100 km in Iran, 1000 km in Pakistan and 600 km
in India) long pipeline was proposed to emanate from South Pars gas field and pass through BandarAbbas, Khuzdar, Sui to Multan and then to Delhi, at an estimated cost of US $ 7.5 billion. India had
proposed an alternative route along the coast. The project was termed as the peace pipeline as it
was hoped that it would help in obliterating old rivalries and pipeline diplomacy would bring
peace to the region.

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The Iran-Pakistan Working Group was formed in 2003 to move the project forward. Islamabad had
told Tehran that, in case India was not willing to join, Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline should be pursued
as an independent project; but, in 2005, an MOU was signed to include India in the project. In 2007,
India and Pakistan provisionally agreed to pay Iran US $ 4.93 per million British thermal units, but
India subsequently withdrew from the deal ostensibly over concerns about the price and security.
Though India has lately shown interest in the pipeline again, the real reason why it backed out of
the three-nation deal was its nuclear deal with the U.S. signed in 2008. It is also alleged that there
were deliberate attempts by India to sabotage this vital venture, as New Delhi used it as a
bargaining chip with the United States during discussions on nuclear accord to gain more
concessions.

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Earlier, in 2008, Iran had also expressed its interest to provide gas to China, whose response is yet
to be ascertained.

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In spite of U.S. opposition, Pakistan and Iran signed an agreement for the pipeline on March 16,
2010 at Ankara; and in Tehran, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Pakistani
President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Inter Governmental Framework Declaration on May 24, 2009.
After the signing ceremony of the sovereign guarantee agreement, Pakistan's Minister for Petroleum
and Natural Resources said that the Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement between Pakistan and Iran
was for the import of 750 million cubic feet daily of natural gas with a provision to increase it to
one billion cubic feet per day. Hopefully, the gas will be available to Pakistan by 2014.

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After going through the details of both the pipelines one can easily understand that under the
present circumstances the Iran Pakistan Pipeline is a better option for Pakistan. Smooth process of
implementation from now on to its completion will do credit to the government. Most important,
given the power shortfall we are facing, it would turn out to be a real blessing for us. The gas would
be used for energy generation and would add 5000MW of energy to the national grid. Though by
the time the pipeline becomes operational, our supply and demand gap would have also increased, it
would ensure that the situation remains under control.

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Concurrently, one cannot help but think of the US, which had been opposing the IPI tooth and nail
on account of its standoff with Iran. It has left no stone unturned to stymie the project ever since it
was conceived. As part of its design to isolate Iran, it persuaded Islamabad and New Delhi to opt for
the unrealistic Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline instead, despite knowing that the
unrest in Afghanistan was a big hindrance. Following the US agenda, India at present has decided to
quit; however, it is heartening to note that Pakistan and Iran have planned to go ahead. If the past is
any guide, the US will definitely try to sabotage the project for which caution is a must.
Zaheer Ahmad Anjum

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Poverty Reduction in Pakistan and MDGs

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An overview of the measures taken by the Government of Pakistan to fulfill its

commitment to reduce the poverty level by half as signed in the declaration of
MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) in September 2000 along with 187
other UN members.
Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Pakistan signed the declaration of MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) in September 2000
along with 187 other UN members. The document depicts a unified vision of development of the
world community expressed in eight time bound benchmark goals.

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One of the targets of eight Millennium Development Goals was to reduce poverty by half at the end
of the targeted period of 15 years. Pakistan assured the world to do whatever it takes to reduce
poverty to 13 percent as envisioned by MDGs in 15years ending 2015.

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At present 35 percent, (some estimate 40 percent) citizen of the country live below poverty line. If
we look at Global Food Price Index it jumped from 120 in 2006 to 220 in 2008 and consequently
pushed 30 million people below poverty line worldwide. In 2011 it further increased to 240
triggering food riots in many countries. The price of essentials like flour has risen 67 percent, milk
80 percent and meat 100 percent. Resultantly the availability of food at higher prices further
brought hunger, poverty and food insecurity. According to the FAO definition of food security it
exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active healthy life.

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Food spending accounts for about 60 percent budget outlay of the lowest income group while the
highest income group allocate 40 percent. Even a slight increase in food prices will significantly
lower consumer's purchasing power, especially among the poor. Around 75 percent of the
population surrounds both sides of the poverty line. Higher food inflation disproportionately affects
the poor. Bringing food inflation down remained the major policy challenge for Pakistan. The World
Bank 2011 estimates that 44 million people in the developing countries have been pushed into
extreme poverty due to higher prices of corn, wheat and oil.

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On the other hand upper income brackets registered a gain in income share to the richest at the
expense of the poorest and the middle class. The richest one per cent who got 20 per cent of the
total income is continuously growing. The Pakistan elite club matches the elitist of the world in
their extravagant life style. Whereas according to FAO 925 million people do not have enough to
eat and 98 per cent of them live in developing countries with 65 per cent people living in 7 Asian
countries i.e. India, China, Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Currently at 2.5 per cent annual growth rate the prospects of increasing economic and job

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opportunities for the poor are slim. The devastating floods, double digit food inflation, falling
investment, rising unemployment and spending on ongoing war on terror have further compounded
the miseries of the poor.

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This poverty and hunger can be reduced by addressing the failures and deprivations in many
dimensions of human life such as, ill health, malnutrition, unemployment, vulnerability,
powerlessness, social exclusion and so on.

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1-Accelerating economic growth and maintaining macroeconomic stability

2-Investing in human capital
3-Augumenting targeted interventions
4-Expanding social safety nets
5-Improving governance

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The poverty reduction strategy of the government focuses mainly on the five areas which include:

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For a country like Pakistan, rapid economic growth over a prolonged period is essential for poverty
reduction. Greater availability of public resources to improve the quantity and quality of education,
health, and other services by allocating the significant funds in the annual budgets is the key to
reduce poverty in the long run. The focus should be on investment and growth rather than diverting
resources to subsidy in the form of cash transfer. Migration to urban areas is picking up pace and
people already living in subhuman conditions in the cities are swelling. So there is need to divert
resources toward rural areas where people still are living a very poor life. Direct cash transfer to the
poor and resource transfer to the rural economy and high prices of agriculture commodity might
have brought improvement in the life of rural segment. But if we see closely, it reveals that wealth
generation is not taking place in the economy, resultantly the lower strata of the society is suffering
as usual. Another important factor that needs a lot of work to be done is empowering women
particularly in rural areas which requires promoting sustainable development. Already the MDGs
have helped lift millions of people out of poverty and saved countless children's lives.

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Containing inflation, raising nominal income, effective price control and monitoring mechanism
can help a lot in avoiding increase in poverty incidence in urban areas. Similarly increasing
cropping area which has been stuck at 550 million acres for last many years is required to be
enhanced. Pakistan needs 500000 ton additional wheat every year to feed its ever increasing
population. As a result higher production in agriculture can give govt. a breathing space on fiscal
and monetary front but it requires the urgency of developing such policies and tools.

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The writer is director in a public sector organization.

muhammadramzan2001@hotmail.com
Muhammad Ramzan

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Lutfullah Khan The Sound Magician

Lutfullah Khan was such a multi-dimensional, rare, wonderful and valuable

person that one really finds it hard to find appropriate words for describing his
amazing personality.
Ageing and Health

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I had my first meeting with him almost thirty-five years ago, through the courtesy of the late
Mushfiq Khuaja, who told me that Lutfullah Khan was an extremely nice and decent fellow, who
was very fond of recording the poetry and writings of poets and writers in their own voices. For this
purpose, he had a rare and worth seeing audio library of his own. I was told that in this connection,
he would soon contact me and Ataul-Haq Qasmi who was in Karachi in those days, to take part in
some poetry recitation contest. Hearing such warm words of appreciation from a person like
Mushfiq Khuaja (who had a keen eye for judging the real worth of a person) was quite sufficient to
convince me that Lutfullah Khan must be an extraordinary fellow. However, during my personal
meeting with him, when he humbly told me about his work, I realized that he possessed all those
qualities which others had pointed out to me. Almost three decades ago, I wrote an article with the
title The sound magician about him in the popular Urdu newspaper of that time Imroz. Even at
that time, the duration of the audio recordings in his sound collection was thirty-four thousand
hours. These recordings were related to religion, music, speeches, sermons, poetry and literature.
He belonged to that small but exceptional group of people, who are known as Collectors and who
are always hectically busy in search of the things pertaining to their own favourite field, no matter
from wherever they are found and whatever they have to do to find them. They are always ready to
sacrifice their time, wealth and energies in order to get their required material.

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It was the time when computer technology had not yet become a part of our life and yet, Lutfullah
Khan had prepared a complete record of the recordings preserved in his audio library. Full details of
each and every second of the thirty-four thousand hours of recordings had been catalogued in large
volumes. It is quite interesting to note that without the help of computers, in less than a minute's
time, Lutfullah Khan could provide you the required item out of the thousands of cassettes kept in
his library. He used to talk to all the people irrespective of age, in such a loving, friendly and
humble manner, that everyone loved to talk to him and hear him talking.

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Once, several years ago, when he came to Lahore, he also came to see me at my home, but
afterwards, on account of his growing age and increasing pre-occupations, he spent much of his
time in Karachi. Almost 15 years ago, he started living in the neighbourhood of my friend
Muhammad Ashraf Shahin and Brother Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi in Defence. But even this relatively
much bigger house seemed unable to accommodate his ever increasing and highly valuable treasure,
which is hard to be described in words. Its vastness can be imagined from the fact that during the

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past 60 years, whenever media officials and researchers were in search of some rare or worth
mentioning voice, they always contacted Lutfullah Khan, and in 99 per cent such cases, he provided
them with their required material.

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Lutfullah Khan was passionately and crazily devoted to his work. He had in his library, the audio
recording of the recitation of the Holy Quran by all the notable Qaris of the Muslim world, in line
with their typical accents and standards. He had such a huge collection of the music of all the
leading musicians and singers that even the most enthusiastic music lovers regarded him as their
Guru. Once, he told me that after the strenuous labour of 26 years, he had, at last, been able to
record all the poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz in his own voice. Those who are fully aware of Faiz's
particular temperament and bent of mind are fully aware of the fact that Lutfullah Khan had done
something which was apparently quite impossible.

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During the early years of his life, he himself learnt the art of music and Ragas and continued to sing
for a long time. Later on, he turned to recording, photography and pictures and set the highest
standards of excellence in all these fields, by dint of his extraordinary genius and passion. On a
number of occasions, like many of his friends and admirers, I expressed to him my desire that his
unique and invaluable treasure should be preserved at the national level as a cultural heritage. I
further suggested to him that in case, he did not like to trust the government and politicians, a trust
consisting of some resourceful lovers of art and literature should be formed to properly preserve this
treasure in the form of a cultural museum. Lutfullah Khan did not agree to this proposal.

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A few months ago, brother Ahmad Shah was able to prevail upon Lutfullah Khan along with some
other very senior figures, to attend a function organized by the Karachi Arts Council. It was there
that I had my last meeting with Lutfullah Khan and Zahida Bhabi. She was on a wheel chair and
looked very weak, but there was no change in his graceful personality and impressive smiles. On
that day, I found that he was, at last, willing to transfer his treasure to some government or nongovernmental organization, because practically, he was no longer in a position to increase its bulk or
look after it properly. Lutfullah Khan is not among us today, but by effectively preserving his
marvelous and memorable treasure, we can prove ourselves to be a living nation, having great love
for knowledge, art and literature. Lutfullah Khan was surely one of those people whose delightful
company inspires us to love life.
Amjad Islam Amjad

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A Courage Deficit in the sweeping Wave of

Applause

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On a similar March evening in 1973, the same resplendent ceremony was being
held with all its glitter and glamour. Clad in their costly costumes, those who
ruled the hearts of movie lovers, were eagerly waiting for their awards.

dT

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During the previous year, the movie which had been repeatedly watched and highly appreciated by
the cinema goers was Godfather, in which the role of the hero had been played by Marlon
Brando, who had been living in the hearts of the people for several years, and whose very name was
considered to be the guarantee of success. Everyone was sure that the forty-fifth Academy Award or
Oscar would be given to him. But Perhaps, history was going to confer upon him another type of
award, for exhibiting a sense of honour, dignity and self-respect, and for protesting against the
inhuman treatment of Native Americans known as the Red Indians. Marlon Brando was fully aware
of the brutal persecution and endless torture, to which they had been subjected for a long long time
in their own land. He knew that there was a time in history when large groups of European bandits,
gangsters, robbers and criminals had landed on American shores and massacred the native Red
Indians. They signed frequent agreements with them, but on each such occasion, they themselves
deliberately violated the agreements, massacred the Red Indians, pushed them further back into
their territory, occupied their lands and built their own towns and cities on the occupied lands. As
many as fifty thousand such agreements have been recorded in history. Marlon Brando was appalled
and outraged at the hypocritical behaviour of the Whites who claimed to be the strong advocates of
equity, justice and human rights, and at the same time, continuously subjected the Red Indians to
the worst form of cruelty, oppression and humiliation. He was also annoyed with the Hollywood
film producers who in their movies, always presented the Red Indians as loathsome, disgraceful and
ridiculous figures. Anyhow, Marlon Brando who had been nominated for the Oscar Award took an
astonishing step by deciding not to go to the ceremony. Instead of going there himself, he sent
Sacheen Little Feather, who was an active campaigner for the rights of Red Indians. She went to the
ceremony in her traditional dress, with plumes on her head. But before the start of the proceedings,
she was called behind the stage, where she was threatened and forced to run away from that place.

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But when she did not bow down to all such pressures, she was told that in case Marlon Brando won
the award and she went to the stage for receiving it, she would be removed from the stage by the
police, if she attempted to speak for more than sixty seconds. When it was announced that Marlon
Brando had won the Award, she went to the stage and announced that he had refused to receive the
Award as a protest against the American oppression and anti-Red Indian attitude. But she had hardly
uttered these words when she was forcibly pushed back from the stage. Marlon Brando's Award was
received by Manta Roger More, who kept it for a few days, before it was snatched away by a group
of armed guards. After coming down from the stage, Sacheen went to the waiting journalists and
read out to them Marlon Brando's 15-minute long speech which she wished to make on his behalf
during the awards ceremony.

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form of cruelty, oppression and humiliation. He was also annoyed with the Hollywood film
producers who in their movies, always presented the Red Indians as loathsome, disgraceful and
ridiculous figures. Anyhow, Marlon Brando who had been nominated for the Oscar Award took an
astonishing step by deciding not to go to the ceremony. Instead of going there himself, he sent
Sacheen Little Feather, who was an active campaigner for the rights of Red Indians. She went to the
ceremony in her traditional dress, with plumes on her head. But before the start of the proceedings,
she was called behind the stage, where she was threatened and forced to run away from that place.
But when she did not bow down to all such pressures, she was told that in case Marlon Brando won
the award and she went to the stage for receiving it, she would be removed from the stage by the
police, if she attempted to speak for more than sixty seconds. When it was announced that Marlon
Brando had won the Award, she went to the stage and announced that he had refused to receive the
Award as a protest against the American oppression and anti-Red Indian attitude. But she had hardly
uttered these words when she was forcibly pushed back from the stage. Marlon Brando's Award was
received by Manta Roger More, who kept it for a few days, before it was snatched away by a group
of armed guards. After coming down from the stage, Sacheen went to the waiting journalists and
read out to them Marlon Brando's 15-minute long speech which she wished to make on his behalf
during the awards ceremony.
Marlon Brando who had been nominated for the Oscar Award took an astonishing step by deciding
not to go to the ceremony. Instead of going there himself, he sent Sacheen Little Feather, who was
an active campaigner for the rights of Red Indians. She went to the ceremony in her traditional
dress, with plumes on her head.
For some unknown reasons, dreamers like me continue to hope against hope that if a woman
belonging to our country wins this prestigious award, she would go to the stage amidst loud
applause and refuse to take the award by saying, Ladies and gentlemen, with my fully opened
eyes, I have been living in this world where during the last ten years, more than one and a half
million innocent Iraqi and Afghan Muslims have been ruthlessly slaughtered by the American
aggressors. How can I receive this Award in the presence of so many deserted towns and
demolished homes and millions of orphans, widows and homeless people, about whom Hollywood
never likes to make any documentary, while the same Hollywood has made hundreds of
documentaries about the fake and fictitious tales of the Jewish holocaust during the Second World
War?

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Perhaps, we do not possess even that type of courage which was displayed by the renowned
American actor George Scot, who in 1971 was given Oscar Award for his excellent performance in
the movie Patton. But he refused to receive the Award by describing the Awards Ceremony as
Two hours meat parade.
He further remarked, I feel nauseated to see that it is a savage exhibition of the old world, which is
in itself an extremely corrupt organization.

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We also don't possess the courage shown by the well-known writer Dodly Nicholas who in 1936,
refused to receive Academy Award, to protest against the Academy's discriminatory attitude towards
writers.

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But we had to receive this Award and celebrate it in a befitting manner, because it was given to us
by an organization and group of people who have always been criticized by the weak and
suppressed world for their prejudice. As members of this weak and suppressed world, we are at a
loss to understand as to why Hollywood officials are always so keen to highlight only our ugly
faces and disgusting stories. Why have they never attempted to narrate to the outside world the
obnoxious tales of their own society? I have in front of me a complete list of all those
documentaries which have won Oscar Awards since 1942. But despite my hectic search, I have not
been able to find even a single documentary about any of the notorious American or European serial
killers like Jack the Ripper, who abducted and killed hundreds of women, kept their flesh in
refrigerators and cooked it for several days with a great deal of relish. I have failed to find any
documentary about the woman who used to kill women and bathe in their blood. During my visits
to the United States, I have seen a number of centers where those girls between the ages of six and
twelve come for psychological treatment, who have been sexually harassed and molested by their
own brothers, fathers, uncles and other such close relatives. Whenever I went on a visit to any such
center, my camera was taken away from me. I don't wish to show to the world the faces of these
innocent victims of barbarity. But none of the Oscar Award winning documentaries has ever been
based on the lustful activities of their beastly brothers, fathers and uncles.
As members of this weak and suppressed world, we are at a loss to understand as to why
Hollywood officials are always so keen to highlight only our ugly faces and disgusting stories. Why
have they never attempted to narrate to the outside world the obnoxious tales of their own society?
It is interesting to have a closer look at some of the award winning documentaries included in this
list. The documentary chosen for the 1990 Academy Award was called American Dream which
shows the dreams of American labourers. In 1992, the Award was given to a documentary
describing the causes for the advent of American troops in Panama. In 1993, a documentary named
Iama Promise telling the story of an elementary school children who are ambitious of changing
the world got the Award. No documentary telling the horrifying tales of the atrocities of American
troops in Vietnam has ever been considered worthy of getting this Award. Quite ironically, in 1994,
this Award was given to a movie based on the life of the woman who gave the idea of building a
memorial in Washington for the 59000 American soldiers who were killed in Vietnam. This wall
built in a garden right in front of the US Congress, bears the names of all those soldiers. Other
documentaries included in the list also tell highly fascinating and interesting stories. They deal with
such topics as taming the dolphins, learning the game of boxing, collecting old manuscripts and
improving the environment, etc. One of the documentaries is about Palestinian terrorists. Another
focuses its attention on the children of prostitutes in Kolkata. One of the most popular

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documentaries ever made in America is called 9-11 Fahrenheit, which attempts to tell the real
story behind the destruction of the World Trade Center, with the help of highly credible evidence.
But despite its immense popularity, this documentary has not been able to find for itself a place in
the list of Academy Award winners.

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But there is no need for us to be worried, depressed or hopeful, because, after all, it is not so easy to
turn down an award. When a person finds himself standing in a jampacked hall and smiling in front
of the cameras with their dazzling lights, amidst loud cheers and tumultuous applause, how can he
be expected to remember the miseries and sorrows of the common people? How can he feel the
disdainful odour of the blood stained hands of murderers? But the most regretful and most shameful
thing is that Marlon Brando who was a pure American on the basis of his colour, race, language and
country, proved to be more courageous than Sharmin Ubaid, in spite of the fact that her innumerable
brothers and sisters belonging to her own colour, race, country and religion have been mercilessly
butchered during the last ten years.
Orya Maqbool Jan

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Pakistans Economy and International Oil

Prices

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Is the rise in oil price real or government is fleecing people by raising the oil
price every other day?

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Pakistan is currently among the lowest performing economy in the Asian region. Pakistans GDP
growth is being recorded as less than that of China, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is facing
multifaceted challenges at the macroeconomic level which are threatening the economic stability
necessary for growth and development. The fiscal deficit is expected to touch 8 percent of the GDP
at the end of the current fiscal year against 4 percent claimed by the present government. The worst

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economic situation is being translated into record low growth of Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM)
sector, leading to a contraction in the job opportunities. One of the many reasons is the abnormal
rise in oil prices in the international market. The import bill has increased so high that trade deficit
has increased to more than 41% within first eight months of current fiscal year. It is pertinent that
the country's economy will pay the price of huge fiscal and trade deficits. Pakistan can adopt certain
strategies to address its energy problems. One of the viable options is the early completion of
pipeline from Iran, Qatar or Turkmenistan besides opting for import of Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) to meet energy demand. It can also go for conversion of electricity plants on coal and can
avoid excessive use of furnace oil for power generation. Forced or voluntary austerity campaign by
the government to conserve energy and reduce oil consumption is another viable option.
Government can announce twice a week petrol holiday similar to CNG one way of stopping
public from unproductive use of oil until a substantial fall in oil prices internationally occurs.
Further, it can reduce or remove the subsidies on all users of petroleum products to cut the
expenditure. We can discuss these options in some other time. In this issue the main focus is on the
oil prices in the international market. Is the rise real or government is fleecing people by raising the
oil price every other day?

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If we look at the trend in the international oil prices, one can observe a consistent rise in the
petroleum products in the international market. The highjump in crude oil prices in the international
marketthe U.S. benchmark is trading near a ten-month high of $107 a barrel from $75 in October
has sent fuel prices higher across the globe. If the recent highs are broken, the market will rise to
$110, and on to the $115 level. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows global
consumption of liquid fuels increased by 0.8M b/d in 2011. The EIA expects it to accelerate within
the next 2 years to reach 89M b/d in 2012 and 90.3M b/d in 2013. The growth in consumption is not
coming from OECD countries but from China, Middle East countries, Central America and South
Africa the biggest consumers this year. In other words, non-OECD members will account for the
entire consumption growth over the next 2 years. The production of crude oil by non-OPEC
members will increase by 690,000 b/d and 750,000 b/d in 2012 and 2013 correspondingly. North
America will show the biggest growth 360,000 b/d. Brazil will increase its oil production by
120,000 b/d. China and Columbia will do the same while Russia and Mexico will see their oil
production declining a little. The EIA anticipates much higher oil prices in 2012 as opposed to the
previous forecast. For example, the forecast shows an increase from $100/b to $106/b in 2012.

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The geopolitical reason is the main cause of this appreciation which changed drastically and drove
the oil prices to rise. The political turmoil and civil war in Libya caused disruption in the oil supply
to international market since February 2011. A number of oil companies announced decline in their
production till December 2011. The Libyan oil supplies are returning to the global market as the
situation is normalizing there. The problem is, however, far from over as disruption in oil supplies
from many important countries such as Iran, Syria, South Sudan, and Yemen is influencing the
market since January 2012. Yemen used to produce and export 260,000 b/d which dropped
significantly. The production, according to the EIA, will reach 180,000 b/d in 2012 and 200,000 b/d
in 2013 which is still lower than the pre-crisis production.

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The civil conflict is significantly affecting the oil production. There is no solution in sight of the
conflict between Sudan and South Sudan on the transit tariff due to which South Sudan has
suspended 90% of its oil production in late January 2012. The estimates of the EIA show the decline
of crude oil production in Sudan and South Sudan by 200, 000 barrel per day (b/d) in 2012. The
production is not expected to recover in the current year, however, it can increase to 370, 000 b/d in
2013. The Syrian situation is also worsening with every passing day. The problems intensified after
the rebels damaged the main pipeline. As per the EIA estimates, the Syria's oil production declined
to260, 000 b/d and will continue to decline in 2012. If situation improves, the oil industry is
expected to recover next year and the production can reach to 360,000 b/d. These events have

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considerable impact on the global market of crude oil which is reflected in the rise of oil prices in
the global market. The tensions with Iran of the US and European countries are also threatening the
oil prices globally.

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Last year's crude oil stocks of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) were equal to2.64B barrels by the estimates of EIA. If the situation in the oil producing
regions persists, by late 2013 these stocks will decline down to 2.57B barrels. To deal with the
situation OPEC members will have to increase their oil production by 490,000 b/d in 2012 and
560,000 b/d in 2013.

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The latest EIA's report released on March 6th suggests that an increase in the global consumption of
crude oil will determine the production growth in non-OPEC countries. The global consumption of
liquid fuels will reach 1.1M b/d in 2012 and 1.4M b/d in 2013. The supply from non-OPEC
countries will increase by 0.7M b/d in 2012 and 0.8M b/d in 2013. In order to satisfy the global
demand, the global market of crude oil will rely on the OPEC.

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Many analysts believe that the increase in oil prices in the short-term will be due to the tensions in
the Middle Eastern region and the Greek bond swap. The mid-term perspective, however, show fall
in the oil prices due to Russia and OPEC's record-high oil production and supplies from Libya.
Moreover, the China's economic slowdown will also contribute in the fall of oil prices.

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The oil markets will continue to have a bid in them though, as the Middle East, and Iran in
particular, will continue to offer plenty of reasons to have oil rise in value. The standoff between
Iran and the West continues to go nowhere, and there is concern that the Israelis will launch an
attack on the Iranians, flaring tensions. Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz if attacked,
but in reality this would only cause a very short-term spike in price as the US Navy will open the
passage in short order if closed.

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The writer is Dean, Business studies Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)
Islamabad
Dr Zafar Mueen Nasir

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When it comes to US foreign policy, there is little to distinguish between

Presidential candidates of either party.

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Little to Distinguish

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Ageing and Health

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Current US presidential election rhetoric among Republican hopefuls may occasionally sound
bizarre, especially on domestic issues. But when it comes to foreign policy, there is little to
distinguish between candidates of either party. And nothing could be more illustrative of this than
the comparison between what Obama had promised and what he has delivered since assuming
office.

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It is not simply promises such as closure of the Guantanamo prison, but an attitude that is
reminiscent of Bush's disdain for the international community. Drone attacks on Pakistan (and
elsewhere) are now carried out routinely, even though human rights organisations have expressed
doubts over its legality. In fact, there were nearly four times as many drone strikes in Pakistan
during the first two years of the Obama Administration, as there were during the entire Bush
Administration.

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Current US policy dictates that drones are to be used only in failed states or in 'sanctuaries', where a
state is either unwilling or unable to kill or capture targeted individuals. But the Defence
Department insists that since the US is in a global war, it does not need to identify an immediate
threat before targeting it. The State Department, more appreciative of diplomatic considerations,
believes that the laws of war do not apply outside a theater of war and therefore, lethal force should
only be used to prevent an eminent threat.

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On other important foreign policy issues, such as Russia and China, Obama is closer to the views of
his Republican predecessor, than that indicated during the campaign. Though he vowed to reset
US policy towards Russia, some of his initiatives, such as placement of missiles close to Russia's
borders, have added to Moscow's misgivings. More recently, Washington's views on the
forthcoming Russian presidential polls, as well as the US ambassador's alleged support for
opposition politicians, have added to the impression that the US is seeking to promote anti-Putin
forces.
On Iran, the Obama Administration has been beating the drums of war, even though he had
advocated a policy of engagement. His bitter criticism of his predecessor for what he claimed was a
war of choice in Iraq has been forgotten, with no attempt to temper the growing crescendo for a
surgical strike on Iran that could lead to another conflict, at a time when the US has been in war for
the longest period in its history, with more than 6,300 troops killed and an estimated $3 trillion lost!
It is, however, the administration's policy towards China which most echoes the recommendations
of the neo-cons and thus represents a departure from US policy pursued since President Nixon's
historic visit to Beijing 40 years ago. Moreover, the recently-released US Defence Strategy clearly
signifies a well-thought-out plan to challenge China's growing economic and political power. Both
Obama and Secretary Clinton have publicly alluded to their fear that a strong and confident China
poses a threat not only to Asia, but to US influence in the Pacific as well. Over the past year,
Washington has been assiduously encouraging its friends in the region to accept the stationing of
US troops on their territories and to increase defence budgets, all ostensibly to 'contain' China.

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On Kashmir, Palestine and Iran, President Obama has resiled from positions taken during the
campaign, under a combination of powerful domestic and foreign pressures. While Kashmir has
simply disappeared from Washington's radar, thanks to Indian lobbying; on Palestine, he appears to
have abandoned thought of another initiative, convinced that there is simply no support for applying
pressure on Israel. On Iran, the Obama Administration has been beating the drums of war, even
though he had advocated a policy of engagement. His bitter criticism of his predecessor for what he
claimed was a war of choice in Iraq has been forgotten, with no attempt to temper the growing
crescendo for a surgical strike on Iran that could lead to another conflict, at a time when the US has
been in war for the longest period in its history, with more than 6,300 troops killed and an estimated
$3 trillion lost!

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Given his life experience, Obama's pronouncements had led to expectations of change, especially in
foreign policy. In reality, he has hewed close to many of his predecessors controversial policies,
demonstrating that when it comes to national security issues, it is the defence and intelligence
establishment, as in most countries, which determines priorities.

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Courtesy: The Express Tribune, February 29th, 2012.

Tariq Fatemi

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The writer was Pakistans ambassador to the EU from 2002-2004 and to the US in 1999
tariq.fatemi@tribune.com.pk

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World Health Day 2012: Ageing and Health

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Some Important Facts About Ageing and Health in Pakistan

Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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During the last 60 years, there has been 23.4 % increase in the average duration of life in the
country. 2.07 % of the world's senior citizens live in Pakistan.

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6.4 % of Pakistan's population is 60 years old and above. Senior citizens will make up 15.8 % of the
country's population by the year 2050.

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The population of old people in the country will increase more than two times in the coming 50
years. Pakistan stands at #143 in the global ranking of life expectancy at birth. Pakistan stands at
#126 in the global ranking of old people.

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Everyone wishes to remain healthy in every period of his life. Healthy life style and access to
improved medical facilities are the primary motives of healthy life. On account of these basic
factors, the crude death rate in the world was reduced by 123 % from 1950 to 2010. Life expectancy
at birth increased by 43 % and fertility rate of children per woman decreased by 100 %. Such
factors are responsible for increase in the ratio of old people in the world's population. The theme
for this year's World Health Day is Ageing and health, good health adds years to life.

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Statistics reveal the fact that the spectacular progress in the field of medicine during the twentieth
century caused a sharp reduction in the death rate. The crude death rate in the world which was 18.7
per thousand in 1950-55, was reduced to 8.4 per thousand by the year 2005-10. In other words,
there was 10.3 per thousand decrease in death rate during 60 years. Life expectancy at birth in the
world which was 48 years in 1950-55, increased to 68 years by the year 2005-10. Thus, life
expectancy in the world increased by 20 years during the last half century. Besides this, fertility rate
of children per woman was reduced from 5 % to 2.5 % from 1950 to 2010. These factors are
responsible for increase in the ratio of old people in the world's population. According to a UN
report called the World Population Prospects, the 2010 Revision, from the year 2011 to 2050, the
number of people at the age of 60 or above is likely to increase by 2.44 % annually and the number
of people at the age of 80 or above is likely to increase by 3.5 % annually. On the contrary, the
growth rate of population during this period will be 0.74 % annually. According to the United
Nations' Population Division, the number of people at the age of 60 and above was 784 million in
the world. In other words, 11 % of the world's population consisted of senior citizens. At the same
time, the number of people at the age of 80 and above was 109 million. Thus, they made up 2 % of
the world's population. By the year 2050, this figure will rise to 4 %, while elderly people at the age
of 60 and above will make up 22 % of the world's population at that time. At this time, one out of
every nine persons living in the world is a senior citizen, while according to the UN Population
Division, by the year 2050, one out of every five persons in the world will be at the age of 60 or
above. In 2011, 2.07 % of the world's senior citizens were living in Pakistan. According to the US
Census Bureau, International Database, by the middle of the year 2011, their total number was
16.27 million. 47.72 % of them consisted of old men and 52.27 % of them consisted of old women.
According to the UN Population Division, between 1950 and 2005, there was a steady increase in
the number of people all over the

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world, who were likely to reach the age of 60 and above. As compared to the past, those who reach
the age of 60, have far more chances of living an even longer life. Less than half of the people who
were born till the middle of the twentieth century were likely to reach the age of 60. Keeping in
view the crude death rate in 1950-55, 46 % of the people living in the world were likely to reach the
age of 60. However, in the light of the death rate in the year 2005-10, it has been estimated that
now, 73 % of the people living in the world will reach the age of 60 or above. 73 % of men and 79
% of women will reach the age of 60. Keeping in view the death rate in 2005-10, it is said that the

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women who reach the age of 60, live for another 21 years, while men remain alive for another 18
years. In Pakistan, this duration is the same between men and women. Men and women, who reach
the age of 60 in Pakistan, remain alive for another 18 years.

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The increasing number of old people in the world points to the availability of better medical
facilities, but at the same time, it is also a prelude to the growing pressure on these medical
facilities. The reason is that during old age, with the weakening of the immune system, the body
finds it difficult to fight against diseases. Consequently, as long as they live, elderly people are
always vulnerable to various diseases and thus require more medical care. Medical experts are of
the view that the moderate and severe impairment faced by the people having the age of 60 and
above, is three times more than that of the people between the age of 15 and 59 years. Besides
experiencing hearing and visual impairment, they also have to face various mental and
psychological problems. According to the World Health Organization, 27 % men and 24 % women
in the people having the age of 45 and above, face some sort of hearing impairment. Hearing
impairment is the main disease faced by the old people living all over the world. In addition to this,
they also face depression, loneliness and anxiety. All such problems are the outcome of certain
changes in life, such as death of the life partner or sudden break down of health. Depression is often
accompanied by heart diseases, diabetes, paralysis and cancer, etc. which seriously affect the life of
old people. In these circumstances, life becomes all the more difficult, if proper medical facilities
are not available or if old patients have no easy access to medical facilities. On account of the ever
increasing cost of medical facilities, they are going beyond the reach of the old people belonging to
poor and middle classes. Global economic recession, inflation, poverty and unemployment are some
of the problems which are seriously affecting the availability of adequate medical facilities. The
tsunami of growing population is putting an extra burden

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on these facilities. World Health Organization has stated that 57 countries of the world, most of
which are situated in Africa and Asia, are facing acute shortage of health workers, as a result of
which, these countries are unable to provide basic health facilities to their people.
The condition of medical facilities in Pakistan can be judged from the Economic Survey of
Pakistan 2010-11, according to which there is one doctor for 1222 persons, one dentist for 16854
persons and one bed for 1701 patients. If we analyze the medical facilities for the people reaching

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the age of 60 and above, we will find that there is one doctor for 81 old people, one dentist for 1107
and one bed for 112 such persons. Only one nurse is available for 159 old people. There is an urgent
need for increasing medical facilities in the country and for achieving this goal; the amount of
money being spent on health sector should also be increased. But according to the Economic Survey
of Pakistan, in 2000-01, the money spent on health was only 0.72 % of our total GDP. It was
reduced to 0-51 % in 2005-06. This amount was further reduced to 0.23 % in 2010-11.

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In this situation, providing effective medical facilities to everyone is a major challenge. The
situation is being further aggravated by new medical problems and diseases. One such example is
the outbreak of dengue fiver in Punjab, which is putting an additional burden on the already meager
health expenditures in the country. If an elderly person becomes a victim of dengue fever, on
account of his weak immune system, the pace of his recovery is much slower than that of
youngsters and thus, he requires more medical care and attention. United Nations has rightly
pointed out that as a person becomes older, his health expenditures also increase. They are
particularly high in the final few years of life. Due to certain reasons, for most of the old people, it
is difficult to bear these heavy expenditures. United Nations have predicted that by the year 2050,
people at the age of 60 or above, will make up 15.8 % of Pakistan's population. Moreover 1.7 % of
the country's population will consist of people having the age of 80 and above. It means that the
population of senior citizens in the country will increase by more than two times in the coming fifty
years.

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Experts have pointed out that long life is closely related to better social and economic conditions.
Thus, people living in those regions of the world which have a high income and improved medical
facilities, live a much longer and safer life as compared to those impoverished countries where life
is a constant torture and ordeal for the people. The average age of the people living in the developed
countries is 76.9 years, whereas it is 65.97 years in the developing countries. In simple terms, the
average life of people in the developed countries is 11 years more than that of the people living in
the poor countries. For this very reason, most of the first ten countries included in the list of the
countries on the basis of global ranking with reference to life expectancy at birth, are developed
countries. According to the statistics provided by the UN Population Division, by the year 2011, the
people of Japan have the highest life expectancy at birth, which is 82.7 years. With the average age
of 81.8 years, Switzerland ranks second in this list, while China ranks third with the life expectancy
of 81.6 years. Among the 196 countries of the world, Pakistan stands at #143 with the life
expectancy of 64.6 years. Life expectancy in Pakistan which was 41.2 years in 1950-55, rose to
64.6 years in 2005-10. Thus, it can be said that during the last 6 decades, the average age of man in
Pakistan has increased by 23.4 years. The proportion of senior citizens in the population of
developed countries is much higher than that of poor countries. In 2011, people with the age of 60
and above were 22 % of the population in the developed countries, while those who were eighty and
above, were 4 % of the population. In contrast, nine % of the people living in developing countries
were at the age of sixty and above and those who were 80 and above, were only one % of the
population. Japan has the highest number of senior citizens in the world. In 2011, 31.1 % of its
people were at the age of 60 and above. With 26.8 % senior citizens in its population, Italy ranks
second in this list while Germany ranks third where senior citizens make up 26.3 % of the country's
population. In this global ranking of 196 countries, Pakistan stands at #126, with 6.4 % senior
citizens in its population. With reference to the number of people who are 80 years or above,
Pakistan stands at #132 in the list of 196countries of the world. Japan's population consists of 6.6 %

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people who are eighty years old or above and are classified as the oldest old. With 6 % of such
people in its population, Italy ranks second in this list, while France ranks third having 5.5 % of
such people in its population. But experts have predicted that in future, the pace of increase in the
number of senior citizens will be faster in the developing countries than the developed countries.

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population. Japan has the highest number of senior citizens in the world. In 2011, 31.1 % of its
people were at the age of 60 and above. With 26.8 % senior citizens in its population, Italy ranks
second in this list while Germany ranks third where senior citizens make up 26.3 % of the country's
population. In this global ranking of 196 countries, Pakistan stands at #126, with 6.4 % senior
citizens in its population. With reference to the number of people who are 80 years or above,
Pakistan stands at #132 in the list of 196countries of the world. Japan's population consists of 6.6 %
people who are eighty years old or above and are classified as the oldest old. With 6 % of such
people in its population, Italy ranks second in this list, while France ranks third having 5.5 % of
such people in its population. But experts have predicted that in future, the pace of increase in the
number of senior citizens will be faster in the developing countries than the developed countries.

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According to the United Nations, in the developed countries in the coming forty years, there will be
1.08 % annual increase in the number of people sixty years old and above. At the same time, 2.07 %
annual increase is expected in the number of people eighty years old and above. During this period,
population in the developed countries will increase at the rate of 0.14 % annually. In contrast, by the
year 2050, population in the developing countries will increase at the rate of 0.85 % annually. The
number of people at the age of sixty and above in the developing countries will increase at the
annual rate of 2.95 %, while an annual increase of 4.30 % is expected in the number of people at the
age of eighty and above.

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Another interesting fact is that women live longer than men. Thus, in 1950-55, there was a
difference of two years between the life expectancy of men and women. In other words, the average
life of women was two years more than that of men. But by the year 2005-10, the difference
increased to 5.6 years. In 1950-55, female life expectancy at birth was 48.7 years, while male life
expectancy at birth was 46.7 years. In 20005-10, it rose to 70.1 and 65.7 years respectively. In
Pakistan between 1950 and 2010, female life expectancy at birth increased from 41.5 years to 65.4
years. On the other hand, male life expectancy at birth rose from 41 years to 63.8 years during the
same period. Thus, during 60 years, female life expectancy in Pakistan increased by 24.1 years,
while male life expectancy increased by 22.8 years. In 2005-10, the average age of women in the
developed countries was 80.4 years. However, the average age of women in the developing
countries was 67.8 years. It means that the average age of women in the developed countries was
13.4 years more than that of the developing countries.

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According to a UN Wall Chart named Population Ageing and Development 2009, by the year 2009,
there were 74 men as compared to 100 women at the age of 60 and above. The situation is different
in Pakistan, where there were 105 old men as compared to 100 old women.

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According to the World Health Organization, 84 % deaths among the people at the age of 60 and
above were caused by non-communicable diseases. 10 % deaths resulted from communicable
diseases and nutritional conditions, while 4 % deaths occurred due to injuries.

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Advancing health and well-being into old age is among the priority directions of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on ageing. Achieving high health status is both a central aim of
development and a key promoter of economic growth and social progress. Older individuals in good
health enjoy a greater sense of personal well-being and can participate more actively in the
economic, social, cultural and political life of society.
Muhammad Atif Sheikh

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PCNS Recommendations: Revisiting Foreign

Policy

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The Success of this Report would depend largely upon the quality of
parliamentary leadership in overseeing its implementation. This has also huge
stakes as far as civil-military relations are concerned.

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Mian Raza Rabbani, the head of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), presented
the recommendations of the committee in a joint sitting of parliament on March 20. While
addressing the joint session, he said that it was parliament's prerogative whether to accept the
recommendations in entirety, or make amendments in them or reject them altogether, meaning
thereby that parliament has the final say over the fate of the recommendations, which after
approval, will govern not only the Pakistan-US relations but also characterize the entire gambit of
Pakistan's foreign policy.

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The 40 recommendations contained in the PCNS report, if summarized, make the following
reading: cessation of drone attacks; lighter footprint of the US in Pakistan; no hot pursuit or boots
on Pakistani territory; foreign private security contractors' activities in Pakistan must be transparent
and subject to Pakistani laws; unconditional apology from the US for the Salala attack; no bases or
airspace use by the US without parliamentary approval; reopening NATO supply routes for
Afghanistan contingent on agreed terms and conditions, subject to taxes and other transit charges;
no more verbal agreements regarding national security; prior permission and transparency on
presence of foreign intelligence operatives; active pursuit of the Iran gas pipeline, and last but not
least, seeking a civilian nuclear treaty with the US along the lines of the one with India.

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While it will take some time before the parliament comes up with its verdict on the
recommendations as they are in the thick of both parliamentary and media debates (by the time this
article appears in print, the parliament would have said its final word on them), it is important to
review their merits and demerits in broader framework of Pakistan's foreign policy and the
challenges the country faces in increasingly difficult regional and global contexts.
The merits first: Since Pakistan's joining of SEATO and SENTO pacts in 1950s, the formulation of
Pakistan's strategic policy has been the exclusive domain of the establishment. There has been
manifest amount of distrust within the Establishment on the ability and competence of the country's

politicians to deal with as much critical and delicate issues as the foreign policy.

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Hence, the military-led establishment has historically arrogated to itself the right to have final say
on the making of the strategic policy without the exclusion of input from the political leadership
and diplomatic corp. The political ownership of and leadership role played by the country's elected
leadership in revisiting foreign policy represent a welcome development, something which has been
too rare to be seen in this country marked by imbalance in the civil-military relations.

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Putting the onus on the parliament on the fate of PCNS report is an effort at empowering it to take
charge of the matters of national importance and hold the executive accountable on latter's
performance. This would also bring policy-making closer to representing public aspirations. It
would also enable the government to have more maneuvering space while negotiating the terms of
engagement with foreign powers such as the US. The immediate example in this respect that comes
to mind is that of the Turkish parliament, which refused to give a tow to the US at the time of US
attack of Iraq. Drawing on the parliament's opinion, the then Turkish government refused to allow
the US to use its airspace. The vesting of the responsibility with the parliament on this all important
matter would lead to greater parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of other executive actions and
policies. Doing so also fits in what our parliamentary format of the government. Hence a muchneeded step in the right direction.

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Linking any agreement with any foreign country with parliamentary approval would make the
process transparent thereby eradicating any possibility of the clandestine deal with the foreign
powers, something that has been hallmark of the successive governments' commitments in the past
where deals were clinched to win support for perpetuating the rulers of the day in power.

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The PCNS recommendation to the government that it must pursue the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
irrespective of any pressure and that it must take steps to solidify its relations with the regional
countries such as Iran, Russia, China, India is most welcome. Instead of putting one's eggs in one
basket, Pakistan must adopt a multilateral approach in dealing with challenges on foreign policy,
which requires deepening of political and economic relations with the countries of the region.
Pakistan should shun the practice of going the whole hog at Washington's behest. This government
has already undertaken various regional initiatives at correcting the imbalance. The Trilateral
Summit, held last month, was a major step in that direction.

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A look at the 40 recommendations makes for mixed reading, some recommendations fall in the
category of the doables, while others are reminiscent of the idealistic demands with little chance of
being met such as demand of civil-nuclear deal a la the Indo-US deal. The problem with this
approach is that in case of failure, there is a possibility that the sanctity of parliament will stand
eroded. Therefore, while dealing with such very complex and thorny issues, it is always better to
stick to the minimum doable agenda.

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Now the demerits: The report represents a delayed effort on the part of both PCNS as well as the
government. While descent in Pakistan-US relations started taking place since January 2011 when
Raymond Davis affair hit the scene and the entire process culminated with Salala incident in
November punctuated with the OBL raid in-between in May, the government took time in
constituting the committee to review the terms of engagement with the US. Though much of what
has been made public in the form of recommendations has long been under discussion in both
parliamentary debates and media, the inordinate delay by the committee is not understandable.
The region has been witness to a number of changes over the last few months with Bonn II, being a
huge global effort aimed at crafting consensus on the Afghan exit roadmap. Pakistan left out of the
Bonn Conference in protest of the NATO strike on its army check post in Mohmand Agency and

hence could not use the evolving situation to its benefit.

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Of equal importance is the delay in convening the joint session of Parliament to debate and approve
the recommendations once the report was said to be ready about two months ago.

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The report also does not make mention of nature of earlier pacts and commitments with the US,
which have governed the bilateral relations since 2001. PCNS would have done the nation a great
favour had it identified the players responsible for running Pakistan's foreign policy and on what
terms. The veil of secrecy which blanketed the entire process of deliberations during the
formulation phase of the recommendations is troublesome. The nation needs to know who said what
and why.

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The PCNS Report is wholly centred on Pakistan-US relations in the present context. It fails to
address the imperatives of this relation in the post-withdrawal phase. The Report appears to be
premised on the fact as if the US is likely to have extended presence in the region and neglects the
challenges of the relations after the US pullout from Afghanistan. This is the major flaw with the
report.

Co

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While Parliament is likely to approve the broad contours of the foreign policy, the determination of
specifics on how the policy would be worked out in the implementation phase rests with the
government. There is a need to put in place a mechanism to judge the performance of the
government. The implementation phase should be flexible enough as to incorporate mid-course
corrections so needed by the evolving regional situations. The success of this Report would depend
largely upon the quality of Parliamentary leadership in overseeing its implementation. This has also
huge stakes as far as civil-military relations are concerned.

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Once Parliament approves the recommendations, they must be implemented in letter and spirit.
Opposition from such extremist entities as Defence Council of Pakistan on spearheading the foreign
policy should be rejected. Parliaments will must remain supreme as repository of collective
aspirations of people.
Amanat Ali Chaudhry

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20 Amendment: A Step Towards Transparency

in Politics

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How the 20th amendment in the constitution of Pakistan can be proved

beneficial for the stability and continuity of democracy

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Ageing and Health

Sunday, April 01, 2012

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It is a great achievement by the parliament to get passed its proposed amendment in article 224 and
introduce article 224-A in the constitution. It will be a step towards transparency in the selection of
the care taker prime minister and chief minister and hopefully ensures transparent election process
and chances are there that political parties will not resort to blame game after elections.

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Before 18th amendment the care taker cabinet in national assembly and provincial assemblies was
appointed by the president and governors and they used their discretion in these selections and
normally their close friends were selected. After the introduction of 18th amendment president was
to appoint the care taker prime minister and chief minister in consultation with the prime minister
and the leader of the opposition. But we have experienced that the consultation was never
meaningful and many objections were raised by different quarters on selection of the care taker
prime minister or chief ministers.

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Now the parliament has further improved the law and has passed 20th amendment for the
constitution. This amendment has also been passed by the senate and became law after getting
signed by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.

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Through 20th amendment the national assembly has introduced provisions for appointment of the
care taker prime minister and chief minister, if the prime minister and the leader of the opposition
do not agree on the selection of the care taker prime minister, the procedure provided in article 224A will be followed.
In case the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly do
not agree on any person to be appointed as the care-taker Prime Minister, within three days of the
dissolution of the National Assembly, they shall forward two nominees each to a Committee to be
immediately constituted by the Speaker of the National Assembly, comprising eight members of the
outgoing National Assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the Treasury
and the Opposition, to be nominated by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition
respectively.

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The Committee constituted under clause (1) or (2) shall finalize the name of the care-taker Prime
Minister or care-taker Chief Minister, as the case may be, within three days of the referral of the
matter to it:
Provided that in case of inability of the Committee to decide the matter in the aforesaid period, the
names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision
within two days.

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The incumbent Prime Minister and Chief Ministers shall continue to hold office till the appointment
of care-taker Prime Minister and Chief Ministers, as the case may be.

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Notwithstanding anything contained in clauses (1) and (2), if the members of the Opposition are
less than five in the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and less than four in any Provincial Assembly,
then all of them shall be members of the Committee mentioned in the aforesaid clauses and the
Committee shall be deemed to be duly constituted.

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An effort has been made to solve the ever standing issue of selection of the care taker prime
minister or chief minister. And procedure and time frame has been prescribed for selection of care
taker prime minister and chief ministers. Earlier objections were always raised that since the care
taker prime minister or chief minister belonged to the ruling party so they might use the public
resources to help the ruling party candidates in winning the elections. This also provides roots to the
allegations of pre poll rigging.

py

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Now hopefully it will resolve this issue and no such allegations shall be echoed. Moreover, since
the members of the federal and provincial care-taker cabinets were appointed on the advice of the
care-taker prime minister and chief ministers respectively, and the selection of the selectors had
always been objected, therefore, the care taker cabinets appointed on their advice were also not
accepted. Now since the care taker prime minister and chief minister will be selected through a
process acceptable to the opposition and ruling party, so the selections of the care taker cabinets will
also be not seen with suspicion.

Co

And another important feature of the 20th amendment is that the members of the care-taker cabinets
including the care-taker prime minister and chief ministers and their immediate family members
shall not be eligible to contest the immediately following elections to such Assemblies.

nt

Explanation:- In this clause "immediate family members" means spouse and children.

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A possible practical problem and its solution!

According to the 20th amendment the care taker Chief Minister for the province of Baluchistan has
to be selected by the Chief Minister and the leader of the opposition. In case a Chief Minister and
the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Provincial Assembly do not agree on any person to be
appointed as the care-taker Chief Minister, within three days of the dissolution of that Assembly,
they shall forward two nominees each to a Committee to be immediately constituted by the Speaker
of the Provincial Assembly, comprising six members of the outgoing Provincial Assembly having
equal representation from the Treasury and the Opposition, to be nominated by the Chief Minister
and the Leader of the Opposition respectively.

oru

The Committee constituted shall finalize the name of the care-taker Chief Minister, within three
days of the referral of the matter to it:
Provided that in case of inability of the Committee to decide the matter in the aforesaid period, the
names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision
within two days.

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Now the question is that Balochistan assembly has only one opposition member, what will happen
if the Chief Minister and leader of the opposition do not agree on a person for a care taker Chief
Minister? Than the committee that has to be constituted, consists of six members, three from
treasury benches and three from opposition benches. But the situation in Balochistan assembly is
very unusual. It only consists of only one member opposition. What will happen if the outgoing
chief minister and outgoing opposition leader do not agree on a care taker chief minister? How will

the committee be formed and how will they decide the matter?

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The answer to the question to a situation, that if the opposition consists of one member only, as
prevalent in Balochistan, the answer has to be found within the constitution itself.

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Article 224A ( 5) of the constitution reads as under:-Resolution by Committee or Election

Commission.(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in clauses (1) and (2), if the members of the Opposition
are less than five in the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and less than four in any Provincial Assembly,
then all of them shall be members of the Committee mentioned in the aforesaid clauses and the
Committee shall be deemed to be duly constituted..

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Now the situation in Balochistan is, that in this scenario the committee will consist of four members
as against six member usual committee i.e. three members from the treasury benches and one from
the opposition benches.

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It may appear that one member opposition may not be in position to dictate his terms in the afore
mentioned committee and the treasury members will have more votes in the committee and one
member opposition leader may be over powered or out voted in the committee and the care taker
Chief Minister will be selected by the treasury benches.

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The actual procedure for selection by the committee is not mention in the amendment. Whether the
matter will be decided with consensus or with the vote of majority by the committee? The
constitution is silent. Yet, hopefully the intention may be that the matter for choosing the care taker
Chief Minister may be decided with the consensus of the committee and one member opposition
leader will not be over powered and out voted.
In case there is no consensus between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, each
shall forward separate lists to the Parliamentary Committee for consideration which may confirm
any one name:
The word consensuses means that they all have to agree in Toto and the decision in the committee
will not be taken by the vote of majority.
One member opposition leader, if do not agree with other members than it would mean that
consensus has not been reached and the matter will be referred to chief election commissioner for
decision. And if it is taken that the matter before the committee is to be decided by the vote of
majority, with one member opposition in the committee, he shall face difficult situation in selection
process and chances are there that the care taker chief minister will be selected with the treasury
benches sole choice. The better option is to reach the decision with consensus and in case of any
dispute the matter may be than referred to the Chief Election Commissioner.

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A213. Chief Election Commissioner.

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The answer lies in the post of the Chief Election Commissioner, who himself is to be selected
through another process which is mentioned in A213 of the constitution. The Chief Election
Commissioner is appointed by the President from the names sent to him by the parliamentary
committee. The Prime Minister shall in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition in the
National Assembly, forward three names for appointment of the Commissioner to a Parliamentary
Committee for hearing and confirmation of any one person.
The Parliamentary Committee to be constituted by the Speaker, it shall comprise fifty percent
members from the Treasury Branches and fifty percent from the Opposition Parties, based on their
strength in Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), to be nominated by the respective Parliamentary Leaders:

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Provided that in case there is no consensus between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the
Opposition, each shall forward separate lists to the Parliamentary Committee for consideration
which may confirm any one name:

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Provided further that the total strength of the Parliamentary Committee shall be twelve members out
of which one-third shall be from the Senate.
Hope fully the matter in case of the Balochistan assembly will be resolved with political maturity
and hopefully we are not faced with yet another constitutional crisis.

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We also hope that our political leadership continues to show maturity in solving problems of the
people.
The writer is an Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan: Email:muqtedir@hotmail.com
Muqtedir Akhtar Shabir

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Polio The War is Still to be Won

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Polio which was once included among the world's most dreaded diseases, has
been virtually wiped out through successful vaccination programmes from most
parts of the world, but the fight against it still goes on in countries like Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Nigeria. Only last year, the highest number of polio cases in the
world were reported from Pakistan and in the first two and a half months of this
year, fourteen cases have been reported from KPK and FATA.

nte

Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

For the last several years, after almost every two or three months, in collaboration with WHO, the
government launches a countrywide door to door polio vaccination campaign, with the hope of
permanently eradicating this disease. But despite these repeated campaigns and the spending of

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huge sums of money, Pakistan is included among the few remaining countries of the world, where
polio cases are still being reported regularly. Only last year, the highest number of polio cases in the
world were reported from Pakistan and in the first two and a half months of this year, fourteen cases
have been reported from KPK and FATA. Prime Minister's Polio Monitoring Cell and WHO
officials have issued a stark warning that if the situation is not tackled immediately and decisively, it
may get out of control in the coming months of summer and autumn, when polio virus is most
active. While some media reports are suggesting that there may be something wrong with the
vaccines, WHO officials insist that the problem is being aggravated by the dangerously
contaminated drinking water containing polio viruses, being used in many parts of the country. As
the fight against polio continues, let us have a closer look at the nature and causes of this deadly
disease and the ways of preventing and controlling its spread. wrong with the vaccines, WHO
officials insist that the problem is being aggravated by the dangerously contaminated drinking water
containing polio viruses, being used in many parts of the country. As the fight against polio
continues, let us have a closer look at the nature and causes of this deadly disease and the ways of
preventing and controlling its spread.

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Poliomyelitis (commonly known as polio) is an infectious viral disease that sometimes causes
temporary or permanent paralysis among children and young adults. In more than 95 per cent cases,
it produces no alarming symptoms, whereas in the rest of the cases, its virus enters the nervous
system through the mouth or the nose and infects the nerve cells controlling the muscles, often
leading to the paralysis of legs. When it attacks the brain with severe complications, it may even
cause death. Polio which was once included among the world's most dreaded diseases, has been
virtually wiped out through successful vaccination programmes from most parts of the world, but
the fight against it still goes on in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
WHO officials insist that the problem is being aggravated by the dangerously contaminated
drinking water containing polio viruses, being used in many parts of the country.
in areas having poor sanitation and ineffective sewage disposal system, polio virus spreads in
human feces and people become infected with it through contaminated food and water. Having
entered the body, the virus proceeds through the digestive tract to the intestines. After rapidly
multiplying in the body, it is shed into the feces, from where it can spread and cause infection,
especially, when infected people with their unwashed hands touch food or other people. Adults can
also catch it when they change the diapers of infected infants and then touch their mouth with their
hands. Polio virus multiplies in the tonsils and in intestinal tissue known as Peyer's patches, where
cells of the body's lymphatic system are concentrated. When the virus enters this system, it
stimulates the production of antibodies, which are the body's natural defenders that work to destroy
the viral intruders. From the lymphatic system, the virus invades the bloodstream and can then
cause three forms of polio, depending on the severity level. Abortive Poliomyelitis, which is a mild
form of the disease, lasting from a few hours to a few days, produces simple symptoms, such as
fever, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Nonparalytic poliomyelitis, in which the nerve cells
are infected, is the common form of the disease, in which, besides experiencing the symptoms of
the abortive poliomyelitis, the patients feel pain and stiffness in the neck and back. They may also
develop aseptic meningitis, which is the inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and
spinal cord. These Symptoms usually subside within a week without causing lasting damage.
Paralytic Poliomyelitis, that occurs in one or two per cent cases, is a disabling form of the disease,
in which the virus infects, damages or destroys the nerve cells that send signals to the muscles in the
spinal cord. When muscles are weakened, they become immovable and paralysis begins. About 2 to
5 percent of infants who develop paralytic polio die. It is even deadlier among adults, causing death
in 15 to 30 percent of cases. The older the person is when polio strikes, the more likely extensive
paralysis becomes. At times, paralysis of muscles that control breathing occurs, requiring artificial
respiration. In the most serious cases, the virus attacks the brainstem, causing the polio that can
affect nerves that send signals to the ears, eyes, and the muscles controlling chewing and
swallowing. Sometimes the virus affects the part of the brain that controls the rate of breathing and

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the heartbeat, causing death.

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Polio has afflicted man since ancient times. A carved stone tablet found in Egypt, dating from
roughly 1500 B.C., depicts a man whose withered, deformed leg and foot are characteristic of
paralytic polio. In the late 18th century, a British physician Michael Underwood made one of the
first accurate descriptions of polio. In around 1850 German physician Jacob von Heine named the
condition infantile paralysis because the disease seemed to affect mainly young children. Until the
19th century, polio was a common infection that rarely caused paralysis in children. Serious polio
epidemics hit Scandinavia in 1887 and the United States in 1894. In 1916, in the United States,
over 37,000 polio cases were reported in 26 states, resulting in 6,000 deaths. For many years
thereafter, polio struck about 38,000 Americans annually, and about 21,000 of them experienced
paralysis. To intensify the fight against the disease, in 1938 U.S. President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (who had himself lost the use of both legs due to polio) founded the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis. The organization raised millions of dollars for polio research and for the
support of polio patients. In the early 1920s American physician Philip Drinker invented an
artificial respirator to treat patients who could not breathe by themselves. Consisting of a large,
airtight cylinder, it soon acquired the nickname iron lung. Patients lay on their backs inside the
iron lung, with only their heads outside the machine. Motors attached to the cylinder rhythmically
changed the air pressure inside, forcing air in and out of the patients' lungs. In 1908 Austrian
pathologist Karl Landsteiner first isolated and identified polio virus from the spinal fluid of a boy
who had died from polio. At the same time, American pathologist Simon Flexner developed useful
means of growing the polio virus for experimental purposes in laboratory. No vaccine became
available for polio until 1955, when American physician Jonas E. Salk's vaccine was approved for
marketing.
In 1991, Western Hemisphere was declared Polio-free. But health officials insist that vaccination
programmes must continue in areas considered polio-free, because the polio virus can easily
become dangerous again among children who have not acquired immunity.

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Immunization with polio vaccine is the best way to prevent polio. Two methods are successfully
employed for producing polio vaccine. In one of these methods, quantities of inactivated or killed
virus are administered by injection. In the other method, live virus grown in laboratories and
systematically weakened so as not to produce any serious infection is used. This form of polio
vaccine, known as oral polio vaccine, is administered by mouth, either in a drink or in a sugar cube
or other food. This vaccine is easier to administer than the injected vaccine, particularly in remote
areas that lack trained medical staff or proper hospital facilities. This method is also used in
Pakistan. However, it also involves some slight risks. There is a chance that a dose may contain
improperly weakened virus that is still capable of producing illness. In the 1990s the risk of
contracting paralytic polio from oral polio vaccine was 1 in approximately 2.4 million doses of
vaccine. In 1991, Western Hemisphere was declared Polio-free. But health officials insist that
vaccination programs must continue in areas considered polio-free, because the polio virus can
easily become dangerous again among children who have not acquired immunity. This danger was
demonstrated in 1979, when there was a sudden outbreak of paralytic polio among unvaccinated
members of Amish communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

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The fight against polio has been one of the greatest medical successes of our time. While the war
against polio has been convincingly won in most parts of the world, we still seem nowhere near
victory. There is the urgent need for making the polio vaccination campaign more effective,
especially in the far flung areas of KPK and FATA, where many people are still hesitant to allow
their children to have polio vaccine doses. Since polio is an incurable disease, prevention is better
than cure, and the growth of polio virus can also be checked by means of improved sanitary and
hygienic conditions, better drainage system and increased level of public awareness.
Professor Abdul Rauf

Run Away Girls: Eloping

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Feeling of unfair treatment, hostile behaviour of males (father, husband, brother

or even son in few cases), media influence, clubbed with some expectation of
shelter other than home, are trigger points for girls/women to leave their families
and homes. Young girls may get this feeling of support from their lovers. And
women may seek for some welfare trust. We do not have many shelters for these
runaway girls. This is because society does not like it.
Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Since ages, woman has been considered as center of family, who stays responsible of breeding child
and male contributes to physically challenging tasks. Having male's nature to get easily attracted
towards women; societies with time evolved mechanism of women protection. These walls of
protection grew with time and made women isolated. Women for their protection happily closed
their eyes from world and lived in protection of their males. From different stages of life, they stay
covered by brother, father, husband and son. Males being overseers became cautious of their
women and relationship-oriented societies defined respect of males, scaled by extent to which they
can protect their women. Males stay very watchful of their females to maintain their ego and
respect. This leveraged male-authority by society has started bothering modern world females.
Strong cultural influence from stories, movies and dramas has served as added fuel to this burning
issue.

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Males too have forgotten primary reason about getting authority, and this authority is often misused.
They become dictators, and this dictation causes immense frustration on the part of modern women.
These ladies daily observe other women on media, well-dressed and good-looking, towards whom
men get attracted. This grass which is immensely greener at other side frustrates them even more. In
such societies exists two types of males. One, even more. In such societies exists two types of
males. One, who dictate and snub them from being modern, so to avoid any possible external
attraction. Second, try to expose their women to others as symbol of their success. Both extremes
irritate women, why? Because they are human too, and wish to have freedom. But these puzzled
women, irritated from double standard male dominant society, either live unhappy life or decide to
revolt. These revolting women are also seen as heroic figure by many, and also serve as motivation
for others to run away.
There exists wide range of reasons explained by runaway girls. But two most strong variables are,
1. Stressed life at home, 2. Willingness to get married with their choice. Unlike those who run to get
married, women running away from their family have no one to support. This is why, it is less likely
for women to runaway due to family pressure only. Usually it is a mix: some promise of external
support, topped by friction in family results in such kind of decision. Runaway girls plan and seek

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for immediate support to avoid any harm from jungle of humans. This support can be some welfare
trust or some male, with whom they wish to be wedded.
These ladies daily observe other women on media, well-dressed and good looking, towards whom
men get attracted. This grass which is immensely greener at other side frustrates them even more.
These runaway girls, especially young ones, leave their homes overwhelmed with dreams of
romantic future. They break all laws, in order to attain freedom. Let us try to understand the essence
of freedom. Freedom means state of being free; scope of freedom is very broad, and cannot be
defined with help of few words. Freedom is often contrasted with confinement. To understand about
freedom, consider term freedom fighter who is often accused to be traitor, rebel or terrorist by
opposing party. Freedom fighter or terrorist, both tags belong to same person. Both statements are
true; only point of view makes them different. This difference of thinking pattern can be observed in
all walks of life. It can also be observed that usually stronger group or individual, successfully
attain shelter of sanity, and weaker gets the negative tag. As we observed in example of freedom
fighter & terrorist, same can be said for runaway girls & refugee girls.
Society tags runaway girls and the girls asking for freedom, negatively. If observed carefully this
freedom always remains within some limits; for example. We live in sovereign nation, which has
attained freedom, yet we have to abide by law. Teenage craze may ask this question, If it is in some
bonds, then what kind of freedom is it? Limits are defined purposefully so freedom should not
come at price of other's freedom. Plus, freedom is often in hands of controlling group; i.e. parents or
guardians. Children are given freedom to certain limits, otherwise they may harm themselves. And
children feel that parents are being over-dominant. At larger scale, limits are defined by society's
expectations known as Socially desired behaviours. This is driven from either majority or
influential portion of society. Here Minority or weaker group may feel irritated or being dominated.
In case of gender, females are left with less recognition and men have more authority. Especially is
the case in relationship-oriented society or eastern portion of world.

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This feeling of unfair treatment is resulting in heavy resentment among modern women and girls.
Media serves as fuel for their flaring aggression. Feeling of unfair treatment, hostile behaviour of
males (father, husband, brother or even son, in few cases), media influence, clubbed with some
expectation of shelter other than home, are trigger points for girls/women to leave their families and
homes. Young girls may get this feeling of support from their lover. And women may seek for some
welfare trust. We do not have many shelters for these runaway girls. This is because society does
not like it.
Young girls, usually feel strongly convinced from self-defined freedom. And they get easily
influenced from media too. Media, in order to attain higher viewership often dramatize and

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overproject. This may be understood by aged audience. For youngsters, it becomes flashy dream.
When these young girls try to imitate their learning from media, which very quickly becomes a
social trend, they get strictly snubbed by controlling group. This causes them to be further flared up.

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Girls need to understand our society, value relations over subjective outcome. And these social
expectations drive our lives. Going away from norm is not bad but for total revolt one has to pay a
heavy price. Young boys also get influenced from media, and may make hollow promises. After
getting uncovered from shelter of family, comes huge sense of insecurity. It might be safe passage
that you daily take, but you will find yourself extremely challenged.

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Please understand that everyone is not like lucky Rapunzel in fairy tale. After running away starts
the real story. These runaway girls, in pursuit of their self-defined freedom, forget many aspects.
First of all, they live in relationship-oriented society which cannot be like individualistic societies or
like west. Once they run away, they realize that finances turn low before they think. If their lover
relinquish at the eleventh hour, it is near to impossible for them to get married or live in a
respectable family. Not only they but their siblings too will be challenged at time of getting married.
Society will tag their family as disloyal. Their family suffers from trauma, and few members may
think of committing suicide. Last but definitely not least is extreme, when even modern and
educated male members of family may attempt to kill their own daughter/sister. This hostility of
men, women might fail to comprehend, before they run away.

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So far we have been discussing the social side; living in the same society, professional life may face
challenges too. No matter how many times organizations advertise Equal Opportunity Employer
but hiring manager definitely is part of relationship-oriented society. Organizations consider such
girls as disloyal and doubt their un-biased working, though there exist few exceptions. At worst,
such women are considered as public property: every wicked man attempts to abuse them. Few
reports say that most runaway girls in Iran get raped within 24 hours of their departure. In our
society too, majority of runaway girls end up spending their whole life imprisoned in some orphan
home, trust or brothel.

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Girls considering to Runaway from their families shall consider these repercussions, which are
often overlooked in overoverwhelming emotions. Young boys too make unrealistic commitments in
blends of emotions and latter fail to support girls who runaway for them. Running away price is
often higher than one can comprehend. Though complete blame can never be given to girls, families
shall not levy un-due strictness on girls. We all shall understand that limits are defined by society,
we may or may not like these limits, but we can only raise our voice when we attain right position.
When we are in some position of strength; being young and weak, running away is not an option. It
will only bring bad name to runaway, family and destruction to her life.

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Unless it gets to threat for your life; or too serious, that you agree to pay price of being Runaway.
Only then take such serious decision. Otherwise families shall understand and live collaboratively.
For feedback: ayeshakashif2@gmail.com
Prof Ayesha Kashif

Questioning Bahawalpurs Historiography

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The politics of Bahawalpur has gone way ahead for anyone to put the 'geneie
back into the bottle' of its history.
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Whoever said that reading and writing history is not an art? The presentation of select facts without
understanding or explaining the context doesn't make for good history writing. Such historical
analysis with a slant seems to be fueling the ongoing debate on the possible creation of new
provinces in Punjab. For example, an argument is being built about restoring the status of
Bahawalpur as a province on the basis of the economic efficacy of the area when it was a princely
state. Since it is believed that Bahawalpur was successful when it was independent of the Pakistani
state system, turning it into a province again would be a major contribution towards development.

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The Abbassis, who are a breakaway faction of the Kalhora family though the princely family
tries to propagate themselves as direct descendents of the Abbasids established the princely state
in the early 1800s. The histories commonly available do not emphasise the fact that the rule was
essentially a family dictatorship, though some of the rulers may be benign. For instance, we rarely
hear of histories written by Shahamat Ali or Syed Murad Shah Gardezi that speak of brutal methods
applied by Nawab Bahwal III against some of his top bureaucrats.

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To use a clich that history is mostly written by the victors, historiography that just presents events
without explaining the context the sociology and politics of those times tends to create
illusions that often shape the way societies think about themselves and their rulers. It is a fact that
the Seraikis of Bahawalpur show respect towards the Nawab's family. While economic development
may be one reason there are other explanations as well. The Seraiki-speaking population of
Bahawalpur, indeed, remembers the old nawabs with great fondness, especially because they share
a common language and heritage. The common Seraiki has no cultural tie with the 'outsider' who
seems to have prospered over the years, leaving the 'native' in relative poverty. The present-day
longing of the Bahawalpuri Seraiki for the Nawab is largely driven by his sense of isolation within
what he considers as his own home. Popular accounts rarely expose the fact that successive nawabs
spent much less on developing indigenous human resources and instead imported Punjabis, Urduspeakers and some Pashtuns to run the state bureaucracy and the state in general. The 'native'
remained less developed compared to other ethnicities that prospered. Thus, without undermining
the fact that the princely state of Bahawalpur was well run, it cannot be ignored that widely

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available accounts do not include accounts less popular with the rulers or those that contain
ethnography of the 'native'.
It is a fact that the Seraikis of Bahawalpur show respect towards the Nawab's family. While
economic development may be one reason there are other explanations as well. The Seraikispeaking population of Bahawalpur, indeed, remembers the old nawabs with great fondness,
especially because they share a common language and heritage.
There are two other interrelated critical issues worth considering. First, state-making is never a
static process. The political decision taken at the time of the creation of Pakistan by the nawab of
Bahawalpur to integrate with Pakistan meant that other or larger forces that would govern the
politics of the new polity would determine the future of the area. From then on, Bahawalpur or any
other princely state would not remain a small entity but part of a larger whole. The question is,
could it have happened otherwise? Could Bahawalpur, Khairpur, Swat, Kashmir, Hyderabad,
Junagarh and several other states swim on their own? The winds in 1947 were blowing differently
and with a different velocity.

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Second, even if the princely states remained politically as they were, there is no guarantee that the
quality of the polity would have remained the same or in the imaginary ideal condition. The issue
with dictatorships, even though they may be benign at some time, is that such entities are extremely
temperamental. A lot depends on the IQ and EQ of the ruler and a stable intellectual capacity is not
a constant. A glance at the rulers of Bahawalpur and their modern generation will bear me out in
this context. While some of the old ones had a vision and were progressive, the same cannot be said
about the current lot which lacks vision. A visit to the crumbling Derawar fort and other palaces
bears witness to this. In any case, the politics of Bahawalpur has gone way ahead for anyone to put
the geneie back into the bottle of its history.
The writer is adviser to the chairman NAB and author of Military Inc.
Ayesha Siddiqa

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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: A Legendry Leader of

Pakistan

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Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician
who served as the President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as the Prime
Minister Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. He was the founder of the Pakistan
People's Party (PPP), which is one of the largest political parties in Pakistan. His
daughter, Benazir Bhutto has also served twice as prime minister. Bhutto is often
addressed as the Quaid-e-Awam.
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Born in a wealthy and influential family, Bhutto became one of the youngest politicians in Pakistan
when he entered the government led by President Ayub Khan.

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In 1957, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became the youngest member of Pakistan's delegation to the United
Nations. He addressed the United Nations Sixth Committee on Aggression on October 25, 1957 and
led Pakistan's deputation to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seas in 1958. In the
same year, Bhutto became the youngest Pakistani cabinet minister when he was given charge of the
energy ministry by President Muhammad Ayub Khan, who had seized power and declared martial
law. He was subsequently promoted to head the ministries of commerce, information and industries.
Bhutto become a close and trusted advisor to Ayub, rising in influence and power despite his youth
and relative inexperience in politics. Bhutto aided Ayub in negotiating the Indus Water Treaty with
India in 1960. In 1961, Bhutto negotiated an oil exploration agreement with the Soviet Union,
which also agreed to provide economic and technical aid to Pakistan. Bhutto also became the de
facto foreign policy spokesman for Ayub. In 1963, he was appointed Pakistan's foreign minister. His
swift rise to power also brought him national prominence and popularity.

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As foreign minister, Bhutto significantly transformed Pakistan's hitherto pro-Western foreign policy.
While maintaining a prominent role for Pakistan within the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization and
the Central Treaty Organization, Bhutto began asserting a foreign policy course for Pakistan that
was independent of U.S. influence. Bhutto criticised the U.S. for providing military aid to India
during and after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, which was seen as an abrogation of Pakistan's
alliance with the U.S. Bhutto worked to establish stronger relations with the People's Republic of
China.[4] Bhutto visited Beijing and helped Ayub negotiate trade and military agreements with the
Chinese regime, which agreed to help Pakistan in a large number of military and industrial projects.
Bhutto also signed the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement on March 2, 1963 that transferred 750
kilometres of territory from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to Chinese control. Bhutto asserted his

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belief in non-alignment, making Pakistan an influential member in non-aligned organisations.

Believing in pan-Islamic unity, Bhutto developed closer relations with Muslim nations such as
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
Under Bhutto, Pakistan adopted a new constitution. Transferring to the post of prime minister,
Bhutto nationalised many industries. Pioneering Islamic socialism in Pakistan, he undertook land
redistribution and other socialist policies. Bhutto also ordered the Pakistan Army to suppress the
insurgency in Balochistan and suppress a military coup attempt in 1973.
Bhutto advocated hardline and confrontational policies against India over the Kashmir conflict and
other issues. After a brief skirmish in August 1965 between Indian and Pakistani forces near the
international boundary in the Rann of Kutch, Bhutto counselled Ayub to launch an invasion of
Indian Kashmir in September, which came to be known as Operation Grandslam. After the
incursion of Pakistani forces was detected, India launched a full-scale military operation in Kashmir
and the Punjab region. Following the outbreak of war, Bhutto delivered a fiery speech at the UN
Security Council condemning India for aggression and declaring "we will fight for a thousand
years" before storming out of the hall. After two weeks of fierce fighting, both nations faced
considerable political pressure from the U.S., the U.K. and the Soviet Union and agreed to a
ceasefire sponsored by the UN. Although the conflict had resulted in a stalemate, the advance of
Indian forces into close proximity with the city of Lahore caused widespread criticism of Ayub's
management of the war. Bhutto joined Ayub in Tashkent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Indian
Prime Minister Bahadur Shastri. Ayub and Shastri agreed to exchange prisoners of war and
withdraw respective forces to pre-war boundaries. This agreement was deeply unpopular in
Pakistan, causing major political unrest against Ayub's regime. Bhutto's criticism of the final
agreement caused a major rift between him and Ayub Khan. Initially denying the rumours, Bhutto
resigned in June, 1967 and expressed strong opposition to Ayub's regime.

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Falling out with Ayub after the war, Bhutto founded the Pakistan People's Party, which won a
majority of seats from West Pakistan in 1970. Bhutto refused to accept the victory of the Awami
League, leading to a political and sectarian crisis. After the Bangladesh Liberation War, Bhutto took
over as president and the first civilian chief martial law adminstrator of Pakistan. In this capacity, he
negotiated the Shimla Agreement with Indian leader Indira Gandhi to establish peace.

Under Bhutto, Pakistan adopted a new constitution. Transferring to the post of prime minister,
Bhutto nationalised many industries. Pioneering Islamic socialism in Pakistan, he undertook land
redistribution and other socialist policies. Bhutto also ordered the Pakistan Army to suppress the
insurgency in Balochistan and suppressed a military coup attempt in 1973. However, Bhutto
became increasingly unpopular over allegations of corruption and suppression of political

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opponents. The boycott of the 1977 elections by opposition parties created a political crisis that
ended when Bhutto was deposed by the army chief Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Despite a
controversial trial and protests, he was executed.

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Bhutto is often referred to with respect as Shaheed (Martyr) or with the honorific title Quaid-eAwam. Bhutto and his family remain widely popular in many parts of Pakistan, especially in Sindh.
Bhutto is the namesake of many public institutions in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto remains an icon
of the PPP and one of the most influential Pakistani politicians in history.
Fawaz Niaz

Okara

A major contributor to the national economy and human resources

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Okara is located at 127 KM south-west of Lahore on national highway and on Lahore Karachi main
railway line. Its approximate height above sea level is 50 meters. Okara is named after a local tree
"OKAAN". Before the !st July 1982 it was a subdivision of Sahiwal District but to facilitate
people by bringing administration to their door steps, a district with Okara, Renala Khurd &
Dipalpur as its sub-divisions was formed .The new district was named Okara because its
headquarter is situated in the subdivision Okara . Depalpur, Baseerpur, Satghara, Gogera, Sherghar,
Hujra Shah Muqeem and Renala Khurd are towns of this city. Today Okara is one of the most
populated districts of Pakistan. It is basically an agricultural district. . According to the 1998 census,
the district had population of 2,232,992 of which 22.84% were urban and the rest were rural
Brief History: The histoty of this area is 3000 BC old. This area of land remained war land for
Turks, Arabs, Persians, Lodhies, Tugliqs, Mangola, Mughal Emperors, Merhattas, Sikhs and

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Hindus. This area was also ruled over by Rajpoots till 1770AD. In 1849, the British occupied this
area. In the Freedom War of 1857, the people of this area resisted against the British. Rai Ahmad
Khan Kharil including Mehr Murad Fatiana and many other brave people fought against the British
and defeated the British at a number of places. History speaks of these freedom fighters who were
few in number but they put to death Lord Burkley and his fifty soldiers.

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When the British Govt., after defeating Sikh rulers, annexed this area to their rule in 1849, they
established a new district in Pakpattan which was later on Shifted to Goger, a town near the Ravi.
When a Railway line was laid out between Multan and Lahore it was shifted to Montgomery in
1864. This area remained the part of Montgomery District.

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After the creation of Pakistan, Okara played a vital role for the progress of the country. Out of the
only two textile mills that remained in Pakistan at the time of the Partition one was located at
Okara. The mill was known as Sutlej textile mill and belonged to Aditya Birla Group. It was Asia's
biggest textile mill at that time.

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Education in OkARA:
Okara district has 12 degree colleges, 05 higher secondary schools, 142 secondary schools, 155
middle schools, 1257 primary schools and 469 Masjid schools for both male and female students.
Above mentioned data is only showing government institutes, there are also many private schools
and colleges in Okara.

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Major crops of OKARA:

Potato, Sugarcane, Wheat, Rice and Maize are main crops of Okara. It is famous for its potato
production. Oranges and Mangoes are main fruits farmed in the district of Okara. It is also famous
for the lemon, guava and grapefruit orchards, belonging to the food processing company, Mitchell's
Fruit Farms Limited. The orchard runs for about 6 miles, along the LBDC, from Renala Khurd all
the way up to the Okara bypass.

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Leading politicians of OKARA:

The district is represented in the Provincial Assembly by 9 elected MPAs who represent the
following constituencies: Constituency Member Party PP-186 Javed Allaudin Sajid, PPP PP-187
Syed Raza Ali Gilani, PML(Q) PP-188 Rubina Shaheen Wattoo, PPP PP-189 Ch. Nadeem Abbas
Rabera, PML(Q) PP-190 Mohd. Ashraf Khan Sohna, PML(Q) PP-191 Mian Yawar Zaman,
PML(N) PP-192, Malik Ali Abbas Khokhar, PML(N) PP-193, Moeen Wattoo, PML(N) Total 9. The
district is also represented in the National Assembly by 5 elected members who represent the
following constituencies: Constituency Member Party NA-143 Rai Ghulam Mujtaba Kharal, PPP
NA-144 Sajjad-ul Hassan, PPP NA-145 Syed Samsam Ali Bokhari, PPP NA-146 Manzoor Wattoo,
PPP NA-147 Khurram Jahangir Wattoo Total 5.

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Besides these political parties, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf is also fast-growing party in the district.

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Literary Figures of OKARA:

Following are the literary personalities of the district.
1- Salah-ud-Din
2- Zafar Iqbal
3- Masaud Ahmad
4- Qazi Shafqat
5- Muhammad Naseem

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Military Farms in Okara:

The Okara farms are part of the military farms group, Okara and Renala, which comprise 16,627
acres of land consisting of two dairy farms, seven military farms and 22 villages. Out of the total
acreage, 16,627 acres are cultivated by 1,323 farmers residing in Okara and Renala.

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Livestock:
Okara is also famous for its cattle breed known as Sahiwal and a water buffalo breed known as NiliRavi. It is very rich in livestock population and production. The Livestock Production Research
Institute Bahadar Nagar Farm is a very large Government farm near Okara city. The farm has large
number of cows, buffalos, bulls (for reproduction), goats and sheep.

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Historical places in Okara:

Dipalpur: Depalpur city is an ancient city about 2000 years old. The city has been demolished and
rebuilt several times during this period. According to the historian Abnashi Chander Das "AC Das",
the original name of this city was Siri Puria or Siri Nagar after the elder brother of Raja Salvahan of
Sialkot (who was the explorer of Sialkot) Raja Depa Chand renamed Depalpur after his beloved son
Raja Depa. According to A C Das, that was about 2000 years ago when Aryans entered the
Subcontinent they began to live in the land of Pert Sindh (The Land of Seven Rivers) including
River Ravi, Chinab, Satluj, Jhelum, Beas, Indus and Kabul. So the famous civilisation which was
developed at that time was Ajodhan (Pakpattan), Qabula and Depalpur. Now the Depalpur is a tehsil
of district Okara and it is an older tehsil than Okara. This area also remained the part of
Montgomery District before 1982 when Okara became a district. It contains 945 villages.

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Hujra Shah Muqeem:

Many Muslim saints have come to preach in this area. Hazrat Bahawal Haq commonly known as
Bahawal Sher Qalandar came from Baghdad and settled in the village of Patharwall near Dipalpur.
The saint constructed a hujra (small living room) and a mosque outside the village. His grandson
Hazrat Shah Muqeem continued his mission. The village came to be known as Hujra Shah
Muqeem. This is the place mentioned in the famous Punjabi love story Mirza Saheban, although
there is no historical evidence that Jati (Sahiba) came here and prayed that "The streets should be
deserted to facilitate my lover Mirza to come to meet me".

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Renala Khurd:
It is growing city of the district. It is mainly known for a famous fruit products company Mitchell's
Fruit Farms Limited. It has orchards of guava & citrus running both sides of the Lower Bari Doab
Canal and the Multan Road, for about 8 miles all the way up to Okara bypass. This region is also
well known as a major producer of sugarcane & rice. These crops can be cultivated due to
abundance of water supplied by the Lower Bari Doab Canal & smaller water channels. At Renala
Khurd, one may visit Renala Hydro Power Station, situated on Canal Lower Bari Doab. Its capacity
is 1MW. Sir Ganga Ram (18511927), a civil engineer and leading philanthropist of his time,
established Renala Hydro Power Station in 1925.

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Hazrat Karmanwala Sharif:

There is Mazar-i-Sharif of Hazrat Sahib, Karmanwala, situated on the National Highway towards
Renala Khurd and Lahore. This Mazar-i-Sharif is commonly known as Astana Alia Hazrat
Karmanwala Shareef'. Beside the Mazar-i-Sharif, there is a main Masjid. Both were constructed
under the authority and guidance of Hazrat Syed Mohammed Ali Shah Bhukari (RA) Naqshbandi
Sahib, in honour of their late Father, Hazrat Syed Mohammed Ismael Shah Bhukari (RA),
Naqshbandi sahib, who was affectionately referred to as "Hazrat Sahib, Karmanwala".

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Shergarh:
It is a town located 10 miles away from Renala Khurd on the Hujra Shah Muqeem road, and is a
Union Council of Dipalpur Tehsil. It is a very historic town. It was named by the 16th century
governor of Multan, Fateh Jang Khan, in the honour of that time Afghan ruler of India, Sher Shah
Suri. This fact is documented by Abbas Khan Sarauni in his book, Tarikh-e- Sher Shah Suri.

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Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka:

A few kilometers from Okara on the Okara-Faisalabad road there is a village Thatta Ghulamka
Dheroka. While going to the village you pass through Gogeraa place where Rai Ahmed Khan
Kharral broke famous jail during War of Independence of 1857 and British Extra Assistant
Commissioner (Lord) Berkley was defeated and killed by the resilient locals.

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The unique claim of the village to international fame is the dolls and toys made by village women
that are collectors delight all over the world. Dolls made in the village have travelled to
International Dolls Museum in Amsterdam and also have been put on display in the "Theme-park"
at EXPO 2000 in Hanover (Germany) as one of the 767 worldwide projects an example of
thinking for 21st century. Earlier, the dolls participated in International Toy Fair in Nuremberg.
These dolls show as to how culture goes beyond simple work of art and becomes collaboration
among applied and natural sciences as well as other forces that affect our lives.
Muhammad Shahid Rafique

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Karl Marx 1818 - 1883

Introduction:

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He introduced conflicts perspective to sociology.

Critique of political economy
Communist Manifesto
Das Capital
Poverty of philosophy
The German ideology
The economic and philosophical manuscripts of 1844

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Karl Marx was the architect of Socialism and champion of Communism. He committed himself to
the cause of exploited working class. His views and thoughts were so influential that one-third of
the world accepted it.

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Theory of social class:

The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of social class.
(The communist manifesto chapter 01)

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Notion of class:
Class is the manifestation of economic differences. According to Marx, class is economic in nature.
Class is not determined by the occupation, but the position and function one performs.eg. shop
owner and salesman.

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Classes:
Those who own the means of production the dominant class land lords , feudals.
Subordinate class, slaves, peasants and labourers.
The proletariat or working class, whose members own only the labour.
The haves and have nots.
Stages of evolution of society and development of classes.

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Karl Marx believed that the society evolves through different stages according to the means of
production.

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Primitive communism:
In which there is no private property.

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Slavery: in which one class owns and exploits the members of another.
Feudalism : class of land owners exploit the peasants.

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Capitalism:. owners of wealth exploit the workers.

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He argued for primitive communism as the only classless society.

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Socialism: occurs when the workers have finally revolted.

Development of classes: Classes emerge only when the production of the society expands beyond
its needs. As long as people use and eat what they reproduce without surplus, classes do not exist.

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Theory of class-conflict: Bourgeoisie and proletariat depend upon each other, but it is not equality
based. It is the relationship of exploiter and exploited. Essence of capitalism is surplus money.

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Importance of means of production: The behaviour of an individual is determined by his relation

with property or means of production. These relations are crucial in breaking the human society into
a class structure.

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Polarization: In capitalist society:

The capitalist
The working class

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Economic power , the real power: Political power is derived from economic power. The power of
the ruling class, therefore, stems from its ownership and control of the means of production. The
political and ruling system reflects ruling class's interests.

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Though marx mentioned, middle stage, called Petty-Bourgeoisie, but he argued that at height of
conflict they will be drawn towards proletariats.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The wealth of Bourgeoisie is swelled by large profits
with increase in mass of poverty and slavery.

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Class unity and revolution: Because of this, the working class would unite and form
organizations. When struggle reaches its height, a violent revolution breaks out which destroys the
structure of capitalist society.

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Dictatorship of proletariat and communist society: Karl Marx felt that revolution would be a
bloody one.

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The proletariats then established socialist dictatorship. Many have concerns over this term. Marx
himself said that he differentiated himself from those communists who were out to destroy personal
liberty and who wish to turn the world into warehouse.
Then socialist society would be established. In that the means of production and wealth would be
owned publicly not privately. It would be a classless society. Here no body owns anything and

everybody owns everything.

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Theory of alienation: Alienation refers to the sense of powerlessness, isolation and

meaninglessness experienced by human when they confront with social institutions and conditions
that they cannot control.

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Marx defines the manifestation of the alienation of a worker as under:

Alienated from products: what-ever he produces is owned by others, so he has no control.

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Alienated from the act of production: working becomes an alien activity and offers no intrinsic
satisfaction.
Alienated from his human nature: because of first two aspects, deprive him of those specific
human qualities which distinguish him from animals and thus define humans.

The worker is alienated from other men: since capitalism transforms social relations into market
relations and people are judged by their position in the market , rather by human qualities.

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Alienation leads to dehumanization: the more wealth he produces, the poorer he becomes, just as
labour produces the world of things, it also creates the devaluation of men.

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Extreme division of laboura source of alienation: each worker has a specific limited role to
play.

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Social change: Mrax has very strongly supported change. He used to say, philosophers have
already interpreted the world, our present task is to change it.he never appreciated the status quo.
He describes the 'Dialectics' ( the conflict among the opposing forces), as the driving force of
history. Marx considers this conflict as a normal process not an abnormal one. He considered only
the economic factors and neglected all others.

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Criticism:
The most distinct characteristic of capitalism is the rise of a large middle class, consisting of
managers, professionals, supervisors and the personnel.
Marx neglected the role of middle class
The change Marx talks about takes centuries.
Marx misjudged and exaggerated the alienation of average work.
He laid undue influence on economic factor and left other important factors like religion, politics,
etc. His theories were called, theories of economic determinism.
Marx has been criticized as an advocate of revolution, called the propagandist or prophet.
His analysis may be applicable to western societies but not to Asian societies. There are different
versions of Marx's doctrinethe Soviet, the Western, the Chinese but above all he was absolutely
a genius and thought provoking scholar.

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Karl Marx Quotes

Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without
feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex,
the ugly ones included.
Art is always and everywhere the secret confession, and at the same time the immortal
movement of its time.

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Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more,
the more labor it sucks.
Haseeb Gohar

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Need for Good Governance in Pakistan

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No one more sincerely wishes the spread of information among mankind than I
do, and none has greater confidence in its effect towards supporting free and
good government. Thomas Jefferson

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Outline:
Introduction
Definition and concept of good governance
Pre requisites/ Essentials of good governance

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Essentials of good governance:

Stable democracy/ political stability
Constitutional supremacy
Rule of law/ effective implementation of law
Independence of judiciary
Efficient administrative hierarchy
Vibrant foreign policy
Equality/ transparency
Equal distribution of resources
Public participation in all decision-making processes
Free and uniform education system
Financial satisfaction

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Suggestions for good governance:

Ensure stable democratic system
Supremacy of constitution
Rule of law
Efficient administrative system
Investment friendly environment
Public participation in policy-making
Education for all

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Status of good governance in Pakistan:

Poor scenario/ grim picture of governance
Political instability
Vacuum of leadership ever since Quaid's death
Vulnerable national integrity, piety, solidarity and sovereignty
Rampant corruption owing to vested interests of ruling elites
Lack of culture of accountability
Crippled economy
Poor law and order situation
Inefficient law enforcement agencies
Social insecurity and uncertainty
Socio economic backwardness of the masses

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Social security
Freedom of media

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Good governance is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting
sustainable development and building good governance.
(Kofi Annan )

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Good governance is an indeterminate term used in development literature to describe how public
institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in order to guarantee the realization
of human rights. Furthermore, Governance describes the process of decision-making and the
process by which decisions are implemented or not implemented. Good governance can also be
termed as the effective use of power, legislation of policies, transparent accountability, and
development of human resources and supremacy of constitution with the absolute rule of law.
It is a matter of serious concern that for more than three decades, the country has remained
entangled in the oppressive clutches of dictatorship.
Good government does not mean autocratic government. Good government does not mean
despotic government. Good government means, a government that is responsible to the
representative of people.
(Jinnah, the Quaid of Pakistan.)

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Good governance is a continuous process that determines the fate of nation. It is a fundamental
factor that is inevitable in taking the nation to the zenith of glory in the world community. Good
governance is quite a wider term that encompasses within itself multiple factors that are considered
inevitable for its proper implementation that includes democracy, rule of law, constitutional
supremacy, accountability and public participation in decision-making.
Unfortunately, the situation of good governance in Pakistan is quite gloomy and grim due to weak
leadership ever since independence, incompetent administrative hierarchy and weak accountability
accompanied with poor law and order situation.

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Democracy and good governance are interrelated to each other. In case there is no democracy, there
can be no good governance. It is a matter of grave misfortune for the entire nation that ever since
the birth of Pakistan, democracy could not flourish here due to frequent martial laws and
unnecessary intervention of military dictators in the state affairs. It is a matter of serious concern
that for more than three decades, the country has remained entangled in the oppressive clutches of
dictatorship. In 1951, the country's first PM, Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated and in 1958, the
first military coup was invoked. In 1971, the country went through the tragic episode of debacle of
East Pakistan and in 1977 again Zia's martial law was imposed. The span of 1988 to 2000 saw acute
political instability through dissolution of National assembly by another martial law. In the light of
the up given picture of country's political situation, good governance seems a cry for the moon.

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Corruption is another crucial factor that can prove to be a serious impediment in the way of good
governance. Corruption perception index 2011 by Transparency International ranks Pakistan at
134th position out of 183 countries which is alarmingly bad. India's ranking is much better (95th out
of 183). Good governance is a distinct reality when the process of accountability of the corruption
ridden elements is either weak or missing. National accountability Bureau was formulated in 1999
after military coup by general Musharraf, but the sad fact is that the said body suffers from corrupt
practices and lack of accountability within itself, making it a laughing stock in the eyes of other
national institutions. Another jerk to the governance was NRO formulated in Musharraf's era in
2007 to secure his otherwise illegal and unconstitutional reelection as the president. Pakistan today
happens to be the classic example of ingenuities for bribery and exchange of favors. More than
7000 beneficiaries of this defunct law had to face reopening of their cases in 2009. This was an
open violation of the principle of good governance.

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Effective and in time implementation of the law is another deciding factor in the process of good
governance. Pakistan unfortunately has become a classic example of worst law and order situation.
Every other day a substantial number of innocent citizens, who are just silent spectators, are
targeted by the law enforcement agencies.
Flourishing economy is one of the major components of good governance as both are interrelated in
one way or the other. In Pakistan, economic governance is the victim of political instability.
Pakistan's commission for human rights stated that 208 people committed suicide in August 2011,
predominantly out of economic crisis.
Good governance is pointed out as one of the largest goals in the Millennium development goals but

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in Pakistan nothing is realized on the ground except paper work. It must be remembered that
economic prosperity and good governance are deeply interconnected. The alarming figures of
crippled economy lead us to the prompt measures for ensuring good governance in the country.

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Political stability and efficient administrative hierarchy are the vibrant components of good
governance. Both political leaders and beaurocracy go hand in hand for bringing about cult of good
governance through effective implementation of public policies. The tradition of nepotism, lack of
democratic norms and political recruitments on high government offices must be eliminated in
order to promote transparency, accountability and supremacy of law at all levels.

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Moreover, the government should create an investment-friendly environment in order to boost up

the economy and industrial activity as raising the standard of living is the key component of good
governance. Law and order situation should be made conducive and encouraging for the foreign
investors so the FDI may be enhanced for the ultimate benefit of the nation and the country at large.
Most importantly, the government must also try to bridge the gap between the demand and supply
of energy. New dams and barrages must be built without putting national and political stability at
stake. Government should have control on the hoarding mafia, particularly those involved in the
hoarding of eatable commodities. Having strict check on the inflation would increase the standard
of living of the general masses at larger scale. Furthermore, imparting education and awareness to
the common people is necessary to have good governance as the masses have to be the part of this
process.

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Media's role in the advent of true democracy and good governance is not stressed enough. Media is
recognized as the fourth pillar of the state. Media can prove to a vibrant factor in motivating public
participation in national decision-making processes and can also create the awareness of rights and
duties among the general public. Media can also bring government authorities under accountability
for their violations of power and bad governance.

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To put in a nut shell, it may be stated that good governance is an inevitable phenomenon for the
smooth working of any state machinery. Therefore, political stability, rule of law, constitutional
supremacy and public participation in policy making and implementation must be ensured. The
entire nation must think and act as one nation and collectively contribute for the prosperity of the
country. Time is now ripe to come out of the false and baseless concepts of provincialism,
sectarianism and nepotism. With all the leadership vacuum and political instability, the nation can
still step ahead to create an environment, where good governance is not merely a dream
You will have to be alert, very alert, for the time for relaxation is not yet there. With faith,

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disciplined and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.
(Jinnah, the Quaid of Pakistan.)
Dr Quratul Ain Malik (CSP)

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Conserve Energy for Better Tomorrow

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Organizations launch energy-saving initiatives for a variety of reasons: cost

savings, legal compliance, and environmental concern, to name a few.
Ageing and Health

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Energy-efficient solutions reduce office energy consumption (for instance on cooling and heating)
by up to 25% without the major modifications in the building. Payback is very fast, often in less
than a year. Energy saving solutions capitalize on human behaviour also.

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You cannot manage what you don't measure! An expert measures office power consumption at
several levels: from the organization and building to individual circuits, equipment, and employees.
This information empowers our clients to identifyand addresstheir greatest sources of energy
waste, which typically results in 10% energy reduction.

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Online energy management tools can automatically shut off power to office equipmentsuch as
desktops, monitors, laptops, printers, copiers and vending machinesduring off hours when the
devices are not in use. This level of fine-grained control typically reduces office energy
consumption another 9%.
Engage the people inside it. By measuring the energy consumption of individual employees and
explaining that to the employees motivates them to shut off monitors, turn off lights, and adopt
other energy conservation practices. This not only reduces office energy consumption yet another

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6% on average, it engages the entire workforce in a common "green" goal, which has been shown to
benefit employee morale and retention.

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Organizations launch energy-saving initiatives for a variety of reasons: cost savings, legal
compliance, and environmental concern, to name a few. Regardless of the reason, after the
organization has measured, managed, motivated, and measured again, it is critical to report its
results to key stakeholders.

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Before purchasing office equipment, make sure the equipment you are looking at is energyefficient. A great deal of time and effort by many brilliant minds has gone into making office
equipment more energy-efficient over the years, it would be a shame to waste it! Energy-efficient
office equipment goes into a low power ("sleep") mode after lying idle for a certain number of
minutes, which can lead to drastic energy savings.

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The same old laws of physics apply to office equipment like computers, computer monitors,
printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machines. In particular: turn them all the way off when not using
them. For example, it looks nice when you hit the "start" key on a copy machine and a copy spits
right out. But like all other "instant on" devices, copiers stay "warm" by burning juice to save
money, turn them on only when you are ready to make a copy.

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Maybe the biggest misconception about office energy use is that computers and monitors in "sleep"
and "screensaver" mode aren't using ANY electricity. If you can hit a key and the thing lights up,
that means it's in "warm" mode and is still consuming plenty of electricity. Turn off computers and
monitors (monitors usually have that convenient "off" button right in front of your nose) overnight
or even for long lunches.

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The obvious exception to this rule would be computers on networks and fax machines which have
to be on to be accessed remotely at all times with or without an operator present.

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AC-DC converters/chargers are always on. Those big chunky electric plugs convert alternating
current to direct current for certain devices such as external disk drives, external computer speakers,
scanners, modems, network hubs, etc. Got one of those? Touch it some time while plugged in,
it's warm, meaning it burns electricity even when the device it powers is turned off.

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Flat-panel monitors offer significant energy savings. The technology that allows computer monitors
to take up less space also uses a lot less power only 1/3 of the power of conventional CRT
monitors.

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Besides reduced power consumption there are a number of other advantages to flat-panel LCD
monitors over conventional displays (the familiar CRT or "cathode ray tube" TV-set type screens).
LCDs are much thinner and require less desktop space to rest on than conventional monitors. In
addition, manufacturers claim that flat-panel monitors offer less glare and eyestrain with
brighter/crisper images, and that they emit very little radiation.
Nabeel Niaz

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My Motto in Life is: Attitude is Everything

Habib Munir SP, 39th Common

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Jahangir's World Times (JWT): Please tell us about yourself, educational background and
achievements in detail.
Habib Munir (HM): I belong to District Panjgur, Mekran division of Balochistan. I am a selfmotivated person who believes in hard work irrespective of reason being Attitude is everything. I
completed my primary education from St. Mary's Y.M.C.A high school Quetta. Then, I went to
Cadet College Mastung and continued my educational journey till Intermediate. Later, I did my
Bachelors as well as MBA in Marketing from the Institute of Management Sciences, University of
Balochistan Quetta.

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However, I am deeply attached with the philosophical ideologies because I believe that it enhances
one's horizon in terms of assessing one's living.

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Well as far as my achievements are concerned, I won't hesitate to say I remained an average student
throughout my academic career, therefore; I never achieved any distinction in the academics except
passing the CSS examination. On the contrary, I participated a lot in extra-curricular activities
wholeheartedly and managed to achieve some awards in sports, debates and declamation contests.

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JWT: What types of guidance one should seek?

HM: Well, I am of the opinion that we all are actually guided one. However, one must seek the
relevant guidance from seniors in order to evolve some sort of strategy in terms of attempting the
papers which can lead towards the ultimate success.

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JWT: Did you prefer books or notes; what should be prepared and how?
HM: Obviously, there is no alternative of good books and there is positive co-relationship between
books and concepts. But here, I would like to emphasise that only reading books will not pay any
dividend unless you understand that what you are reading. It generates a concept about the subject
under study Therefore, well written books and reading techniques i.e. to analyze the authors
argument and sources from where (author) has collected data to justify his point of view is really

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important. Moreover, reading of the books written by some other authors on the same subject are
the fundamental building blocks of not only for the essay but also for attempting critical questions
asked in the examination. I never made notes for the CSS examination in context but I did keep the
records of the arguments provided by any author to justify his thesis.

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JWT: What are the prerequisites for the CSS examination? For instance a new student
appearing for CSS, what type of ability and talent should he possess?
HM: The prerequisites for the CSS examination in my opinion are commitment, determination,
hard work and discipline. Furthermore, development of argumentative approach and logical skills
are also essential to present one's own ideas clearly and logically. Thus if one has courage to meet
this challenge (CSS Exam) along with logical ideas; he can go through the CSS, successfully.

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JWT: What are the key steps for the preparation of especially English Essay and Composition
paper?
HM: For the part of Essay, I will recommend reading, reading and reading of good books on
various subjects as well as adoption of author's style of writing, i.e. syntax, sentence structure,
diction and punctuation in order to develop one's own writing style.

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Now, for the composition paper, I would like to suggest that basics of English grammar really
matter a lot. Therefore, reading good grammar books and solving the given exercises is extremely
necessary to accelerate one's fundamental understanding of the English language. In addition,
extensive practice of Prcis writing along with the reading of the editorial page of the Daily DAWN
would be very helpful.

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JWT: What sort of combination students should opt for the optional subjects?
HM: It totally depends upon one's own preferences and interests. My advice to the new aspirants is
that always go for those subjects in which they have at least some interest or liking. On the contrary,
opting for subjects with an objective of scoring good marks is totally a wrong approach and the fact,
is that there is no such subject which can be called a scoring one. Therefore, please, do not limit
your understanding and horizon by opting the so-called marks scoring subject at the expense of the
subject for which you are already not only motivated but also have some interest.

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JWT: What are the ways to get higher marks in written part of CSS exam?
HM: Well, First of all for higher marks it is necessary that one must do a lot of general reading
along with continuous practice of focused writing in order to present one's point of view; vis--vis
giving relevant data especially when it comes to attempt critical questions. Secondly, question
should be attempted logically, to the point and in a precise way, no need to write unnecessary details
just to make the answer lengthy. Lastly, candidates must learn how to develop a thesis statement and
how to structure the contents of the body followed by the conclusion. Otherwise, attempting a
question abruptly will never fetch high scores.

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JWT: How many months and daily hours are required for CSS preparation?
HM: Quality not the quantity matters. So, if something is to be done then just do it. So instead of
wasting time in terms of its division into months and hours just focus on its beneficial utilization, I
mean develop a schedule for study, set your priorities and then follow your plan with firm
determination that's it.
JWT: What are the general problems of CSS candidates in Balochistan?
HM: There are a lot of problems being faced by the candidates of Balochistan. They can be broadly
categorized in this way: lack of quality institutions, unavailability of libraries and lack of proper
guidance. In spite of the fact, now from last three years, candidates of Balochistan are doing well in
the CSS exam. Remember! It is not the gun but the man behind the gun that matters.

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JWT: Do you believe in 'Luck Factor' in CSS?

HM: Yes, I do believe in luck factor but I also believe in hard work and determination to achieve
something in life.

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JWT: What is so special in FSP that you opted for this group?
HM: In general all the occupational groups are good; and every group has its merits and demerits.
As I said earlier that Attitude is everything, I think I have the best attitude to serve in Foreign
Service that is why I opted for the Foreign Services of Pakistan. Moreover, it is a very challenging
job as well as it provides a lot of opportunities for learning and I am still a learner who wants to
learn more and more.

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Any Message
Here, I simply advice to new aspirants that please make up your mind for the CSS exam and take it
seriously. When decided then arrange the required materials, seek the guidance of your seniors and
develop a study plan on daily basis and stick to it firmly. Best of luck for all the aspirants!
Waqas Iqbal

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Preparing for the CSS, Right things at Right

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Now the time has come for the preparation of CSS-2013.

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

Candidates had better set their directions by improving their English language, opting for scoring
subjects and taking proper guidance. In the past few years, I have noticed that the CSS aspirants
usually spend this crucial time visiting different academies and switching from one academy to
another without thinking about their future. In this regard, my advice is that they should first join a
CSS English teacher who will help improve their basics like tenses, active & passive voice, direct &

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indirect, parts of speech, rules of correction, proper usages of English and afterwards, learn how to
practice short essay, expansion of the ideas, prcis and long essay. It is high time for the CSS
aspirants to concentrate on CSS-2013 and stop wasting their time. I will suggest the students not to
join any academy where there is only one English class just in a week and if we calculate the actual
academic activity per month it comes that only 4 to 8 classes would be taken during the whole
month. Moreover, in such academies the number of enrolled students is so high that it makes the
testing and checking process of low quality. .

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Besides, practicing the basics of English grammer , the candidates should also start learning pair of
words, idioms, GRE vocabulary, etc. It is a matter of fact that more than 70 percent candidates
usually fail in English Essay or English Composition.

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It is also very important that the candidates should opt for those subjects which are scoring. For this,
they need to elect Islamic History and Culture, Geography, International Law, Punjabi, Journalism,
Public Administration and Psychology. For such subjects, you do not need to have a background of
these particular subjects. If I talk about International Law, one can easily prepare it within 10 to 15
days. For Islamic History and Culture, one can prepare it within 20 days with proper guidance. For
geography, maximum time period is one month where one can grip on the maps of the world as well
as on the maps of Pakistan. Punjabi, Journalism and Public Administration are very easy and
scoring subjects. For each subject, you just need 10 to 15 days to prepare it completely.
It is a matter of fact that more than70 percent candidates usually fail in English Essay or English
Composition.
It is also very important that the candidates should opt for those subjects which are scoring. For this,
they need to elect Islamic History and Culture, Geography, International Law, Punjabi, Journalism,
Public Administration and Psychology. For such subjects, you do not need to have a background of
these particular subjects.
Sometimes, candidates opt for Arabic, Indo- Pak History, US History, British History, Sociology,
Political Science, General Law, English Literature, Forestry and Constitutional Law but my advice
is that opt for those subjects which you can easily handle in the exams. Besides, you need to see the
scoring pattern of the subjects instead of looking that I have done masters in that subjects and I
would choose that subjects. The pattern of such subjects is very difficult and sometimes, if there is a
question out of syllabus as Arabic or British History, one cannot write even a single line because
you do not have the idea of this subject. If you choose Islamic History and suppose there is a
question out of syllabus, one can easily tackle it as we are reading the syllabus of Islamic History
and Culture in each class from class one to graduation. So it is quite easy and convincing to opt for
scoring subjects. Secondly, candidates keep switching their subjects after one or two attempt. My
suggestion is that one should think over the subjects and see its pros and cons and once you have
decided to opt for the subjects then do not change your subject combination..

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Whereas the preparation technique is concerned, one should consult syllabus and past 5 years
papers. Besides, read at least one recommended book of the CSS mentioned syllabus. This will help
the candidates to gain marks in the exams as one will be quoting such books in the exams and the
examiner will give you more marks because you have studied the recommended books of the CSS.
After preparing the syllabus and past papers then make short notes. So for CSS, you just need to
have clarity of the concept and then write in your own words though it is Islamiat, Pakistan Affairs,
Geography or any other subjects.

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Thirdly, take guidance of each subject and learn what is the technique to get higher marks in that
particular paper? I quote an example and you will understand it. If there is Islamiat Subject then one
should quote Ayats and Ahadith and the quotes of Prof. Khurshid Ahmad. If it is Pakistan Affairs
then quote Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal and K.K. Aziz or I.H. Qureshi. Similar techniques should
be applied in other subjects as it is the competitive exams where your are competing with hundreds
and thousands of candidates. So your paper presentation, your material and your knowledge should
be different from the rest of the candidates if you want to come in the top position of the CSS.

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The writer is a Lecturer author of many books

Zahid Ashraf

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on 16 October 1854, in Dublin,
Ireland, the second of three children born to writer Jane Francesca Agnes ne
Elgee (1821-1896) and surgeon Sir William Robert Wills Wilde (1815-1876).
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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Wilde's mother was a prominent poet and nationalist; his father a successful ear and eye surgeon
and noted philanthropist. In 1884, he married wealthy heiress Constance Lloyd. Thanks to her
father's fortune, Wilde was freed from economic concerns, and he focused more on his creative
endeavours. By 1886 Oscar and Constance had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

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Oscar Wilde was a Novelist, dramatist, poet, and author. After writing in different forms throughout
the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. After his initial
years of schooling at home, in 1871 he entered Trinity College, Dublin, then went on to study the
classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, England from 1874-1878. It was here that he came under the
influence of writer and critic Walter Pater and John Ruskin helped found the Aesthetic Movement,
"art for art's sake". Wilde excelled in his studies, winning many prizes and awards including
Oxford's Newdigate Prize for his poem "Ravenna.
Only the shallow know themselves.
(Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young)

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He proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. After university,
Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles. As a spokesman for
aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured
in the United States of America and Canada on the new "English Renaissance in Art", and then
returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit,
flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde had become one of the most well-known
personalities of his days.
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
(An Ideal Husband)

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Wilde himself was profoundly affected by beauty and lived and dressed flamboyantly compared to
the typical Victorian styles and mores of the time. He was often publicly caricatured and the target
of much moral outrage in Europe and America. His writings such as Dorian Gray with homoerotic
themes also brought much controversy for him but he was part of the ever-growing movement of
'decadents' who advocated pacifism, social reform, and libertarianism. While many vilified him, he
was making his mark with style and wit and enjoyed much success with many of his plays.
"An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in
an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the
abstract sense of beauty. Some day I will show the world what it is; and for that reason the world

shall never see my portrait of Dorian Gray." (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

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Wilde was lauded by and acquainted with many influential figures of the day including fellow
playwright George Bernard Shaw, American poets Walt Whitman and Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, and English author and social critic John Ruskin. His works have inspired countless
fellow authors, have been translated to numerous languages, and have been adapted to the stage and
screen many times over.

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The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast."

(Lord Arthur Savile's Crime)

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Sadly, Wilde's life did not end in the manner of his drawing room comedies. In 1891 Wilde met
English poet Lord Alfred Douglas "Bosie" (1870-1945), son of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of
Queensberry (1844-1900). It was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that caused many
problems for Oscar and eventually led to his downfall. Alfred had a tempestuous relationship with
his father which did not help matters. He disapproved of his son's lifestyle and when he learned of
his openly living with Wilde, he set out to defame Wilde. For the opening performance of The
Importance of Being Earnest in 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London the Marquess planned to
publicly expose and humiliate Wilde. Oscar took legal steps to protect himself against the 'brute'.
During the course of the trial, Wilde's various sexual relationships were exposed. These details, and
the defense's threat of bringing male prostitutes to the stand, and they ultimately won a case
whereby Wilde was charged with "gross indecency" for homosexual acts. The outcome of the
sensational trial was a sentence of two years hard labour which Wilde served most of at the Reading
Gaol outside of London.
The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius.

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(The Critic as Artist)

After Wilde was imprisoned Constance had her and her sons' last names changed to Holland. Now
Wilde turned to his pen and wrote many essays, poems, and letters including one to Alfred, "De
Profundis" (a heavily edited version was first published in 1905; the complete version in 1962).
After his release from prison in May of 1897, Wilde wrote "Ballad of Reading Gaol" (1898) about
the injustice of the death penalty and the hanging of Charles Thomas Wooldridge;
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Hassaan Bin Zubair

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WORLD IN FOCUS 11th February 10th

March 2012

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
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Sunday, April 01, 2012

11-02-2012 Dawn
Pakistan, S. Lanka sign three MoUs: Pakistan and Sri Lanka signed three memoranda of
understanding to promote cooperation in the fields of trade, technical education and media.

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13-02-2012 The News

SC orders PMs trial: The Supreme Court indicted Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on contempt
of court charges for disregarding its order in the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance
(NRO) case.
The government has, for over two years, refused to write to authorities in Switzerland asking them
to re-open corruption cases against the president.

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13-02-2012 The News

Siraj Haqqani exposes military, militants peace deal: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the chief operational
commander of Haqqani network, has conceded for the first time the existence of a peace deal with
the Pakistani security establishment as per which the Tehrik-e-Taliban, Afghan Taliban, Haqqani
network and several other militant groups wont attack the Pakistani troops and instead would focus
attention on the US-led allied forces stationed in Afghanistan.

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SF

14-02-2012 Dawn
Overseas Pakistanis get right to vote: The Election Commission has granted 3.7 million Overseas
Pakistanis the right to vote. Their names will be included in the preliminary electoral rolls.
However, modalities for the intricate plan are yet to be worked out.
14-02-2012 Dawn
Karachi cheaspest city: Zurich has topped Tokyo to become the worlds most expensive city, as
surging currencies push up the cost of living in countries like Switzerland and Australia, a survey

showed.

s.c

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Asia was also home to some of the cheapest cities. Three of the four cheapest were in the
subcontinent: New Delhi and Mumbai in India, and Karachi in Pakistan, which was the cheapest of
the cities surveyed.

dT

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15-02-2012 The News

WTO body authorises EU to give concessions to Pakistan: After developing consensus by the
Council on Trade in Goods of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the request of the European
Union (EU) to provide unilateral market access to Pakistan at zero duty was forwarded by the
Committee to the General Council for approval of the draft decision, an official statement.

jW

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16-02-2012 Dawn
S. Asian nations agree to reduce sensitive lists: Ministers of the South Asian countries have
agreed to reduce their sensitive lists under the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (Safta) to promote
more regional integration.
This understanding was reached at the conclusion of the sixth meeting of the Safta Ministerial
Council in Islamabad.

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17-02-2012 Dawn
Security guarantees to be formalized: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran agreed not to allow any
threat emanating from their respective territories against each other and commence trilateral
consultations on an agreement in this regard.
The presidents of the three countries, at their summit, agreed to bolster their counter-terrorism and
counter-narcotics cooperation despite bitterness during bilateral parleys between Pakistan and
Afghanistan over allegations related to Taliban.

nte

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17-02-2012 Dawn
US bill seeks Balochistan sovereignty: Three US lawmakers introduced a resolution in the House
of Representatives, stating that the Baloch nation has a historic right to self-determination.

Co

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, was the motivator behind this resolution,
which notes that Balochistan is currently divided between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan with no
sovereign rights of its own.

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The resolution also notes that in Pakistan, the Baloch people are subjected to violence and
extrajudicial killing.

m.
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17-02-2012 Daily Times

BISP introduces Benazir Card in AJK: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has now
introduced the Benazir Card in Azad Kashmir. The card is expected to be introduced in other parts
of the country as well.

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oru

24-02-2012 Dawn
PM urges Afghan Taliban, other groups to join peace process: Pakistan publicly appealed to
Taliban and other Afghan groups to join an intra-Afghan peace process for advancing the cause of
reconciliation and peace in the country.
The appeal, the first of its kind, was made by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a policy
statement issued after a meeting with ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha on the Afghan issue.
24-02-2012 The News

om

Pakistan only nation not to have adopted biotech cotton among top producers: Pakistan is the
only country among top four global producers that has not officially embraced biotech cotton, and
its per hectare cotton productionbaring Indiais nearly half of most of the top ten cotton
producing countries using BT cotton seed.

im
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s.c

25-02-2012 Dawn
Air corridor for Nato was never closed: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the air
corridor for Nato supplies had never been closed, taking a plea that the cabinet had decided to
suspend supplies for the US-led troops in Afghanistan through the land route only.

orl

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The Defence Committee of the Cabinet had taken a decision to suspend supplies for Nato through
land route and get the Shamsi airbase vacated. We are bound by that.

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27-02-2012 Dawn
Sharmeen brings Oscar glory to Pakistan: Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy won the
first ever Oscar award for Pakistan for her documentary Saving Face at the 84th Academy Awards
gala.

Co

Accepting the worlds prestigious award, Ms Chinoy observed: I want to dedicate this award to all
the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan and to all the women in the country who are working
for a change. Do not give up as this is your dream.

m.
pk

The Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy documentary follows British plastic surgeon Dr
Mohammad Jawad, who returns to Pakistan to help victims of acid burns. The documentary follows
one woman as she fights to see that the perpetrators of the crime are imprisoned for life.

oru

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27-02-2012 The News

Qatar agrees to supply 3.5m tones LNG to Pakistan: In a welcoming development, the Qatar
government has agreed to export 3.5 million tones LNG to Pakistan to cater to the countrys energy
requirements.

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28-02-2012 Dawn
President signs 20th Amendment into law: President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 20th Constitution
Amendment Bill, 2012 into law for creating an independent election commission and an impartial
caretaker set-up for holding general election.
The bill was passed by the National Assembly on February 14 and by the Senate on February 20.
29-02-2012

Dawn

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Restriction-free trade with India after Dec: The federal cabinet flung open the doors for trade
with India by raising the number of items that can be imported from the country from 1,946 to
almost 5,600.

s.c

The decision overruled reservations of the ministries of textile and industries which had been
pushing for restricted trade with India to protect domestic manufacturers.

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02-03-2012 Dawn
Ruling coalition gains a foothold in Senate: The ruling coalition, led by the Pakistan Peoples
Party, consolidated its position in the Senate, taking its strength to 70 in a house of 104. And the
prospect of many independents supporting it beckoned.

ht

02-03-2012 The News

Dr Asim made minister: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani approved the de-notification of
the appointment of Dr Asim Hussain as Special Assitant to the Prime Minister with the status of
Federal Minister, in terms of rule 4(6) read with Serail No. 1A of Schedule V-A of the Rules of
Business, 1973.

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04-03-2012 The News

Mushahid elected to OICs Eminent Persons Council: PML-Q Secretary General Mushahid
Hussain was elected member of the Eminent Persons Council, representing Pakistan, at the 3rd
forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Think Tanks Forum, which was held in
Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.

nte

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05-03-2012 Dawn
Abdali missile tested: Pakistan military said it had successfully test-fired a nuclear capable Abdali
missile as part of validation of its missile systems.

m.
pk

Co

07-03-2012 The News

WB approves $150 million financing under BISP: The World Bank has approved a credit worth
$150 million as an additional financing for the Pakistan social safety net project aimed at supporting
the expansion and strengthening the performance of the countrys safety net system under the
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), a statement said.

oru

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08-03-2012 The News

President signs women status commission bill into law: On the occasion of International
womens Day 2012, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the National Commission on the Status of
Women Bill, 2012 into law at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, expressing hope that the Commission would play a
significant role as a watchdog of womens rights and help bring positive change in women-related
policies and legislation.

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09-03-2012 Dawn
Gen Zahir to replace Pasha in ISI: The government has appointed Lt Gen Zahir-ul-Islam as the
next head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the countrys premier intelligence agency, ending
speculations about giving another extension to Lt Gen Shuja Pasha.
09-03-2012 Dawn
Poles claim first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I peak: Two Polish climbers have completed the
first ever winter ascent of Gasherbrum I, an 8,068-metre (26,469-foot) peak in the northern

Pakistani Karakoram range, expedition head Adam Hajzer said.

s.c

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10-03-2012 Dawn
President signs bill to strengthen State Bank: President Asif Ali Zardari gave assent to the State
Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2012 to strengthen power of the central board of the State
Bank to formulate and implement monitory policy and control government borrowing.

orl

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10-03-2012 Dawn
Three more religious groups banned: The government banned another three religious/charity
organisations working in the country.
According to a senior official of the interior ministry, with the latest ban imposed on Ahle Sunnat
Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Al Harmain Foundation (AHF) and Rabita Trust (RT), the number of outlawed
organisations and groups has risen to 38.

jW

10-03-2012 The News

Pakistani elected Cambridge University student leader: In over 800 years, a Pakistani student
has been elected as president of the prestigious Cambridge University Graduate Union, somewhat
similar to what Benazir Bhutto had achieved as leader of the Oxford union.

rig

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Arsalan Ghani from Faisalabad defeated his rival Amie Ladley in the elections and will lead the
student union representing 12,000 MA, MPhil and PhD students studying at Cambridge University.

py

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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12-02-2012 The News

Arabs end Syria mission: Arab League foreign ministers announced end of a controversial
observer mission to Syria, in a statement issued after meetings in Cairo, more than a month after its
monitors withdrew.

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oru

13-02-2012 The News

Turkmenistan strongman gets 97% vote: Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov scored a massive re-election victory with over 97 percent of votes in a poll
where his uncritical rivals served only to make up the numbers. Berdymukhamedov scored 97.14
percent of the votes in election, the head of the energy-rich nations central election commission
Orazmurat Niyazliev told reporters.
13-02-2012 Dawn
Adele grabs six awards at Grammys: British soul diva Adele made a triumphant return to the
stage at the Grammys, winning a clean sweep of six awards and a standing ovation, in a show
clouded by the death of Whitney Houston.

om

The 23-year-old Londoner, who has been out of action since October to undergo throat surgery,
wowed a star-studded audience with a storming rendition of her worldwide hit Rolling in the
Deep.

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s.c

14-02-2012 The News

US filmmaker Sean Stone converts to Islam in Iran: US filmmaker Sean Stone, son of Oscarwinning director Oliver Stone, converted to Islam in Iran, where he is making a documentary.

orl

dT

15-02-2012 Dawn
Tehran claims advances in N-programme: Iran announced new strides in its nuclear programme,
in a defiant blow to US and EU pressure to rein in its atomic activities and amid signs of an
increasingly vicious covert war with Israel over the issue.

jW

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled on state television what was said to be Irans first
domestically produced, 20-per cent enriched nuclear fuel for Tehrans research reactor.

ht

15-02-2012 Dawn
Afghan TV presenters told more veil, less make-up: Afghanistan has instructed female TV
presenters to stop appearing on screen without a headscarf and to wear less make-up, officials said,
raising fears about creeping restrictions on the media.

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15-02-2012 Daily Times

N. Koreas late leader becomes Generalissimo: North Korea said it has awarded its highest title
to late leader Kim Jong-Il on the eve of his 70th birthday, the latest move to burnish Kims legacy as
his son consolidates power. The announcement that Kim had been posthumously appointed
Generalissimo came a day after a statue of the former strongman was unveiled in Pyongyang,
showing him on horseback alongside his own father and national founder Kim Il-Sung.

CS
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oru

16-02-2012 The News

Malaysian clerics forbid forex trading: Malaysias highest Islamic body has issued an edict
forbidding foreign exchange trading by Muslim individuals, saying such speculation violates
Islamic law. The National Fatwa Council ruled forex trading by money changers or between banks
was allowable but trading by individuals creates confusion among the faithful, according to a
report issued by state news agency Bernama.
17-02-2012 The News
Turkmenistan strongman sworn-in for second term: Turkmenistans strongman president
serenaded guests with a folk tune played on a synthesizer as he was sworn-in for a second term after
winning over 97 per cent of the vote in elections. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov promised a
beautiful future for his isolated but energy-rich ex-Soviet state at a lavish ceremony which

culminated in the president being shown playing a popular folk song on a big screen.

s.c

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17-02-2012 Dawn
Germanys president quits over loan scam: Germanys president resigned in a scandal over
favours he allegedly received before becoming head of state, and Chancellor Angela Merkel moved
quickly to try and head off a domestic political crisis as she grapples with Europe`s debt troubles.

im
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Christian Wulff quit after two months of allegations he received favours such as a favourable loan
and hotel stays from friends when he was governor of Lower Saxony state.

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dT

17-02-2012 Dawn
Britain and France sign nuclear power deals at summit: French President Nicolas Sarkozy and
Britains Prime Minister David Cameron put recent disputes behind them to unveil a nuclear power
deal and renew their own sometimes shaky political alliance.

Celebrating a multi-million pound (euro) nuclear power deal and ever closer defence ties, the Paris
summit was a far cry from recent encounters between the pair at European summits in Brussels,
where they have clashed bitterly.

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17-02-2012 Daily Times

EU starts lifting Myanmar sanctions, rewards reforms: The European Union lifted travel
restrictions against Myanmar President Thein Sein and other top officials in a first step towards
rewarding the government for democratic reforms after half a century of military rule.

Co

The blocs foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also held out the prospect of a further easing of
sanctions, which target nearly a thousand firms and institutions with asset freezes, impose
restrictions on hundreds of officials and include an arms embargo and investment bans.

Co

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18-02-2012 The News

Iran deploys warships to Mediterranean Sea: Iranian warships entered the Mediterranean Sea
after crossing the Suez Canal to show Tehrans might to regional states, the navy commander
said, at a time of simmering tensions with Israel.

m.
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19-02-2012 Dawn
Single-atom transistor busts records: Researchers in Australia said they had made with pinpoint
accuracy a working transistor consisting of a single atom, marking a major stride towards next
generation computing.

m.
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The device comprises a single phosphorus atom, etched into a silicon bed, with gates to control
electrical flow and metallic contacts that are also on the atomic scale.

CS
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19-02-2012 Dawn
Wildfires kill 339,000 people each year: Wildfires, peat fires and controlled burns on farming
lands kill 339,000 people worldwide each year, said a study released that is the first to estimate a
death toll for landscape fires.
Most of those deaths are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 157,000 people
die.
20-02-2012 Dawn
Swedish mans survival in snow puzzles experts: A Swedish man who spent two months snowed
inside his car as temperatures outside dropped to 30C is awake and able to communicate,
according to the hospital treating him, where stunned doctors believe he was kept alive by the

igloo effect of his vehicle.

s.c

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The man, believed to be Peter Skyllberg, 44, who was found near the north-eastern town of Umea
on Friday by passers-by, told police he had been in the car since 19 December without food,
surviving only by eating snow and staying inside his warm clothes and sleeping bag.

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21-02-2012 Dawn
Currency swap deal: Chinas central bank said that it has signed a 10-billion-yuan ($1.59 billion)
currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Turkey.

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21-02-2012 Dawn
Poll ensures Salehs exist from power after 33 years: Yemen pushed Ali Abdullah Saleh from
power after 33 years, voting to install his deputy as president with a mission to rescue the nation
from poverty, chaos and the brink of civil war.

Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the sole, consensus candidate, billed the election as a
way to move on after months of mass protests against Salehs rule.

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21-02-2012 The News

S. Arabia names first Iraq envoy since Gulf War: Saudi Arabia, which has had uneasy relations
with Iraqs Shiite-led government, has named an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time since
Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.

Co

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21-02-2012 Dawn
Greece secures $170bn bailout: The countries that use the euro pulled Greece back from an
imminent and potentially catastrophic default, when they finally stitched together a (euro) 130
billion ($170 billion) rescue they hope will also provide a lifeline to their common currency.

Co

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21-02-2012 Tribune
4 new species of chameleon are found in Madagascar: Four new species of chameleons, each just
tens of millimeters in length, have been discovered on the island of Madagascar. They are among
the smallest reptiles in the world.

m.
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24-02-2012 Dawn
Italy violated rights by returning migrants to Libya: Italy violated international human rights
laws when it intercepted migrants adrift in the Mediterranean in 2009 and returned them to Libya,
the European court of human rights has ruled.

m.
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24-02-2012 Dawn
Annan named special envoy of UN Arab League for Syria: The United Nations and Arab League
have announced the appointment of former UN chief Kofi Annan as their Joint Special Envoy to
deal with the crisis in Syria.

oru

Mr Annan would serve as their high-level representative on the crisis, and will be supported by a
deputy from the Arab world to be chosen later.

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24-02-2012 Dawn
Assad to bear heavy cost for ignoring global will: Syrias rulers have squandered every chance
for peace and, if they do not let aid reach civilians, will have even more blood on their hands, US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned. Clinton told a conference on Syria that President Bashar
al-Assad would bear a heavy cost for ignoring the international will with his crackdown on the
opposition.

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25-02-2012 Dawn
Haiti PMs resignation imperils reconstruction: Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille abruptly
resigned his post, giving the country a new political crisis that is likely to distract the government
and further delay efforts to rebuild from the devastating January 2010 earthquake.

im
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25-02-2012 Dawn
Treasure back in Spain after 200 years: Tons of gold and silver from the wreck of a 19th-century
Spanish warship finally arrived in Spain, more than 200 years after a British fleet sank it.

orl

dT

The arrival of the cargo from the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes sealed the end of a five-year legal
battle between Spain and the US treasure hunters who hauled up the troveworth at least 350
million euros ($470 million).

ht

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27-02-2012 Dawn
UK singer gets $951,000 in hacking case: Charlotte Church, who told a media inquiry of being
hounded by Rupert Murdochs journalists when she was a teen singing sensation, received 600,000
pounds ($951,000) in a settlement from News International and said she had been sickened by what
she learned about intrusion into her private life.

Co

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27-02-2012 The News

Cambodia bans spit-roast cows in public: Cambodia said it was banning the spit-roasting of cows
outside restaurants and other public places in response to an appeal from Buddhist monks. Dont
display whole roast cows like that because it shows a cruel image, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in
a speech broadcast on national radio. Such a thing is a kind of violence that goes against Buddhist
dharma.

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27-02-2012 The News

89.4pc yes for new constitution: Almost 90 per cent of votes approved Syrias new constitution
brought in after 11 months of anti-regime protests, the interior minister announced. Mohammed alShaar also told a press conference that turnout reached 57.4 per cent of eligible voters, with 89.4 per
cent of the 8.376 million who cast their ballots in referendum saying yes to the new constitution.

m.
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27-02-2012 The News

Italian engineer invents floating solar panels: Rays of the winter sun bounce off gleaming
mirrors on the tiny lake of Colignola in Italy, where engineers have built a cost-effective prototype
for floating, rotating solar panels.

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Rosa-Clot and his team say they are revolutionising solar power and that their floating flower-petallike panels soaking up the Tuscan sun have already attracted a lot of interest from international
buyers.

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27-02-2012 Dawn
The winners of Academy Awards:
Best picture The Artist
Best director Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Best leading actor Jean Dujardin in The Artist
Best leading actress Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Best supporting actor Christopher Plummer in Beginners
Best supporting actress Octavia Spence in The Help
Best foreign language film A Separation (Iran)
Best animated feature Rango

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Most Oscars won

The Artist 5
Hugo 5
The Iron Lady 2
Beginners 1
The Help 1
Midnight in Paris 1
The Descendants 1
A Separation 1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Undefeated 1

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Best original screenplay Midnight in Paris

Best adapted screenplay The Descendants
Best original score The Artist
Best original song Man or Muppet from The Muppets
Best art direction Hugo
Best cinematography Hugo
Best costume design The Artist
Best documentary feature Undefeated
Best documentary short Saving Face
Best film editing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best makeup The Iron Lady
Best short animated film The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore
Best short live action film The Shore
Best sound editing Hugo
Best sound mixing Hugo
Best visual effects Hugo

Co

nte

28-02-2012
Dawn
Seeds from Syria sent to Arctic doomsday vault: Chick peas, fava beans and other seeds from a
facility in Syria are among the 25,000 new samples being deposited this week in an Arctic seed
vault built to protect food crops from wars and natural disasters, officials said.

m.
pk

The latest additions mean that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault a master backup to the worlds other
seed banks has now secured more than 740,000 samples since it opened in a remote Norwegian
archipelago in 2008.

m.
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28-02-2012 Dawn
China to build mega mosque in Algeria: Algeria signed a deal with a Chinese construction giant for
the building of a vast new one billion euro mosque that is expected to be the third largest in the
world.

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oru

28-02-2012 Tribune
Chinese architects breakthrough: The Chinese architect Wang Shu, whose buildings in a rapidly
developing China honor the past with salvaged materials even as they experiment with modern
forms, has been awarded the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Mr. Wang is the first Chinese citizen to win the prize (I.M. Pei, an American, was the first Chineseborn architect to win, in 1983) and the fourth youngest.
28-02-2012 The News

Ahmed Fahmy, a little-known FJP figure, became upper house speaker.

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FJP Secretary General Saad el-Katatni was already picked as the lower house speaker.

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Egypt upper house picks Islamist as speaker: Egypts Islamist-led upper house of parliament
picked a Muslim Brotherhood deputy as its speaker, cementing the groups dominance in the
legislature after elections handed it a majority of seats.

orl

dT

28-02-2012 Dawn
French body rules against anti-Turkey law: Frances top judicial body ruled that a law backed by
President Nicolas Sarkozy to punish denial of the Armenian genocide was unconstitutional as it
infringed on freedom of expression.

jW

The Council deems the law contrary to the constitution, the Constitutional Council said of the
legislation that plunged France`s relations with Turkey into crisis.

ht

28-02-2012 Tribune
Scientists discover a huge planet full of water: Astronomers have discovered a new planet in our
galaxy that is unlike any other found so far: Both the planet and its atmosphere are mostly water,
though none of it is liquid.

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The planet, GJ1214B, has a diameter 2.7 times that of Earth and weighs seven times as much. It
probably has much more water than Earth in the form of steam and a peculiar high-pressure ice
that exists at extremely hot temperatures and far less rock.

nt

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28-02-2012 Daily Times

South Sudan rebels sign truce deal with government: South Sudan has signed a ceasefire with
the largest of several rebel groups which threaten the stability of the worlds newest nation, the
government said.

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The deal to integrate an estimated 1,800 guerrilla fighters into the Souths army comes after rebel
chief and renegade general George Athor was killed by government forces in December.

m.
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29-02-2012 Dawn
ECB pumps cheap cash into eurozone banks: The European Central Bank again played
firefighter in the eurozone debt crisis, flooding banks with nearly 530 billion euros in cheap loans to
avert a dangerous credit squeeze.

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The ECB said that 800 banks lined up to borrow a record 529.5 billion euros ($712 billion) at
exceptionally low interest rates in its second three-year long-term refinancing operation, or LTRO.

oru

29-02-2012 Dawn
N. Korea to observe N-moratorium: North Koreas new leadership said it has agreed to suspend
nuclear tests and its uranium enrichment programme as part of a deal that includes US food aid for
the impoverished nation.

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01-03-2012 Tribune
Delhi court throws out plea against Microsoft: A Delhi court has accepted Microsofts plea that it
should not be made a party in a case filed against the hosting of objectionable content on websites.
Microsoft is the first of 22 companies, in whose favour the civil court has ruled.
02-03-2012

Dawn

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Women get husbands pay to stop affairs: Thousands of male Indonesian civil servants had their
monthly pay transferred to their wives bank accounts this week in a bid by a local government to
stop men having affairs.

s.c

The Gorontalo administration on northern Sulawesi island issued the recommendation early this
year to its 3,200 civil servants, saying it would help control funds usually spent on mistresses.

dT

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03-03-2012 The News

India builds new huge Gyspa Dam on Chenab: In a shocking but revealing development, India
has initiated the construction of another large dam by the name of Gyspa Hydroelectric Project Dam
on the River Chenab, with a storage capacity of 1.2 million acre feet of water.

jW

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04-03-2012 Daily Times

Khamenei allies trounce Ahmadinejad in Iran election: Loyalists of Irans paramount clerical
leader have won over 75 per cent of seats in parliamentary elections, a near-complete count showed,
largely reducing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a lame duck in a contest between
conservative hardline factions.

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04-03-2012 Dawn
Turkey may annex north if Cyprus stays split: Turkey would consider annexing northern Cyprus
if talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots failed to reach a deal on reunification of the island,
Turkeys European Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis told a Turkish Cypriot newspaper.

Co

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04-03-2012 Dawn
Blasts in Congo arms depot claim 200 lives: Around 200 people were killed when an arms dump
exploded in Brazzaville, ripping apart a nearby neighbourhood in the Congo Republics capital,
medical and local authorities said.

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05-03-2012 Dawn
Afghan child hunger among worst in world: Children in Afghanistan suffer one of the highest
levels of chronic malnutrition in the world, a report said, despite billions of dollars in aid that have
poured into the war-torn country.

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More than half of Afghan children under the age of five are chronically malnourished, according to
the joint report by the World Bank and the government.

m.
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05-03-2012 Dawn
Disasters cost $380bn in 2011: Disasters led by the Japan earthquake cost the world a record figure
of more than $380 billion last year, a UN official said.
While countries are managing to control the disaster death toll, economic costs are increasing more
than ever before, said Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN special envoy on disaster risk reduction.

CS
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06-03-2012 Dawn
Congress routed in four Indian states: Indias ruling Congress party has been routed in four of
five states that went to polls in a month-long exercise which was seen as a key test of strength for
the parties ahead of the general elections due in 2014.
06-03-2012 Dawn
Obama rejects unilateral military action against Syria: US President Barack Obama rejected
calls for unilateral military action against Syria although he said he too believed that President
Bashar al-Assad would have to step down.

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07-03-2012 The News

Putin declared winner: Russias elections commission declared Vladimir Putin the official winner
of weekend presidential elections with 63.60 per cent of the vote.

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07-03-2012 Dawn
Mexicos Slim worlds richest for 3rd year: Mexico telecoms czar Carlos Slim topped the Forbes
annual worlds richest list, sporting a $69 billion fortune that while down from last year still
outpaced the runner-up, Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

dT

Forbes said 1,226 tycoons made it onto its global list of billionaires this year, but Slim held onto the
top spot for the third straight year, with $7 billion more than Gates.

jW

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07-03-2012 Dawn
Twitter launches Arabic, Urdu versions: Twitter launched Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and Hebrew
versions of its website, further localising the popular one-to-many text messaging service.

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08-03-2012 The News

First women-only internet caf in Kabul: Afghanistan opened its first female-only internet cafe,
hoping to give women a chance to connect to the world without verbal and sexual harassment and
free from the unwanted gazes of their countrymen. Swarms of hijab-wearing young visitors poured
into the small caf on a quiet street in central Kabul on International Womens Day in a country
where women still face enormous struggles even though the Taliban were toppled more than a
decade ago.

Co

09-03-2012 The News

Greece clinches landmark debt swap: Greece clinched a high-stakes debt swap, paving the way
for an urgent bailout needed for the stricken eurozone member to avoid default.

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Some 83.5 per cent of its private creditors tendered bonds for exchange, amounting to
approximately 172 billion euros of debt, the Greek finance ministry announced early.

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10-03-2012 Dawn
Assad rebuffs Annan call for political solution: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told UN-Arab
League envoy Kofi Annan that no political solution was possible in Syria while terrorist groups
were destabilising the country.
Syria is ready to make a success of any honest effort to find a solution for the events it is
witnessing, state news agency SANA quoted Assad as telling his guest.

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SPORTS

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12-02-2012 Dawn
Cabrera-Bello wins Dubai Desert Classic: Rafael Cabrera-Bello held his nerve against a starstudded field to win the Dubai Desert Classic, shooting a 4-under 68 to beat Lee Westwood and
Stephen Gallacher by one shot for only his second European Tour victory.

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13-02-2012 Dawn
Zambia hold nerve to win drama-filled final: Zambia won the African Nations Cup for the first
time after beating Ivory Coast 8-7 in a drama-filled penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw.

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19-02-2012 Dawn
Belligerent Levi sets world records: Opening batsman Richard Levi took advantage of the small
boundaries at Seddon Park to blast a world record 13 sixes and guide South Africa to an eightwicket win over New Zealand to level their Twenty20 International series in Hamilton.

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19-02-2012 Dawn
Federer ends drought with world Indoor crown: Roger Federer outclassed Argentinas Juan
Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the World Indoor Tournament to win his first title of the
year.

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21-02-2012 Dawn
England avenge Test whitewash: Kevin Pietersen hit his second successive century to help a
resurgent England beat Pakistan by four wickets in the fourth and final international for a 4-0
whitewash.

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24-02-2012 Dawn
Isinbayeva breaks her own world record: Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva broke her indoor
world record, clearing 5.01 metres at the XL Galan meet to beat the old mark by 1 centimetre.
24-02-2012 Dawn
PAF lifts ski cup in Gilgit: Pakistan Air Force won the 6th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee Ski Cup 2012 played at Nultar Ski Resort.
Some twelve teams took part in the contest for the trophy held in the Naltar valley, which is some
40km west of the Gilgit city.

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27-02-2012 Dawn
England win T20 series: Captain Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbech held their nerve in the closing
overs to bowl England to a five-run victory and a 2-1 series win over Pakistan in the final Twenty20
international.

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27-02-2012 Dawn
Liverpool seize League Cup title: Liverpool won the English League Cup for the eighth time but
were given a huge fright by Championship Cardiff City who snatched a goal deep into extra time to
salvage a 2-2 draw before going down 3-2 in a penalty shootout.

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27-02-2012 Dawn
Clarke clinches Australias top cricketer award: Captain Michael Clarke claimed his third Allan
Border Medal as Australias cricketer of the year after also winning Test player honours and just
missing out on the One-day International award.

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03-03-2012 Dawn
De Lange leads Proteas ODI whitewash of Black Caps: Marchant de Lange took four wickets as
South Africa completed a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand in a withering display of pace bowling
with a five wicket win in the third and final One-day International.

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03-03-2012 Daily Times

Federer claims fifth Dubai title: Roger Federer underlined his status as an enduring front line
contender with the 72nd title of his career which extended his record of Dubai Open trophies to five
with victory over Andy Murray. The 16-time former Grand Slam champion from Switzerland
overcame the triple Grand Slam finalist from Britain 7-5, 6-4 in a tightly-contested final in which
Federer escaped an early mini-crisis and then resisted a Murray mini-comeback.

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04-03-2012 Dawn
Ndungu wins Lake Biwa marathon: Japanese-based Kenyan runner Samuel Ndungu made a
perfect marathon debut by winning the Lake Biwa race.

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04-03-2012 Dawn
Assassin gallops to magnificent victory at Pakistan Derby: Four-year-old chestnut colt Assassin,
ridden by top jockey Shahid Rehman, galloped to a brilliant victory in the Pakistan Derby 2012 in a
record time at the Racecourse in Lahore.

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04-03-2012 Dawn
Klitschko knocks out Mormeck to keep titles: Vladimir Klitschko knocked out Jean-Marc
Mormeck of France with a stinging left-right combination in the fourth round to retain his world
heavyweight titles at the Esprit Arena in Germany.

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09-03-2012 Dawn
Thepchaiya stages spectacular comeback to lift snooker trophy: Former world champion
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of Thailand staged a spectacular comeback from 2-5 down to notch up 7-6
victory over reigning world champion, Hossein Vafaei Ayouri of Iran, in the marathon final to win
the Jubilee Insurance seven-nation international snooker championship.
Muhammad Usman Butt

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What to Wear in early Summer?

Wear Thats Hip And Comfortable!

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Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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ressing in summer is just one of my favourites. Wearing those denims and going all funky with it,
it's just awesome! Dressing up in those jeggings and tank tops! Gosh! It's so fun to dress up and
loosen yourself and you just feel great! Or at least I do! LOL

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It is the heaven of mash-up in early summer, boots, and light dresses etcwhatever you'll wear, no
matter what will make others feel odd. Effective Tricks to preserve your style, there are many new
style of fashion clothes for children women, some are beautiful and sexy, and some are sportswear
but beautiful, too. But people like us, wear the normal clothes, for interview or to meet some
important people, but sometimes we also can wear some sportswear clothes, some funky hip
dresses, when we stay at home or go out to play with our friends. different situation we need change
our wearing. There are just too many days to dress up yourself and look the best you want to.
Hina Adeel

This Month in History April

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Daisy and the sweet pea are the flowers of the month. Diamond is the birthstone
for April
Ageing and Health
Sunday, April 01, 2012

Here comes the Spring

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April was the second month in an early Roman calendar, but became the fourth when the ancient
Romans started using January as the first month. The Romans called the month Aprilis. It may come
from a word meaning 'to open', or it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of
love.

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Small animals that hibernate are usually coming out of their burrows in April. The birds fly back
northward or they settle down to have their families. The bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar
from the first flowers of the spring season.

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In some parts of the world, it's planting time. In other parts, including Pakistan it's the harvest
season.. Spring cleaning starts and people start mowing their yards again.

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Special days celebrated in April begin with the first day of April, when children and grown-ups play
jokes on one another. Arbor Day is a day for planting trees, and it is observed on various April days.
The Jewish festival of Pescah (Passover) is celebrated early in April. Easter is almost always in
April, and, with it comes other Christian celebrations such as Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday,and
Good Friday.

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April Fools' Day, or All Fools' Day, is the first day of April. No one knows where the custom began,
but some historians believe it started in France. They had a New Year's festival that was celebrated
from March 25 to April 1, and they would then exchange gifts. But, later, King James IV changed
the holiday to January 1 for New Years. The people that still celebrated it April 1 were called 'April
fish' and sent mock presents.
April Fools' Day may also be related to the ancient Roman spring festival Hilaria, which celebrates
the resurrection of the god Attis.

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The story of the Passover, also called Pesah, is told in the Bible in the book of Exodus, Chapter 12.
It begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan, which usually begins in March or April.
The word Passover comes from the Biblical story of the 10th plague, which God brought on Egypt
for keeping the Israelites in bondage. The story says that the blood of a lamb was put on the lintel
and two side posts of each Israelites' home. When God saw the blood, this would save the people in
that house.

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Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus making it the most important Christian
festival of the year. On the third day, Christ' tomb was empty, he arose, and people talked with him.
Christians believe his resurrection means that they too will some day receive a new life after death.
The holiday can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25, since it is celebrated on the
first Sunday after the first full moon in the Northern Hemisphere.

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The new plant life that comes in the spring is associated with the new life that Christians gain
because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The word Easter may have come from the
English word, Eastre. Some believe Eastre was the name of a pagan goddess of spring, a spring
festival, or the name of a season.

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Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week on the Christian calendar, and is the Sunday before
Easter. People spread palms and clothing in front of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, several days
before his crucifixion. Today, many carry on the traditions and observe Palm Sunday by passing out
palms.

What has happened in History in the month?

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April 1
1998 - A federal judge in Little Rock, Arkansas, dismissed a sexual harassment case against
President Bill Clinton, stating the case had no "genuine issues" worthy of trial. Although President
Clinton had denied any wrongdoing, a unanimous ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in May 1997
allowed the case to proceed, thereby establishing a precedent allowing sitting presidents to be sued
for personal conduct that allegedly occurred before taking office.

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April 2
1982 - The beginning of the Falkland Islands War as troops from Argentina invaded and occupied
the British colony located near the tip of South America. The British retaliated and defeated the
Argentineans on June 15, 1982, after ten weeks of combat, with about 1,000 lives lost.

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Birthday - Fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark.
He created 168 fairy tales for children including the classics The Princess and the Pea, The Snow
Queen and The Nightingale.

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Birthday - French writer Emile Zola (1840-1902) was born in Paris. His works included a series of
20 books known as the Rougon-Macquart Novels in which he defined men and women as products
of heredity and environment, portraying them as victims of their own passions and circumstances of
birth. In his later years, he became involved in resolving the Dreyfus affair, a political-military
scandal in which Captain Alfred Dreyfus had been wrongly accused of selling military secrets to the
Germans was sent to Devil's Island.

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April 3
1948 - President Harry S. Truman signed the European Recovery Program, better known as the
Marshall Plan, intended to stop the spread of Communism and restore the economies of European
countries devastated by World War II. Over four years, the program distributed $12 billion to the
nations of Western Europe. The program was first proposed by Secretary of State George C.
Marshall during a historic speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947.

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April 4
1949 - Twelve nations signed the treaty creating NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The
nations united for common military defense against the threat of expansion by Soviet Russia into
Western Europe.
1968 - Civil Rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis,
Tennessee. As head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he had championed non-

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violent resistance to end racial oppression and had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He
is best remembered for his I Have a Dream speech delivered at the 1963 Civil Rights March on
Washington. That march and King's other efforts helped the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1986, Congress established the third Monday in January as a
national holiday in his honour.

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1979: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hanged in Rawalpindi jail. He was a Pakistani politician who served as
the President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as the Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. He was the
founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which is one of the largest political parties in
Pakistan. His daughter Benazir Bhutto has also served twice as prime minister. Bhutto is often
addressed as the Quaid-e-Awam .

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1986 - A bomb exploded at a popular discotheque frequented by American military personnel in

West Berlin, killing two U.S. soldiers and a Turkish woman. American intelligence analysts
attributed the attack to Muammar Qaddafi of Libya. Nine days later, President Ronald Reagan
ordered a retaliatory air strike against Libya.

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April 6
1896 - After a break of 1500 years, the first Olympics of the modern era was held in Athens,
Greece.

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1917 - Following a vote by Congress approving a declaration of war, the U.S. entered World War I
in Europe.

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1970 Pakistans first ordnance factory is inaugurated at Ghazipur.

1978 First of the 13-volume exhaustive Urdu Dictionary is published by Taraqqi-i-Urdu Board.

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1994 - The beginning of genocide in Rwanda as a plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and
Burundi was shot down. They had been meeting to discuss ways of ending ethnic rivalries between
the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. After their deaths, Rwanda descended into chaos, resulting in genocidal
conflict between the tribes. Over 500,000 persons were killed with two million fleeing the country.
2000: Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of hijacking and terrorism.

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Birthday - Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520) was born in Urbino, Italy. He created some of
the world's greatest masterpieces including 300 pictures with a Madonna theme. He died on his 37th
birthday in Rome.

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April 7
1712 - In New York City, 27 black slaves rebelled, shooting nine whites as they attempted to put out
a fire started by the slaves. The state militia was called out to capture the rebels. Twenty one of the
slaves were executed and six committed suicide.

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April 8
Among Buddhists, celebrated as the birthday of Buddha (563-483 B.C.). An estimated 350 millions
persons currently profess the Buddhist faith.
1950 Liaquat-Nehru agreement is signed in New Delhi on measures to deal with major Inter1976Sardari system is abolished in Balochistan.

1982Jahangir Khan wins British Open Squash Championship.

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April 9
1866 - Despite a veto by President Andrew Johnson, the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 was passed by
Congress granting blacks the rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship.

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April 10,
1973 Constitution of Pakistan enacted by the National Assembly.

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1975Noted scholar and VC of Karachi University, Dr. Mehmood Hussain passes away

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1988: Army ammunition blown up in Ojheri camp, Rawalpindi; more than 100 people die.

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Birthday - Publisher Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) was born in Budapest, Hungary. He came to
America in 1864 and fought briefly in the Civil War for the Union. He then began a remarkable
career in journalism and publishing. His newspapers included the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the
New York World. He also endowed the journalism school at Columbia University and established a
fund for the Pulitzer Prizes, awarded annually for excellence in journalism.

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April 11
1968 - A week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was
signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law prohibited discrimination in housing,
protected civil rights workers and expanded the rights of Native Americans.

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1970 - Apollo 13 was launched from Cape Kennedy at 2:13 p.m. Fifty-six hours into the flight an
oxygen tank exploded in the service module. Astronaut John L. Swigert saw a warning light that
accompanied the bang and said, "Houston, we've had a problem here." Swigert, James A. Lovell
and Fred W. Haise then transferred into the lunar module, using it as a "lifeboat" and began a
perilous return trip to Earth, splashing down safely on April 17th.

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1973: Chaudhry Fazal Ilahi is elected as President. of Pakistan

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April 12
1961 - Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He traveled aboard the
Soviet spacecraft Vostok I to an altitude of 187 miles (301 kilometers) above the earth and
completed a single orbit in a flight lasting 108 minutes. The spectacular Russian success intensified
the already ongoing Space Race between the Russians and Americans. Twenty-three days later,
Alan Shepard became the first American in space. This was followed in 1962 by President
Kennedys open call to land an American on the moon before the decades end.

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1981 - The first space shuttle flight occurred with the launching of Columbia with astronauts John
Young and Robert Crippen aboard. Columbia spent 54 hours in space, making 36 orbits, then
landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

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April 13
Birthday - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was born in Albermarle County, Virginia. He was an
author, inventor, lawyer, politician, architect, and one of the finest minds of the 1700's. He authored
the American Declaration of Independence and later served as the 3rd U.S. President from 1801 to
1809. He died on July 4, 1826, the same day as his old friend and one-time political rival John
Adams.
April 14

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1828 - The first dictionary of American-style English was published by Noah Webster as the
American Dictionary of the English Language.

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1972 First session of National Assembly. of Pakistan Bhutto elected President.

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1865 - President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded while watching a performance
of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater in Washington. He was taken to a nearby house and died
the following morning at 7:22 a.m.

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1986 - U.S. warplanes, on orders from President Ronald Reagan, bombed the Libyan cities of
Tripoli and Benghazi in retaliation for the April 5th terrorist bombing of a discotheque in West
Berlin in which two American soldiers were killed. Among the 37 person killed in the air raid was
the infant daughter of Muammar Qaddafi, Libya's head of state.

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1994: Pakistan's celebrated scientist Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui passes away in Karachi.

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April 15
1912 - In the icy waters off Newfoundland, the luxury liner Titanic with 2,224 persons on board
sank at 2:27 a.m. after striking an iceberg just before midnight. Over 1,500 persons drowned while
700 were rescued by the liner Carpathia which arrived about two hours after Titanic went down.

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1999 Pakistan conducts test of a nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missile, Shaheen

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April 16
1862 - Congress abolished slavery in the District of Columbia and appropriated $1 million to
compensate owners of freed slaves.

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1995 - Iqbal Masih, a young boy from Pakistan who spoke out against child labour, was shot to
death. At age four, he had been sold into servitude as a carpet weaver and spent the next six years
shackled to a loom. At age ten, he escaped and began speaking out, attracting worldwide attention
as a featured speaker during an international labour conference in Sweden.

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Birthday - American aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) was born in Millville, Indiana. On
December 17, 1903, along with his brother Orville, the Wright brothers made the first successful
flight of a motor driven aircraft. It flew for 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. By 1905, they had
built a plane that could stay airborne for half an hour, performing figure eights and other aerial
maneuvers. Wilbur died of Typhoid fever in May 1912.
Birthday - Film comedian Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was born in London. He began in
vaudeville and was discovered by American film producer Mack Sennett. He then went to
Hollywood to make silent movies, developing the funny 'Little Tramp' film character. Chaplin's

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classics include The Kid, The Gold Rush, City Lights and Modern Times. In 1940, he made The
Great Dictator poking fun at Adolf Hitler, who bore a resemblance to Chaplin. In his later years,
Chaplin had a falling out with Americans, but returned in 1972 to receive a special Academy Award.
In 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

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April 17
1953: Muhammad Ali Bogra is sworn is as Prime Minister.of Pakistan

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1989 - The Polish labor union Solidarity was granted legal status after nearly a decade of struggle,
paving the way for the downfall of the Polish Communist Party. In the elections that followed,
Solidarity candidates won 99 out of 100 parliamentary seats and eventually forced the acceptance of
a Solidarity government led by Lech Walesa.

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April 18
1959 Government takes over dailies The Pakistan Times, and Imroze and weekly Lail-o-Nihar.

1993: President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolves National Assembly, dismisses Nawaz Sharif
government. Balkh Sher Mazari becomes care-take prime minister.

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April 19
1995 - At 9:02 a.m., a massive car-bomb explosion destroyed the entire side of a nine story federal
building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 persons, including 19 children inside a day care center. A
decorated Gulf War veteran was later convicted for the attack.

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April 20
1999 - The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history occurred in Littleton, Colorado, as two students
armed with guns and explosives stormed into Columbine High School at lunch time then killed 12
classmates and a teacher and wounded more than 20 other persons before killing themselves.

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Birthday - Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria. As leader of Nazi
Germany from 1933 to 1945, he waged a war of expansion in Europe, precipitating the deaths of an
estimated 50 million persons through military conflict and through the Holocaust in which the
Nazis attempted to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe.

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April 21

1938: Allama Sir Dr Muhammad Iqbal Died. Iqbal is known as Shair-e-Mushriq meaning Poet of

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the East. He is also called Muffakir-e-Pakistan ("The Inceptor of Pakistan"), and Hakeem-ulUmmat ("The Sage of the Ummah"). Pakistan has officially recognised him as its "National Poet".
In Iran and Afghanistan he is famous as Iqbl-e Lhor (Iqbal of Lahore), and he is most appreciated
for his Persian work.
His birthday is celebrated on November 9 and is a public holiday in Pakistan.[

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1963: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors adopts code of Press Ethics.
1972: Martial Law lifted; constitutional rule is restored in the country. Hamoodu-ur-Rehman is
sworn in as Chief Justice of Pakistan.

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April 22
1864 - "In God We Trust" was included on all newly minted U.S. coins by an Act of Congress.

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1961: Government of Pakistan institutes Film Awards

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Birthday - Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) was born in Simbirsk, Russia. He led the Russian
Revolution of October 1917 which toppled Czar Nicholas and paved the way for a harsh
Communist regime. Following his death in 1924, his body was embalmed and placed on display in
Moscow's Red Square, becoming a shrine that was visited by millions during the years of the Soviet
Union.

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April 23
Birthday - William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born at Stratford-on-Avon, England. Renowned
as the most influential writer in the English language, he created 36 plays and 154 sonnets,
including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice.

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April 24
1800 - The Library of Congress was established in Washington, D.C. It is America's oldest federal
cultural institution and the world's largest library. Among the 145 million items in its collections are
more than 33 million books, 3 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 6
million pieces of sheet music and 63 million manuscripts. About 10,000 new items are added each
day.

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April 25
1967 - The first law legalizing abortion was signed by Colorado Governor John Love, allowing
abortions in cases in which a panel of three doctors unanimously agreed.
1995: Veteran politician, G. M. Syed dies in Karachi.

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1996 Imran Khan launches new political party, Tehrik-i-Insaf.

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Birthday - Radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) was born in Bologna, Italy. He
pioneered the use of wireless telegraphy in the 1890's. By 1921, Marconi's invention had been
developed into wireless telephony (voice radio).

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April 26
1986 - At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine, an explosion caused a meltdown of the
nuclear fuel and spread a radioactive cloud into the atmosphere, eventually covering most of
Europe. A 300-square-mile area around the plant was evacuated. Thirty one persons were reported
to have died while an additional thousand cases of cancer from radiation were expected. The plant
was then encased in a solid concrete tomb to prevent the release of further radiation.

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1992: Pakistan's Alam Channa enters Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest man in the
world.

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1994 - Multiracial elections were held for the first time in the history of South Africa. With
approximately 18 million blacks voting, Nelson Mandela was elected president and F.W. de Klerk
vice president.

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2006: Pervez Musharraf lays foundation-stone of Diamir-Bhasha dam.

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April 27
1962Vetern statesman of Pakistan, A. K. Fazlul Haq passes away in Dhaka at age 89.

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1984: Ban imposed on use of Islamic nomenclature by Ahmadis.

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Birthday - Telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) was born in Charlestown,
Massachusetts. He developed the idea of an electromagnetic telegraph in the 1830's and tapped out
his first message "What hath God wrought?" in 1844 on the first telegraph line, running from
Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. The construction of the first telegraph line was funded by Congress
($30,000) after Morse failed to get any other financial backing. After Western Union was founded in
1856, telegraph lines were quickly strung from coast to coast in America.

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April 28
1945 - Twenty-three years of Fascist rule in Italy ended abruptly as Italian partisans shot former
Dictator Benito Mussolini. Other leaders of the Fascist Party and friends of Mussolini were also
killed along with his mistress, Clara Petacci. Their bodies were then hung upside down and pelted
with stones by jeering crowds in Milan.

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April 29
April 29, 1992 - Riots erupted in Los Angeles following the announcement that a jury in Simi
Valley, California, had failed to convict four Los Angeles police officers accused in the videotaped
beating of an African American man.

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April 30
1789 - George Washington became the first U.S. President as he was administered the oath of office
on the balcony of Federal Hall at the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in New York City.

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1948 - Palestinian Jews declared their independence from British rule and established the new state
of Israel. The country soon became a destination for tens of thousands of Nazi Holocaust survivors
and a strong U.S. ally.
1967 - Boxer Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing championship after
refusing to be inducted into the American military. He had claimed religious exemption.

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2002: Musharraf wins in a referendum.

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Days to be commemorated this month International/World Days

2 April World Autism Awareness Day.
4 April International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
7 April Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide .
7 April World Health Day.
12 April International Day of Human Space Flight.
22 April International Mother Earth Day.

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23 April World Book and Copyright Day.

25 April World Malaria Day.
26 April World Intellectual Property Day.
28 April World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
29 April Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical.
30 April International Jazz Day.

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Independence/National Days of Various Countries

Definition: Independence or National Days are perhaps the most important day for a country to
commemorate as a national holiday.
For many nations the date is the country's day of independence, often in hard fought battles to claim
their freedom.
Some national holidays commemorate a significant day in the history of the country, or the birth of
a national hero who helped establish the day the country's independence was declared.
The following list signifies each country listed below celebrates her Independence Day, National
Day or other significant day.
Hungary - Liberation Day April 4
Senegal - Independence Day April 4
Denmark - Queen's Birthday April 16
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Asia Cup 2012

Ageing and Health

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

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Pakistan Beat Bangladesh in Asia Cup Thriller

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Pakistan claimed the Asia Cup with a thrilling two-run victory over a dogged Bangladesh on
Thursday, breaking the hearts of the home support who saw their unfancied side take the game to
the wire.
The visitors -- tournament winners in 2000 -- held Bangladesh to 234-8, agonisingly short of
Pakistan's 236-9 despite impressive half-centuries from Shakib Al Hasan (68) and opener Tamim
Iqbal (60).
Pakistan paceman Aizaz Cheema starred with the ball, grabbing three wickets, while fast bowler
Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal each took two to strangle Bangladesh's run-chase.
The hosts, appearing in their first Asia Cup final, looked well placed to win the day-night match,
watched by Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but faltered in
the final over.
Needing nine runs to win with three wickets in hand they could manage only six, as Cheema held
his nerve to see out the game.
"It was a wonderful victory, well fought by all the guys. Sarfraz Ahmed's innings (46 not out) was a
vital one for us," victorious skipper Misbah-ul-Haq said after the game.
"Bangladesh played wonderfully well. This is really a new Bangladesh team and they are really the
winners."

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Cheered by a capacity crowd, Bangladesh started their innings strongly, reaching 68 for the opening
wicket through Tamim and Mohammad Nazimuddin (16), before Pakistan struck with three wickets
in the space of 13 runs.

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Tamim, who was initially dropped from the squad but later added as a 15th member, hit eight fours
in his fourth successive half-century before being caught by Younis in the covers off Gul.
Shakib kept alive Bangladesh's hopes with an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket with Nasir Hossain
(28), but his dismissal in the 44th over put the hosts under pressure.

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"We fought in all the games and we achieved a lot in this tournament. We played good in the
tournament I thought," said Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim.

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"Shakib and Tamim were both set batsmen and their wickets were the turning point. We also gave
away some runs (19) in the last over and that was crucial."
Bangladesh had earlier restricted Pakistan's free-scoring batsmen with tight bowling and a solid
fielding performance.

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Left-arm spinners Shakib and Abdur Razzak and paceman Mashrafe Mortaza bagged two wickets
apiece for Bangladesh, with Ahmed leading Pakistan's innings with an unbeaten 46.

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Having upset the odds to beat World Cup winners India and runners-up Sri Lanka in league
matches, Bangladesh looked like they could repeat the trick after capturing three wickets in the
opening 15 overs to have Pakistan at 55-3.

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Mortaza struck in his third over when he had opener Nasir Jamshed (nine) caught by Mohammad
Mahmudullah in the covers before seamer Nazmul Hossain trapped Younis Khan leg-before for one.

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Bangladesh's fielders expertly supported their bowlers with Nasir running Misbah out with a directhit before Nazmul held a good catch at mid-on to account for Mohammad Hafeez (40).

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Nasir had a hand in one more dismissal when he dived forward at long-off to take a superb catch to
remove Shahid Afridi after the batsman had hit one six and four boundaries in a brisk 22-ball 32.

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The hosts did not allow Pakistan to build a big partnership, the highest stand of the innings being 59
for the fifth wicket between Umar Akmal (30) and Hammad Azam (30).

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The ACC Asia Cup is an international men's One Day International cricket tournament. It was
established in 1983 when the Asian Cricket Council was founded as a measure to promote goodwill
between Asian countries. It was originally scheduled to be held every two years. The first
tournament was held in 1984 in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates where the council's offices
were based (until 1995). The International Cricket Council has ruled that all games played for the
Asia Cup have official One Day International status. India lifted the Asia cup the most times (five)
followed by Sri Lanka (four). India appeared in every Cup apart from the 1986 (India pulled out
due to strained cricketing relations with Sri Lanka), 1993 (when it was cancelled due to strained
political relations between India and Pakistan). Sri Lanka, however, have appeared in every final
since the cup's inception. The ACC have announced that the tournament will be held biennially
from 2008 onwards..Pakistan is the defending champions after beating Bangladesh in the finals of
2012 Asia cup. JWT Desk

Scored

262/8

13 March India(A) Vs Sri Lanka(B0

15 March Sri Lanka(A) Vs Pakistan

16 March India (A) Vs Bangladesh(B)

289/5 (50
overs)

18 March Pakistan (A) Vs India (B)

329/6 (50)

20 March

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(50 Overs)

7Final

22 March Pakistan(A) Vs Bangladesh(B)

304/3 (50
overs)

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India won by 50
runs

189/4
(39.5
overs)

Pakistan won by 6
wickets

Mohammad Hafeez
(Pak)

Virat Kohli (Ind)

Aizaz Cheema (Pak)

293/5
(49.2
overs)

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330/4
(47.5
overs)

Bangladesh won by Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)

5 wickets

India won by 6
wickets

Virat Kohli (Ind)

232 (49.5
overs)

232 (49.5 Bangladesh won by Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)

overs)
5 wickets (D/L
method)

236/9 (50
overs)

234/8 (50
overs)

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254 (45.1
overs)

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Sri Lanka(A) Vs Bangladesh(B)

JWT Editorial Board

241 (48.1 Pakistan won by 21

overs)
runs

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Pakistan (A)Vs Bangladesh(B)

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11 March

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Man of the Match

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Won by

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Played Between

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Match

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Detail of the matches played during Asia Cup Tournanment 2012

Pakistan won by 2
runs

Shahid Afridi (Pak)

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