JWT April 2013

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Gwadar Port: Geo-economic and Geostrategic Dimensions

Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. he oil rich !iddle "ast, #entral $sia %estowed with natural resources, and &outh $sia ha'ing the potential for growth, for this century.
Another Test or Another Trap
Monday, April 01, 2013
The awarding of the multi-billion dollar contract for construction and operation of Gwadar ort to !hina "#erseas ort $olding !ompany %!" $!&, a state-run !hinese firm, in 'ebruary this year,
has added a new chapter in decades-long (ino- a) partnership* The pro+ect is mutually beneficial for both countries in the region for it will not only gi#e them a corridor for greater commercial acti#ity but will also bring closer the !entral Asian countries* ,t is also e-pected to earn them a great strategic le#erage* The recent agreement is the part of a plan to open up an energy and trade corridor from the Gulf region, across a)istan to western !hina* The transfer of pro+ect operations to !hina caught attention of the international media and triggered discourse on the economic and strategic shift that the presence of !hina tends to induce in one of the world.s ma+or maritime /ones* 0aturally, it raised concerns of ma+or sta)eholders in the ,ndian "cean, particularly a)istan.s eastern neighbour, ,ndia, and the 1nited (tates* ,t was March 2002, when the groundbrea)ing of Gwadar ort mar)ed the e-ecution of the decadesold plan of a)istan to build a deepwater seaport % anama- port& at its coastline in 2alochistan pro#ince* $ighlighting the paramount geo-economic and geostrategic significance of the port, the then president er#e/ Musharraf said3 4The Gwadar port shall pro#ide modern, up-to-date facilities for cargo #essels in line with modern ports* The coastal highway which is also being constructed simultaneously with the port, will pro#ide a #ery healthy lin)age between 5arachi and Gwadar ports* ,f we see this whole region, it is li)e a funnel* The top of the funnel is this wide area of !entral Asia and also !hina.s western region* And this funnel gets narrowed on through Afghanistan and in a)istan northern areas into a)istan and goes through a)istan and the end of this funnel is Gwadar port* (o this funnel, futuristically, is the future economic funnel of this whole region* All the top of this funnel, the broad top of the funnel, anything going into it or out of it, a)istan and Gwadar port pro#ides the real input, the inlet and the outlet into it* There is no doubt that Gwadar port, when operational, will play the role of a regional hub for trade and commercial acti#ity*6 The port was established with the help of a !hinese construction company and the first phase of the pro+ect was completed with initial in#estment of 278 million dollars in a record time of four years* After completion of the first phase of the pro+ect, the operational contract was gi#en to the ort of (ingapore Authority % (A& through open bidding in 2009* "wing to some unforeseen reasons, the (A e-pressed reser#ations on in#esting the agreed amount in fi#e years time* Also, it failed to operationali/e the port as e-pected and agreed in the contract* :ater on, a)istan offered the operational contract to !hina which the latter re+ected* ;ith the changing dynamics of regional politics and the global shift that has ta)en places during past couple of years, apparently, three )ey factors compelled !hina to opt for ta)ing the operational command of the Gwadar port* 'irst, the increasing 1( influence in the Asia- acific poses considerable economic and strategic challenges to !hina* (econd, Gwadar port pro#ides !hina with an alternati#e route and eases its reliance on (trait of Malacca* Third, the e-pected withdrawal of the 1( forces from Afghanistan by 2017 is going to pro#ide other countries a room for economic #entures Afghanistan as well as the !entral Asian <epublics* The e-pected withdrawal of the 1( forces from Afghanistan by 2017 is going to pro#ide other countries a room for economic #entures Afghanistan as well as the !entral Asian <epublics* To the 1( and ,ndia, it.s =uite a perturbing de#elopment* The policy analysts in both the countries are wary of !hina>s greater access to the ,ndian "cean through Gwadar as it poses a challenge to the commercial and strategic interests of the 1( and ,ndia* (ome =uarters in the 1( referred to !hina.s entry into Gwadar as part of its 4string of pearls6 strategy which refers to !hinese (ea :ines of !ommunications %(:"!s& e-tending from mainland !hina to ort (udan straddling o#er (trait of Malacca, (trait of 2ab-el Mandeb, (trait of $ormu/ and run through some significant maritime centres, including a)istan, (ri :an)a, 2angladesh and Maldi#es* ,t is belie#ed that the array of ports that !hina has established in the ,ndian "cean region, including a port in $ambantota, (ri
:an)a? a port in !hittagong, 2angladesh and a port and pipeline comple- off Myanmar.s coast in <a)hine region? would help the country ma-imi/e its control o#er the commercial and na#al acti#ity across the ,ndian "cean*
,ndian concerns are no different than the America.s* ,ndia is apprehensi#e of !hinese presence in ,ndian "cean* 'or couple of ob#ious reasons, ,ndia is also flustered on !hina.s control o#er a port in a)istan* Through Gwadar, !hina would be in a position to in#alidate the ,ndia-1( 4counter !hina strategy6* ,ndia also fears that !hina.s growing influence may result in harming ,ndian interests* Abo#e all, ,ndia belie#es that the port would enable a)istan to ta)e control of more of the world energy circulation and interdiction of ,ndian sea-borne trade* $owe#er, ,ndia seldom mentions its plans to in#est profusely in ort of !habahar in southeastern ,ran* The port was partially built by ,ndia in 1@@0s and is located on the flan)s of ,ndian "cean and "man (ea* !riticism and apprehensions apart, economically, the port is e-pected to be the hub of trade and commerce in the region as it holds tremendous opportunities to boost economic prospects and acti#ity in a)istan* a)istan has a coastline of about 1100 )m along the shores of Arabian (ea* Total annual trade of a)istan is about 38 million tonnes out of which @A per cent ta)es place through sea* According to pro+ected estimates, Gwadar port will e-ponentially increase the shipping acti#ity in other ports %5arachi port and orts Basim& as well* $owe#er, 2aloch nationalists ha#e e-pressed reser#ations and has se#erely criticised the decision to pro#ide !hina access to the Gwadar port* They #iew it as an unlawful e-ploitation of the resources and depri#ing people of 2alochistan of their own economic asset* Also, they are sceptical of !hina.s plans belie#ing it would lead to further militari/ation of the region* ;hile analysing the future of 2alochistan with reference to Gwadar port, <obert C* 5aplan, an American Geopolitical analyst stated3 4"ne )ey to its %2alochistan& fate is the future of Gwadar, a strategic port whose de#elopment will either unloc) the riches of !entral Asia, or plunge a)istan into a sa#age, and potentially terminal, ci#il war*6 'rom a geostrategic perspecti#e, a)istan will ha#e a strategic depth and access to the finest na#al facilities* ,t may also en+oy greater maritime interaction with the Middle Dast countries as well* The !hinese na#al presence may also meliorate a)istan.s coastal defence* ,t will also gi#e a)istan an edge o#er ,ndia, economically and strategically*
!hina hea#ily relies on the Middle Dast for energy resources and hence the country is in#ol#ed in trade, e-ploitation and de#elopment here and in African region* The Gwadar port can pro#ide the !hinese with a listening post to obser#e the na#al acti#ities of 1( in the ersian Gulf 7E0 )m further west of 5arachi and away from ,ndian na#al bases* ,n military and strategic terms, Gwadar port can help !hina to monitor the (:"!s from the ersian Gulf* Gwadar has strategic importance for !hina as about E0 per cent of its crude supply comes from Gulf countries that are close to Gwadar* 2esides, owing to historical affiliations with ,ndian "cean region, !hina considers it its right to be associated with e#ery acti#ity in the ,ndian "cean* Along with opportunities, a number of challenges and ris)s are also in#ol#ed in the Gwadar port pro+ect for both a)istan and !hina* 2aloch nationalists. stance towards the pro+ect and the continued unrest in 2alochistan needs to be dealt with carefully and sensiti#ely* !hina, while e-panding its influence in the ,ndian "cean, may also come across the problem of distance for shipping acti#ity* The unrest in 2alochistan may also pose some security-related ris)s and challenges to de#elopment acti#ity in Gwadar* Moreo#er, !hina needs to be cautious and conscious of its internal economic and political wea)nesses which, at certain point, may cause trouble to its greater interests in the ,ndian "cean* As the Gwadar port pro+ect will re=uire time to be fully functional, speculations and predictions will )eep circulating and resonating in the media and policy circles of ma+or sta)eholders* 0e#ertheless, the port is destined to change the future course of commercial acti#ity in the region* The writer is an ,< analyst and a #isiting faculty at the 'aculty of (ocial (ciences, (haheed Fulfi)ar Ali 2hutto ,nstitute of (cience and Technology %(FA2,(T&, 5arachi* Dmail3 coldpath1Ggmail*com 0abiha Gul
()$* G$& P(P"+(*" P,+( (#&

+ong-awaited Gas Pipeline agreement has %een finally in-ed %y (ran and Pa-istan. .oth countries signed historic deal partly out of feeling of (slamic solidarity, to ta-e Pa-istan out of energy crisis, and partly to frustrate /estern countries0 imposed isolation on (ran in the name of nuclear programme.
The gas pipeline is not the only one that will limit to a)istan and it is not the only pipeline which is threatened by the 1( sanctions* ,n 1@@2, Tehran had offered assistance in the construction of a gas pipeline to carry Tur)men gas to Tur)ey and ;estern Durope through ,ran* The idea of such a pipeline, costing H 3 billion, upset ;ashington, which tried to sabotage it* Thus under the 1( pressure, it was announced that the plan was being held in abeyance since international ban)ers were unwilling to finance a pro+ect in#ol#ing ,ran* A fear was also e-pressed that ,ran, for political reasons could turn off energy supplies to Tur)ey and Durope, thus playing with the future of the two* ,n 1@@A, a re#ersal for America occurred when Tur)ish rime Minister 0ecmettin Drba)an signed a H 20 billion natural gas deal with ,ran* This deal was scheduled to run for twenty-fi#e years* A pipeline was to be laid to carry initially 3 billion cubic meters of ,ranian gas annually, rising to 10 billion cubic meters in 200A* !onfident of their oil and gas wealth, Tur)menistan and 5a/a)hstan continued to defy ;ashington.s policy of economic boycott of ,ran* ,n Cecember 1@@9, ,ranian resident Muhammad 5hatami and Tur)men resident 0iya/o# inaugurated a pipeline to carry natural gas from Tur)menistan.s 5orpe+e gasfield to 5ord-5ui in northeast ,ran* 'urther to that, in Iune 1@@8, the 0ational ,ranian "il !ompany in#ited bids for a H 700 million contract for a 700-)ilometer %2A0 miles& pipeline between the !aspian port of 2abol (ar and Tehran, to carry oil supplied by tan)ers to 5a/a)hstan and Tur)menistan* The pipeline was designed to handle 200,000 bpd, with ,ran e-porting the same
amount from its Gulf ports to the customers of 5a/a)hstan and Tur)menistan* ,n Iuly 2009, ,ranian and Tur)ish energy ministers signed a memorandum of understanding under which Tur)men and ,ranian gas would be e-ported to Durope through Tur)ey* Moreo#er, Tur)ey would also de#elop three later phases of ,ran.s giant (outh ars gas field of Tehran.s buybac) scheme* This Mo1 was .a dream come. true for Tur)ey as she was a pi#otal country for the transfer of energy from one part of the world to the other* $owe#er, the document drew a =uic) condemnation from the 1( (tate Cepartment* :i)e his predecessor Drba)an, Tur)ish rime Minister Drdogan rebuffed ;ashington* ,ran- a)istan %, & Gas ipeline is one of the pro+ects in ,ranian historical perspecti#e* $owe#er, in this pro+ect, a)istan is )eeping high ambitions for the resolution of its energy crisis and as a result political stability* a)istan is short of 7000 M; electricity which has impaired its already shabby economy* ower brea)downs ha#e badly blighted the country.s economy by dawdling industrial production, deteriorating the country.s agricultural capacity and ha#ing a detrimental brunt on business* ,n a cyclical manner, laying off has resulted in declining purchasing power resulting in reduction of daily- wagers* $ence the po#erty le#el is on the rise* The growing dependence on costly furnace oil, with H 1 billion per year import, for the production of thermal power continues to raise electricity charges* a)istan is )eeping high ambitions for the resolution of its energy crisis and as a result political stability* "nce the shortfall is compensated, a)istan will regain political stability which will be supported by the strengthening of its political economy, enhanced industrial output, bringing bac) laid off wor)ers, foreign in#estment and o#er and abo#e shrin) po#erty le#el* The imported gas from ,ran would allow the generation of additional 7,123 megawatts of electricity at cheaper rate* ,t will also restore the 2,232 megawatts of idle thermal power generation capacity that will help, in addition to the domestic gas, for other uses such as manufacturing fertili/er and supplying gas to domestic consumers* ;hile a)istan would pay ,ran H3 billion a year, it would reduce its oil imports by HA*3 billion, resulting in a net annual reduction in energy imports by about H2*3 billion*
The energy crisis in a)istan has become a =uestion of life and death for the sur#i#al of the state* $ence success of the , pro+ect is the dire need for the sur#i#al of the country* "nce, successful, ,ndia which is already facing energy crisis, will gi#e a second thought to re+oin the pro+ect what was originally called ,ran- a)istan-,ndia %, ,& ipeline* After an e-change of M'0 status, it will be another milestone in pro#iding the two arch-ri#als to resol#e their mutual suspicions and conflicts #ia economic means* Thus it would be another !onfidence 2uilding Measure %!2M& that will result in true sense of 4A eace ipeline6* 0o doubt, a successful pro+ect attracts the attention of e#ery country interested in cashing the booty of a ready-made #enture* !hina can +oin the pro+ect #ia
a)istan which will in turn bring significant economic benefits from the deal for a)istan* The 1( threat of sanctions against a)istan is a definite bluff* $owe#er, The 1( can use (audi Arabia and Batar to e-ert pressure on a)istan to abandon the , pro+ect* $owe#er, there are serious hurdles in the way of , becoming functional, the most important being a stiff opposition from the 1(* The 1( wants to strangulate the ,ranian economy through sanctions and imposed isolation on Tehran* ;hile brandishing the threat of sanctions against a)istan, we need to gingerly weigh their possible effects* At the moment, the 1( is about to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and the cheapest way out is #ia a)istan* (econdly, peace and reconstruction ofJin Afghanistan is in its absolute embryonic stage* a)istan- being a frontline ally of the 1( during the war on terror in Afghanistan played a pi#otal role in the e-ecution of the 1( ob+ecti#es in the region* 2e it a 2onn !onference in 2011 or negotiations with the Taliban, it has always been seen that any effort in Afghanistan minus a)istan is doomed to fail* Therefore, a)istan.s help is a prere=uisite in restoring long-lasting peace in the post-2017 Afghanistan* Thirdly, in a)istan, proAmerican sentiments are e-tremely rare* The 1( sanctions will add fuel to the fire* $ence, the 1( threat of sanctions against a)istan is a definite bluff* $owe#er, the 1( can use (audi Arabia and Batar to e-ert pressure on a)istan to abandon the , pro+ect* (till, this will depend on what they offer in reciprocation to an already pursued and half completed pro+ect*
Gone are the days when the e-tra-territorial ma+or powers. !old ;ars used to ta)e place in this region* The animosity between ,ran and the 1( is a bilateral issue which must not hinder the de#elopment process of other regional countries* a)istan and ,ndia are arch-ri#als* 2ut the 1( ignored this fact and signed a nuclear deal with ,ndia* (imilarly, any pressure by the 1( on a)istan for the , pro+ect will tantamount to the negation of its own trend of bilateralism that she set in this region* 'or an animosity between ,ran and the 1(, a)istan must not bear the brunt* D#erybody for oneself and God for us all* The writer teaches at the Cepartment of ,nternational <elations, 1ni#ersity of eshawar* syedshaheedGhotmail*co*u) Cr (yed $ussain (haheed (oherwordi
*$ ,1s horny Prison Dilemma
$s the ma2ority of coalition forces prepare to withdraw from $fghanistan at the close of 2013, concerns are growing for the future of the detainees they must lea'e %ehind.
Curing the course of the twel#e-year war, 0AT" troops ha#e apprehended thousands of suspected insurgents, most of whom ha#e been released or transferred to the Afghan authorities* $owe#er, renewed fears regarding the pre#alence of torture in Afghan custody ha#e compelled ,(A' forces to halt the process of handing prisoners o#er to the Afghan authorities* ,n a damning report, released in 'ebruary, the 1nited 0ations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan %10AMA& concluded that torture is an Kinstitutional policy or practiceK in at least ten of the country.s detention facilities* The methods include beatings, suspension from the ceiling and electric shoc)s* Transferring prisoners to face such conditions is a breach of international law* 2ut as ,(A' remains tied to a fi-ed timetable for military withdrawal, the need to find a legal solution to prisoner transfer, by getting rid of institutional mistreatment, grows e#er more pressing* 'or the 2ritish go#ernment, the issue is a particularly thorny one, and its approach to transfers has drawn sharp criticism, both from human rights groups and lawyers acting on behalf of prisoners who faced mistreatment after being transferred from 2ritish custody* "n 2@ 0o#ember 2012, Cefence (ecretary hilip $ammond was forced to re-impose a third moratorium on the transfer of 15-detained prisoners to the Afghan intelligence ser#ice %0C(&* As of "ctober 2010, the 15 had detained 1,3@@ indi#iduals, of whom at least 789 were transferred to the Afghan authorities* Today, the number remaining in 2ritish custody is belie#ed to stand around 90* $ammond.s decision to ban transfers came after two years spent defending the practice of releasing detainees into a penal system where abuse has been described as widespread* The day before a high court hearing into the legality of a pre#ious transfer that had resulted in allegations of sustained abuse, the Cefence (ecretary obtained new %as yet undisclosed& e#idence suggesting that prisoners transferred to Afghanistan.s 0ational Cirectorate of (ecurity %0C(& were indeed at Kreal ris) of serious mistreatment or a flagrant denial of +usticeK*
The ban on prisoner transfer appears to ha#e been #indicated by the new 10AMA report* After inter#iewing E3A inmates held across 8@ detention facilities, 10 representati#es concluded that the culture of abuse was most pre#alent within 0C( 5andahar, a )ey destination for 15-detained prisoners once they ha#e been transferred* (o far, the 2ritish go#ernment has aimed to minimise the ris)s facing detainees by using a twopronged strategy* This strategy in#ol#ed .diplomatic assurances. from the Afghan security ser#ices that the indi#iduals in =uestion will remain free from harm, while at the same time, monitoring and encouraging the use of sur#eillance within detention centres* The practice of stri)ing diplomatic deals regarding torture has long been contro#ersial* Amnesty ,nternational has condemned the practice as a dereliction of both states. duty to ta)e the o#erall threat of torture seriously* The specific focus on the treatment of indi#idual detainees, Amnesty argues, ignores a wider picture of abuse in which confessions are regularly e-tracted through mistreatment* Amnesty has also pointed out that diplomatic assurances are not legally binding and not only that, but they ha#e no enforcement mechanisms* This lea#es the go#ernments in#ol#ed to #oluntarily assume responsibility for in#estigating breaches and holding perpetrators to account* ,n the case of Afghanistan, le#els of accountability for mistreatment remain #ery low* According to the recent 10AMA report, o#er the last 18 months, 0AT" representati#es ha#e reported 80 allegations of detainee abuse to Afghan authorities* To date, Afghan officials ha#e only ta)en action o#er one case* After ,(A' nations resumed transfers to these facilities and reduced its monitoring, incidents of torture appeared to rise once again* 2ritain.s latest agreement with Afghanistan regarding the treatment of prisoners was signed in a low-)ey meeting between Asadullah 5halid, head of the 0C(, and a representati#e from the 2ritish 'oreign "ffice* To say that 5halid is seen by many to be a deeply flawed interlocutor is putting it lightly3 he has been described by !anadian diplomats as someone .)nown to personally torture people. in a .dungeon under his guest house.* The worth of 5halid.s assurances against the use of torture is monitored by a team of 2ritish military personnel* They conduct inter#iews with 15-transferred prisoners, =uestioning them about their detention e-perience and gi#ing them an opportunity to register any allegations of mistreatment* $owe#er, critics argue that 2ritish monitoring efforts are at best ineffecti#e, and at worst, lead to a systematic co#er-up of abuse* The human rights charity L<eprie#e> has documented e-amples of 2ritish monitors finding torture e=uipment in interrogation rooms, but saying nothing out of fear of .causing a scene.* More concerning still is that 10AMA this wee) reported recei#ing Ksufficiently reliable and credible information that officials hid detainees from international obser#ers and held them in underground or other locationsK This is not to say that monitoring does not ha#e an impact* 10AMA obser#ed that some 0C( facilities saw a decrease in allegations of torture during the one-year period in which the inter#iews too) place* This corresponded with a decrease in transfers by international military forces and increased monitoring* $owe#er, after ,(A' nations resumed transfers to these facilities and reduced its monitoring, incidents of torture appeared to rise once again* Monitoring is a useful and necessary stage in the =uest to eradicate torture in Afghan detention facilities* ,t is not, howe#er, a sil#er bullet*
2ritain.s repeated bans on prisoner M transfer to the Afghan authorities ha#e led to a shift in strategy when it comes to detentions* Military operations are usually conducted in con+unction with Afghan forces, and it is now the latter that is e-pected to ta)e charge of any arrests* 2ut this does not sol#e the problem of what to do with the prisoners who remain in 2ritish custody* (pea)ing at a press conference in 5abul on Monday, Georgette Gagnon, 10AMA.s Cirector of $uman <ights, emphasised the need for the ,(A' go#ernments to focus on Kdeterrents and disincenti#es to use torture, including a robust, independent, in#estigation process, criminal prosecutions and courts. consistent refusal to accept confessions gained through tortureK* ;ithout such deterrents, she said, Afghan officials will ha#e no incenti#e to cease the practice of torture* As the date for 0AT".s withdrawal from Afghanistan draws e#er closer, the imperati#e for coalition go#ernments to encourage such deterrents will grow e#er stronger* %!ourtesy3 'oreign olicy Maga/ine& I;T Ces)
$ con'ersation with 4rdu &po-esperson of the 4& &tate Department,

*ayyera 5a6
0ayyera $a=, 1rdu (po)esperson of the 1( (tate Cepartment, comes from a family of un+abi descent with roots in Multan and :ahore* (he holds a Master.s degree from Georgetown 1ni#ersity where she ser#ed as a 'ellow of Iournalism and :aw* (he has been the student of history in 1ni#ersity of Michigan, one of the top uni#ersities of the world* ,n her recent #isit to a)istan, Iahangir.s ;orld Times had an e-clusi#e inter#iew with her* 7: - 8ery warm welcome to Pa-istan !s 5a69 (t1s a pri'ilege to ha'e an inter'iew with the spo-esperson of the 4& &tate Department who is of Pa-istan origin. :indly tell us a little %it a%out yourself; $ns: - Than) you for gi#ing me an opportunity to interact with people of a)istan through your prestigious maga/ine* As you )now, , am currently ser#ing as the 1( (tate Cepartment.s 1rdu spo)esperson* At that position, , am a (enior Ad#isor to the (tate Cepartment focusing on communicating issues important to (outh Asia, especially a)istan* re#iously, , ha#e ser#ed as a media ad#isor to Ceputy (ecretary of (tate Thomas 0ides, Ambassador $olbroo)e, former Treasury (ecretary Timothy Geithner and !ongressional :eader 0ancy elosi* 7: - /hat are your responsi%ilities as 4& &tate Department1s 4rdu spo-esperson, and why the need was felt to appoint an 4rdu spo-esperson at the &tate Department; $ns:- 0o doubt, my roots are in a)istan but , grew up and completed my studies in the 1nited (tates* As a spo)esperson of the (tate Cepartment, , ha#e to enhance the relations between American and the a)istani people* Nou would be aware of the fact that there is hardly any American #oice in a)istani media* D#en if there are some, those are not in 1rdu* At the (tate Cepartment, we want that relationship with a)istan should not only be with the go#ernment but also with the people of a)istan so that we can understand each other in a better way and foster our relationship* 7: &o you are designated to enhance people to people contacts and esta%lish communication channel. /hat1s the message you ha'e %rought for the people of Pa-istan;
$ns: - , ha#e brought the message from the people of the 1nited (tates that America.s relationship with a)istan is #ery important* ,t.s a historical relationship and its continuation is in the interest of both the nations* 7: - he e<tremists and terrorists ha'e tarnished Pa-istan1s image a%road. he foreign 'isitors fran-ly admit of ha'ing a negati'e perception of Pa-istan in their respecti'e countries. 5ow would you impro'e Pa-istan1s image, especially in 4&$; $ns: - There are some serious misperceptions on both sides* A lot is stated and aired by a)istani TO channels against the 1nited (tates* !ontrarily, the American people.s thin)ing about a)istan is =uite different* The common people in the 1nited (tates aspire to whate#er can be desired by a common human being* They also want progress of their children along with good health and economic de#elopment of the family to ensure a brighter future* ;e can impro#e our understanding le#el by forging cooperation between the people of two countries*
7:- (f that %e the planning, what areas you ha'e identified for enhancing this mutual cooperation; $ns: - The 1nited (tates pro#ides fair amount of humanitarian assistance* The go#ernment and the people of 1nited (tates want to focus on the pro+ects of human interest* "ur cooperation is not limited or restricted to ;ar on Terror* ;e ha#e also been pro#iding assistance in other sectors li)e energy, education, health, etc* 'or instance, electricity shortfall is a gra#e problem in a)istan* ,n this #ery sector, the 1( has helped a)istan in adding hundreds of megawatts of electricity in the national grid* :ast year, we pro#ided aid to electrify nearly si- hundred thousand %E00,000& homes* ;ith acti#e 1( cooperation, a)istan will be able to pro#ide electricity to about 2 million more homes* This is +ust one e-ample* ,f the two sides wor) together on the pro+ects, focusing on the well-being of common people in a)istan, there will, surely, be an enhanced understanding between the two countries* 7:- Pa-istan has suffered a great deal in the ongoing war against terrorism. /e ha'e also suffered in economic terms. ,ur foreign trade has %een destroyed. /hat is the thin-ing %acin /ashington;
$ns=- D#eryone in the 1nited (tates ac)nowledges that no other country has sacrificed so much as a)istan* a)istan has been se#erely affected by terrorism* The menace of terror has hit this entire region* ,n fact, e-tremism is increasing in the world despite relentless efforts to curb it* The 1nited (tates came under such attac) in 2001 that ga#e birth to this crisis* 0ow, it is in the interest of all of us to +oin hands against the rising e-tremism and terrorism across the globe* ;e ha#e not forgotten prosperity and de#elopment of a)istani people at all* 'or this purpose, immediate steps li)e promotion of trade and pro#ision of energy are necessary* 7=- President ,%ama has %een re-elected. he &ecretary of &tate, &ecretary Defense, Director of #($, etc. are newcomers. /hat are the policy perspecti'es of President ,%ama, in his second term, on Pa-istan; $ns:- The a)-1( relations are spread o#er many decades* "ur philosophy behind the bilateral relations with a)istan is #ery clear* ;e thin) that these relations are important and must continue* The new (ecretary of (tate, (enator Iohn 5erry, is a great friend of a)istan* $e is the one who started human assistance programme for a)istan* $opefully, under his leadership at the (tate Cepartment, the bilateral relations will be strengthened* , want to tell you from the 1( perspecti#e that a)istani people ha#e sacrificed a lot and we ac)nowledge this fact* Dlimination of terrorism is in mutual interest of a)istan and the 1nited (tates* , say it again that these relations must be based on the mutual interests* The 1( go#ernment rarely finds an opportunity to communicate its message directly to the people of a)istan* There should be a transparency in it so that the people can assess themsel#es whether the 1nited (tates has done something for them or not* 7=- $ reconciliation process is going on inside $fghanistan. /hether the 4nited &tates is holding tal-s with the ali%an; $ns:- The ob+ecti#e of the 1nited (tates has always been to encourage an Afghan-led and Afghanowned peace process* Afghanistan is the homeland of Afghans and only they ha#e to decide about the fate of their country* As far as the tal)s between #arious Afghan groups are concerned, , would +ust say that the 1nited (tate always supports reconciliation* I;T Ces)
Papal #oncla'e he "lection of 2>>th &uccessor of &t. Peter

he retirement of .enedict ?8( on @e% 2A was the first time in nearly >00 years that a pope stepped down.
This situation forced the <oman !atholic !hurch to begin the ancient election process )nown as 4!oncla#e*6 'or centuries, the procedure of electing a new pope was simply called a 4papal election*6 That was, until 1297, when the word concla#e started being used instead* The #oting by cardinals to elect the ne-t pope ta)es place behind the loc)ed doors of the (istine !hapel, following a highly-detailed procedure, last re#ised by ope Iohn aul ,,* 1nder the rules, secret ballots can be cast once on the first day of the concla#e, then normally twice during each subse=uent morning and e#ening session* D-cept for periodic pauses, the #oting continues until a new pontiff is elected* "nly cardinals under the age of 80 can #ote in the concla#e? older cardinals do not enter the (istine !hapel* ,n theory, any bapti/ed male !atholic can be elected pope, but current church law says that he must become a bishop before ta)ing office? since the 1Ath century, the electors always ha#e chosen a fellow cardinal* Dach #ote begins with the preparation and distribution of paper ballots by two masters of ceremonies, who are among a handful of non-cardinals allowed into the !hapel at the start of the session* Then the names of nine #oting cardinals are chosen at random3 three to ser#e as Kscrutineers,K or #oting +udges? three to collect the #otes of any sic) cardinals who remain in their =uarters at the Comus (anctae Marthae? and three Kre#isersK who chec) the wor) of the scrutineers* The paper ballot is rectangular* "n the top half is printed the :atin phrase %KDligo in (ummum ontificemK& %K, elect as the most high pontiffK&, and the lower half is blan) for the writing of the name of the person chosen* After all the non-cardinals ha#e left the !hapel, the cardinals fill out their ballots secretly, legibly and fold them twice* Meanwhile, any ballots from sic) cardinals are collected and brought bac) to the !hapel*
Dach cardinal then wal)s to the altar, holding up his folded ballot so it can be seen, and says aloud3 K, call as my witness !hrist the :ord who will be my +udge that my #ote is gi#en to the one who before God , thin) should be elected*K $e places his ballot on a plate, or paten, and then slides it into a receptacle, traditionally a large chalice* ;hen all the ballots ha#e been cast, the first scrutineer sha)es the receptacle to mi- them* $e then transfers the ballots to a new urn, counting them to ma)e sure they correspond to the number of electors* The ballots are read out* Dach of the three scrutineers e-amines each ballot one-by-one, with the last scrutineer calling out the name on the ballot, so all the cardinals can record the tally* The last scrutineer pierces each ballot with a needle through the word KDligoK and places it on a thread, so they can be secured* After the names ha#e been read out, the #otes are counted to see if someone has obtained a twothirds ma+ority needed for election -- or a simple ma+ority if the rules are changed later in the concla#e* The re#isers then double-chec) the wor) of the scrutineers for possible mista)es* At this point, any handwritten notes made by the cardinals during the #ote are collected for burning with the ballots* ,f the first #ote of the morning or e#ening session is inconclusi#e, a second #ote normally follows immediately, and the ballots from both #otes are burned together at the end* ;hen a pope is elected, the ballots are burned immediately* 2y tradition, the ballots are burned dry -- or with chemical additi#es -- to produce white smo)e when a pope has been elected? they are burned with damp straw or other chemicals to produce blac) smo)e when the #oting has been inconclusi#e* The most notable change introduced by ope Iohn aul ,, into the #oting process was to increase the opportunity of electing a pope by simple ma+ority instead of two-thirds ma+ority, after a series of ballots* The two-thirds ma+ority rule holds in the first phase of the concla#e3 three days of #oting, then a pause of up to one day, followed by se#en ballots and a pause, then se#en more ballots and a pause, and se#en more ballots* At that point -- about 12 or 13 days into the concla#e -- the cardinals can decide to mo#e to a simple ma+ority for papal election and can limit the #oting to the top two #ote-getters* ,n earlier concla#es, switching to a simple ma+ority re=uired appro#al of two-thirds of the cardinals, but now that decision can be made by simple ma+ority, too* I;T Ces)
,n ies with (ndia
5istorically spea-ing, Pa--(ndia %ilateral relations ha'e predicta%ly %een unpredicta%le. he more %oth countries seem to ma-e headway the more pitfalls they ha'e to contend with in trying to negotiate this fragile and 'olatile relationship.
Iust at a time when all was set for the third round of composite dialogue between ,slamabad and 0ew Celhi, the incidents at the :ine of !ontrol %:o!& upset the applecart* 1sing these incidents as +ustification to delay his planned #isit to a)istan, ,ndian rime Minister Cr Manmohan (ingh was =uic) to opine that it was not possible for the !ongress-led coalition go#ernment to ha#e .business as usual. with a)istan* ;hile the a)istani leaders, foreign office, media and opinion-ma)ers showed maturity in dealing with the ensuing crisis at the :o!, their counterparts in ,ndia resorted to their usual tric)s of playing to gallery* Though the composite dialogue process was not halted, which has been the usual practice when faced with spanners in the normali/ation wor)s, a #isible slowdown in the bilateral relations was clearly discernible* 0ew Celhi cancelled the (ecretary-le#el tal)s to discuss ;ullar 2arrage issue and put a stopper on ma)ing operational the new #isa regime* ,t also ordered a)istani hoc)ey players to lea#e the ,ndian soil immediately* As a reaction, ,slamabad, which was all set to grant the status of Most 'a#oured 0ation to ,ndia by Cecember 2012 had to defer its decision* 2efore lea#ing office near the end of tenure, 'oreign Minister $ina <abbani 5har threw light on the main highlights of the -led go#ernment.s handling of foreign policy at a press conference* "n her go#ernment.s policy towards ,ndia during fi#e years in office, she had this much to say3 4There is le#el of mistrust e#en in the ,ndian media* , am disappointed but would not call it a strategic failure* ;e ha#e wal)ed the tal)* ;e can only conduct our own policy and wait for them to come to us* ;e need to lead domestic opinion rather than follow* 2oth countries ha#e in#ested in impro#ing relations so let us ta)e away ammunition from the naysayer*6
This nicely sums up the situation* A re#iew of a)istan.s ,ndia policy re#eals that 0ew Celhi has failed to ma)e good use of e-traordinary consensus among the sta)eholders in the country on the need of impro#ing relations with its eastern archri#al* The following is instructi#e in this regard3 ,t was in Iune 1@@9 that the composite dialogue framewor), which had eight points including Iammu P 5ashmir, was launched* a)istan made progress on composite dialogue framewor) conditional to the resolution of the core issue of Iammu P 5ashmir, while ,ndia fa#oured a simultaneous progress on all issues contained in the dialogue process* 2oth countries stuc) to their traditional stands through the following years till @J11 happened and changed the regional and global geostrategic landscape* As global terrorism became a ma+or concern, ,ndia +oined the bandwagon and tried to portray the indigenous freedom struggle as terrorism, allegedly aided by the safe ha#ens located in a)istan* The emerging international consensus against terrorism and policy shifts forced a)istan to re#iew its ,ndia-policy* ,t was for the first time in a)istan.s history since 1@79 that ,slamabad bac)trac)ed from its historic stand on 5ashmir during incumbency of General er#e/ Musharaf* ,nstead of echoing its usual mantra of the 10 resolutions being the )ey to acceptable solution, it accepted the ,ndian downgrading of the 5ashmir issue as bilateral one between 0ew Celhi and ,slamabad* The #arious formulae proposed by Musharraf reflected the country.s departure from its traditional stand much to the ire of rightist political and religious parties* The rest is history* All along the succeeding years, ,ndia pegged dialogue with a)istan with the latter.s progress on dismantling terrorist networ), it accused ,slamabad of harbouring* Dach time when both countries pic)ed up the thread where it was bro)en either it was in Ianuary 2007 or 2010, the leaderships of both countries made tall claims of .opening a new chapter. in bilateral relations* 2ut each time, as history goes by, one minor incident has the potential of derailing the whole process with both countries going bac) to their earlier positions* The #arious formulae proposed by Musharraf reflected the country.s departure from its traditional stand much to the ire of rightist political and religious parties* ,ndia.s a)istan policy shows that it has allowed itself to be dictated by past by refusing to #isuali/e the di#idends that normali/ation and peace with a)istan would bring* ,t failed to discern a sea change in all elements of national opinion #is-Q-#is ,ndia* a)istan.s powerful military, whose strategic orientation has historically been anti-,ndia, fa#oured normali/ation of ties with 0ew Celhi* General Musharraf.s peace o#ertures reflected a strong desire within the establishment to thin) out of bo- to impro#e ties with their eastern neighbour* <ecently, the military identified home-gown terrorism as the biggest threat to national security* re#iously, this .co#eted slot. has been occupied by ,ndia* This is a ma+or policy shift, which has ta)en years to come about starting with ,slamabad.s fight against terrorism from 2001 onwards*
(econdly, there is a rare consensus among all )ey political parties in a)istan to impro#e relations with ,ndia* M:-0, and T,, which otherwise ha#e deep fissures on political plain, are on the same page and the leaderships of these parties ha#e con#eyed their willingness to engage ,ndia in producti#e and result-oriented dialogue* The religious parties that feed on anti-,ndia rhetoric ha#e not been able to get the )ind of acceptance they would get in the past* There is a greater reali/ation among the masses as well that impro#ed relations with 0ew Celhi are in a)istan.s interest as it will sa#e precious resources for usage on the uplift of society* ,t will also gi#e greater space to the armed forces to deal with the menace of terrorism, which has assumed dangerous proportions for the country.s stability and security* ,n failing to render this consensus into a basis for impro#ed ties on sustainable basis, the ,ndian leadership has pro#en to be reacti#e, lac)ing depth of #ision and courage to put the region on a tra+ectory of socioeconomic de#elopment* A lot depends on the approach of new go#ernments, which would be #oted into power in a)istan in 2013 and in ,ndia in 2017 following parliamentary elections, as how they ta)e up the bilateral agenda* Armed with fresh mandate, they would ha#e the political support to begin afresh* ;hat they need to understand is that continued and meaningful engagement is no more a lu-ury but a strategic need* 2ut only time will tell whether they learn lessons from history or insist on repeating pre#ious mista)es* The writer is a ci#il ser#ant and can be reached at amanatchp)Ggmail*com Amanat Ali !haudhry
/hy ,%ama1s (srael rip (s ,ne .ig !ista-e
*etanyahu insulted the president, %ac-ed )omney, and hasn1t mo'ed the peace process. *ow, /hite 5ouse should not reward %eha'ior li-e that, not e'en from an ally.
,ran is accelerating its nuclear program, (yria.s gruesome ci#il war is beginning to bleed across its borders, Two years after $osni Mubara).s ouster, Dgypt.s political transition is, at best, dicey and yet according to deputy national security ad#iser 2en <hodes, 4more important6 than all of that 4in some respects6 is that resident "bama ta)e this opportunity to 4spea) directly to the ,sraeli people*.. , get the logic of whoe#er dreamed up the president.s trip to ,srael this wee)3 (end "bama to reassure the ,sraelis he.s got their bac) on ,ran* Cemonstrate he doesn.t prefer the ArabsMan impression left in his first term when he #isited !airo but didn.t stop by Tel A#i#* ay his respects at the gra#es of ,srael.s fallen and ac)nowledge the historical artefacts that show Iews. ties to the land* :et them )now he really admires their technological prowess* Then maybe ,sraelis will feel more inclined to ma)e peace with the alestinians )nowing the relationship with their most important ally is solid* 2ut this tripMthe timing and the scriptMma)es no sense* And e#en more than simply being a big waste of "bama.s time at a moment when he has little time to waste, it.s burning crucial American political capital that ought to be reser#ed for moments that truly warrant it* The ;hite $ouse says the president is going to hear out what the newly R appointed ,sraeli go#ernment has planned* $ere.s a =uic) pre#iew3 Cefense Minister Moshe Na.alon wants to bomb ,ran and $ousing Minister 1ri Ariel wants to build new settlements* ,f "bama wants to tal) about drafting ultra-"rthodo- Iews intothe ,srael Cefense 'orces or the price of apartments in Tel A#i#, he.ll find an audience* Those relati#ely marginal issues are what dominated ,srael.s recent election, not the future with the alestinians* Three years ago, Oice resident Ioe 2iden went to ,srael tas)ed with a similar missionMreassure ,sraelis that "bama lo#es them* 2iden hit all the right notes, saying that the bond between ,srael and the 1nited (tates was 4unsha)eable6 and 4unbrea)able6 so many times that we reporters, who co#ered that trip, started )eeping a running tally* Then as the #ice-presidential motorcade was
lea#ing the Nad Oashem $olocaust museum, news that ,srael.s ,nterior Ministry had authori/ed 1,E00 housing units in Dast Ierusalem destroyed what should ha#e been a pure celebration of American-,sraeli ties* 2iden returned to his hotel to consult with the ;hite $ouse on what to say, lea#ing 0etanyahu waiting aw)wardly at his residence for an hour and a half for dinner* ;hen 2iden arri#ed, he issued an unprecedented rebu)e that embarrassed the ,sraeli prime minister, as they sat down to eat* American-,sraeli ties remained sour* Two months after 2iden.s #isit, "bama refused to hold a photo op with 0etanyahu when he #isited the ;hite $ouse* The ne-t year, when the president agreed to share the stage with ,srael.s prime minister, 0etanyahu lectured him before the cameras in the "#al "ffice on why "bama.s %hardly original& idea that the 1@E9 borders could be a baseline for peace negotiations with the alestinians was bun)* ,n 2012, 0etanyahuMfrustrated that he couldn.t goad "bama into saying when the 1*(* would bomb ,ranMpublicly suggested the president had no 4moral right6 to stop ,srael from ta)ing action itself* All the while, 0etanyahu, o#er the past few years, did nothing to further peace with the alestinians* $e floated #ia surrogates that he thought "bama was naS#e on the Middle Dast* And he left the strong impression last year that he was rooting for Mitt <omney to win the 1*(* presidential election* ,n spite of all this, the president is headed to Tel A#i#* The anti-"bama peace-process sceptics can.t help but gloat* As 2arry <ubin, a conser#ati#e, pro-,srael American pundit put it on his 'aceboo) page3 4, thin) we ha#e +ust won a huge #ictory T "bama has admitted defeat on trying to bully, manipulate, or pressure ,srael*6
The ;hite $ouse doesn.t want this trip to be about 0etanyahu or his new go#ernment* That.s why "bama will address ,sraeli college students in a con#ention hall rather than spea) to politicians in the 5nesset* 2ut when it comes to how this trip will be percei#ed in ,srael, it will be all about 0etanyahu and his political fortunes* 0etanyahu will be seen as the #ictor in his battle with "bama, rewarded not only for defyingMor standing strongly against, depending on one.s political perspecti#eMan American president* And 0etanyahu will learn one powerful lesson from "bama.s #isit3 , don.t ha#e to do anything on the alestinian issue* , can continue to e-pand settlements, focus solely on ,ran, and insult the 1*(* president, and he will still come and than) me with a twoday dog-and-pony show* ,t.s clear why the ;hite $ouse wants to a#oid the thorny ,sraeli- alestinian disputes of Ierusalem, settlements, and refugees* ast presidents ha#e e-pended enormous time and energy on the matter and failed miserably* The last time "bama tried to articulate some guiding principles on borders, he got shouted down by 2ibi* The 1nited (tates 4will always continue to be engaged in this process in
terms of trying to mo#e it forward,.. <hodes told reporters in a pretrip briefing that illustrated +ust how radically "bama has scaled bac) his ambitions since (eptember 2010, when he said he thought peace could be achie#ed within a year* ,f "bama wants to tal) about drafting ultra-"rthodo- Iews into the ,srael Cefense 'orces or the price of apartments in Tel A#i#, he.ll find an audience* (o why is "bama goingU ,s it really an attempt at 4repairing relations with America.s primary Middle Dast ally6 as the ;ashington ost.s (cott ;ilson wroteU "r as Ieffrey Goldberg wrote in a column for 2loomberg, to reintroduce himself to ,sraelis and con#ey to them that he understands their situationU erhapsV 2ut if it is, then this is truly a waste of time* Iust as Cefense (ecretary !huc) $agelMwhose nomination was held up by those who worried he wasn.t pro-,srael enoughM wasn.t running for ,sraeli defense minister, "bama isn.t running for ,sraeli office %or any office for that matter&* And anyone who )nows ,sraelis and their current mindset on the alestinians % alestinians, whoU& )nows that a little ego stro)ing isn.t going to get that population behind a peace deal* That doesn.t mean the trip couldn.t do some good* ;hile the president is there ostensibly repairing the relationship with ,sraelis who.#e felt +ilted, "bama may be sending an important signal to Tehran* The message3 Iust because , can.t stand 2ibi doesn.t mean , won.t stand with him in pre#enting you from getting a nuclear weapon*
(ince "bama is ma)ing the 12-hour flight, there.s one important thing he can accomplish if he wants to achie#e something beyond simply ma)ing ,sraelis feel good* ;hen he deli#ers his speech in Ierusalem, he can remind ,sraelis that if they want their nation to be a nation li)e all othersMone with internationally accepted borders, no longer targeted by di#estment campaigns, and not facing a possible third ,ntifadaMthey need to stop saying they ha#e no partner and ma)e peace with alestinian resident Mahmoud Abbas before it is too late* And if they can do that, he loo)s forward to coming bac) a second time as presidentMwhen they ha#e a peace deal to sign* I;T Ces)
5istory of "lections in Pa-istan

Pa-istan is inching closer to the new elections and people of Pa-istan will soon elect their representati'es for the ne<t fi'e years. $t this point, let1s ta-e a looat the past elections held in Pa-istan.
"+"# (,*& ,@ 1BC0 ,n the General Dlections 1@90, twenty-four political parties contested for 300 0ational Assembly seats? 13 were reser#ed for women* arties were allowed to begin their election campaigns from Ianuary 1, 1@90* A total of 1,@A9 candidates filed nomination papers for 300 0ational Assembly seats, howe#er, 1,A9@ e#entually contested the elections* Awami :eague ran 190 candidates, of which 1E2 were for constituencies in Dast a)istan* Iamaat-i-,slami fielded 1A1 candidates* The a)istan eoples arty ran only 120 candidates, of which 103 were from constituencies in the un+ab and (indh* The a)istan eoples arty had no candidates in Dast a)istan* The !on#ention Muslim :eague ran 127 candidates, the !ouncil Muslim :eague 11@ and the Bayyum Muslim :eague 133* )"&4+ & Awami :eague emerged as the single largest party in Dast a)istan capturing 1E0 seats in the 0ational Assembly* 2hutto.s a)istan eople.s arty % & emerged as the largest party in ;est a)istan, capturing 81 seats* The M: %Bayyum&, M: %!ouncil&, M: %!on#ention&, Iamiat 1lema-e-,slam, Iamiyat 1lema-e- a)istan and Iamaat-e-,slami won only 39 0ational Assembly seats* P$) D P,&( (,* ,n the pro#incial elections, the Awami :eague won 288 of the 300 seats in the Dast a)istan Assembly, but none in any of the four ;est a)istan assemblies* The a)istan eoples arty did well in the un+ab and (indh Assemblies but failed to win any seats in Dast a)istan*
The Assemblies of the 0orth ;est 'rontier ro#ince and 2alochistan were dominated by the more conser#ati#e 0ational Awami arty %;ali& and the M: %Bayyum&* "+"# (,*& ,@ 1BAE Dlections of the 0ational and ro#incial Assemblies were scheduled to be held in 'ebruary 1@8A on non-party basis* To contest the elections, a precondition was that a candidate must be supported by at least A0 people to be eligible* P,++(*G $*D )"&4+ & The elections were held on 'ebruary 2A and 28, 1@8A for national and pro#incial assemblies respecti#ely* More than 800 important political personalities were arrested in a pre-election crac)down? election campaigns were not allowed and a ban was imposed on political parties, processions, rallies and e#en loudspea)ers* D(&P,&( (,* ,@ 5" 5,4&" The 0ational Assembly continued to be dominated by the rural landlords* The only change was that the younger generation of landlords had ta)en o#er from their elders* The social bac)ground of the new members of parliament can be +udged from the following figures3 0early 9A per cent of the 879 members of these bodies were big landlords* "+"# (,*& ,@ 1BAA "n August 19, 1@88, General Fia along with 31 other notables died in a !-130 plane crash near 2ahawalpur* 1nder the constitution, the !hairman (enate, Ghulam ,sha= 5han became the acting president* "n "ctober 2, 1@88, the (upreme !ourt of a)istan ruled that political parties would be allowed to participate in the upcoming elections* #,* "& (*G P$) ("& The elections pro#ed, mainly, a two-party race between a)istan eople.s arty and a coalition of right-leaning parties called the ,slami Iamhoori ,ttehad %,I,&* a)istan eople.s arty % &, led by Ms* 2ena/ir 2hutto and the conser#ati#e ,slamic Cemocratic Alliance %,I,&, headed by Mr 0awa/ (harif, as well as a multitude of other groups, fielded some 1,390 candidates for the Assembly.s 219 popularly-chosen seats* P,++& Dlections for the 0ational Assembly were held on 1E 0o#ember, 1@88* emerged as the single largest party by recei#ing 38*A2W #otes* ,t captured @3 of the 209 directly-contested seats in parliament, which has 239 members* ,I, was able to grab 30*1EW of the #otes, but only AA seats* After the women.s seats were apportioned, the a)istan eople.s arty controlled 10A of the 239 seats* The formed a coalition-go#ernment with the MBM* "n Cecember 2, 1@88 2ena/ir 2hutto was sworn in as the prime minister of a)istan* The pro#incial elections, held on 0o#ember 1@, initially resulted in go#ernments in three out of four pro#inces* $owe#er, in un+ab, I, leader 0awa/ (harif became !hief Minister* "+"# (,*& ,@ 1BB0 "n August E, 1@@0, resident Ghulam ,sha= 5han dismissed 2ena/ir go#ernment and announced new elections on 27 "ctober, 1@@0* $e chose the leader of the opposition in the former 0ational Assembly, Ghulam Mustafa Iatoi, as the new careta)er rime Minister of a)istan* #,* "*D") P$) ("& 1* a)istan Cemocratic Alliance, established by and two smaller parties* together with Asghar 5han.s Tehri)-i-,sti=lal,
2* ,I,, the coalition that had also competed with the in the 1@88 elections* 3* Altaf $ussain.s MBM, 5han Abdul ;ali 5han.s Awami 0ational arty, Iamiat-ul-1lama-e-,slam and the Iamhoori ;atan arty* The results showed that ,I, secured a booming #ictory, winning 10E of the 219 general seats* The CA could win only forty-fi#e seats* !andidates of small ethnic parties and independents captured the remainder* Mian Mohammad 0awa/ (harif was elected rime Minister by the 0ational Assembly on 0o#ember 1, 1@@0* resident Ghulam ,sha= 5han dissol#ed the assemblies on 18th April 1@@3 on corruption and other serious charges* General Dlections were scheduled to be held on Iuly 17, 1@@3* The resident appointed 2ala)h (her Ma/ari as the interim rime Minister* "n May 2E, 1@@3, the (upreme !ourt re#o)ed the residential "rder and reinstated 0awa/ (harif as the rime Minister* $owe#er, both the prime minister and the resident resigned on 18 Iuly 1@@3* Moeen Bureshi, a top ;orld 2an) official, became the ne-t careta)er M* "+"# (,*& ,@ 1BB3 Dlections for 0ational Assembly and ro#incial assemblies were scheduled for "ctober E and @ respecti#ely* #,* "& (*G P$) ("& 1,78A candidates, in all, contested polls for the 0ational Assembly* 0one of the main parties gained a controlling ma+ority? obtaining 8E seats to M:.s 92* The first session was held on 1Ath "ctober 1@@3* (yed Nousuf <a/a Gilani too) oath of the office of the (pea)er 0ational Assembly on 19th "ctober 1@@3* Ms* 2hutto was sworn in on 1@ "ctober after she defeated Mian 0awa/ (harif with 121-91 margin for the :eader of the $ouse slot* "n 17 0o#ember, former 'oreign Minister 'aroo= Ahmed 5han :eghari was elected resident* "n 0o#ember A, 1@@E, resident :eghari dismissed Ms 2hutto.s Go#ernment and appointed Mali) Mera+ 5halid, <ector of the ,nternational ,slamic 1ni#ersity, as careta)er rime Minister* The ne-t elections were scheduled to be held on 'ebruary 3, 1@@9* 2ena/ir 2hutto filed a petition with the (upreme !ourt but on Ianuary 2@, 1@@9, only si- days before the general elections, the (upreme !ourt re+ected her petition* "+"# (,*& ,@ 1BBC After the dissolution of 2ena/ir Go#ernment, the elections for ele#enth 0ational Assembly were held on 3rd 'ebruary 1@@9* 2esides , main contenders were3 a)istan Muslim :eague % M:& 0awa/, Muttahida Buami Mo#ement %MBM&? and Iamaat-e-,slami* A total of E,28@ candidates contested the election* The first session was held on 1Ath 'ebruary 1@@9 whereas Mr ,llahi 2u)hsh (oomro too) oath of the office of the (pea)er 0ational Assembly on 1Eth 'ebruary 1@@9* Mian Muhammad 0awa/ (harif too) oath as rime Minister of a)istan on 19th 'ebruary 1@@9* "n 12 "ctober 1@@@, rime Minister 0awa/ (harif ordered Musharraf.s dismissal* $owe#er, senior Army generals refused to accept it and in a coup, the Generals ousted (harif administration* !hief of Army (taff General er#e/ Musharraf assumed the title of !hief D-ecuti#e* Through ro#isional !onstitutional "rder % !"& issued on "ctober 17th 1@@@, he held the !onstitution in abeyance, suspended the (enate, 0ational and ro#incial Assemblies, !hairman and Ceputy !hairman (enate,
(pea)er, Ceputy (pea)er 0ational and ro#incial Assemblies and dismissed the 'ederal and ro#incial go#ernments* "+"# (,*& ,@ 2002 "n 12 May 2000, the (upreme !ourt of a)istan ordered er#e/ Musharraf to hold general elections by 12 "ctober 2002* "n 11 Iuly 2002, the resident and !hief D-ecuti#e of a)istan, General er#e/ Musharraf, announced that general elections for the 0ational Assembly and four ro#incial Assemblies would be held on 10 "ctober 2002* The 0ational and ro#incial elections were held on the same day* More than 92 million registered #oters aged 18 and abo#e from a population of 170 million, elected members for the 372 0ational Assembly seats and 928 seats of the four ro#incial Assemblies* A total of 2,0@8 candidates contested for 292 general seats of the 0ational Assembly* The remaining E0 seats were reser#ed for women and 10 for non-Muslims* a)istan Muslim :eague-Buaid-i-A/am % M:-B&, a faction of the former a)istan Muslim :eague % M:& obtained the largest share of seats, 99, but fell short of ma+ority* The a)istan eople.s arty arliamentarians % - & came second with E3 seats* Muttahida Ma+lis-i-Amal %MMA&, an alliance of si- ,slamist parties, won 7A seats* "n 0o#ember 1@, 2002, !haudhry Amir $ussain was elected the new (pea)er of the 0ational Assembly while on 0o#ember 21, 2002, Mir Fafarullah Iamali was elected as the 21st rime Minister of a)istan by securing 192 #otes out of 32@ #otes* $owe#er, he resigned on 2E Iune 2007 and !haudhry (hu+aat $ussain replaced him as the interim rime Minister who was later replaced by (hau)at A/i/* "lections 200A "n 8 0o#ember 2009, Musharraf announced that the election would be held by 1A 'ebruary 2008* :ater the election date was changed to occur on or before @ Ianuary 2008* D#en later, he suggested 8 Ianuary 2008 as the election date* "n 1A 0o#ember, 2009, Mohammad Mian (oomro was appointed as careta)er prime minister at the e-piry of the term of the pre#ious go#ernment* The year 2009 saw numerous political crises culminating in the Cecember 29 assassination of former rime Minister 2ena/ir 2hutto* 'i#e main parties who contested these elections were3 %1& a)istan eople.s arty %2& a)istan Muslim :eague- B %3& a)istan Muslim :eague 0awa/ %7& Awami 0ational arty %A& Mutahidda Baumi Mo#ement
"+"# (,*& ,@ 2013 0ow, a)istanis ha#e another opportunity to send their elected representati#es to the parliament through their #otes* This time apart from M: %0&, , MBM and M: %B&, ,mran 5han.s a)istan Tehree)-e-,nsaf is among the ma+or parties that are going to contest the polls* ,mran 5han is focusing the youth and is e-pected to ma)e a ma+or upset in the results* Adeel 0ia/
&indh
he +and of "ndless ,pportunities
The gateway of ,slam in the ,ndo- a) (ubcontinent, (indh is the second largest pro#ince of a)istan* ,t is home to the ,ndus Oalley !i#ili/ation that is one of the earliest urban ci#ili/ations in the world* Geography "ast (ndian states of Gu2arat and )a2asthan /est (ndus )i'er and .alochistan *orth Pun2a% &outh $ra%ian &ea (indh forms the lower ,ndus basin and lies between 23 to 3A degree and 28-30, north latitude and EE-72 and 91-1 degree east longitude* ,t is about A9@ )ms in length from north to south and nearly 772 )ms in its e-treme breadth %281 )ms a#erage&* ,t co#ers 170,@17 s=uare )ms and is about as large as Dngland* The biggest international airport of a)istan is situated in 5arachi and is )nown as Baid-e-A/am ,nternational Airport* Districts There are 29 districts in (indh* 5arachi consists of A districts* A list of these districts with their respecti#e areas is as follows3 Total area of 5arachi is 178A s=* 5m* Cistrict Thar co#ering a total area of 1@E39 s=* )m* is the largest district in (indh* Did Dou :now; (indh has two gigantic seaports and both are located in 5arachi *atural )esources (indh is the richest pro#ince in natural resources of gas, petrol and coal* $ere is a brief account of (indh>s natural resources* #oal @@W coal reser#es of a)istan are in (indh* These are located in :a)hra, (oondha, Thar, MeetingIhampeer and 2adin* Among these, Thar coal reser#es are the largest in the world* Thar region is endowed with mammoth coal %lignite& reser#es estimated to be 19A billion tonnes which can
produce 100,000M; of electricity for ne-t 300 years and can be a )ey to energy security and economic prosperity* Ma+or coalfields in (indh are3 har #oalfield Total Area @,100 s=* 5m !oal <eser#es 19Ab tonnes .adin #oalfield Total Area 1,110 s=* )m !oal <eser#es 1*3Eb tonnes &onda #oalfield Total Area 1,822 s=* )m !oal <eser#es 9*11b tonnes +a-hra #oalfield Total Area 1,30@ s=* )m !oal <eser#es 1*33b tonnes %(ource3 (indh !oal Authority& Did Dou :now; ,f all the oil reser#es of (audi Arabia P ,ran are put together, these are appro-imately 39A billion barrels, but a single Thar coal reser#e of (indh is about 8A0 Trillion !ubic 'eet, ;hich is more than oil reser#es of (audi Arabia P ,ran* *atural Gas (indh produces 78W of natural gas of a)istan* There are 10 gasfields in (indh from where natural gas is e-tracted* These are3 5andh)oat, 5hairpur, Mari %The largest gasfield where 20W gas is stored and 18W gas is producedJused&, (uriJ$undi, Golarchi, 5has)heli and :eghari* *ote: The "il and Gas Ce#elopment !ompany :imited %"GC!:& daily e-tracts nearly @8E MM!' of natural gas, 3E8 tonnes of : G and 91 tonnes of sulphur* "n 18th (eptember, 2012, ,talian energy ma+or D0, disco#ered a ma+or reser#e of between 300 billion and 700 billion cubic feet of gas some 3A0 )ilometres north of 5arachi in a)istan* "n "ctober 29, 2012, "GC!: announced the disco#ery of 700 billion cubic feet from 2hadra Gas 'ield situated in Cadu district of (indh* #rude ,ilFPetrol (indh produces E2W of the total oil production of a)istan* !a2or ,ilfields of &indh Tando Alam, :ashari, Thora, (ono, Missan, asa)hi and 5unnar Politics 5arachi is the capital of (indh* ro#incial Assembly of the pro#ince is based in 5arachi while (indh ublic (er#ice !ommission is head=uartered at $yderabad* The pro#incial Assembly consists of 1E8 members including 130 general seats, 2@ seats reser#ed for women and @ seats for 0onMuslims* The foundation stone of the building was laid by (ir :ancelot Graham, the Go#ernor of (indh, on 11 March 1@70* The construction of the building R declared open by (ir $ugh Cow, the Go#ernor of (indh, on 7 March 1@72 R was completed within a span of two years*
,n 1@91, after a lapse of about 27 years, it was again declared as the (indh Assembly building* (ince then it has been used as such* (mportant 5han 2ahadur Muhammed Ayub 5horo is the only person in the history of (indh since 1@79 who has ser#ed thrice as the !hief Minister of the pro#ince* Mr* Mahmood A* $aroon has been the Go#ernor of (indh for two terms* Did Dou :now; The 30th Go#ernor of (indh, Cr ,shrat 1l Dbad 5han, too) up the post on Cecember 29, 2002, becoming the youngest go#ernor to hold the office* $e now holds also the record of longest-ser#ing Go#ernor of any pro#ince of a)istan since its inception in 1@79*
#ulture The culture of (indh has its roots in the ,ndus Oalley !i#ili/ation* X Poets (hah Abdul :atif 2hittai and (achal (armast are the two most re#ered sufi poets of (indh* (ome famous regional poets are (hai)h Aya/, 1staad 2hu)hari, Ahmed 5han Madhoosh, Adal (oomro, Aya/ Gul, Abdul Ghaffar Tabasum, G*0*Bureshi, <u)hsana reet, ;aseem (oomro* X @ol-tales 'amous fol)tales of (indh include (assuee unhoon, Moomal <ano, 1mar Mar#i, 0oori Iaam Tamachi, (uhni Mehar and (orath - <ai - Ciyach :eela !hanesar* X +anguage 2esides 1rdu, (indhi with its dialects 5utchi, :asi, ar)ari, Memoni, :ari, Oicholi, 1tradi, Macharia, Cu)slinu %spo)en by $indu (indhis& and (irai)i are two main languages* X &ports The most famous regional sports include Mala)hiro, ;an+h ;ati, 5odi 5odi, 2eelarhoo, Thipai <and, 0otinn and 2iloor* X !usic 'amous (indhi singers include the great Abida ar#een, 1stad Muhammad Iuman, 1stad Man/oor Ali 5han, Farina 2aloch, (haman Ali Meerali, Mai 2haghi, Allan 'a=ir, (ohrab 'a)ir and many other singers who prefer singing (indhi songs* Pa-istan1s Prime !inisters %orn in &indh Fulfi)ar Ali 2hutto, Muhammad 5han Iune+o, Mohtarma 2ena/ir 2hutto, Ghulam Mustafa Iatoi,
(hau)at A/i/, Muhammad Mian (oomro and <a+a er#ai/ Ashraf were born in (indh* Places to 8isit Moen+odaro, 5ot Ci+i 'ort, Gora)h $ill, <unni)ot 'ort, 0au)ot 'ort, Thatta and Ma)li Gra#eyard, 2anbhore, 5een+har :a)e, $yderabad 'ort % a))o Bilo&, $ale+i :a)e, Did Dou :now; 1*The Gora)h hill station is A,8EE feet abo#e sea le#el and is part of the 5hirthar mountain range* ;ith pleasant weather and a beautiful landscape, it is the only place in (indh where it snows in winter* 2* Ma)li Gra#eyard is one of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of appro-imately 8 )ilometers, Ma)li $ill is supposed to be the burial place of some 12A,000 (ufi saints* win #ities :arachi ort :ouis, Mauritius since 1 May 2009 (hanghai, !hina since 1A 'ebruary 1@87 uttalam, (ri :an)a 0o#ember 2012 $ong 5ong Ieddah, (audi Arabia Tash)ent, 1/be)istan ,stanbul, Tur)ey 2eirut, :ebanon Cha)a, 2angladesh ,/mir, Tur)ey, since 1@8A $ouston, 1nited (tates since 8 May 2008 Manama, 2ahrain ristina, 5oso#o since 27 Iuly 2008 Cubai, 1*A*D 5uala :umpur, Malaysia 1 Iune 2008 Moscow, <ussia 28 August 2011 Mashad, ,ran, 11 May 2012 !hicago, 1(A 5ydera%ad Toledo, "hio, 1(A &indh G Pa-istan !o'ement X (indh was an important centre of acti#ities during the 5hilafat Mo#ement* The $i+rat Tehri) also started in (indh X 1nder the Go#ernment of ,ndia Act of 1@3A, (indh was made a pro#ince with its own :egislati#e Assembly on April 1, 1@3E* X The (indh ro#incial Muslim :eague !onference held its first session at 5arachi in "ctober 1@38 under the presidentship of Buaid-i-A/am* X A Muslim :eague Assembly party was established in (indh ,of which Ghulam $ussain $idayatullah was elected leader and Mir 2andeh Ali Talpur deputy leader* X ,t was only the (indh Assembly, amongst all the pro#inces of undi#ided ,ndia, which passed a resolution on March 3, 1@73, presented by the late G*M* (yed on the lines of the :ahore <esolution, in support of a)istan* X "n Iune 2E, 1@79 the (indh Assembly, at a special session, decided to +oin the new a)istan !onstituent Assembly* Thus, (indh became the first pro#ince to opt for a)istan*
(slands in &indh !hurna3 The second-largest island of a)istan Manora3 A tiny peninsula located south of the port of 5arachi "thers 2aba 2hit ,sland, 2uddo ,sland, 2undal ,sland, 5hiprianwala ,sland, (hams ir and !lifton "yster <oc)s - small islets +a-es in &indh Crigh :a)e Bambar (hahdad)ot $adero :a)e Thatta $ale+i :a)e Thatta $amal :a)e Bamber (hahdad)ot 5een+har :a)e Thatta Manchar :a)e Cadu $rtificial +a-es and )eser'oirs !hotiari :a)e (anghar Cistrict $ub :a)e 5arachi and :asbela Cistrict on (indh and 2alochistan border @amous &hrines (yed Butub Ali (hah3 Tando Iahania, $yderabad Abdul ;ahab 'aru=i %(achal (armast&3 5hairpur (hah Abdul :atif 2hittai3 2hit (hah, Matiari (yed 1sman Marwandi %:al (hahba/ Balandar&3 (ehwan (yed Abdullah (hah Gha/i3 5arachi (a)hi (ultan3 Mangho ir, 5arachi Butbe-Alam (hah 2u)hari3 5arachi Abdullah (hah As.habi3 Thatta &ome )andom @acts
,ndus, the largest ri#er of a)istan, originates from Tibetan lateau and after co#ering the total distance of 3180 )ilometres, it falls into the Arabian (ea near Thatta in (indh* 2lind <i#er Colphin, also called ,ndus (usu, found in the ,ndus <i#er is one of four ri#er dolphin species and subspecies in the world that spend all their li#es in freshwater* (ir !owas+i Iehangir ,nstitute of sychiatry Mental $ospital, commonly )nown as Gidu 2ander, is the biggest mental hospital in a)istan* The territory of (indh was anne-ed to the 2ombay residency in 1873* ir (ibghatullah (hah <ashdi, ir agara, launched a militant re#olt )nown as K$ur Mo#ementK against the 2ritish <a+* Muhammad 1sman 2utt
8eneHuela1s 1#omandante1 5ugo #hI'eH $n iconic leader who raised 8eneHuela1s profile
8eneHuelan President 5ugo )afael #hI'eH @rias, who died on !arch C, was a charismatic and prograessi'e leader, whose idiosyncratic %rand of socialism ga'e hope to the poorest people in the +atin $merican country.
Mr !hY#e/ was born on Iuly 28, 1@A7 in the state of 2arinas* The !hY#e/ family were of Amerindian, Afro-Oene/uelan, and (panish descent* $is parents, $ugo de los <eyes !hY#e/ and Dlena 'rZas de !hY#e/, were wor)ing-lower middle class schoolteachers who li#ed in the small #illage of :os <astro+os*
$e attended the Caniel ".:eary $igh (chool in 2arinas city* At age se#enteen, !hY#e/ studied at the Oene/uelan Academy of Military (ciences in !aracas* At the Academy, he was a member of the first class that was following a restructured curriculum )nown as the Andr[s 2ello lan* $e later said, 4, found my true #ocation there*6 :i#ing in !aracas, he saw more of the endemic po#erty faced by wor)ing class Oene/uelans, something that echoed the po#erty he had e-perienced growing up, and he maintained that this e-perience only made him further committed to achie#ing social +ustice* ,n the Academy, he found time to study the li#es of the 1@th !entury (outh American re#olutionary leader (imon 2oli#ar and !he Gue#ara* ,n 1@97, he was selected to be a representati#e in the commemorations for the 1A0th anni#ersary of the 2attle of Ayacucho in eru, the conflict in which (imon 2olZ#ar.s lieutenant, Antonio Ios[ de (ucre, defeated royalist forces during the eru#ian ;ar of ,ndependence* $e graduated in 1@9A and had already begun to form political ideas that he would later put into practice as president, including the belief that the military had a duty to step in if a ci#ilian go#ernment was deemed to ha#e failed to protect the poorest in society* ,n 1@99, he founded a re#olutionary mo#ement within the armed forces, in the hope that he could one day introduce a leftist go#ernment to Oene/uela3 the Oene/uelan eople.s :iberation Army %D+[rcito de :iberaci\n del ueblo de Oene/uela, or D: O&, was a secreti#e cell within the military that consisted of him and a handful of his fellow soldiers* ,n 1@8@, !arlos Andr[s [re/ was elected resident after promising to oppose the 1nited (tates go#ernment.s 4;ashington !onsensus6 and financial policies recommended by the ,nternational Monetary 'und %,M'&* 0e#ertheless, he did neither once he got into office* Cisturbed by his policies, !hY#e/ began preparing for a coup d.[tat, )nown as "peration Famora* ,nitially planned for Cecember, !hY#e/ delayed the M2<-200 coup until the early twilight hours of 7 'ebruary 1@@2*
"n that date, fi#e army units under !hY#e/.s command mo#ed into urban !aracas with the mission of o#erwhelming )ey military and communications installations* !hY#e/.s immediate goal was to intercept and ta)e custody of [re/, who was returning from an o#erseas trip* Cespite years of planning, the coup =uic)ly encountered trouble* A re#olt by members of the <e#olutionary 2oli#arian Mo#ement claimed 18 li#es before !olonel
!hY#e/ surrendered* $e was languishing in a military +ail when his associates tried again to sei/e power nine months later* The second coup attempt in 0o#ember 1@@2 was crushed as well* !hY#e/ spent two years in prison before relaunching his party as the Mo#ement of the 'ifth <epublic, ma)ing the transition from a soldier to a politician* ,n his tele#ision and radio shows, !hY#e/ answered calls from citi/ens, discussed his latest policies, sung songs and told +o)es, ma)ing it uni=ue not only in :atin America but the entire world* $e spent time can#assing and found strong support and friendship from !uba.s re#olutionary president, 'idel !astro to whom he has a father-son relation* !hY#e/ belie#ed in o#erthrowing the go#ernment by force but was persuaded to change his mind and instead became a candidate in the 1@@8 presidential elections* Oene/uela had en+oyed an unbro)en period of democratic go#ernment since 1@A8, but the two main parties, which had alternated in power, stood accused of presiding o#er a corrupt system and s=uandering the country.s #ast oil wealth* !hY#e/ promised 4re#olutionary6 social policies, and constantly abused the 4predatory oligarchs6 of the establishment as corrupt ser#ants of international capital* !hY#e/.s promises of widespread social and economic reforms won the trust and fa#or of a primarily poor and wor)ing class following* !hY#e/ won the election with AE*20W of the #ote and on 2 'ebruary 1@@@, he was officially inaugurated as the resident of Oene/uela* ;hilst he was remaining fiscally conser#ati#e, he introduced measures in an attempt to alle#iate the po#erty of the Oene/uelan wor)ing class* !hY#e/ immediately set into motion a social welfare programme called lan 2olZ#ar 2000, which he organised to begin on 29 'ebruary 1@@@, the tenth anni#ersary of the !araca/o massacre* ,n his tele#ision and radio shows, !hY#e/ answered calls from citi/ens, discussed his latest policies, sung songs and told +o)es, ma)ing it uni=ue not only in :atin America but the entire world*
!hY#e/ held a referendum to form a constitutional assembly to frame a new constitution* 1nder the new constitution, presidential election was held in Iuly 2000*
!hY#e/ was re-elected with A@*9EW of the #ote* ,n the presidential election of Cecember 200E !hY#e/ was once again elected* "n 9 "ctober 2012, !hY#e/ won election as president for a fourth time, and for the third time he won a si--year term* The inauguration of !hY#e/.s new term was scheduled for 10 Ianuary 2013, but he was undergoing medical treatment at the time in !uba from where he left for the eternal abode* "n his death, a prestigious 2ritish newspaper 4The Guardian6 wrote3 !hY#e/ was a democratically elected champion of the poor* $is policies lifted millions out of ab+ect po#erty and misery* $e represented a brea) from years of corrupt regimes with often dire human rights records* $is achie#ements were won in the face of an attempted military coup, an aggressi#ely hostile media, and bitter foreign critics* $e demonstrated that it is possible to resist the neo-liberal dogma that holds sway o#er much of humanity* $e will be mourned by millions of Oene/uelans R and understandably so* Muhammad 1sman 2utt
/ill #apitalism Destroy #i'iliHation;

$n economic system %ased on a free mar-et, open competition, profit moti'e and pri'ate ownership is called capitalism.
There is 4capitalism6 and then there is 4really e-isting capitalism*6 The term 4capitalism6 is commonly used to refer to the 1*(* economic system, with substantial state inter#ention ranging from subsidies for creati#e inno#ation to the 4too-big-to-fail6 go#ernment insurance policy for ban)s* The system is highly monopoli/ed, further limiting reliance on the mar)et, and increasingly so3 ,n the past 20 years the share of profits of the 200 largest enterprises has risen sharply, reports scholar <obert ;* Mc!hesney in his new boo) 4Cigital Cisconnect*6 4!apitalism6 is a term now commonly used to describe systems in which there are no capitalists3 for e-ample, the wor)er-owned Mondragon conglomerate in the 2as=ue region of (pain, or the wor)erowned enterprises e-panding in northern "hio, often with conser#ati#e support R both are discussed in important wor) by the scholar Gar Alpero#it/* (ome might e#en use the term 4capitalism6 to refer to the industrial democracy ad#ocated by Iohn Cewey, America.s leading social philosopher, in the late 1@th century and early 20th century* Cewey called for wor)ers to be 4masters of their own industrial fate6 and for all institutions to be brought under public control, including the means of production, e-change, publicity, transportation and communication* (hort of this, Cewey argued, politics will remain 4the shadow cast on society by big business*6 The truncated democracy that Cewey condemned has been left in tatters in recent years* 0ow control of go#ernment is narrowly concentrated at the pea) of the income scale, while the large ma+ority 4down below6 has been #irtually disenfranchised* The current political-economic system is a form of plutocracy, di#erging sharply from democracy, if by that concept we mean political arrangements in which policy is significantly influenced by the public will* There ha#e been serious debates o#er the years about whether capitalism is compatible with democracy* ,f we )eep to really e-isting capitalist democracy R <D!C for short R the =uestion is effecti#ely answered3 They are radically incompatible* ,t seems to me unli)ely that ci#ili/ation can sur#i#e <D!C and the sharply attenuated democracy that goes along with it* 2ut could functioning democracy ma)e a differenceU :et.s )eep to the most critical immediate problem that ci#ili/ation faces3 en#ironmental catastrophe* olicies and public attitudes di#erge sharply, as is often the case under <D!C* The nature of the gap is e-amined in se#eral articles in the current issue of Caedalus, the +ournal of the American Academy of Arts and (ciences* <esearcher 5elly (ims Gallagher finds that 4"ne hundred and nine countries ha#e enacted some form of policy regarding renewable power, and 118 countries ha#e set targets for renewable energy* ,n contrast, the 1nited (tates has not adopted any consistent and stable set of policies at the national le#el to foster the use of renewable energy*6 ,t is not public opinion that dri#es American policy off the international spectrum* Buite the opposite* "pinion is much closer to the global norm than the 1*(* go#ernment.s policies reflect, and much more supporti#e of actions needed to confront the li)ely en#ironmental disaster predicted by an o#erwhelming scientific consensus R and one that.s not too far off? affecting the li#es of our grandchildren, #ery li)ely* 4"ne hundred and nine countries ha#e enacted some form of policy regarding renewable power, and
118 countries ha#e set targets for renewable energy6 As Ion A* 5rosnic) and 2o Mac,nnis report in Caedalus3 4$uge ma+orities ha#e fa#ored steps by the federal go#ernment to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated when utilities produce electricity* ,n 200E, 8E percent of respondents fa#ored re=uiring utilities, or encouraging them with ta- brea)s, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit* Also in that year, 89 percent fa#ored ta- brea)s for utilities that produce more electricity from water, wind or sunlight* These ma+orities were maintained between 200E and 2010 and shran) somewhat after that* The fact that the public is influenced by science is deeply troubling to those who dominate the economy and state policy* "ne current illustration of their concern is the 4Dn#ironmental :iteracy ,mpro#ement Act6 proposed to state legislatures by A:D!, the American :egislati#e D-change !ouncil, a corporate-funded lobby that designs legislation to ser#e the needs of the corporate sector and e-treme wealth*
The A:D! Act mandates 4balanced teaching6 of climate science in 5-12 classrooms* 42alanced teaching6 is a code phrase that refers to teaching climate-change denial, to 4balance6 mainstream climate science* ,t is analogous to the 4balanced teaching6 ad#ocated by creationists to enable the teaching of 4creation science6 in public schools* :egislation based on A:D! models has already been introduced in se#eral states* "f course, all of this is dressed up in rhetoric about teaching critical thin)ing R a fine idea, no doubt, but it.s easy to thin) up far better e-amples than an issue that threatens our sur#i#al and has been selected because of its importance in terms of corporate profits* Media reports commonly present a contro#ersy between two sides on climate change* "ne side consists of the o#erwhelming ma+ority of scientists, the world.s ma+or national academies of science, the professional science +ournals and the ,ntergo#ernmental anel on !limate !hange* They agree that global warming is ta)ing place, that there is a substantial human component, that the situation is serious and perhaps dire, and that #ery soon, maybe within decades, the world might reach a tipping point where the process will escalate sharply and will be irre#ersible, with se#ere social and economic effects* ,t is rare to find such consensus on comple- scientific issues* The other side consists of s)eptics, including a few respected scientists who caution that much is un)nown R which means that things might not be as bad as thought, or they might be worse*
"mitted from the contri#ed debate is a much larger group of s)eptics3 highly regarded climate scientists who see the , !!.s regular reports as much too conser#ati#e* And these scientists ha#e repeatedly been pro#en correct, unfortunately* The propaganda campaign has apparently had some effect on 1*(* public opinion, which is more s)eptical than the global norm* 2ut the effect is not significant enough to satisfy the masters* That is presumably why sectors of the corporate world are launching their attac) on the educational system, in an effort to counter the public.s dangerous tendency to pay attention to the conclusions of scientific research* 4'or the first time in human history, humans are facing the significant prospect of se#ere calamity as a result of their actions R actions that are battering our prospects of decent sur#i#al*6 At the <epublican 0ational !ommittee.s ;inter Meeting a few wee)s ago, :ouisiana Go#* 2obby Iindal warned the leadership that 4;e must stop being the stupid party* ;e must stop insulting the intelligence of #oters*6 ;ithin the <D!C system it is of e-treme importance that we become the stupid nation, not misled by science and rationality, in the interests of the short-term gains of the masters of the economy and political system, and damn the conse=uences* These commitments are deeply rooted in the fundamentalist mar)et doctrines that are preached within <D!C, though obser#ed in a highly selecti#e manner, so as to sustain a powerful state that ser#es wealth and power* The official doctrines suffer from a number of familiar 4mar)et inefficiencies,6 among them the failure to ta)e into account the effects on others in mar)et transactions* The conse=uences of these 4e-ternalities6 can be substantial* The current financial crisis is an illustration* ,t is partly traceable to the ma+or ban)s and in#estment firms. ignoring 4systemic ris)6 R the possibility that the whole system would collapse R when they undertoo) ris)y transactions* Dn#ironmental catastrophe is far more serious3 The e-ternality that is being ignored is the fate of the species* And there is nowhere to run, cap in hand, for a bailout* ,n future, historians %if there are any& will loo) bac) on this curious spectacle ta)ing shape in the early 21st century* 'or the first time in human history, humans are facing the significant prospect of se#ere calamity as a result of their actions R actions that are battering our prospects of decent sur#i#al* Those historians will obser#e that the richest and most powerful country in history, which en+oys incomparable ad#antages, is leading the effort to intensify the li)ely disaster* :eading the effort to preser#e conditions in which our immediate descendants might ha#e a decent life are the so-called 4primiti#e6 societies3 'irst 0ations, tribal, indigenous, aboriginal*
The countries with large and influential indigenous populations are well in the lead in see)ing to preser#e the planet* The countries that ha#e dri#en indigenous populations to e-tinction or e-treme marginali/ation are racing toward destruction* Thus Dcuador, with its large indigenous population, is see)ing aid from the rich countries to allow it to )eep its substantial oil reser#es underground, where they should be* Meanwhile the 1*(* and !anada are see)ing to burn fossil fuels, including the e-tremely dangerous !anadian tar sands, and to do so as =uic)ly and fully as possible, while they hail the wonders of a century of %largely meaningless& energy independence without a side glance at what the world might loo) li)e after this e-tra#agant commitment to self-destruction* This obser#ation generali/es3 Throughout the world, indigenous societies are struggling to protect what they sometimes call 4the rights of nature,6 while the ci#ili/ed and sophisticated scoff at this silliness* is all e-actly the opposite of what rationality would predict R unless it is the s)ewed form of reason that passes through the filter of <D!C* I;T Ces)
()$* (* J/,)+D/(D" 5)"$ $&&"&&!"* K

,n 12 !arch 2013, 4.&. Director of *ational (ntelligence Lames #lapper presented to the 4.&. &enate &elect #ommittee on (ntelligence the worldwide threat $ssessment of the 4& intelligence community. he te<t %elow is the e<cerpts of the statement of the record which relates to the (ranian regime.
")),)(&! $*D )$*&*$ (,*$+ ,)G$*(M"D #)(!" ")),)(&! ()$* $*D +".$*"&" 5(M.$++$5 The failed 2011 plot against the (audi Ambassador in ;ashington shows that ,ran may be more willing to sei/e opportunities to attac) in the 1nited (tates in response to percei#ed offenses against the regime* ,ran is also an emerging and increasingly aggressi#e cyber actor* $owe#er, we ha#e not changed our assessment that ,ran prefers to a#oid direct confrontation with the 1nited (tates because regime preser#ation is its top priority* /!D P),+(@")$ (,* ()$* $*D *,) 5 :,)"$ D"8"+,P(*G /!D-$PP+(#$.+" #$P$.(+( ("& ;e assess ,ran is de#eloping nuclear capabilities to enhance its security, prestige, and regional influence and gi#e it the ability to de#elop nuclear weapons, should a decision be made to do so* ;e do not )now if ,ran will e#entually decide to build nuclear weapons* Tehran has de#eloped technical e-pertise in a number of areasMincluding uranium enrichment, nuclear reactors, and ballistic missilesM from which it could draw if it decided to build missiledeli#erable nuclear weapons* These technical ad#ancements strengthen our assessment that ,ran has the scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to e#entually produce nuclear weapons* This ma)es the central issue its political will to do so* "f particular note, ,ran has made progress during the past year that better positions it to produce weapons-grade uranium %;G1& using its declared facilities and uranium stoc)piles, should it choose to do so* Cespite this progress, we assess ,ran could not di#ert safeguarded material and produce a weapon-worth of ;G1 before this acti#ity is disco#ered* ;e +udge ,ran.s nuclear decision-ma)ing is guided by a cost-benefit approach, which offers the international community opportunities to influence Tehran* ,ranian leaders undoubtedly consider ,ran.s security, prestige and influence, as well as the international political and security en#ironment, when ma)ing decisions about its nuclear program* ,n this conte-t, we +udge that ,ran is trying to balance conflicting ob+ecti#es* ,t wants to ad#ance its nuclear and missile capabilities and a#oid se#ere repercussionsMsuch as a military stri)e or regime threatening sanctions* ;e +udge ,ran would li)ely choose a ballistic missile as its preferred method of deli#ering a nuclear weapon, if one is e#er fielded* ,ran.s ballistic missiles are capable of deli#ering ;MC* ,n addition,
,ran has demonstrated an ability to launch small satellites, and we grow increasingly concerned that these technical stepsMalong with a regime hostile toward the 1nited (tates and our alliesMpro#ide Tehran with the means and moti#ation to de#elop larger space-launch #ehicles and longer-range missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile %,!2M&* ,ran already has the largest in#entory of ballistic missiles in the Middle Dast, and it is e-panding the scale, reach, and sophistication of its ballistic missile arsenal* ,ran.s growing ballistic missile in#entory and its domestic production of anti-ship cruise missiles %A(!M& and de#elopment of its first long-range land attac) cruise missile pro#ide capabilities to enhance its power pro+ection* Tehran #iews its con#entionally armed missiles as an integral part of its strategy to deterMand if necessary retaliate againstMforces in the region, including 1( forces* )"G(,*$+ 5)"$ & ()$* ,ran is growing more autocratic at home and more asserti#e abroad as it faces elite and popular grie#ances, a deteriorating economy, and an uncertain regional dynamic* (upreme :eader 5hamenei.s power and authority are now #irtually unchec)ed, and security institutions, particularly the ,slamic <e#olutionary Guard !orps %,<G!&, ha#e greater influence at the e-pense of popularly elected and clerical institutions* 5hamenei and his allies will ha#e to weigh carefully their desire to control the 17 Iune ,ranian presidential election, while boosting #oter turnout to increase the appearance of regime legitimacy and a#oid a repeat of the disputed 200@ election* Meanwhile, the regime is adopting more oppressi#e social policies to increase its control o#er the population, such as further limiting educational and career choices for women*
,ran.s financial outloo) has worsened since the 2012 implementation of sanctions on its oil e-ports and !entral 2an)* ,ran.s economy contracted in 2012 for the first time in more than two decades* ,ran.s access to foreign e-change reser#es held o#erseas has diminished, and preliminary data suggest that it suffered its first trade deficit in 17 years* Meanwhile, the rial reached an all-time low in late Ianuary, with the e-change rate falling from about 1A,000 rials per dollar at the beginning of 2012 to nearly 70,000 rials per dollar, and inflation and unemployment are growing* Growing public frustration with the go#ernment.s socioeconomic policies has not led to widespread political unrest because of ,ranians. per#asi#e fear of the security ser#ices and the lac) of effecti#e opposition organi/ation and leadership* To buoy the regime.s popularity and forestall widespread ci#il unrest, ,ranian leaders are trying to soften the economic hardships on the poorer segments of the population* 5hamenei has publicly called on the population to pursue a 4resistance economy,6
reminiscent of the hardships that ,ran suffered immediately after the ,ranian <e#olution and during the ,ran-,ra= war* $owe#er, the willingness of contemporary ,ranians to withstand additional economic austerity is unclear because most ,ranians do not remember those times? E0 percent of the population was born after 1@80 and 70 percent after 1@88* ,n its efforts to spread influence abroad and undermine the 1nited (tates and our allies, ,ran is trying to e-ploit the fighting and unrest in the Arab world* ,t supports surrogates, including alestinian militants engaged in the recent conflict with ,srael* To ta)e ad#antage of the 1( withdrawals from ,ra= and Afghanistan, it will continue efforts to strengthen political and economic ties with central and local go#ernments, while pro#iding select militants with lethal assistance* ,ran.s efforts to secure regional hegemony, howe#er, ha#e achie#ed limited results, and the fall of the Asad regime in (yria would be a ma+or strategic loss for Tehran* +$ (* $!")(#$ $*D 5" #$)(.."$* ,ran has been reaching out to :atin America and the !aribbean to decrease its international isolation* resident Ahmadine+ad tra#elled to the region twice in 2012* Tehran has culti#ated ties to leaders of the Oene/uelan-led Alliance for the eoples of our Americas %A:2A& in 2oli#ia, !uba, Dcuador, 0icaragua, and Oene/uela, and maintains cordial relations with !uba and 0icaragua* <elations with Tehran offer these go#ernments a way to sta)e out independent positions on the international issue of ,ran, while e-tracting financial aid and in#estment for economic and social pro+ects* I;T Ces) I;T Ces)
/aiting for the #hop

he economy has sur'i'ed austerity thus far this year than-s to housing, %ut the Jse6uesterK could change that.
/hat is &e6uester; (e=uester is a procedure in 1nited (tates law that limits the si/e of the federal budget* ,t in#ol#es setting a hard cap on the amount of go#ernment spending within broadly-defined categories? if !ongress enacts annual appropriations legislation that e-ceeds these caps, an across-the-board spending cut is automatically imposed on these categories, affecting all departments and programs by an e=ual percentage* This part of the fiscal cliff became effecti#e on Ianuary 1, 2013, but the American Ta-payer <elief Act of 2012 delayed it until March 1* ;hen 2arac) "bama and the <epublicans in !ongress agreed on Ianuary 1st to let a payroll ta- cut e-pire and ta- rates rise on the rich, they rolled the dice with the economy* They, in effect, bet that America.s reco#ery was solid enough to withstand higher ta-es and spending cuts, including a 4se=uester6 that too) effect on March 1st* At 1*@W of gross domestic product, that is a contraction second only to that of Greece among rich countries this year* At America.s biggest retailer, it loo)ed at first li)e the gamble had not paid off* 4;here are all the customersU And where.s their moneyU6, one e-ecuti#e at ;almart said in an e-mail dated 'ebruary 1st* 'ebruary sales to date 4are a total disaster,6 another wrote on 'ebruary 12th* 2ut the company painted a less dire picture on 'ebruary 21st, when it reported its earnings* ;hile sales had indeed flattened out, the culprit was not, it appeared, the ta- increases, but delayed tarefunds %also a result of the Ianuary 1st legislation&* !ustomers last year cashed H7 billion worth of income tarefunds at ;almart.s shops, but so far this year had cashed only about H1*9 billion* resumably when the refunds come through in March, so will the usual spending they bring* 'or now, the economy seems to ha#e shrugged off austerity* GC , which stalled at the end of 2012 because of one-off factors including $urricane (andy, now seems to be growing at about a 2W annual rate, 2en 2ernan)e, the 'ederal <eser#e chairman, said on 'ebruary 2Eth? that is the same, uninspiring pace it a#eraged throughout 2012* ,n effect, the economy is caught between headwinds and tailwinds that ha#e roughly cancelled each other out* The headwinds, besides the go#ernment.s austerity, include a rise in petrol prices that could trim 0*2W off this year.s GC by depressing consumption* 4<ising home prices and a stoc) mar)et at near-record le#els added H7*8 trillion to household wealth last year6 "n the positi#e side is the spreading reco#ery in the housing mar)et* ,n Ianuary, sales of new homes shot up to their highest le#el since 2008* The in#entory now e=uals +ust 7*1 months. sales, an eight-year low and a powerful spur to new construction* The economic benefits go well beyond
bric)s and nails* <ising home prices and a stoc) mar)et at near-record le#els added H7*8 trillion to household wealth last year, rec)ons aul Cales of !apital Dconomics, bringing it to around HEA trillion, close to its pre-crisis pea)* $e figures the 4wealth effect6 of stable stoc)s and modestly higher home prices should lift consumer spending enough to add 0*9W to GC this year* <ising home prices should also loosen the supply of mortgage credit by ma)ing default, foreclosure and litigation less li)ely* Iohn ;illiams, president of the (an 'rancisco 'ed, recently spo)e of a #irtuous circle, 4with sales #olumes growing, home prices increasing, and foreclosures coming down6* Net it is far too soon to declare the e-periment with austerity a success* The se=uester still looms, and its effects are unpredictable* Mr "bama and <epublicans agreed to se=uester in 2011 purely as a spur to negotiate a more rational plan for reducing the deficit* The se=uester was originally designed to slice H1*2 trillion from spending o#er a decade* The initial installment is a cut of H8A billion for the se#en months until the end of (eptember, though that will reduce actual spending by only H72 billion since some money appro#ed in one fiscal year is spent in the ne-t* Most entitlements, such as pensions and health-care, are e-cluded, which ma)es the reduction in the rest more se#ere3 13W in defence spending for the ne-t se#en months and a @W cut to other domestic discretionary programmes* After long insisting that the se=uester was too horrible e#en to contemplate, the "bama administration has finally begun to gi#e details of its implementation* The cuts will come primarily through reduced grants, such as for $ead (tart, an anti-po#erty programme for preschoolers, and staff furloughs %unpaid days off&* (ince the go#ernment must gi#e at least 30 days notice of furloughs, and most agencies ha#e not yet done so, the public may see no impact until April* ;ith luc), the se=uester may ha#e been unpic)ed by then* ,n a sur#ey of its members, the 0ational Treasury Dmployees 1nion found that E3W e-pected to eat into retirement sa#ings and A9W would ta)e on additional debt* <egionally, Maryland, Oirginia and ;ashington C, !, will be hit hardest, as they are home to the highest concentration of federal wor)ers and contractors* The most directly affected will be federal employees* Marcherie ;illiams, who wor)s for the ,nternal <e#enue (er#ice in hiladelphia, complained about the 4uncertainty6 the se=uester is causing for her and her co-wor)ers* ,n a sur#ey of its members, the 0ational Treasury Dmployees 1nion found that E3W e-pected to eat into retirement sa#ings and A9W would ta)e on additional debt* <egionally, Maryland, Oirginia and ;ashington C, !, will be hit hardest, as they are home to the highest concentration of federal wor)ers and contractors*
The most damaging effects may come from cutting bac) on federal ser#ices* The Aerospace ,ndustries Association, a trade group, rec)ons the 'ederal A#iation Administration.s plan to furlough most of its 79,000 employees by one day per pay period could cut air traffic by AW to 10W* This would reduce the fees paid to the 'AA by airlines, negating most of the beneficial impact on the deficit* !argo flights, often made at night, could be hurt the worst* The 0ational !attlemen.s 2eef Association claims the furloughing of meat, poultry and egg safety inspectors will affect E,300 establishments and cause H10 billion in lost production* :i)ewise, the furlough of customs officers could result in huge delays at border crossings, crippling the supply chains that are crucial to the automobile industry, says one trade group* (uch predictions must be ta)en with a grain of salt since it is in each industry.s interest to sound the alarm* 2ut the underlying point is correct* ,f you wanted to cut the deficit in the most damaging way, you.d choose the se=uester* I;T Ces)
!edia Power G )esponsi%ility

(n an unlettered society where one rarely comes across people genuinely into writing or reading and where %oo-s are sold not %y content %ut %y weight as a waste paper commodity and where %oo-stores are disappearing fast, getting con'erted into 'ideo shops or %urger stands, the arri'al of e'ery single new %oo%y a Pa-istani author is freshening e<pression of a resol'e not to gi'e up the %oo- culture.
Nasmeen Aftab Ali.s 4A !omparati#e Analysis of Media and Media :aws in a)istan6 is, indeed, a welcome arri#al focusing as it does on a sub+ect that is of great rele#ance to our society where not
only the media laws, if there are any, but also all other laws are of no practical conse=uence* The author, a prolific writer in social media, a well-)nown lawyer and prominent academic in mass communication, has #ery ably used her practitioner.s e-perience in opening an insightful window into an otherwise untra#ersed area in our written literature* This boo) is, perhaps, the first study of its own )ind encompassing all media-related issues in our country and generating awareness of the #ast legal framewor) a#ailable to the people as well as the media community on the rights and obligations of all in handling this important #ehicle of public opinion and information* The author not only traces the historical e#olution of this institution in a)istan, but also brings out, with specific instances, the growing tendency for abuse of mediarelated freedoms* 2esides putting the media.s role in its perspecti#e as the .fourth pillar. of a democratic state, she has tried to clarify in common man.s language the much misunderstood concepts of freedom of speech, freedom of e-pression, defamation, contempt of court, cyber law, electronic media and social responsibility with comparati#e analyses of the laws on these issues in our own country and those in other countries* 0ow, as in any other country in today.s world, our media is playing a pi#otal role as a source of information on almost e#ery aspect of our national life as also on issues and de#elopments of national, regional and global importance across the globe in the conte-t of their rele#ance to a)istan* ,n many respects, information has ne#er been so free presenting new challenges to the society as a whole and helping people disco#er new facts and hidden realities, while ma)ing go#ernments more accountable* All societies now recognise that free e-pression has its limits* The foremost challenge thus remains how the free media itself is using its newfound freedom in meeting its own obligations towards respecting the freedom of the public as indi#iduals or e#en as groups or society as a whole* This boo) ma)es the case for the media.s responsibility in remaining within the limits of legal, moral, cultural and ethical norms of the society and also the need for promoting di#ersity, transparency, accessibility and accountability among fast-growing media corporations and the go#ernment agencies that regulate the media* ;ith more and more corporate conglomerates buying up independent news outlets, broadcasters are becoming less and less accountable to the public and as a conse=uence, fewer #oices and perspecti#es are to be heard* An increasingly concentrated media ownership system in our own country has had a negati#e impact on the =uality of news and information that we recei#e about the nation and the world* There are instances, globally as well as in our own country, of growing abuse of media power to influence the political and cultural scenes* Those of us who remember the classic fairytale mo#ie, 4The ;i/ard of "/6, might see in it some allegorical resemblances with the world of media in our times today* ,ts main character, Corothy Gale, is a young, helpless, good-natured adopted orphan girl snatched up by a 5ansas tornado and deposited in a fantasy land of witches* ;hen she and her companions finally reach the palace of the ;i/ard, and in the main hall, a huge head faces them tal)ing and breathing fire and smo)e, and holding the terrorised but rapt attention of anyone who loo)s upon his face* An increasingly concentrated media ownership system in our own country has had a negati#e impact on the =uality of news and information that we recei#e about the nation and the world* That is until a curtain is mo#ed and we find that the ;i/ard is actually a little wimpy old man, who +ust wor)s le#ers and pushes buttons to ma)e the huge head tal) and mo#e* 4 ay no attention to the man behind the curtain,6 the ;i/ard yells into a microphone, hoping the huge tal)ing head will ma)e Corothy, the Tin Man, the !owardly :ion and the (carecrow ignore the facts and concentrate
on the illusion* As in the 4;i/ard of "/6, the people in our world today are transfi-ed on our own tal)ing heads that come from our own ;i/ard bo-es e#ery day and night in regular news bulletins, including fre=uent brea)ing news e#ery now and then* And the news media, especially the electronic media understands completely how much power they ha#e o#er the minds of the masses, e#en those who say 4they can.t trust the media*6 2y using graphic images, focusing on e#erything they want you to see and hear, shaping e#ents by reporting only on those that they choose, they control an empire that is actually a fourth pillar of the state* And, no wonder, they control our minds*
The media e-ercises influence and authority o#er us* And there is no doubt that money and muscle power are getting control o#er the media, which is becoming a commercial enterprise rather than being dri#en by public good, and if recent de#elopments in the country are an eye opener, our media is no longer immune to corruption* Oested foreign as well as local interests are also pouring in money with ulterior moti#es* They say, lawlessness is the son of anarchy and brother of #iolence and corruption and this 4bro)en6 family li#es happily in a)istan* These renegade companions flourish only in societies where common purposes and collecti#e good lose out to #ested interests* Though we ha#e a #oluntary code of ethics adopted since 1@92, the performance of media in our country has yet to rise to the globally recognised standards of reporting with responsibility* (ince 2002, we also ha#e a statutory body, the ress !ouncil of a)istan, to ensure freedom of press in the country consistent with uni#ersally acclaimed professional and ethical standards relating to newspapers, news agencies, editors and +ournalists* There are reports that instead of see)ing to reinforce the laws and ethical codes on such issues as morality, cultural propriety, plagiarism, fairness, etc, the !ouncil, under pressure from newspapers, is see)ing the repeal of defamation laws* That sounds odd for any democratic society where the press has to be both free and responsible* 2y using graphic images, focusing on e#erything they want you to see and hear, shaping e#ents by reporting only on those that they choose, they control an empire that is actually a fourth pillar of the state* :ately, there ha#e been attempts at distorting our history and e#en =uestioning the #ery raison d.]tre of a)istan under the nose of those who ha#e #owed to protect and preser#e a)istan.s .ideology. in total breach of Article 1@ of the !onstitution and #iolation of items 7 and @ of the ! .s !ode of Dthics* ,t is time our media owned its national responsibility by shielding the glory
of ,slam and our country.s independence and national integrity* A recent case in point was the prominent op-ed space gi#en by a ma+or newspaper claiming .guardianship. of our ideology to an ,ndian ma#eric).s #iewpoint =uestioning the #ery raison d.]tre of a)istan*
0o doubt, the reach of the media and its impact on general public is increasing and in a country where there is no rule of law, too much of freedom also has its own ha/ards* Too much of commercialism that is going beyond the prescribed codifying limits is unhealthy and must be reined in* Nasmeen Ali.s boo) is a timely re+oinder on all these issues so that media.s freedom is an asset, rather than a liability for our society* To be so, it must remain within an obligatory framewor) of legal, social, moral, cultural and ethical standards in )eeping with a)istan.s #alue system* The writer is a former foreign secretary (hamshad Ahmad The writer is a former foreign secretary*
5" $* (- ")),)(&! N$!"*D!"* O $# , 2013:

*ationaliHing the (nternational +aw on #ounter errorism @inancing he de%ate that the recent wa'e of terrorism is a %yproduct of international politics is not new in Pa-istan= though many tend to disagree with this point of 'iew.
,f the legislation of a country is any measure, the recent Anti-Terrorism %Amendment& Act, 2013 %ATA& and Anti-Terrorism %second amendment& 2ill 2013, passed by the (enate on Ath and 17th March 2013 respecti#ely, testify that the legislation is an outcome of succumbing to international pressure, and not of indigenous and domestic circumstances* The .internationali/ed. aspect of the new amendments to Anti-terrorism :aw shows that legislature and e-ecuti#e in a)istan are more responsi#e to international pressure than to local needs and national aspirations* A report issued by a)istan ,nstitute of :egislati#e Ce#elopment and Transparency % ,:CAT&, on this issue, suggests that the .'inancial Action Tas) 'orce. %'AT'&, an intergo#ernmental organi/ation established in 1@8@ and tas)ed, inter alia, to de#elop international standards in form of its recommendations to safeguard international financial system, repeatedly urged a)istan to amend its anti-terrorism laws to tighten the asset sei/ure and counterterrorism regimes* !onse=uently, a draft of twenty-fi#e amendments to ATA was proposed by ,nterior Minister <ehman Mali) in 2010* The bill was sent to the (enate (tanding !ommittee on ,nterior on Iuly 29, 2010* The bill remained pending with the !ommittee for two years after which it was reportedly withdrawn in 2012* ,n the meanwhile, in "ctober, 2011, 'AT' pressed upon the go#ernment to pass the law by 'ebruary, 2012* $owe#er, a)istan missed the deadline and resultantly, was blac)listed* The recent ATA amendments are a fruition of the go#ernment.s earlier commitments at international le#el* Gi#en this bac)ground and noting the .e-ternal. element in the legisla tion, it is now appropriate to outline some characteristic points of the new amendments* ,n present form, there are, in all, twel#e amendments in the Act* 'or conceptual clarity, these amendments may be di#ided into two broad categories3 $. Definitional $mendments .. #ounter- errorism @inancing N# @O $mend ments $. Definitional $mendments: ,n !ommon :aw countries, legislations are drafted to e-press the will of the masses through the legislature* The will is e-pressed in legal +argon and with the help of drafting techni=ues* "ne such techni=ue is to come up with a definitional clause* The definitional clause generally addresses the issues of capturing the abstract ideas of parliamentarians in 2lac) :etter :aw form* ,n ATA 1@@9, (ection 2 deals with definitions, while (ection E e-plains, at great length, the terrorism* The recent ATA amendments are a fruition of the go#ernment.s earlier commitments at international le#el*
The ATA %Amendment& Act 2013 amends both (ections 2 and E* ,t amends (ection 2 to redefine the concepts of .money. and .property. with the effect of widening the connotations and resulting in international applicability of the ATA* ,t also amends (ection E to include application of all the offences defined in eight international con#entions %outlined in 'ifth (chedule to ATA 1@@9 read with its (ection 37& relating to 1nlawful (ei/ure of Aircraft, ,nternational ersons, Ciplomatic Agents, Ta)ing of $ostages, Oiolence at Airports, (afety of Maritime 0a#igation, (afety of 'ined latforms on !ontinental (helf and Terrorist 2ombings* The importation and nationali/ation of international law into ATA is the characteristic of this set of amendments* An important point worth noting is that the newly-added 'ifth (chedule has a clause which enables the 'ederal Go#ernment to specify through .notification. any other con#ention or international treaty to be included for application in a)istan through ATA law* The delegation of power for incorporating the international law to the e-ecuti#e must be minutely e-amined as the domain is predominantly reser#ed for the legislature* $. #ounter errorism @inancing $mendments: !ounter Terrorism 'inancing %!T'& <egime of a)istan.s terrorism law is embedded in (ection 11 and twenty-four of its clauses %from 11A to 11^&* The new amendments introduce minor changes in (ections 11A, D, ', $, , <, (, T* (ection 11" attempts to simplify and empower both pro#incial and federal go#ernments to effect sei/ure, free/ing and detention of person and property in#ol#ed in terrorism* ,n the pre#ious form, only the pro#incial go#ernment had the power to affect sei/ure of property* The sei/ure and free/ing of accounts is a tric)y sub+ect in a)istan* ,nterestingly, the new amendments ma)e no references towards Anti-Money :aundering Act, 2010, and by not addressing the e-tant legislation on the point, two regimes ha#e become operational* "ne is under the AM: Act, 2010 and the other under the new amendments* The primary law enforcement agency %i*e* olice&, as usual, has been )ept out of business and no trust has been reposed in it* The e-clusionary approach towards police and a multiagency en#ironment for !T' is counterproducti#e3 as in e#ery case, the fragmentation of powers of counterterrorism agencies results in benefit to criminals who e-ploit the legal and administrati#e lacunae in courts*
!harles $* 5ennedy, in his article, .The !reation and Ce#elopment of a)istan.s Anti-Terrorism <egime, 1@@9-2002, noted3 4,f the purposes of establishing an anti-terrorism regime are to lessen terrorism, punish terrorists, impro#e the efficiency of the legal system, and dispense speedy +ustice, a)istan.s anti-terrorism regime has been a complete failure* !on#ersely, if the purposes of an anti-terrorism regime are to impro#e one.s position relati#e to one.s domestic political opponents, or to impro#e public relations, or to rehabilitate one.s standing with the international community, then a)istan.s antiterrorism regime has generally been a success*6 The writer has done ::2 %$ons*& (hariah and :aw from ,nternational ,slamic 1ni#ersity, ,slamabad, and 2!: from the 1ni#ersity of "-ford %)amranadilGyahoo*com& 5amran Adil
Psychological $ssessment G (nter'iew Guide (

5ighlights
,nter#iews reparing ,nter#iew Buestions !ompetiti#e D-ams %!((, M(, !(& ,nter#iews sychological D-amination The anel ,nter#iew (tudy Material for ,nter#iew Cos and Con.ts for an ,nter#iew Tips by Toppers Moc) ,nter#iews !((, M( and !( are the most prestigious competiti#e e-ams in a)istan* D#ery year, thousands of candidates appear in them to ma)e their dream of a brighter and en#iable future come true* 2ut, only a few pass the e-ams and most of them remain unable to get through due to lac) of sufficient and proper guidance* The paucity of =uality boo)s is another )ey factor in this regard* 2ut, 4 sychological Assessment and ,nter#iew Guide6 penned by Cr ;aheed Asghar, an officer in A( group, is the best boo) that addresses this problem and pro#ides in#aluable material which is imperati#e for success in psychological assessment and inter#iew* , ha#e combed through the boo) and found it e-tremely helpful as it presents the most rele#ant material in a no#el way* The author has pro#ided effecti#e techni=ues along with illustrations so that the readers may comprehend the rudiments* 2esides guidance on how to prepare, the boo) also features moc) inter#iews and tips by toppers* Another stri)ing feature is the presence of material comprising =uestions that are fre=uently as)ed* ,t e=uips the readers with great confidence when they actually appear before the inter#iew panellists* Adeel 0ia/ Dditor Iahangir.s ;orld times 'ormer ro+ect $ead ,nstitute of ublic Administration P olicy (tudies (uperior 1ni#ersity, :ahore* Adeel 0ia/
#an P ( /in the "lections - 2013

(n Pa-istan1s political history, Pa-istan ehree--e-(nsaf NP (O is the only political party that has gone through dramatic ups and downs in terms of popularity.
(ome recent polls suggest that its popularity is at all-time low since the massi#e political gathering of 30th "ctober* After ,mran 5han.s phenomenal success in attracting the masses, a 4tsunami6 of scathing criticism was directed at him and his party that T, is gathering traditional politicians around him? #oting for T, would mean right wing #ote di#ision which would ultimately help and Fardari in coming bac) to power, etc* 2ut, here the =uestion arises that whether this entire bric)bat is logical and based on #alid arguments or it is +ust propaganda against himU Another pertinent =uestion is that is T, really a symbol of 4change6 or it is only a political sloganeering li)e of other partiesU (ome analysts ha#e tal)ed a lot about the right-wing #ote di#ision* ;hile discussing this point, they rely mainly on pre#ious elections. results that whene#er the traditional right wingMcomprising Iamaat-e-,slami , M:%0& and some other partiesMis di#ided, being the main beneficiary this chasm came to power* 2ut these analysts forget two fundamental things about T,* 'irstly, T, has attracted not only the right-wing but also the left-wing #otes because it represents 4change6 for all the a)istanis irrespecti#e of their being the right wingers or the leftists* 'or instance, Ma)hdoom Ia#ed $ashmi who has been the bac)bone of M: %0& and .s former diehard follower (hah Mehmood Bureshi are on the same page in T,* ,n addition, innumerable indi#iduals with rightist or leftist political affiliations are now the steel frame of the T, at the grassroots le#el* The second, and perhaps the most crucial, fact is that this time 70 W of the #oters are newlyregistered young men and women who ha#e ne#er #oted before and who aspire to bring 4change6 in this filthy system of dynastic politics* Gi#en the popularity of T, and ,mran 5han in the youth of a)istan, it is e-pected that they will #ote for T,* ,f it happens, it would be a 4huge success6 in the
history of a)istan* The second criticism is about the inclusion of same .old and traditional. faces in the party* ,t.s =uite tric)y, as some parties while raising the slogans of change and critici/ing others, forget their own deeds* ,t is important to mention that there is a huge difference between a)istan.s rural and urban social fabric* The rural fabric, or we can say the constituency politics, is mostly caste-and-biradaribased* $ere, the loyalties are towards biradari as in times of trouble, they will come to help* (o, in these circumstances, 4personalities6 become far more important than the 4parties6* That.s why e#ery political party in a)istan had to include these 4electables6 if it wants to come into power and without power, you cannot bring 4change6* D#en Buaid-e-A/am, whose #ision and purpose of change was abo#e and beyond any doubt, and whose will and steadfastness to his ideals ga#e us this country, had to accept these electables coming from the 1nionist arty of un+ab into his folds* D#en ma+ority of the Muslim :eague belonged to the 1nionist arty of un+ab and had the Muslim :eague not got the Ma+ority in un+ab, a)istan would ha#e been a dream yet*
(ome also allege ,mran 5han of criticising 0awa/ (harif and his party only while sparing despite its ineptness in running the country which implies that is buc)ing up T,* This is +ust ridiculous* ,mran 5han repeatedly said in his public meetings that e#eryone )nows about the endemic corruption, plunder and loot of but M: %0& has e=ual role in bringing a)istan at the brin) of disaster and he thin)s befitting to tear their 4#eil of chastity6 apart* ,mran 5han has consistently maintained that people should not consider M: %0& an option as there is no difference between the two* 2oth are e=ually corrupt, though, the method is different* T, has attracted not only the right-wing but also the left-wing #otes because it represents 4change6 for all the a)istanis 1ndoubtedly, the upcoming general election is the most important for our country as it would decide the future course of a)istan* (ome analysts predict them to be similar to the elections of 1@7E and 1@90 which pro#ed milestones in the political destiny of the nation* At this +uncture of our political history, when the whole country is smouldering and there is acute energy crisis, a sagging economy and continuing war on terror? change has become ine#itable for our country* T, followers say that it is the only party and ,mran 5han is the only leader who can bring real change in a)istan* ,t is so because a)istan needs someone who neither can only handle all these issues but introduce some institutional changes in our body politic and socioeconomic fabric along with reshaping the state structure which will lead us to prosperity and de#elopment on a sustainable basis* ,t is the need of the hour to build institutions and ,mran 5han has pro#ed his mastery in this s)ill* A glowing e-ample of his abilities is in front of e#eryone in form of (hau)at 5hanum !ancer
$ospital that is also reflecti#e of his lo#e and de#otion for the oppressed and downtrodden a)istanis and, at the same time, his ability and #ision for change* (econdly, the recent intra-party elections also show his determination towards changing the outdated political system and turning the state enterprises into 4institutions6 where policies rather than 4personalities6 matter* Thirdly, T, is the only party which has announced 20 W tic)ets for Nouth which is indicati#e of its seriousness towards including the 4infantry6 of change in the parliamentary process* 'ourthly, T, is the most inno#ati#e party in the political domain of a)istan and it is the inno#ation which leads a nation towards progress*
All these features and merits are an omen that a)istan will ha#e a better go#ernment after the ne-t elections if T, wins* ,n the end, it is necessary to ad#ise that do use your right to #ote and play your part in gi#ing the future direction to our dear homeland* This is the only way you can change the direction of the nation.s destiny* ,f you don.t #ote, you will ha#e no one to blame for if the ne-t go#ernment does not sol#e your problems* The writer is a social and political acti#ist and a businessman* $e can be reached at shei)h_tayyab_narulaGhotmail*com* Tayyab Tari=
Pa-istan 8otes 2013
@or the 'ery first time in its history, Pa-istan is on the 'erge of transition as PPPP-led go'ernment has completed its full E-year term and soon the elections will %e held to choose their successors. :eeping in 'iew the full-throttle electioneering, parties1 luring manifestos and youth1s role in %ringing a%out the much-trumpeted 1#5$*G"1, Lahangir1s /orld imes is going to pu%lish the e<pert opinions of renowned political analysts, 2ournalists and 8 anchors.
7.1: &logan of 1#hange1 is going to %e the focal point of coming elections or it is 2ust rhetoric; Nes, there is an urge among the masses to embrace a change because they are fed up of the politics of e-ploitation only* ,n fact, the slogan of change has become the focal point of general elections2013* D-actly a change is not going to happen in a)istan in future* 2ecause the slogan of change is raised by T, but they are not in a position to get ma+ority presently it seems M: %0& will be in the lead* olitical numbers game tells us clearly that there would not be any substantial change* 2ut if we see from the angle of nature and direction of a)istani politics there will be change* 0o doubt, people want L!hange> and they will #ote for any party who can assure them a real L!hange> in the system* 2ut, ,>m not foreseeing any re#olutionary or big change in the coming elections* ;e do need change but that will come only through a surgical operation rooting out its systemic per#ersities and structural fault lines* To deal with our current malaise, papering the crac)s will not do* ;ell, a lot of change has already occurred? we ha#e an independent +udiciary, a #ibrant media, an asserti#e D! and new electoral rolls made by 0AC<A* , am not saying it will change our political scene altogether but we will go ahead in a positi#e direction* 7. 2. (s youth going to %e a decisi'e factor in the upcoming general elections 2013; Nes, the youth can emerge as a decisi#e factor in the election-2013 because there are nearly 300 million young #oters enrolled in the new electoral rolls* Their role will be ultimately decisi#e if they
come up to cast their #ote* "nly two political parties R T, and M: %0& R too) ma+or steps to attract youth* 2ut , cannot say decisi#ely that there won>t be any role of youth but one thing is sure that now the era of ideological politics is o#er* Nouth, as a political factor, will be determined by how many young men and women actually come out to #ote* ,f they go to the polling stations big numbers will come out and begin to #ote then , thin) T, is going to ha#e the first ad#antage* 0o doubt, people want L!hange> and they will #ote for any party who can assure them a real L!hange> in the system* 2ut, ,>m not foreseeing any re#olutionary or big change in the coming elections* ;e do need change but that will come only through a surgical operation rooting out its systemic per#ersities and structural fault lines* To deal with our current malaise, papering the crac)s will not do* Nes, the youth would be a decisi#e factor this time because they ha#e a strong will to bring a real change* They are trying to con#ince their families that they #ote to fulfil this fe#ered dream*
7. 3: (f the elections result in a hung parliament, how the ne<t go'ernment deal with ma2or issues li-e energy crisis, ailing economy and trou%led foreign relations; 0o, , thin) it would be premature to say so* ,n fact, it depends, largely, on the public participation in the election process* ,f we ha#e a high turnout then one party may get ma+ority* , thin) a single party or an alliance will get the ma+ority and the ne-t go#ernment will not be as dependent on Lcoalition> as has been throughout their tenure* , hope the new go#ernment will tac)le these issues successfully* Nes, , thin) there would be a hung parliament* This time, ,mran 5han>s T, is the only new element* 'rom the numbers angle, no big changes will ta)e place* 2ut, surely, the ne-t parliament would not be dysfunctional* Nes, it seems that we will ha#e a hung parliament* , agree that the coalition go#ernment has wea) decision ma)ing capabilities but it cannot be so all the time* !oalition go#ernments are successful in many countries* , hope not* ;e need one party in control of the country* 'or decades, we ha#e had a parliamentary system without our parliament e#er functioning as a 4full so#ereign body*6
resently, it seems that the elections will result in a hung parliament but we can>t rule out anything out of the bo-? it can happen* 7. 3: 5ow would the nationalists influence the results especially after 2oining hands with P!+ N*O; ,n my opinion, they will influence the results but only if they successfully capitalise the antisentiments in 2alochistan and (indh* (o M: %0& and nationalists need to wor) on that* Nes, it will influence the results in few constituencies* 'or instance, Mumta/ 2hutto and <aisanis can bring some seats for M: %0&* ;e must see why nationalist parties are inclined to M: %0&* Actually, (indhi and 2aloch nationalists ha#e been deeply disappointed by resident Fardari* (o, they consider M: %0& a better option* Cefinitely, it>s a setbac) to * 2etter wait and see* 0ationalism itself is fast becoming a rare commodity* :i)e the rulers, the sub+ects too are becoming money-minded* Dlections will be decided by money pumped in the process by hoo) and croo)* Nes, to some e-tent it would* 2ut M: %0& and nationalists> alliance should be seen in a broader perspecti#e* These Ltraditionally anti-centre forces> are now +oining hands with a mainstream party i*e* M: %0&* (o, it>s going to be their #ictory too* #an P ( %e a surprise factor in these elections; , thin) people do trust and ,mran 5han and belie#e in his slogan of change* 2ut, the ground realities and constituency-based politics suggest otherwise* $e will not be in a position to bring about a real change* , don>t thin) that T, will be a Lsurprise pac)age>* ;e must understand that ideological politics is irrele#ant nowadays and people are more concerned about their urgent needs* (o, T, would be unable to surprise in the electoral results* ;ell, a)istan is a country of surprises* 2ut the rules of political science suggest otherwise* T, may muster #ote and get seats but this is not the election where any party is going to sweep* , don>t thin) so* ,n my opinion, T, will not be able to gi#e any surprise* ,t would be wrong to assume that all the newly-registered #oters will #ote for go to T,* The people are loo)ing for a surprise* 2ut are they themsel#es going to gi#e surpriseU They must come out of their drawing rooms and ma)e the difference* Nes, T, can gi#e the surprise* Actually, T, is focusing on becoming symbol of change* They are trying for acti#e participation of the people in the election especially of youth* ,f it happens, we may ha#e a surprise* ;a=as ,=bal
"'olution or )e'olution= /hat Pa-istan *eeds;

+ong marches ha'e failed to unfold the untold and unseen in Pa-istan. hings are same= poor go'ernance, illiteracy, health issues, inflated prices, deteriorated law and order, human traffic-ing, rampant unemployment and acute energy crisis are still haunting the nation.
Prologue The honeyed words do not bring out substantial changes? there is $erculean effort behind e#erything e-isting and sur#i#ing at its best* ,n a)istan, alarmingly, the social fabric has been tearing apart with e#ery passing moment* (ocieties are built through their mantle and approach towards life* Though, international economic system and political compulsions ha#e affected a)istan a great deal, things could ha#e been better had the society beha#ed differently* ,nstitutions are the pillars of state* They ta)e years, perhaps, decades, of strenuous efforts and consistent hard wor) to be stable and strengthened* This e#olution ma)es them so strong and effecti#e that they can tac)le any unforeseen problem%s&* The other way to achie#e this ambitious goal is .re#olution.* 2ut the =uestion arises that is re#olution the only solution to bring a)istan out of the =uagmire and direct it toward a trac) that may lead it to prosperityU robably notV L)e'olutionary0 changes in Pa-istan :et us peep into the past and see what the Lre#olutions> ha#e done to a)istan* ,n 2001, General Musharraf promulgated the :ocal Go#ernment "rdinance with an aim to transfer power and authority to the elected representati#es the grassroots le#el* ;hole administrati#e system in the country faced sea changes* olice reforms of 2002, also, introduced a new culture in police ran)s* This was unprecedented in a)istan.s history that a huge effort was made in the name of
separation of +udiciary from e-ecuti#e and was by no means less than a re#olution* 2ut, after a decade or so, of this re#olution, the current happenings are perturbing rather disappointing* :ocal 2odies. elections ha#e not been held since 200@ despite repetiti#e (upreme !ourt directions* ,n federal capital, Gilgit-2altistan, and A/ad Iammu P 5ashmir :G" 2001 was ne#er implemented, 2alochistan tried to re#ert it in 2010 but 2alochistan $igh !ourt foiled the bid, 5hyber a)hun)hwa go#ernment introduced The 5hyber a)htun)hwa :ocal Go#ernment Act, 2012 that resembles the 1@9@ system and what we ha#e seen in (indh, promulgation and then repeal of the (:G ", is seriously perple-ing and flabbergasting* olice department, since the beginning of war on terror, has suffered more than army* The ob+ecti#e realities spea) #olumes about failure of e-ecuti#e* The main reason behind this debacle is that the changes in administrati#e setup, in the name of de#olution of administrati#e and financial powers, and in police system, were a hasty decision made without any prior planning and homewor)* Today, a)istan, the only Muslim nuclear power, is percei#ed as ha#en of terrorists, the most dangerous nation, and the most untrustworthy neighbour* ,n a society that has an e-tremely centrali/ed system of go#ernance, de#ol#ing powers to the le#el of union councils in one go pro#ed futile* 0e-t e-ample of the ma+or policy shift was that of 1-turn on Taliban and 5ashmir issues* This issue has been a sub+ect of intense debates since last many years* ;hether the go#ernment actions were right or wrong, is not the only issue? the ma+or cause of frustration is that when all the go#ernments in past )ept on pursuing a particular policy, how that policy could be changed o#ernight without reali/ing the repercussions of itU Today, a)istan, the only Muslim nuclear power, is percei#ed as ha#en of terrorists, the most dangerous nation, and the most untrustworthy neighbour* 0either the 5ashmir issue has been resol#ed nor ha#e the water disputes been settled rather we further got our image tarnished by the actions li)e hosting "sama bin :aden and also were accused of sending A+mal Basab to ,ndia to carry out the brutal acts of 2EJ11* Dnd to drone attac)s and suicide bombings is still out of sight* This all resulted due to the imprudent policy shift*
a)istan witnessed another .re#olutionary. change in form of .freedom of media.* DM<A was established in 2002 and, in no time, influ- of pri#ate channels changed e#erything* ;here there was only one TO, the state-owned channel, to pro#ide people with information and entertainment and to highlight only the official #ersion of e#ery issue, there came around 100 channels, loaded with infotainment* ,n ci#ili/ed societies, media is independent and plays a crucial role to pro+ect the nation.s image* 2ut a)istani media, unfortunately, failed to de#elop a unanimous national policy* D-cept a few issues of national importance, where media played a positi#e role in bringing them to light, most channels ha#e been playing <ussian roulette with a)istan* Media has failed to pro#ide healthy and producti#e contents to the masses at large* <egrettably, it has become a source of cultural erosion and ultimately moral and social ills* At the same time, cellular companies e-panded
their web across a)istan and made communication easy and instant li)e ne#er before* 2ut, alas, the way our youth has made, and is ma)ing, use of this facility is certainly not producti#e* :astly, there is one of the most important re#olutions in a)istan.s che=uered history and that is of mo#ement for the independence of +udiciary that pro#ed last nail in the coffin of General Musharraf* (oon, the new go#ernment was installed comprising mainly the anti-Musharraf political parties* ;hole nation firmly belie#ed that this is the dawn of new era and it will bring the light of +ustice for the poor in a)istan* Traditionally, the +udiciary had been pro- establishment but now, it was =uite opposite and e-pected to be #ery healthy and positi#e* $owe#er, after A years of the democratic go#ernment, ground realities are absolutely against the aspirations of the nation* Iudiciary and e-ecuti#e ha#e been at daggers drawn* This isn.t what the people of a)istan ha#e aspired to* <oots of political system need proper nutrition to get stronger and political institutions grow with the passage of time* $istory pro#es that sometimes, one has to pic) the gun up to put the gun down* "ccasionally, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants* 2ut it can only be done when e-ternal threats and internal loyalties are clear and goal is one* eople li#e the way they beha#e and react* Cemocracy is a beha#iour that re=uires e#olution as it doesn.t come o#ernight* <oots of political system need proper nutrition to get stronger and political institutions grow with the passage of time* 2ut when roots are dug into time and again, the tree i*e*, the institutions, tumbles and withers and society deteriorates* a)istan is at crossroads at the moment* (o-called .re#olutionary changes. ha#e gi#en us nothing but 4dehshat gardi6, 4media gardi6 and 4wa)eel gardi6* a)istanis are indulged in religious and sectarian conflicts, )illing of polio wor)ers, and e#en =uestioning ideology of a)istan* This is flabbergasting and is an outcome of e-tremist beha#iour, dictatorial approach, dogmatic minds and stagnant society*
a)istan needs only e#olution and it begins with thin)ing, rationally, by the mature minds who ponder o#er problems around them* Minds become mature when mental growth ta)es place and it comes only with education, enlightenment and freedom of thought* Dducated and #isionary minds will lead to the prosperous and de#eloped a)istan* ,f a)istan goes, successfully, through the peaceful transition from one elected go#ernment to the ne-t it will be a massi#e beha#ioural change* This is what the e#olution means in the truest sense of
the word* ,f this process goes on, soon a)istan will be in a position to rebuild itself and stand head and shoulders high among the comity of nations* The writer is a A( officer 'or comments3 si)_)hawa+aGyahoo*com (i)ander Fishan
he $ppalling !assacre at Lallianwala .agh

P he incident in Lallian /ala .agh was 1an e<traordinary e'ent, a monstrous e'ent, an e'ent which stands in singular and sinister isolationP .../inston #hurchill
"n April 13, 1@1@, 2rigadier-General <eginald D*$* Cyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering in Iallianwala 2agh* "fficial sources place the casualties at 39@, pri#ate sources say that the number was o#er 1000 and !i#il (urgeon Cr (mith indicated that they were o#er 1800* .ac-ground ,n the spring of 1@1@, 2ritish ,ndia was at a crossroads of history* The 'irst ;orld ;ar was o#er, and soldiers were returning to disco#er an ,ndia more impo#erished and less free than it was when they left* 0ews of the <ussian <e#olution had fired the imagination of thousands of young ,ndian* The trial and martyrdom of the Ghadar arty leadership in the :ahore !onspiracy trial, and the internment of some 1,A00 of the emigrants in ,ndia, pro#ed an abiding symbol for a younger generation of radicals* Moreo#er, after the :uc)now act of 1@1E both $indus and Muslims initiated +oint struggle for the self-rule* )owlatt )eport
This $indu-Muslim unity was unfa#ourable to the 2ritish <a+* Go#ernment formed a committee to probe into their secret acti#ities* This was headed by Iustice (idney <owlatt who presented his report on 30th April, 1@18* ,n the light of this report, the Go#ernment introduced the .<owlatt 2ill. in the ,mperial :egislati#e !ouncil, of which Buaid-e-A/am was also a member* This bill ga#e unlimited powers to the administration and the police* The accused had no right to appeal or employ a lawyer for his defence* The Go#ernment was authori/ed to put any indi#idual under house arrest without assigning any reason* This added fuel to the already bla/ing flames of hatred, among the masses, against 2ritish <a+* (ndian )eaction Buaid-e-A/am resigned from the ,mperial :egislati#e !ouncil after the passage of this bill* Gandhi also launched his 0on-Oiolence Mo#ement against this statute* 0ation-wide stri)es became a routine* ,n the wa)e of growing discontent, (ir Michael ". Cwyer - the Go#ernor of un+ab banned all public meetings, processions and protests in the pro#ince* The Go#ernment also put a ban on two well-)nown leaders of Amritsar, the !ambridge-educated allopath Cr (aifuddin 5itchlew and his homeopath colleague Cr (atyapal, from ma)ing speeches* :ater on, they were arrested and sent to Charamsala* Their arrest fuelled the protests and left ,ndia in panic* "'ents "n @th April, 1@1@, a large crowd gathered in a par) demanding the release of their leaders but the police dispersed them by resorting to firing on them* "n 10th April, General Cyer recei#ed orders to lea#e Ialundhar for Amritsar* $e reached Amritsar with 79A Dnglish and 910 ,ndian soldiers and two armoured #ehicles* "n the morning of April 13, 2aisa)hi day, Cyer.s troops marched through Amritsar, proclaiming that all assemblies would be Kdispersed by force if necessary*K A public announcement was being made that a rally will be held at 7330 p*m* at Iallianwala 2agh* 2y afternoon, a peaceful gathering of o#er 20,000 people was in place, hearing a succession of speeches condemning the <owlatt Act and the recent arrests and firings* ;hen General Cyer was told that a meeting was being held at Iallianwala 2agh, he reached with @0 troops there instantly and ordered them to open fire on the unarmed gathering* The firing continued for fifteen minutes and left 39@ people dead on the spot and more than 1200 critically in+ured* 2ac) in his head=uarters Cyer reported to his superiors that he had been confronted by a re#olutionary army, and had been obliged to teach a moral lesson to the un+ab* ,n a telegram sent to Cyer, 2ritish :ieutenant-Go#ernor of un+ab, (ir Michael ".Cwyer wrote3 KNour action is correct* :ieutenant Go#ernor appro#es*K $ftermath ".Cwyer re=uested higher authorities that the martial law be imposed upon Amritsar and other areas* This was granted by the Oiceroy, :ord !helmsford, after the massacre* 'ollowing the public outcry against the massacre at Iallianwala 2agh, the go#ernment was compelled to appoint a committee of en=uiry with (ir Iohn $unter as the chairman* The !ongress appointed its own committee with Motilal 0ehru as chairman and Gandhi as one of its members* Ceposing before the $unter !ommission, in=uiring into the shooting, General Cyer said his action was meant to punish the people if they disobeyed his orders* $owe#er, what was more damning was
his statement, .., thin) it =uite possible that , could ha#e dispersed the crowd without firing but they would ha#e come bac) again and laughed, and , would ha#e made, what , consider, a fool of myself*.. The $unter !ommittee split down the middle, with its three ,ndian members, Iagat 0arayan, !*$* (etal#ad and (ultan Ahmad, authoring a dissent* The ma+ority condemned Cyer, arguing that in Kcontinuing firing as long as he did, it appears to us that General Cyer committed a gra#e error,K but broadly endorsed other acts of #iolent repression* The dissenting members, understandably, argued that the martial law regime.s use of force was wholly un+ustified*
.ritish )eaction The public opinion in Dngland stood di#ided regarding the brutal tactics used by General Cyer* (ome considered his acts a timely action to teach a lesson to the ,ndians whereas others felt that this tragedy played a #ital role in arousing the nationalistic feelings among the ,ndians* #onclusion "n the whole, the massacre at Iallianwala 2agh shattered into pieces once for all the tradition of loyalty to the 2ritish !rown* And within a period of 29 years, it was pro#ed that the brutal acts of General Cyer and :t* Go#ernor ".Cwyer could not suppress the passion for independence that flared up after the abo#e episode* *ote: "n 13th March, 1@70, an ,ndian re#olutionary from (unam, named 1dham (ingh %a*)*a* Mohammad (ingh A/ad&, who had witnessed the e#ents in Amritsar and was himself wounded, shot dead (ir Michael ".Cwyer, belie#ed to be the chief planner of the massacre %Cyer ha#ing died years earlier& at the !a-ton $all in :ondon* I;T Ces)
&tudy in "ngland
.ritain has long attracted and welcomed high cali%er students from all corners of the world. (n the recent 4: 8isa Policy, ier 3 is the points-%ased system that mainly deals with the students.
#an Dou $pply; As a Tier 7 %General& student, you must ha#e 70 points in the points-assessment* Nou can score3 30 points for ha#ing a #alid confirmation of acceptance for studies at an acceptable le#el with an appro#ed education pro#ider? and 10 points for ha#ing enough money to co#er your course fees and li#ing costs* /hat #ourse Dou &hould &tudy; Nou must study a course at an acceptable le#el* There are additional re=uirements for certain types of courses* Nou may be able to do a wor) placement as part of your course, and a short preparatory course before the main course* Nour course must be pro#ided by an education licensed Tier 7 %General& sponsor* /hat &hould ( $pply for; Nou must be applying to3 1* study full-time in the 15 on a course that meets the additional re=uirements? or 2* underta)e a recognised 'oundation rogramme as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in the 15? or ,f you will be studying full-time on a course other than a 'oundation Programme, the course must also: lead to a =ualification at or abo#e le#el E on the re#ised 0ational Bualifications 'ramewor) %0B'& or its e=ui#alents? or be a short-term .study abroad. programme as part of your higher education course at an o#erseas institution? or
be an Dnglish language course at or abo#e le#el 22 of the !ommon Duropean 'ramewor) of <eference for :anguages %!D'<&? or be an Dnglish language course at any le#el, if you are a go#ernment-sponsored student or if the course is a pre-sessional course? or in#ol#e at least 1A hours per wee) of organised daytime study* .Caytime. is 08300 to 18300, Monday to 'riday* *ote: ,f you are studying Dnglish as a foreign language, this =ualifies as .an Dnglish language course.* ,f the course is below re#ised 0B' le#el E or e=ui#alent and is not an Dnglish language course or a study abroad programme, it must3 be appro#ed at or abo#e le#el 3 on the 0B' or Bualifications and !redits 'ramewor) %B!'&, or accredited at or abo#e le#el E in the (cottish !redit and Bualifications 'ramewor) %(!B'? or be appro#ed at or abo#e le#el 7 on the 0B' or B!', or accredited at or abo#e le#el 9 in the (!B'? or be a pre-sessional course to prepare you for your main course of study* *ote: :e#el 3 of the 0B' is e=ui#alent to a 15 .A le#el.* :e#el E of the re#ised 0B' is e=ui#alent to a 15 bachelor.s degree* !oney )e6uired The money you will need depends on the length of your course and the location where you will study* To score 10 points in points assessment, you must show that you can pay your course fees for your first period of study and your li#ing costs for up to nine months*
#ourse @ees ,f you are applying to start a new course, you must show that you ha#e enough money to pay your course fees for the first year of your course or for the entire course* Nour confirmation of acceptance for studies %!A(& tells the amount of money you need to show to pay your course fees* ,f you do not )now what this amount is, you must as) your Tier 7 sponsor*
!oney to #o'er Dour +i'ing #osts The amount of money you must show to co#er your li#ing costs will depend on3 where you will be studying in the 15? and whether you ha#e recently been studying in the 15 R if you are a current or recent student, it may be considered that you ha#e an .established presence. as a student in the 15* /here are Dou &tudying; 0ormally li#ing costs are calculated as follows3 `1,000 a month if you are spending more than half of your study time in inner :ondon? or `800 a month if you are spending more than half of your study time outside inner :ondon* *ote: .,nner :ondon. is defined as any of the following :ondon boroughs3 !amden, !ity of :ondon, $ac)ney, $ammersmith and 'ulham, $aringey, ,slington, 5ensington and !helsea, :ambeth, :ewisham, 0ewham, (outhwar), Tower $amlets, ;andsworth, ;estminster* 5ow much money do you need; ,f you ha#e an established presence, you must show that you ha#e enough money to co#er your li#ing costs for3 2 months? or the length of your course, if this is less than 2 months* ,f you do not ha#e an established presence, you must show that you ha#e enough money to co#er your li#ing costs for3 @ months? or the length of your course, if this is less than @ months* ,f the length of your course includes a part of a month, the time will be rounded up to the ne-t month* I;T Ces) I;T Ces)
/orld 5ealth Day - C $pril 2013

(n 1B3A, the /orld 5ealth ,rganiHation held the @irst /orld 5ealth $ssem%ly. he $ssem%ly decided to cele%rate C $pril of each year, with effect from 1BE0, as the /orld 5ealth Day. he theme for 2013 is high %lood pressure.
;orld $ealth Cay is celebrated on 9 April to mar) the anni#ersary of the founding of ;orld $ealth "rgani/ation in 1@78* Dach year a theme is selected for ;orld $ealth Cay that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world* $%out 5igh .lood Pressure $igh blood pressure R also )nown as raised blood pressure or hypertension R increases the ris) of heart attac)s, stro)es and )idney failure* ,f left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and e#en heart failure* The ris) of de#eloping these complications is higher in the presence of other cardio#ascular ris) factors such as diabetes* "ne in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure* The proportion increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20s and 30s to A in 10 people in their A0s* re#alence of high blood pressure is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with o#er 70 per cent of adults in many African countries thought to be affected* $owe#er, high blood pressure is both pre#entable and treatable* ,n some de#eloped countries, pre#ention and treatment of the condition, together with other cardio#ascular ris) factors, has brought about a considerable reduction in deaths from heart disease* )educing .lood Pressure $igh blood pressure contributes to an alarming number of deaths each year* Although it may not ha#e apparent symptoms, high blood pressure leads to heart attac)s and stro)es aside from also causing )idney failure* Nou can reduce your blood pressure by reducing your weight %if you.re obese& and ma)ing a few small changes in your life, say doctors* $ere are some suggestions that doctors usually gi#e in this regard3 - ;al) it out M ;al)ing at a bris) pace can help lower your blood pressure* A good wor)out will ensure the heart uses o-ygen more efficiently* Getting a rigorous cardio wor)out 7 to A times a wee) can ma)e a huge difference* (tart by incorporating about 1A minutes of e-ercise in your daily routine and slowly increase the time and difficulty le#el* - Ceep 2reathing M :earning some slow breathing and meditation techni=ues can do wonders* ,t will help reduce stress and )eep your blood pressure in chec)* Try ta)ing out 10 minutes e#ery morning and at night* ,nhale and e-hale deeply* Nou can also +oin a yoga class for some time to learn the proper method*
- Go for potassium-rich foods M Nou ha#e probably heard of the negati#e effects of sodium on the body, and potassium is an essential mineral to counter the effects of sodium on blood pressure* 'ruits and #egetables are rich in potassium* Try adding sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange +uice, potatoes, bananas, peas and prunes and raisins to your regular diet* (mportant /orld Days in $pril 2 April ;orld Autism Awareness Cay 7 April ,nternational Cay for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 9 April Cay of <emembrance of the Oictims of the <wanda Genocide 9 April ;orld $ealth Cay a;$"b 12 April ,nternational Cay of $uman (pace 'light 22 April ,nternational Mother Darth Cay 23 April ;orld 2oo) and !opyright Cay a10D(!"b 2A April ;orld Malaria Cay a;$"b 2E April ;orld ,ntellectual roperty Cay a;, "b 28 April ;orld Cay for (afety and $ealth at ;or) a,:"b 2@ April Cay of <emembrance for all Oictims of !hemical ;arfare 30 April ,nternational Ia// Cay - Go slow on the salt M ;hether you ha#e a family history of high blood pressure or not, reducing your inta)e of salt can ma)e a huge difference to your health* 2efore adding that e-tra pinch of salt to your food, thin) if you really need it* Try substituting salt with lime, garlic, pepper or other herbs and spices* Go slow on processed and pac)aged foods* otato chips, fro/en chic)en nuggets, bacon, etc* are high in sodium* Try calculating your daily sodium consumption* 5eep a food diary and you may be surprised at how much you.re ta)ing in* - Car) chocolate benefits M The dar)er #ariety of chocolate has fla#onols that ma)e blood #essels more elastic* !hoose one that has at least 90 per cent cocoa to really reap the benefits* - Con>t smo)e M (mo)ers are at higher ris) of hypertension* 2ut e#en though tobacco and nicotine in cigarettes can cause temporary spi)es in blood pressure, smo)ing itself is not thought to cause chronic hypertension *0e#ertheless, =uitting smo)ing may help you lower your blood pressure a bit, says Cr* 'letcher* And, of course, the other health benefits are countless* - Tea benefits M $erbal teas are the way to go* ,n a study conducted, those who sipped on hibiscus
tea daily lowered their blood pressure* Many herbal teas contain hibiscus or you can always opt for green tea* The effects of caffeine are still debatable* Crin)ing caffeinated be#erages can temporarily increase blood pressure* The solution is to chec) your blood pressure within 30 minutes of drin)ing a cup of coffee to determine if it wor)s for your body* /orld 5ealth Days in 2000s 20133 $igh 2lood ressure 20123 Good $ealth adds life to years 20113 Antimicrobial resistance3 no action today no cure tomorrow 20103 1rbani/ation and health 200@3 (a#e li#es* Ma)e hospitals safe in emergencies 20083 rotecting health from climate change 20093 ,nternational health security 200E3 ;or)ing together for health 200A3 Ma)e e#ery mother and child count 20073 <oad safety 20033 (hape the future of life 20023 Mo#e for health 20013 Mental health3 stop e-clusion, dare to care I;T Ces)
)ights of !inorities in (slam

(slam is a religion that e<horts its followers to %e humane with their fellowhumans. here seems to %e no such tenet that allows humiliation of a human %eing, rather in an (slamic society, minorities en2oy more rights than in any other society.
(hariah enunciates e-plicitly and ma)es it binding that minorities, too, will be entitled to rights as granted to Muslims, while li#ing in an ,slamic society* ,ndeed, ,slam urges allegiance to pro#idence, but neither puts pressure on one.s changing articles of faith nor resorts to coercion in the matters of religion* As for the preaching of the Ci#ine message, the $oly Bur.an says3 4There is no compulsion in religion? no doubt the #irtuous path has become clearly distinct from the erring? then whoso does not accept de#il and belie#es in Allah, he grasped a #ery firm )not which is ne#er to open and Allah $ears and 5nows*6 %2a=arah3 2AE& At another point, preaching that hurts one.s religious sentiments is barred by saying3 4" Muhammad % 21$&V ,n#ite man)ind to the way of your :ord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better* Truly, your :ord )nows best who has gone astray from $is path, and $e is the 2est Aware of those who are guided*6 %0ahl3 12A& The rights that ,slam has bestowed on minorities can best be ad+udged from the sayings of rophet Muhammad % 21$&* $e said, 4The #iolators of agreements who tend to usurpation of others. rights or those who ta)e anything without lawful authority or against the will of the possessors, will be pointed out on the Cay of Iudgement, and they would be cornered on behalf of the complainant*6 The $oly rophet % 21$& always warned Muslims against any #iolation or infringement of the minorities. rights* According to a hadith, the rophet said, 4;hosoe#er murders a /immi will not enter the folds of $ea#en, not e#en the fragrance which can be smelt at a distance of forty years %of tra#elling&*6 ,n fact, ,slam has gi#en a directions, e#ery now and then, for the protection of rights of minorities* "nce a !hristian delegation came to meet the $oly rophet % 21$& R $e % 21$& made arrangements for their stay in the Mas+id-e-0abwi* D#en they were allowed to worship o#er there according to their religion* And they did so as graciously allowed by the rophet* %,bne (a.ad R Al-Tab=aat al-5ubr& At another occasion, when a delegation of !hristians from $absha called on the $oly rophet % 21$&, he offered them to stay in Mas+id-e-0abwi* $e pro#ided them a warm hospitality and ensured their safety* $e said, 4These people are considered distinguished and, hence, are held in high esteem* This is why , ha#e deemed it fit to become their host, and gi#en them due respect that they deser#e*6 ,t may be recalled that in his lifetime, Muslims and 0on-Muslims %minorities& were treated as e=uals* The $oly rophet % 21$& once said, 4The protection of rights of 0on-Muslims %dhimmis& is my foremost responsibility*6 R Al-Masnad* 4;hosoe#er murders a /immi will not enter the folds of $ea#en, not e#en the fragrance which can be smelt at a distance of forty years %of tra#elling&*6 0umerous e-amples can be =uoted from ,slamic history during the era of 5hilafat-e-<ashida %The ious !aliphate&* ,slam en+oins upon e#erybody %e#en a 0on-Muslim& the right to personal liberty and right of confidentiality, as en+oyed by Muslims* ,slam allows all the 0on-Muslims to follow their religion with full freedom* Thus, an ,slamic (tate does not ob+ect to their creed and doesn.t e#en criticise their faith in any way* "b#iously, the 0on-
Muslims can perform their religious rites and rituals within the limits of their places of worship* The 0on-Muslims ha#e the same freedom of religion and worship in their own way, as ha#e the Muslims* 1se of force or pressure for the propagation of ,slam is strongly prohibited by the Buran* $owe#er, if the religion of a 0on-Muslim comes into a direct clash with ,slam, then ,slamic law will ta)e precedence* 'or instance, it is not permissible for !hristians to go around preaching their faith in an ,slamic country e#en though they belie#e that it is compulsory for them to do so* The reason is because this directly clashes with ,slam that forbids such a thing* "ne may as) K;hy don.t you +ust let the nonMuslims preach their faith and let the people freely accept or re+ectU ,t is their personal choiceK* ;ell then using the same logic, we could then argue K;hy don.t you +ust let the drugRdealers sell their drugs and let the people freely accept or re+ectU ,t is their personal choiceK*
,n the eyes of ,slam, the 0on-Muslim who preaches his faith is worse than a drugRdealer selling drugs* ,f the drugRdealer happens to con#ince someone to buy his drugs then the most harm that could possibly be inflicted on the person is that his carnal body dies from an o#erdose* ,slamic (tate doesn.t bar 0on-Muslims to adopt any profession to earn their li#elihood through fair means sa#e that can pro#e detrimental to the state* ,n short, e-cept for participating in the state affairs, they should be gi#en all the rights which are sanctioned by the norms of +ustice and fairness for people in a ci#ilised society, and in this regard, all dealings should be done in a befitting manner because Allah li)es people who adopt this attitude* The writer is a religious scholar* Muhammad Fia-ul-$a= 0a=shbandi
Q( %elie'e +uc- is what happens when preparation meets opportunity0
La'ed *a%i :hoso 3rd in &indh N)uralO #&&-2011

Lahangir1s /orld imes NL/ O: :indly tell us a%out your educational %ac-ground and achie'ements, especially your success in #&&. La'ed *a%i :hoso NL*:O: , did Masters in 2usiness Administration, with distinction, from 1ni#ersity of (indh, Iamshoro* 2efore +oining !i#il (er#ice, , ha#e been ser#ing as atrol "fficer in 0ational $ighways and Motorways olice* 2y the grace of Allah Almighty, , passed the !(( e-am in second attempt and stood third in (indh %<ural&* , ha#e opted for the a)istan Administrati#e (er#ice % A(& Group* L/ : Please share the e<perience of your first attempt, and also tell how did you secure this prestigious position; L*:: , attempted for the first time in 2010 but couldn.t get enough mar)s to ma)e the re=uired aggregate* The main cause of my failure, , belie#e, was the selection of optional sub+ects %li)e $istory of ,ndia and a)istan& along with imprudent time management* , couldn.t gi#e proper time to studies mainly due to my +ob* 0e#ertheless, , achie#ed the ultimate goal of my life by strong determination, dedication, hard wor) and last but not the least, prayers of my parents* L/ : /hat is so special in P$& and why did you prefer it o'er other groups; L*:: ;ell, , belie#e all the groups ha#e their own importance and prestige but, A( is a general management cadre* ,t was my dream to +oin this finest ser#ice of a)istan* A( gi#es you full opportunity to deli#er your best for the well-being of the marginali/ed segments of the society while reaching the grassroots le#el* 2esides, A( has a tremendous scope of mobility and easy access to public while at the same time, gi#es you an opportunity to pro#ide timely assistance to the needy as well* L/ : (n the light of your e<perience, what strategy the aspirants should follow to score high
in #&&; L*:: , belie#e that securing good mar)s in different sub+ects is a )ey factor to reali/e the dream of a brighter future in !i#il (er#ice* There is no shortcut to success, at all? this is the first thing one should )eep in mind* Therefore, one has to wor) hard, grasp the sub+ect with thorough understanding of the )ey concepts* $e must be able to present a discourse on the gi#en topic* (ol#ing the past papers and choosing the producti#e material can be helpful in this regard* 'or instance, , ac=uired good mar)s in D#eryday (cience, ,slamiyat, Iournalism, (ociology and !urrent Affairs* The reason behind it was that for all the sub+ects, , di#ided the time properly and de#ised effecti#e strategy coupled with consistent practice* , thin) the aspirants should a#oid reading too lengthy study material rather they should stay focused, composed and write legible and attracti#e material while attempting the =uestions* ,n addition, , would say that do write clearly and a#oid writing irrele#ant and ambiguous information* (ol#e past papers and get your wor) chec)ed by seniors or seasoned teachers* L/ : &hould the students consult %oo-s or they should rely on already prepared notes. L*:: "ne may find countless boo)s, a#ailable on almost each and e#ery sub+ect, and e#ery boo) has its own importance and utility* , thin) careful selection is necessary in this regard as boo)s play a #ital role in organi/ing, de#eloping and channelling your )nowledge* The best practice while preparing for the written part of the e-am is to go through the boo)s especially those suggested by the ' (!* <eading boo)s is e-tremely helpful to enhance and impro#e your writing s)ills along with de#eloping thorough understanding of the sub+ects* $owe#er, ma)ing notes to secure good mar)s is also important, but, notes should be brief yet comprehensi#e* L/ : /hat strategy one should follow to ma-e a difference in the final result; L*:: , thin) the best strategy to ma)e a difference is the effecti#e time management and three .s i*e* preparation, practice and precision* !areful selection of optional sub+ects, constant e#aluation of writing standard, guidance and suggestions from seniors and determination coupled with selfconfidence are imperati#e as well* Iust focus on your goal and don.t care of the competition* L/ : !ost candidates fail "ssay and "nglish PrRcis and #omposition papers. /hat steps would you suggest to pass these; L*:: , thin) the main cause behind failure, in these papers, is the lac) of practice and wea) writing s)ills* The best way to pass them is to 4write, write and write6, because more you write more impro#ement will be in s)ills, and ultimately, it will ensure your success* "ne can impro#e Dnglish by regularly reading newspapers li)e Cawn and reputed maga/ines li)e Iahangir.s ;orld Times* ;hile attempting the Dssay paper, choose the topic o#er which you ha#e full command* A#oid spelling mista)es and grammatical errors because both of these are the main causes of low scores or failure in the said papers* L/ : &ee-ing guidance prior to e<ams is a prere6uisite of #&&. /hat sort of guidance is re6uired for the fresh aspirants and how do you see Lahangir1s /orld imes NL/ O as far as guidance for #&&-e<am is concerned; L*:: , thin) guidance plays a pi#otal role in !(( preparation* The fresh aspirants should see) guidance for matters li)e selection of sub+ects, attempting the paper, do.s and don.ts of sol#ing the paper, allocating time to different sub+ects, and last but not the least, , would say again, effecti#e writing s)ills* , thin) Iahangir.s ;orld Times is the best and most resourceful maga/ine for !((
aspirants* ,t defines and co#ers all areas and dimensions which are of fundamental importance in passing this prestigious e-am* I;T abounds in information and guidelines with defined parameters* (o, , recommend it to all the aspirants to better understand the 4course of success6* I;T helped me a lot during my preparation especially for inter#iew* L/ : Do you %elie'e in luc- factor in #&&; /e notice so often that many a'erage students get allocated while talented and %rilliant students, at times, are una%le to ma-e it; L*:: , belie#e luc) is when hard wor) meets opportunity* (o, without thorough and elaborate preparation, there is no luc) especially in case of competiti#e e-ams li)e !((* The main reason behind allocation of a#erage students is the way they present their ideas which e-hibit simplicity and bre#ity and, at the same time, are centred on ob+ecti#ity* Any Message3 $a#e faith in yourself and unwa#ering belief in Almighty Allah* 0e#er gi#e up and always do your best to achie#e your goal* 'or feedbac)3 wa=asi=bal083Ggmail*com ;a=as ,=bal
74")("& of #&&, P!&, P#& $spirants

Lahangir1s /orld imes is the only magaHine that caters for the needs of the candidates of the prestigious competiti'e e<ams including #&&, P!& and P#&. #andidates often face difficulties in selection of su%2ects, choosing the right %oo-s, preparing for the inter'iews and so on. L/ 1s #&& G4)4 is an initiati'e to pro'ide the guidance candidates may need at any stage. ,ur guru will answer all your 6ueries. (f you want to as- something and need guidance, please write to us or email at the following address: Lahangir1s /orld imes 121-D, Gul%erg ((, +ahore. email: cssguruS2worldtimes.com
71: &ir, ( too- Psychology and &ociology as optional su%2ects %ecause they regularly ha'e %een scoring su%2ects. .ut the #&&-2013 psychology paper is 6uite different. &o can we assume now that psychology is no more a scoring su%2ect; Co appreciate the fact that o#er the years, the number of candidates appearing in !(( has substantially increased* Thus it has pro#ided your e-aminers with a fair number of candidates to wor) on* $e tests their )nowledge as well as understanding of the issues by +udging their abilities to apply that )nowledge on situationsJissues put forth by the e-aminer* "nly those candidates who demonstrate better reasoning and analytical s)ills will obtain good mar)s while crammers will be filtered out* Ma)e an in-depth analysis of =uestions set in !D-2013, then re#iew your study material or notes* Trends ha#e changed now, so should your approach* <emember, it.s a competiti#e e-am and you need to outshine others* (o, adapt yourself to the new approaches of the e-aminer* 72: &hould one ta-e (ndo-Pa- 5istory to secure good mar-s in Pa-istan $ffairs as the 2013 paper of Pa-istan $ffairs was more a%out the (ndo-Pa- history; A fair )nowledge of ,ndo- a) $istory is a prere=uisite for securing good mar)s in !((* The 2013 A paper focused mostly on the pre-independence part as most =uestions related to the historical perspecti#e* ,n addition, the =uestions re=uired comprehensi#e e-planations* ,t depicts an interesting shift in ' (! policy as this paper contained, traditionally, the =uestions that re=uired simple narration of factsJfactors and candidates didn.t bother to consult anything e-cept the study material prepared specifically for those =uestions* This year, it was entirely a different case* 'or instance, the =uestion 4!ritically e-amine the Muslim shift from militancy to education with a special reference to the educational mo#ements launched during the 1@th century in (outh Asia*6 re=uired a comparison of methodology and results of Armed Mo#ements against Dducational mo#ements* (imilarly, 4!ompare the socio-economic and political conditions of the Muslims and non-Muslims at the ad#ent of 2ritish rule in (outh Asia6, Muslim society in mid-1@th century was re=uired to be compared with the 0on-Muslim ,ndian society* The topics are same but the approach has changed* Going for ,ndo- a) $istory is at your own will but a sound )nowledge of a)istan $istory is essential* 73: !any papers in #"-2013 were 6uite different. 5as #"-2013 gone against the pre'ious trend;
, would say it has carried forward the trend of past couple of years* , ha#e suggested, time and again, in these pages that the candidates should focus on topics rather than =uestions* Gone are the days when few pages of handy notes on Geography or ,slamiyat would do the tric) for you* The competition has increased manifold and you should be abreast of it* !D-2013 is an eye-opener for those who still rely on obsolete methods* 73: 5ow can ( learn the way to analyse an issue critically; Cear aspirant, it re=uires a changed approach* Most candidates go after descripti#e study as they learn the basic facts and figures related to any topic* 'or 4critical analysis6, they rely on references of renowned theorists and historians* 2ut simply mentioning wor) of others also comes under descripti#e techni=ue* !ritical analysis is sub+ecti#e writing because it e-presses your opinion on or e#aluation of a particular issue* Nou are e-pected to challenge the established #iews and claims on any issue* Nou need to test the #eracity of those claims with arguments* Con.t ta)e things on their face #alue, +ust try to e#aluate the truth, worth and significance of the thing under analysis especially focusing on the currency of the issue and any contro#ersies related to it* 'or analytical study, di#ide your preparation in three parts3 information, interpretation, and e#aluation* The information part introduces the topic* The interpretation ma)es you understand the topic in detail while the e#aluation part ma)es you build your opinion on the issue based on strong argumentations and +ustifications* roper referencing is an essential part of e#aluation* 7E: /hy .ritish 5istory is preferred o'er (ndo-Pa- 5istory when the latter helps in Pa$ffairs paper as well; Dach sub+ect has its own significance* 2ritish $istory is preferred for it has generally been more scoring than ,ndo- a) $istory* ;hereas the candidates of , $ are many and all of them rely on same and limited boo)s a#ailable, 2$ is opted for by fewer candidates and there are only a few good boo)s a#ailable on it* Moreo#er, 2$ syllabus introduces to the candidates the political de#elopments in world history of last four centuries* The candidates understand the e#olution and foundations of modern institutions of world including democracy, capitalism, cabinet, parliament and local go#ernment* The history of )ey world e#ents that transformed the world R the two ;orld ;ars, 'rench <e#olution, <ussian <e#olution, ,mperialism, !apitalism, (ocialism, Cecoloni/ation, ,ndustrial and Agrarian <e#olutions, !old ;ar, ;ar on Terror, 10, etc* broaden their )nowledgeR base and help them in handling !urrent Affairs paper as well* 7>: 5ow to write a short auto%iography in #&& Psychological part; A short autobiography, li)e the one in !((, may contain four aspects* Nou may write them in separate paragraphs or may combine one or two of these* The first paragraph contains your introduction and usually starts with your name and other basic information li)e parentage, place and date of birth* ,t may also include the city or cities where you ha#e been li#ing* rofession of parents and any significant aspect of first few years of your life may also be mentioned* The second paragraph may include any significant e#ent%s& that shaped your life* Nou can mention any specific incident%s& where you o#ercame obstacles in your way* The third paragraph contains your r[sum[* $ere, you mention your educational =ualifications and any s)ills and credentials that ma)e you head and shoulders high among other candidates* ,t may include your traits that ma)e you suitable for this +ob* Moreo#er, you should describe how these s)ills and traits helped you so far in your professional life*
,n fourth paragraph, conclude with current information about you* Nour responsibilities in your organi/ation should find a place here* Nou can also mention your place of li#ing and family* Nou can mention your goals or any moti#ating philosophy in last one or two lines* 7C: (s it necessary to gi'e references of 7uranic 'erses in $ra%ic in the (slamiat paper to get good mar-s; ,t is preferable to =uote original te-t of Buranic #erses if you can reproduce e-actly* 'or that, you must prepare each topic with 3-7 most rele#ant #erses in original Arabic te-t as well as their translations* 2ut always remember that it.s only your discourse that fetches you good scores* Buoting references and rele#ant #erses supports your arguments* (o, it doesn.t really ma)e big difference* I;T Dditorial 2oard
P, $ &"+"# "D D,4*G G+,.$+ +"$D") 2013

$fter months of deli%eration and a rigorous selection process, Du%ai0s 8i-as Pota has %een selected the QDoung Glo%al +eader0.
;ith multi-billionaire 'aceboo) founder Mar) Fuc)erberg and co-founder and !D" of Google :arry age, noted as some of the titles past winners, ota pipped hundreds of other nominees, from around the world, to the post, with his #ision championing a better education system pro#ing winner worthy to the ;orld Dconomic 'orum %;D'& +udging panel*
The NG: 2013 included four nominations from a)istan* They were Maryam 0awa/, (harmeen "baid-!hinoy, Athar "sama and (hehrbano Taseer* Maryam 0awa/ is the daughter of former rime Minister 0awa/ (harif and is currently pursuing a hC in practical politics* (he has been managing her family-owned (harif Trust for the last 1A years, which includes a hospital, schools and colleges* (harmeen "baid-!hinoy is an Dmmy and "scar award-winning a)istani-!anadian +ournalist and documentary film-ma)er who wor)s towards raising awareness about women>s issues and rights in a)istan* $er documentary, 4(a#ing 'ace6 recei#ed global recognition since its release in 2012* Athar "sama is a scholar who launched Muslim-(cience*!om, an online +ournal discussing the issues of (cience, Technology, ,nno#ation and olicy mainly concerned with Muslim countries* $e is the first a)istani who was honoured with the ;orld Technology 0etwor) award in 2011* $e is also the founder of a)istan ,nno#ation 'oundation* (hehrbano Taseer is the daughter of assassinated former Go#ernor of un+ab, (alman Taseer* (he wor)s to raise awareness about the rights of the disad#antaged, more specifically women and minorities* 1pon recei#ing the honour, !hief D-ecuti#e of the Oar)ey GDM( 'oundation ota said3 4, am absolutely thrilled to ha#e been nominated and selected to +oin the ;orld Dconomic 'orum>s L'orum of Noung Global :eaders>*6 <ecognising the most distinguished leaders from around the world, under the age of 70, the LNoung Global :eader> title is handed out each year, with the winner gi#en an e-ceptional opportunity to wor) together with the ;D' on issues that currently impact on the state of the world* Past Doung Glo%al +eaders X Mar) Fuc)erberg, founder and !D" of 'aceboo) X :arry age, co-founder and !D" of Google, 1(A X Abdulla 2in Ali Al Thani, O of the Batar 'oundation X (alman 5han, founder and e-ecuti#e director of 5han Academy X Marissa Mayer, !D" of NahooV ,nc X Dnri=ue ena 0ieto, resident of Me-ico X Ca#id !ameron, 15 M I;T Ces)
/ould the 4.&. *u-e *orth :orea;

(f the *orth aims nuclear missiles at the &outh, would the 4.&. immediately retaliate with nuclear weapons;
The uproar o#er 0orth 5orea.s third nuclear test has died down to some e-tent* Oehement condemnation and outcries toward unruly 0orth 5orea - as if it was ready to start a nuclear war ha#e simmered down* 2ut the ad#ances in the 0orth.s nuclear armament ha#e become alarmingly dangerous and demand =uic) resolute actions because it poses the first ma+or tas) for the new ar) Geun-hye administration* ,n her inaugural address, ar) sent a solemn message to yongyang, warning that it will end up as the biggest #ictim from the nuclear test and urging it to put down nuclear weaponry to +oin the path of peace and co-prosperity* $owe#er, she repeated her campaign promise of a different approach from the hardline :ee Myung-ba) administration, reiterating that she will stri#e to build mutual trust with the 0orth - despite its nuclear threat and based on 4irrefutable deterrence*6 A new storm in a teacup may be brewing* ;hat does she mean by 4irrefutable deterrence6U 0orth 5orea is armed with more than 1,000 ballistic missiles that can reach (outh 5orea, Iapan and Guam* ,f it actually succeeded in building a smaller and lighter bomb as it claimed, it is closer to turning out miniaturi/ed nuclear warheads small enough to fit atop its long-range missiles* The country is estimated to be near de#eloping inter-continental ballistic missiles that can e#en stri)e the 1*(* mainland within a few years* 0orth 5orea also supposedly has more than a hundred mobile launchers that can e#ade preempti#e stri)es from the 1*(* and (outh 5orea* !hairman of Ioint !hiefs of (taff Iung (eung-+o said (outh 5orea could ma)e preempti#e stri)es upon signs of attac) mo#ement in the 0orth* The military will establish a so-called )ill chain that can detect alarming mo#ement in 0orth 5orea, identify a target and stri)e it in less than a half hour* 2ut we cannot entirely belie#e in a perfect system that could completely intercept 0orth 5orean missiles* Coes the military mean it can deli#er full protection from nuclear bombs flying from 0orth 5oreaU The military is currently wor)ing on a 5orean Air and Missile Cefense (ystem* 2ut so far, its endea#ours are more of a showpiece* D#en when completed, it cannot guarantee an impeccable )ill chain and irrefutable deterrence that the go#ernment has been promising*
,n tactics, we cannot effecti#ely defend oursel#es from the 0orth.s nuclear attac)* The ne-t choice should be a strategic approach* The 1nited (tates promises a so-called nuclear umbrella - a rhetorical term it now defines as 4e-tended deterrence6 - and is wor)ing with (outh 5orea on +oint strategies against 0orth 5orea.s nuclear attac)* ;hen the situation reaches a certain contingency stage, the 1*(* is e-pected to automatically deploy submarines or 2-2 or 2-A2 bombers - all e=uipped with nuclear bombs - to the surrounding area of 5orea* The 1nited (tates promises a so-called nuclear umbrella - a rhetorical term it now defines as 4e-tended deterrence6 - and is wor)ing with (outh 5orea on +oint strategies against 0orth 5orea.s nuclear attac)* ;hether these capabilities are sufficient, howe#er, remains =uestionable* ,f the 0orth aims nuclear missiles at the (outh, would the 1*(* immediately retaliate with nuclear weaponsU ,t is a hypothetical =uestion that can be answered in se#eral ways* (ecurity chiefs in ;ashington would debate and weigh what the 1*(* would gain from nuclear in#ol#ement* Gi#en the ris) of a nuclear war with !hina, a 1*(* nuclear retaliation cannot be completely assured* (ome haw)s are demanding that (outh 5orea arm itself with nuclear weapons, although the idea is unfeasible as the country is bound as a member of the 0uclear 0on-proliferation Treaty* The remaining realistic option would be strengthening our strategic le#erage in the 1*(* alliance* (outh 5orea could positi#ely consider +oining the 1*(*-led missile defense system* ,f it opts to +oin the planned buildup of defensi#e posture in the Asia- acific arena, (outh 5orea.s strategic importance to the 1*(* would increase*
,n a similar conte-t, we could also negotiate delaying the timetable for the 1*(* transfer of wartime operational control set for 201A* These arrangements could heighten the possibility of full commitment and retaliatory response from the 1*(* against a 0orth 5orean attac)* 2ei+ing would li)ely strongly oppose (eoul.s +oining the 1*(* missile shield program in 0ortheast Asia that it claims is intended to contain !hina* 2ut 2ei+ing cannot step in as (outh 5oreans now li#e in imminent danger of a nuclear threat from the 0orth because of its lu)ewarm attitude about impending danger* Ceterrence alone cannot be a fundamental solution to the 0orth.s nuclear threat* At the same time, we cannot ma)e a preempti#e stri)e to destroy 0orth 5orea.s nuclear weapons as it could trigger a full-blown war* The buildup of mutual trust on the 5orean eninsula - as suggested by resident ar) - may be a better solution than that* There is no guarantee on how long and how well it will wor)* 2ut that way would pre#ent a war and sa#e millions of li#es* I;T Ces) I;T Ces)
#,4* )D +(@" (& ." ") 5$* 4).$* +(@"

1. (ntroduction
2* 3* 7* a* b* c* d* e* f* g* A* E* 9*
1rban life emerged as ci#ili/ations flourished 1rban life blessed man with the comforts of life :ife in countryside (erenity and tran=uility !lean en#ironment and healthy surroundings <ich culture and simple lifestyles (incere and trustworthy people :esser crimes (tronger social bonding Agricultural self-sufficiency !ountry life lac)s basic amenities !oncept of suburbs !onclusion
(ntroduction Man is a social animal by nature and he cannot li#e in isolation* Throughout history, human beings ha#e gathered to form ci#ili/ations some of which flourished in such a way that they reached the /enith of de#elopment* All these ci#ili/ations were characteri/ed by their peculiar and uni=ue settlements and culture patterns* $uman settlements form a feature that has been a defining element between the two distinct forms of societies R rural and urban* The debate on 4country life #ersus urban lifeK is as old as the hills* ;hereas country life presents the #ery basic form of li#ing, urban life is blessed with more comforts and facilities* 1rban settlements emerged as ci#ili/ations progressed and people re=uired a closer interaction for their economic, social and political needs* 1rban life comforted man with basic amenities as well as sheer lu-uries of life and has become a hallmar) of prosperity and growth* !ountry life, on the other hand, offers a natural setting, impossible to be found in urban dwellings* The serene beauty and absolute purity of country en#ironment, its traditional and rich culture and simple lifestyle, stronger social bonding and sincerity among people and remar)ably fewer rates of crimes ma)e country life a preferable form of li#ing* Though country life, in many cases, lac)s access to the ci#ic amenities that are indispensable for a trouble-free li#ing, most people still prefer to li#e in rural areas* As mentioned abo#e, man cannot afford to li#e alone* 0o child can be brought up normally in isolation* The essential characteristics of a human being that turn him into a .social man. from a
.social animal. are de#eloped through interactions in society* A child ac=uires the =ualities of learning, reasoning, sociali/ing and communicating with others from the society* $uman settlements are the defining feature of societies* Thus, the two basic forms of societies R rural and urban R are defined by human preferences of sociali/ation* ,t is their desire for stronger political and social interactions that dri#es them to form urban settlements* D#en the earliest ci#ili/ations of human history R (umerians, Dgyptians, 2abylonians and ,ndians, to name a few, were centred on one or more cities* ,n fact, the word .ci#ili/ation. itself means li#ing in cities or urban areas* 1rban settlements ser#e not only as political power-centres? they also pro#ide opportunities for greater prosperity of ci#ili/ations* The ma-imum comforts of life are a#ailable only in urban en#ironments* Modern facilities of health, education and ci#ic amenities are the most stri)ing feature of urban areas* !ountry fol)s can only dream of these facilities* ar)s, recreational acti#ities, better employment opportunities, modern ban)ing and financial ser#ices, communication networ)s are pro#ided in urban areas though some of them are a#ailable, to some e-tent, in #illages as well* 'rom uni#ersities to security arrangements, and from hospitals to shopping-malls, all these facilities are found in urban areas* Cespite all these modern ser#ices and facilities, urban centres fail to cater the needs of human beings that can be fulfilled by #illages only* The modern facilities in cities come at the cost of peace of mind and true and sincere relationships* Today, people are fed up of the fast and artificial life in cities* They tra#el hundreds of )ilometres to en+oy the scenic beauty of nature that is an essential feature of countryside* :i#ing in countryside still offers many attractions for the human beings* The most important and foremost among them are the serenity and tran=uillity found there* The e-treme o#ercrowding of cities is nowhere to be found in #illages where one li#es absolutely free of such irritating disturbances* The refreshing atmosphere of countryside ensures calmness and peace of mind which urban dwellers cannot e#en thin) of* Dn#ironment in rural areas is pure and clean* The fresh air, cleaner water, lush green fields, fresh fruits and #egetables are some benefits of countryside* 1nli)e urbanites, country fol)s do not face the problems li)e air and noise pollution, filthy gutters, and menacing traffic +ams* They do not suffer from diseases and epidemics that are caused by contaminated water and o#ercrowded dwellings* The rich culture and simple lifestyle also at tract those who aspire to ha#e a serene li#ing* There is a high regard for culture and traditions in countryside* The culture, in its purest form, is celebrated only in #illages* eople are proud of their traditions and each social e#ent is celebrated with great ardour and fer#our* Another important feature of country life is its sincere and true people who are always there to help each other* (how-offs and e-hibitionists are seldom found there and people )now each other personally and #ery well* 'rauds, forgeries and deceits that are rampant in urban societies, find little space in the fabric of rural society* As people )now each other, these settlements ha#e a tight community which results in strong social bonding* They share wor) in fields, ta)e care of each other and are together through thic) and thin* This creates a stronger sense of community unli)e urban life where one may not )now e#en his ne-t-door neighbour for years* This close social bonding ensures lesser nuisance and crime rate in countryside* 1rbanites are #ictims of street crimes, land-grabbing, e-tortion and e#en murders* ,n countryside, the conflicts are resol#ed through social control* The #erdicts of elders are accepted and respected by e#eryone and
disputes are settled amicably* This is in total contrast with the urban society where litigations and complaints are common* Another benefit of countryside is self-sufficiency in food as most people are in#ol#ed in agriculture* The issues of food security or grains shortage are not )nown to them* Moreo#er, the cost of li#ing is fairly lesser there* !ontrarily, it is too high in urban areas* Accommodations are hard to find e#en at e-orbitant prices* The standard of li#ing is also low* (=uatters are common in cities and people are forced to li#e in unhygienic and congested en#ironment*
The benefits of li#ing in countryside are countless* $owe#er, e#erything has its price* The cost of en+oying pure and natural en#ironment is the lac) of basic amenities of life* The modern systems of sanitation, solid waste management and supply of drin)ing water supply are found in cities only* 1rban dwellers en+oy modern facilities of health and education at their doorstep* The concept of suburbs is getting common as it offers a mi-ture of simplicity and purity of countryside and modern facilities of urban life* (uburbs are the hamlets or neighbourhoods that are outside of but reliant on nearby large city* 0owadays, people prefer li#ing in such areas where they can en+oy natural beauty along with a#ailing the modern facilities* To conclude, it.s purely a matter of choice which way one wants to li#e* !ountryside and urban areas are two distinct societies offering peculiar benefits and facilities* !ountry fol)s aspire to ha#e a reach to the modern ci#ic amenities whereas urban dwellers long to li#e in serene and peaceful atmosphere of countryside* Many a people find ways to en+oy benefits of both and belie#e that the principle in !hinese adage .ma)ing money in big cities and retirement in the country. is the best choice* $owe#er, country life ser#es as an attraction to most people fed up of the busy li#es in noisy and turbulent cities* drwaheed*asgharGgmail*com Cr ;aheed Asghar %!( &
8oca%ulary in *ews
se6uester: NnO segregation, cut, a general cut in go'ernment spending.
,f the se=uester is allowed to go forward, thousands of Americans are li)ely to become +obless* concla#e3 %n& secret or pri#ate meeting, council, congress, parley The concla#e of 11A Kcardinal electorsK elected the new ope* scorching3 %ad+*& burning, roasting, sweltering, unbearably hot At least three athletes fell unconscious due to scorching heat* unprecedented3 %ad+*& unheard-of, no#el, unusual, ground-brea)ing, une-ampled <ebels unleashed an unprecedented barrage of mortar fire against troops in Aleppo* emphatic3 %ad+*& absolute, certain, cogent, e-plicit, #igorous 0asir Iamshed led a)istan to an emphatic win o#er ,ndia at Dden Gardens, 5ol)ata* fiery3 %ad+*& choleric, febrile, hot-tempered, irascible, #ehement The )illing of (hias in 5arachi ignited fiery speeches in (enate* panacea3 %n& cure-all, catholicon, eli-ir, nostrum, remedy <econciliation is a panacea for national ills* frolic3 %n& fun, gaiety, gambol, +o#iality, merriment, romp ,ndian cinema.s frolic with sports, especially cric)et goes bac) a long way* deft3 %ad+*& adept, adroit, apt, de-terous, ingenious, proficient, s)ilful Ceft handling of re#olution and lo#e made 'ai/ Ahmad 'ai/ a great poet*
ac=uiesces3 %#& accede, adapt, appro#e, conform, reconcile, yield ;i)i:ea)s cables showed that the go#ernment pri#ately ac=uiesces in the drone stri)es* adamant3 %ad+*& unyielding, hard-nosed, ine-orable, intransigent, obdurate, stubborn a)istanis are adamant that ,saf should apologise for the (alala incident* alter ego3 %n& doppelganger, second self (uperman.s alter ego was !lar) 5ent* angst3 %n& an-iety, distress, torment, malaise, perturbation, #e-ation Many )ids suffer from acne and angst* antecedent3 %ad+*& preceding, earlier, former, prior, foregoing, precursory They were allowed to ta)e account of antecedent legislation* tryst3 %n& appointment, engagement, meeting, rende/#ous Anupam 5her spo)e minutes after his tryst with $ollywood A-listers at the "scars* apoplectic3 %ad+*& furious, raging, fuming, fren/ied, incensed, li#id "bama.s comments pro#o)ed an apoplectic reaction from <ussiacs interior ministry apostate3 %n& deserter, renegade, defector, turncoat, bac)slider, Mumta/ Badri told the court that he had taught a lesson to an apostate, (alman Taseer* rudderless3 %ad+*& adrift, aimless, directionless, purposeless, undirected ;hen Cr Badri left for !anada, his party was rudderless* falter3 %#& hesitate, wa#er, #acillate , ha#e not faltered in my =uest for a new future* behemoth3 %n& giant, mammoth, titan, le#iathan 02 is a ban)ing behemoth in the a)istani conte-t* belligerence3 %n& hostility, animosity, antagonism, pugnacity, unfriendliness 0orth 5orea should halt its pro#ocations and its policy of belligerence towards its neighbours* bibliophile3 %n& boo)lo#er, intellectual, reader, sa#ant :ahore ,nternational boo) fair was a pure delight for the bibliophiles* brimming3 %ad+*& o#erflowing, awash, choc)-full, +ammed, loaded, ;e will not ta)e anything for granted against ,ndians who are brimming with confidence* broadside3 %n& criticism, censure, denunciation, diatribe, philippic (he defiantly replied with a broadside* bun)3 %n& nonsense, applesauce, balderdash, claptrap, flimflam, twaddle 0ow we.#e got the original sources of the article saying this whole thing is bun)* cacophony3 %n& discord, dissonance, disharmony, stridency As we entered the farmyard, we were met with a cacophony of animal sounds* P5) 8 play down3 belittle, derogate, underrate 'ood safety e-perts played down the ris) of mad cow disease entering the 1(A*
shrug off3 dismiss, disregard, ignore, minimi/e Go#ernment shrugged off contro#ersy o#er (haria enforcement in Mala)and* atone for3 e-piate, amend, appease, compensate, rectify The M:-0 should atone for its contacts with the terrorist outfit and capture them* (dioms play <ussian roulette3 ta)e big ris)s, s)ate on thin ice, gamble resident Fardari and his team continued to play <ussian roulette with their go#ernment.s future* fle- muscles3 use or increase your influence or power !andidates fle-ed muscles before polls in $afi/abad constituency* blue-eyed boy3 preferred, fa#oured, chosen, recommended, pet, best-li)ed, $ina <abbani 5har said that $a==ani group was once !,A.s 4blue-eyed boy6* Muhammad 1sman 2utt
/,)+D (* @,#4&
*ews @rom *ational G (nternational Press @e% 2013- !arch 2013
*ational
@e% 1>: A massi#e bomb de#astated a residential area in Buetta, )illing at least E9 (hia $a/aras*
@e% 1>: The Muttahida Baumi Mo#ement announced to =uit the federal and pro#incial go#ernments in protest against .negati#e attitude. of the eople.s arty* @e% 1C: a)istan and alestine agreed to form a +oint commission comprising foreign ministers of the two states to e-pand bilateral ties in economic, agricultural, ban)ing, social and cultural sectors*
@e% 1A: ,n a partial award announced in the 5ishanganga dispute, the $ague-based !ourt of Arbitration allowed ,ndia to di#ert only a minimum flow of water from 0eelumJ5ishanganga <i#er for power generation* @e% 1A: A a)istani student of Myers !ollege !ha)wal, Muhammad (hu+aat Mir/a, topped the world in " :e#el ,nternational !ambridge D-aminations* @e% 1A: resident Asif Ali Fardari confirmed nomination of Iustice 0isar Muhammad (hai)h, Iustice 0adeem A)htar and Iustice Muhammad (hafi (iddi=ui as permanent +udges of the (indh $igh !ourt* @e% 1A: The go#ernment of (indh appointed Mir/a "mair 2aig as Iustice of eace for Cistrict (outh 5arachi* $e will perform as $onorary Magistrate within the territorial limit of the Cistrict* @e% 1B: Abdul $afee/ (hai)h stepped down as federal Minister for 'inance and <e#enue* Minister of state for finance, (aleem $* Mand#iwalla, replaced him* @e% 1B: resident Asif Ali Fardari appro#ed addition of 29 symbols to and omission of .cat. from the e-isting list of election symbols, ta)ing the total number of appro#ed symbols to 1@9* @e% 1B: The ,nternational !hamber of !ommerce ,nternational !ourt of Arbitration %,!! ,!A& denied Tethyan !opper !ompany %T!!& any relief and supported the arguments of the go#ernment of 2alochistan* @e% 21: The (indh Assembly repealed the .(indh eople.s :ocal Go#ernment Act, 2012. and re#i#ed the .(indh :ocal Go#ernment "rdinance, 1@9@.* @e% 21: The 0ational Assembly passed the (haheed Fulfi=ar Ali 2hutto Medical 1ni#ersity % ,M(&, ,slamabad 2ill, 2013* @e% 21: "scar and Dmmy award winner (harmeen "baid !hinoy was appointed as a (AA<! Goodwill Ambassador for $,O and A,C( for the year 2013 and 2017* @e% 22: resident Asif Fardari accorded his assent to the a)istan Academy of :etters 2ill 2013 and also signed the Trade Ce#elopment Authority of a)istan 2ill 2013* @e% 22: The go#ernment replaced (ecretary ;ater and ower 0argis (ethi with <ai (i)ander, a Grade-21 officer* Ms (ethi will continue to ser#e as the cabinet secretary* @e% 22: 'ormer 5innaird !ollege principal Cr Mira hailbus was appointed un+ab "mbudswoman* This is the first time that a woman has been gi#en this slot in a)istan* @e% 23: The president appointed Iustice ,=bal $ameedur <ehman as a +udge of the (upreme !ourt %(!& of a)istan, and Iustice Muhammad Anwar 5han 5asi as the !hief Iustice of ,slamabad $igh !ourt %,$!&* @e% 23: a)istan.s Dn#oy to the 1nited (tates (herry <ehman was awarded the (mith !ollege Medal for her outstanding dedication to the women.s rights* (herry graduated in 1@8A from the institution* @e% 23: A massi#e power brea)down plunged ma+or parts of the country into dar)ness* 'rom ,slamabad to 5arachi, most ma+or cities faced power outage because of a ma+or fault in the 0ational
ower !ontrol !entre %0 !!& system* @e% 2E: According to the Global Terrorism ,nde-, that profiles data on terrorism from across the world, a)istan is the second most affected country in the world by terrorism, after ,ra=* @e% 2E: The 0ational Assembly unanimously passed the .Cefence $ousing Authority, ,slamabad, 2013. bill* @e% 2>: 2oard of directors of a)istan (teel Mills appro#ed appointment of Ma+ Gen %<& Muhammad Ia#ed as chief e-ecuti#e officer of a)istan (teel under the a)istan (teel !ompanies "rdinance 1@87* @e% 2>: The go#ernment appro#ed a record <s*100 billion bailout pac)age for the e#er-bleeding a)istan ,nternational Airlines* @e% 2>: resident Asif Ali Fardari signed the ,nstrument of <atification for a)istan to become a member of the ,nternational <enewable Dnergy Agency %,<D0A&* @e% 2A: At least 3A2 people were )illed and E@@ were in+ured in 29 bomb blasts that ripped through #arious areas across a)istan during the first two months of 2013* According to official figures, in Ianuary, 1E blasts which too) place in different parts of the country caused 1@@ casualties and left 380 wounded while in the month of 'ebruary 11 e-plosions too) place )illing 1A3 and in+uring another 31@* @e% 2A: Mainstream political and religious parties and ci#il society groups agreed to negotiate peace with militant elements through a broadened tribal +irga earlier formed by Iamiat 1lema-i,slam-'* The parties attending an All arties !onference %A !&, hosted by the I1,-', agreed on a fi#e-point declaration*
@e% 2A: The un+ab go#ernment and the Transparency ,nternational a)istan %T, & signed a memorandum of understanding %Mo1& to unearth corruption, if any, in three mega pro+ects in the :aptop (cheme, 1+ala rogramme and the Metro 2us ro+ect* @e% 2A: A !ongressional resolution was introduced in the 1( $ouse of <epresentati#es to recognise Cr (ha)il Afridi, who helped !,A trace "sama bin :aden, as an American hero* !ar 01: A a)istan-born 19-year-old student in !alifornia, (hayan Ahmad, launched (he'aceboo), a new 'aceboo) for women* !ar 01: rime Minister <a+a er#ai/ Ashraf appointed Ghulam 0abi Mangrio as Managing Cirector of a)istan (ecurity rinting ress, 5arachi*
!ar 01: The go#ernment appointed Abdul ;adood (hah, a grade-22 officer of the olice (er#ice of a)istan % ( & group, CG ,ntelligence 2ureau, replacing A)htar Gorchani, !ar 01: The 'ederal ublic (er#ice !ommission %' (!& decided to start in#iting applications for .general recruitment. online from April* !ar 01: The Dlection !ommission of a)istan appointed )ey electoral officers and made public an updated electoral roll containing 8A*72 million entries* !ar 01: The ,slamic Ce#elopment 2an) %,C2& signed a financing pac)age of H229 million with a)istan to fund polio eradication acti#ities in the country* The Gates 'oundation will pro#ide support for the administrati#e costs* !ar 01: The un+ab !hief Minister (hahba/ (harif announced regularisation of ser#ices of all contract employees from grade 1 to 1E in the pro#ince* !ar 01: The :ahore $igh !ourt Green 2ench directed the un+ab go#ernment to constitute a 4'ire (afety !ommission6 to de#ise a mechanism in order to curtail the loss in fire incidents* !ar 02: The un+ab go#ernment issued policy for the regularisation of contract employees under which those in 2(-1E and abo#e will be appointed through the un+ab ublic (er#ice !ommission % (!& and those in lower grades by the departments concerned* !ar 03: !hief Minister (hahba/ (harif inaugurated 5alma !how) 1nderpass, the largest underpass in the history of the a)istan* !ar 03: romotion of Dducation in a)istan % D &, a 1(-based non-profit organisation agreed to donate <s*22 million for the establishment of (tudent Ad#ancement Dndowment 'und %(A'D& in a)istan* !ar 0E: The (enate unanimously passed the 4Anti-Terrorism %Amendment& 2ill 20136 allowing the go#ernment to impose bars on leaders of banned outfits* !ar 0E: resident 'ederation of a)istan !hamber of commerce P ,ndustry (enator $a+i 'a/al 5adir 5han (herani appointed Cr Mir/a ,)htiar 2aig as !hairman a)-1AD 2usiness !ouncil of ' !!, for the year 2013* !ar 0E: The cabinet committee for educational reforms in un+ab recommended maintaining national language, 1rdu, as medium of instructions at primary and elementary school le#el because of its significance as a tool of national integration while Dnglish should be a compulsory sub+ect instead of medium of instructions at primary and elementary le#el* !ar 0>: un+ab.s largest dialysis centre was set up at the :ahore General $ospital* !ar 0>: The (enate passed the bill see)ing creation of a new pro#ince in un+ab* !ar 0>: The pro#incial go#ernment transferred ,G (indh, 'ayya/ Ahmed :eghari, to the centre and one of the deputy inspectors general %C,Gs& was relie#ed of his posting following a (upreme !ourt order* !ar 0>: The 0ational Assembly unanimously passed a resolution demanding that tele#ision channels remo#e anchors airing un#erified programmes against parliamentarians*
!ar 0C: The federal cabinet pro#ided a subsidy of <s*1E billion on tube-wells and e-tended pro#incial =uotas in federal +obs for another 20 years* !ar 0A: 2angladesh remier (hei)h $asina ;a+id nominated rof ;aris Mir, former head of Iournalism Cepartment of the un+ab 1ni#ersity, for the highest ci#il award of the country* !ar 0A: M:%0& !hief Mian 0awa/ (harif reopened the a)-Tea $ouse, the historical hangout of legendary men and women of letters of the subcontinent, after a long closure of 1E years*
!ar 0A: The ,nternational "lympic !ommittee %,"!& again re+ected go#ernment interim committee and reconfirmed a)istan "lympic Association % "A&, headed by :t Gen %rtd& Arif $assan, as legitimate body* !ar 0A: The 0ational Assembly mar)ed the ,nternational ;omen.s Cay by passing a )ey antiterror law that see)s to establish a 0ational !ounter Terrorism Authority as a focal institution to integrate the country.s effort against terrorism and e-tremism* !ar 0A: The 5hyber a)htun)hwa Assembly unanimously passed the 45hyber a)htun)hwa ress, 0ewspapers, 0ews Agencies and 2oo)s <egistration Act, 20136 binding the owners of press, newspapers, news agencies and boo)s registration to submit a declaration of paying salaries to employees as per ;age 2oard Award* !ar 0B: A mob enraged o#er alleged blasphemy set on fire a number of houses belonging to !hristians in 2adami 2agh* !ar 0B: Cr Abdul Bayoom (oomro was elected senator on a seat reser#ed for technocrats in (indh* !ar 0B: The 2angladesh go#ernment honoured poet 'ai/ Ahmed 'ai/ and rights acti#ist Asma Iahangir.s father Mali) Ghulam Iilani* !ar 0B: ,mran 5han laid foundation stone for the second (hau)at 5hanum Memorial !ancer $ospital of the country in eshawar* !ar 10: A 220-page boo) in Dnglish entitled 4My Cebut in Iournalism6 comprising letters and articles written by founder of a)istan eoples arty % & and former rime Minister Fulfi)ar Ali 2hutto was published*
!ar 10: resident Asif Ali Fardari appro#ed, on the ad#ice of prime minister, conferment of (itarai-,mtia/ on (armad Ali, the managing director of the Iang Media Group and president of All a)istan 0ewspapers (ociety %A 0(&* !ar 10: 'ederal Ta- "mbudsman and former ,nspector General of olice %,G & Cr (hoaib (uddle and (( Mirwai/ 0ia/ were elected resident and General (ecretary respecti#ely of the ,nternational olice Association %, A&, a)istan (ection* !ar 11: 1( real estate tycoon Thomas 5ramer and !D" 2ahria Town Ahmad Ali <ia/ Mali) signed a H20 billion agreement for a)istan.s first-e#er ,sland !ity, 2undal P 2uddo ,slands, 5arachi* !ar 12: The 0ational Assembly unanimously passed 4The rohibition of !orporal unishment 2ill 20136 which says that any person who is guilty of inflicting corporal punishment on a child shall be punishable with imprisonment e-tending up to a ma-imum period of one year of fine up to <s*A0,000J- or both* !ar 12: A two-member di#ision bench of ,slamabad $igh !ourt %,$!& suspended the order of a single bench against collection of the gas infrastructure de#elopment cess %G,C!& from industrial and commercial consumers* !ar 12: The 0ational Assembly e-empted politicians from personally deli#ering their nomination papers to returning officers* !ar 12: The go#ernor of 2alochistan issued an ordinance under which primary and secondary school education was declared compulsory and free* !ar 12: 'ormer un+ab chief secretary Ia#aid Mehmood was appointed new pro#incial ombudsman* The recently-appointed Mira hailbus would hear complaints filed by women* !ar 13: The (enate passed two important bills pa#ing the way for setting up an anti-terror body for coordinating and interacting with law enforcement agencies to curb rising terrorism and another for remo#ing the restriction on election candidates to appear in person before returning officer for submission of their nomination papers* !ar 13: The federal cabinet appro#ed the ,n#estment olicy, 2013, and 'oreign Cirect ,n#estment (trategy, 2013-19* !ar 13: ;ith the four successful G;< attempts a)istan.s count of records in the un+ab Nouth 'esti#al rose to 21 ;orld <ecords* !ar 13: "n the final day of the un+ab Nouth 'esti#al, the country was graced with another two Guinness ;orld <ecords* !ar 13: The (upreme !ourt upheld the Dlection !ommission of a)istan.s right to get its new nomination forms printed by saying that the nomination paper was strictly in accordance with the law and the !onstitution and there should be no ob+ection to it* !ar 13: The (indh Assembly regularised ser#ices of thousands of go#ernment employees wor)ing on a contract or ad hoc basis by adopting a bill %0o* 27 2013&*
!ar 13: A di#ision bench of the 2$! reinstated Mir Tari= Magsi as :eader of "pposition in the 2alochistan Assembly after annulling a ruling of (pea)er (yed Matiullah Agha* !ar 13: Asian Ce#elopment 2an) %AC2& decided to pro#ide 2,( with a further financial support of H200 million* !ar 13: The historic .'ederal "mbudsmen ,nstitutional <eforms 2ill 2013. became part of the boo) as the president in)ed it* The law will further ensure e-peditious disposal of complaints of the citi/ens* The two houses of the arliament had earlier adopted the bill unanimously* !ar 1E: Three out of four countries in Asia and the acific are facing a serious shortage of water* The Asian ;ater Ce#elopment "utloo) 2013 found that 39 out of 7@ nations did not ha#e enough water, the worst being ,ndia, Afghanistan, 2angladesh, a)istan, !ambodia, 5iribati, 0auru and Tu#alu* !ar 1E: According to a report re#ealed by 1nited 0ations Ce#elopment rogramme.s %10C &, a)istan ran)s 123 on the gender ine=uality inde- of the 2013 $uman Ce#elopment <eport* !ar 1E: 1nited 0ations. special rapporteur, Mr 2en Dmmerson, on human rights and counterterrorism said that 1( drone stri)es #iolate a)istan.s so#ereignty and called for their immediate cessation* !ar 1E: The (indh Assembly passed by a ma+ority #ote four go#ernment bills increasing by up to EE0 per cent the salariesJhonoraria, fringe benefits, per)s and allowances of the spea)er, deputy spea)er, ministers, special assistants and lawma)ers with a retrospecti#e effect from Iuly 1, 2011* !ar 1E: rime Minister <a+a er#ai/ Ashraf issued an order for an 4unprecedented security protocol6 for himself and former rime Minister Nousuf <a/a Gilani* The special security protocol would be pro#ided to fi#e former prime ministers* !ar 1E: 5hyber a)htun)hwa.s ruling and opposition parties nominated a former chief +ustice of eshawar $igh !ourt % $!&, Iustice %retd& Tari= er#e/ 5han, as careta)er chief minister of the pro#ince* !ar 1E: The un+ab go#ernment appointed three new members of the un+ab ublic (er#ice !ommission* They included former capital city police officer Aslam Tareen, (ohail Ahmad and (hau)at $ayat Currani* !ar 1>: The 0ational Assembly of a)istan completed its full-term of fi#e years for the first time in the democratic interludes of a)istan* The 0ational Assembly held A0 sessions during last fi#e years*
(nternational
@e% 1A: The !,A thrillers 4Argo6 and 4Fero Car) Thirty6 won top screenplay honours from the ;riters Guild of America* @e% 1A: Duropean 1nion foreign ministers appro#ed the launch of a A00-strong D1 military mission to train the Malian army as 2russels also announced the holding of a ma+or international conference on the country.s future*
@e% 1B: (audi Arabia.s 5ing Abdullah swore in the country.s first female members of the (hura !ouncil, an appointed body that ad#ises on new laws* @e% 20: 2ritish rime Minister Ca#id !ameron #isited the site of Iallianwala 2agh massacre in ,ndia, describing the episode as 4deeply shameful6 while stopping short of a public apology* @e% 21: (ri :an)a banned the sale of land to foreigners, charging that prime properties bought by outsiders had been neglected and that the country was not reaping the full benefits of their tourism potential* @e% 22: The 1( (tate Cepartment warned a)istan against any oil deals with ,ran* @e% 23: 'aceboo).s and Google.s founders set aside their ri#alries to create the 42rea)through ri/e6 for science that.s worth more than double the #alue of the 0obel ri/e*
@e% 23: African leaders signed the 10-mediated deal at ending two decades of conflict in the east of the Cemocratic <epublic of !ongo and pa#ing the way for the deployment of a new military brigade to ta)e on rebel groups* @e% 23: <ightwing leader 0icos Anastasiades won presidential election in !yprus* @e% 2E: ,ndia.s a#iation ministry withdrew international flying rights and domestic slots from debtladen 5ingfisher Airlines, ma)ing more seats a#ailable for ri#al carriers* @e% 2E: 4Argo6 stormed to 2est icture #ictory at the "scars* The most o#erall wins R four R went to 4:ife of i6* 4:incoln6 failed to win in any ma+or category but Caniel Cay-:ewis too) a record third pri/e for best actor* @e% 2E: hilippine resident 2enigno A=uino signed a landmar) law compensating human rights #ictims of dictator 'erdinand Marcos* The billion pesos %H277 million& will be distributed to potentially thousands of people who were tortured, raped or detained, as well as relati#es of those who were )illed, by Marcos.s security forces during his 20-year rule* @e% 2E: ,srael and the 1nited (tates staged the first test flight of the latest generation of their Arrow missile defence system, the Arrow 3* @e% 2E: ope 2enedict Ô, issued a decree allowing cardinals to bring forward a concla#e to elect his successor*
@e% 2E: ar) Geun-hye became (outh 5orea.s first female president, #owing /ero tolerance with 0orth 5orean pro#ocation and demanding yongyang 4abandon its nuclear ambitions6 immediately* @e% 2>: A 10 (ecurity !ouncil committee remo#ed al-Baeda leader "sama bin :aden from its sanctions list almost two years after his death* @e% 2>: 1nited (tates (ecretary of Cefence nominee !huc) $agel suggested in a pre#iously unreleased speech that ,ndia had for many years been using Afghanistan to fight a pro-y war against a)istan by sponsoring terror attac)s inside it* @e% 2C: America.s first blac) resident 2arac) "bama un#eiled a full-length statue of ci#il rights icon <osa ar)s inside the 1( !ongress* @e% 2C: !huc) $agel was sworn-in as 1( Cefence (ecretary, a day after the (enate confirmed him* @e% 2A: ope 2enedict Ô, ended his eight-year reign, becoming the first pontiff in si- centuries to resign instead of ruling for life* The papacy became officially #acant at 1@00 GMT* @e% 2A: At least 37 people were )illed in 2angladesh in a wa#e of #iolence after Celwar $ossain (ayedee, the Iamaat-e-,slami party.s #ice president, was found guilty of war crimes, including murder, arson and rape* (ayedee is the third person to be con#icted by the contro#ersial domestic tribunal* @e% 2A: ,n a stunning re#ersal, 10 appeals +udges ac=uitted the former chief of the Nugosla# 0ational Army, Gen Momcilo erisic, of aiding and abetting atrocities by rebel (erbs, including the (rebrenica massacre, by pro#iding them with military aid during the 2al)an wars* !ar 02: Crastic budget cuts, 4se=uester6, became effecti#e in the 1nited (tates, hours after resident 2arac) "bama signed an order initiating H8A billion in reductions* !ar 03: resident 2arac) "bama appointed hillip Gordon as new coordinator for the Middle Dast, 0orth Africa and the Gulf* !ar 0E: Taiwan presented a special medal to a 102-year-old former general, :ee $sueh-yen, for leading his s=uadron of aircraft against Iapan on the !hinese mainland during ;orld ;ar ,,* !ar 0>: The 10 atomic agency.s board of go#ernors appro#ed gi#ing Iapanese director general Nu)iya Amano a new four-year term* !ar 0>: "ne million (yrians ha#e fled their homeland since a re#olt erupted two years ago, the 10 reported* !ar 0C: The 10 (ecurity !ouncil #oted to tighten financial restrictions on Cemocratic eople.s <epublic of 5orea %C <5& and crac)down on its attempts to ship and recei#e banned cargo in #iolations of 10 sanctions* !ar 0A: 'ormer Argentine president !arlos Menem was con#icted of orchestrating arms smuggling while in office*
!ar 0A: Iohn 2rennan too) oath of office as the new director for the !entral ,ntelligence Agency %!,A&* !ar 0A: ,ran.s Mahmoud Ahmdin+ead and !uba.s <aul !astro +oined about 30 other heads of states at the funeral of $ugo !hY#e/ in an emotional farewell to the charismatic Oene/uelan leader who changed the face of politics in (outh America* !ar 0A: Tunisian politicians formed a new go#ernment, with Ali :arayedh as the new prime minister* !ar 0B: 1huru 5enyatta narrowly won 5enya.s presidential election, but his main ri#al, <aila "dinga, refused to concede* 5enyatta is the son of 5enya.s founding president and one of Africa.s richest men* !ar 10: Aung (an (uu 5yi was selected to continue as head of Myanmar.s main opposition party* The 0obel laureate was named chairwoman of the 0ational :eague for Cemocracy.s new e-ecuti#e board* !ar 10: The world.s biggest religious festi#al concluded with nearly two million pilgrims attending it* The two-month-long 5umbh Mela ended on the occasion of Mahashi#ratri, a ma+or $indu festi#al celebrated across ,ndia and 0epal* !ar 12: A Iapanese energy e-plorer said that it e-tracted gas from offshore methane hydrate deposits for the first time in the world* !ar 12: The 1nited (tates and <ussia clashed in the 10 (ecurity !ouncil o#er a response to the latest agreements between (udan and (outh (udan on restarting the flow of oil and pulling troops bac) from their tense border* !ar 12: 'or the first time, ,ndia test-fired its indigenously-de#eloped medium range subsonic cruise missile, 0irbhay from the ,ntegrated Test <ange at !handipur* !ar 13: Iorge Mario 2ergoglio of Argentina was elected to be the new leader of the <oman !atholic !hurch, and said he would ta)e the name 'rancis ,* ope 'rancis, 9E, appeared on the central balcony of (t eter.s 2asilica +ust o#er an hour after white smo)e poured from a chimney on the roof of the (istine !hapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world.s 1*2 billion <oman !atholics*
!ar 13: !hina.s parliament named î Iinping as president, four months after he too) charge of the
!ommunist arty with pledges of reform* !ar 13: Author Tan Twang Dng became the first Malaysian author to win Asia.s top literary pri/e, the H30,000 Man Asian :iterary ri/e, for his no#el 4The Garden of D#ening Mists6 set during the aftermath of the Iapanese occupation of Malaya* !ar 13: 4$istory will remember resident $ugo !hY#e/, a charismatic leader whose progressi#e policies brought Oene/uela.s po#erty rate down from o#er 90 per cent at the close of the 20th century to around 20 per cent today,6 said Ou) Ieremic, president of the 1@3-member 10 General Assembly* !ar. 13: 0epal.s chief +ustice, 5hilra+ <egmi, was sworn-in as head of an interim go#ernment tas)ed with steering the country towards elections by Iune* !ar 1E: !hina.s parliament installed bureaucrat :i 5e=iang as premier, putting him in charge of running the world.s second-largest economy*
"'eryday &cience
@e% 21: Astronomers announced the disco#ery of the smallest )nown planet* Cubbed 5epler-39b, the planet, roughly the si/e of Darth.s moon, was disco#ered outside of our solar system and is the smallest e#er found in space* @e% 21: The meteor that roc)ed <ussia on 'ebruary 1A, 2013, was the nbiggest since 1@08, at AA feet in diameter, estimated 0A(A* @e% 23: (cientists said they had found traces of a micro-continent hidden underneath the ,ndian "cean island of Mauritius* @e% 2>: (cientists from the otsdam ,nstitute for !limate ,mpact <esearch % ,5& identified a physical mechanism behind the e-treme weather that has plagued many parts of the world in recent years M and that it is tied to climate change* @e% 2>: A <oyal 0a#y ship disco#ered and mapped a .Grand !anyon. beneath the wa#es using state-of-the-art technology* $M( enterprise disco#ered the 2A0 metre-deep %820ft& canyon beneath the <ed (ea* @e% 2A: An international team of scientists at 2elgium.s Antarctica research station found the largest meteorite in nearly 2A years, helping them to unloc) the secrets of our solar system* !ar 12: An analysis of a Mars roc) sample by the !uriosity ro#er has un#eiled minerals, including hydrogen, carbon and o-ygen, that are the building bloc)s of life, 0A(A said* !ar 03: 2uilding on earlier pioneering wor) by researchers at the 1ni#ersity of !alifornia, (an Ciego, international consortium of uni#ersity researchers has produced the most comprehensi#e #irtual reconstruction of human metabolism to date* (cientists could use the model, )nown as <econ 2, to identify causes of and new treatments for diseases li)e cancer, diabetes and e#en psychiatric and neurodegenerati#e disorders* !ar 13: The world.s largest ground-based obser#atory, the A:MA space obser#atory, opened for business in the desert of northern !hile*
!ar. 13: !anadian astronaut !hris $adfield too) the helm of the ,nternational (pace (tation %,((&, mar)ing only the second time in the outpost.s 12-year history that command has been turned o#er to someone who is not American or <ussian*
"conomy
@e% 1A: The 1nited Arab Dmirates signed 19 defence contracts to purchase military e=uipment worth H1*7 billion including 1(-manufactured redator drones* @e% 20: 2angladesh signed a loan deal with a Iapanese de#elopment agency for construction of the country.s first-e#er metro rail system, costing H2*8 billion* @e% 20: ,ran agreed to set up a H7 billion oil refinery in Gwadar with an estimated capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day* @e% 20: The (ecurities and D-change !ommission of a)istan %(D! & slapped a hea#y penalty of <s*A0 million on 2MA !apital Management :imited, a bro)er of the 5arachi (toc) D-change %5(D&* @e% 21: The board of ,!, a)istan :imited announced the appointment of Asif Iooma as chief e-ecuti#e of the company, effecti#e 'ebruary 2A, 2013* @e% 23: !hina.s $uawei, the number three smartphone ma)er behind giants (amsung and Apple, un#eiled a new mobile, the Ascend 2, which, it claims, is the fastest in the world* @e% 2>: a)istan (tate "il was declared defaulter by the world mar)et due to delay in payments under the :! head* @e% 2>: The 1( (enate 'inance !ommittee appro#ed resident 2arac) "bama.s nominee Iac) :ew to be the new Treasury secretary, replacing Timothy Geithner* @e% 2C: The federal go#ernment appointed fi#e new directors on the central board of directors of the (tate 2an) of a)istan for a period of three years with immediate effect* !ar 01: The 'ederal 2oard of <e#enue issued three notifications to re#ise duty to #arious products to yield additional re#enue for achie#ing its collection target* !ar 01: The (D! directed the a)-Batar 'amily Ta)aful and its !D" to pay <s*800,000 and <s*200,000 respecti#ely, in fines to the regulator for running ad#ertisements containing 4decepti#e andJor misleading information6* 2an) ,slami a)istan published an ad#ertisement in Cawn on "ctober 29 last year that promoted three Ta)aful products of a)-Batar 'amily Ta)aful* !ar 02: The !ommittee on Transport of the 1nited 0ations Dconomic and (ocial !ommission for Asia and the acific %D(!A & has found all the 12 dry ports in a)istan as ha#ing .little potential.* The !ommittee also found that out the Asia and the acific region has a total of 237 dry ports, out of which only 10@ ha#e the potential* Cry ports of eight regional countries, including37 in ,ndia, were also found to be not cpotentialc* All the 19 dry ports in !hina, 8 dry ports in Myanmar, A in the hilippines, and 2 in (ri :an)a ha#e been described as Kpotential.* "ut of 1@, Tur)ey has 19 potential dry ports? <ussia has 10 potential out of 1A dry ports? ,ran A out of @? 2hutan A out of E? 2angladesh @ out of 19 and A/erbai+an 10 out of 18* !ar 0>: The federal go#ernment appointed Ashraf Mahmood ;athra as Ceputy Go#ernor, (tate
2an) of a)istan %(2 & for a period of three years* !ar 0C: 2ushra 0a/ Mali), director on the board of the :ahore (toc) D-change %:(D&, was appointed as a member of the !ompetition !ommission of a)istan %!! &* !ar 0A: Iustice 0oorul $a= Bureshi of the ,slamabad $igh !ourt %,$!& ruled against #arious pri/e schemes offered by cellular companies in the country and declared them against the interest of consumers* !ar 0B: Taiwan.s top smartphone ma)er $T! said a German court had dismissed two patent infringement complaints brought against the company by 'innish phone giant 0o)ia* !ar 13: The (indh Dngro !oal Mining !ompany %(D!M!& and Go#ernment of (indh bro)e ground to mar) the beginning of coal e-traction pro+ect at Thar !oal bloc) ,,* !ar 13: !hina has o#erta)en Iapan as the world.s second biggest economy while lifting hundreds of millions of its people out of po#erty, a 1nited 0ations report said*
&ports
@e% 1>: The 1A-time Grand (lam winner, (erena ;illiams, replaced top ran)ed Oictoria A/aren)a after beating etra 5#ito#a in the =uarter-finals of the Batar "pen* (he is now the oldest female to hold the co#eted position* @e% 1C: The head of the international wrestling federation resigned in the wa)e of the decision to remo#e the sport from the list of guaranteed "lympic e#ents* @e% 1C: "utgoing world number one Oictoria A/aren)a outclassed (erena ;illiams to win the Batar "pen* @e% 1C: Australia clinched the women.s ;orld !up for the si-th time with a 117-run win o#er the ;est ,ndies in the final* @e% 1B: ','A announced that goal-line technology will be used at the 2017 ;orld !up and two more systems could be considered in addition to the e-isting pair* @e% 21: Army lifted the title after beating olice in the final of the 11th 0ational Men.s 0etball !hampionship* @e% 23: 101-year-old 'au+a (ingh, belie#ed to be the world.s oldest distance runner, retired after ending his last race in $ong 5ong* @e% 2E: $osts (ui (outhern Gas !ompany %((G!& won the E0th 0ational !ycling !hampionship held at the 0ational !ycling Oelodrome in :ahore while a)istan Army bagged the second position* @e% 2A: 5arachi 2lues were crowned the inaugural (uper Dight champions of the 'aysal 2an) Buaid-i-A/am Trophy 0ational !ric)et !hampionship after clinching an emphatic nine-wic)et #ictory against (ial)ot in the final* @e% 2A: 0ational 2an) of a)istan %02 &, in compliance with the direction of rime Minister <a+a er#ai/ Ashraf, hired ser#ices of Muhammad Asif, ;orld (noo)er !hampion 2012*
!ar 01: :iechtenstein.s Tina ;eirather earned the first ;orld !up win of her career in (uper-G as o#erall leader Tina Ma/e edged closer to $ermann Maier.s points record* !ar 03: Cen/aro of Gul Fareen 5han clinched the country.s most prestigious race the a)istan Cerby here at the :ahore <ace !lub course* !ar 03: A fourth system of goal-line technology has been appro#ed and granted a licence, soccer.s go#erning body ','A said* !ar 03: 'ancied bay colt Cen/aro etched his name in the annals of the a)istan Cerby after producing a ma+estic burst of speed to outclass his ri#als to win the country.s premier classic race* !ar 03: "lympic champion Ienn (uhr lit up the 1( indoor athletics championships by leaping A*02 metres to set a new women.s pole #ault world record, while throwing down the gauntlet to <ussian great Nelena ,sin baye#a* !ar 03: 'ast bowler 1mar Gul too) fi#e wic)ets for only si- runs and captain Mohammad $afee/ smashed a career best 8E off A1 balls as a)istan annihilated (outh Africa in the decisi#e second Twenty20 ,nternational* !ar 03: "pener Murali Oi+ay and !heteshwar u+ara bro)e the record of 227 runs for the secondwic)et partnership against Australia, set by (unil Ga#as)ar and Mohinder Amarnath in 1@8E at (ydney by scoring 2@7 runs* !ar 03: <afael 0adal destroyed Ca#id 'errer to win the Me-ican "pen, losing +ust two games as he claimed his second title in three e#ents since returning from a lengthy in+ury lay-off* !ar 03: 'ootball superstar Ca#id 2ec)ham was named an ambassador for the !hinese (uper :eague* !ar 03: American Michael Thompson birdied the final hole to hold off Australian Geoff "gil#y and capture his first GA title, winning the HE million $onda !lassic by two stro)es* !ar 03: Muhammad $afee/ became the first a)istani and eighth batsman o#erall to score 1000 runs in Twenty-20 cric)et*
!ar 0C: The strong FT2: women.s cric)et team outplayed the un+ab outfit in the final to win the
second (haheed Mohtarma 2ena/ir 2hutto ;omen !ric)et !hallenge Trophy at the Gaddafi (tadium* !ar 0A: Asian 0o*1 0ofil 5aleem li#ed up to his billing when he won the Batar under-17 tennis championship at Coha.s 5halifa Tennis !entre* !ar 10: Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfigur <ahim smashed impressi#e centuries, 18@ and 1A2 respecti#ely, in a record stand* Their 2E1-run unbro)en stand was 2angladesh.s highest for any wic)et in Tests, the pre#ious best being 200 for the second wic)et between Tamim ,=bal and Iunaid (iddi=ue against ,ndia in Cha)a in 2010* 2angladesh also surpassed their pre#ious highest total of 713 against (ri :an)a in Tests* !ar 10: Team ()y rider <ichie orte became the first winner of aris-0ice as he won the final stage @*E)m time-trial to hold off the challenge of American Andrew Talan-s)y* !ar 11: 'ormer world number one Tiger ;oods pic)ed up his biggest #ictory since 200@ after winning the ;G!-!adillac !hampionship in Miami* !ar 11: Mushfi=ur <ahim became the first 2angladeshi to crac) a double-century while 0asir $ossain hit a maiden ton as the tourists gained a E8-run lead in the first Test against (ri :an)a* !ar 12: The (ports 2oard un+ab %(2 & went for si- successful Guinness ;orld <ecords %G;<&* !ar 12: Iamaican sprinter 1sain 2olt and 2ritish heptathlete Iessica Dnnis won the :aureus ;orld (portsman and (portswoman of the Near Awards following their success at the 2012 :ondon "lympic Games* !ar. 13: !ric)et Australia and 0ew Fealand !ric)et appointed <alph ;aters as chairman of the organising committee for the 201A ;orld !up after the death of Iames (trong*
,%ituaries
@e% 1C: 5ei)o 'u)uda, the Iapanese-born granddaughter of a samurai who learned +udo from its founder and became the highest-ran)ed woman in the martial art, died at age @@* @e% 1B: 'ormer !/echoslo#a)ia star Fdene) Fi)Yn, who memorably scored four goals at the 1@A8 ;orld !up died at the age of 9A* @e% 1B: Conald <ichie, one of the most prominent American writers on Iapan and on e-patriate life, best )nown for introducing the Dnglish-spea)ing world to the golden age of Iapanese cinema, died* $e was 88* @e% 23: <enowned Dducationist, scholar and writer Cr 0a/ir Baiser passed away* $e was 89* @e% 2C: 'rench resistance hero and $olocaust sur#i#or (tephane $essel, whose 2010 manifesto 4Time for "utrage6 sold millions of copies, died at the age of @A* @e% 2A: 'ormer :ahore $igh !ourt chief +ustice Abdul (ha)oor (alam died* @e% 2A: The mastermind of 2ritain.s 1@E3 Great Train <obbery, 2ruce <eynolds, died, at aged 81* <eynolds was a petty criminal who was responsible for planning the world-famous robbery of the post office train which ran between Glasgow and :ondon on August 9, 1@E3*
!ar 02: oet, writer, intellectual and academician, (habnam (ha)eel, died in 5arachi* !ar 03: (ammy Guillen, one of a handful of players to ha#e played Test cric)et for two countries, has died in !hristchurch aged 88* $e represented ;est ,ndies and 0ew Fealand during an eight-Test career in the 1@A0s* !ar 03: rominent Australian businessman Iames (trong, the chairman of the organising committee for the 201A cric)et ;orld !up in Australia and 0ew Fealand, has died aged E8* !ar 03: The former pro#incial president of women wing of a)istan eople.s arty, M0A Mali) Mehrun 0isa Afridi, died* (he was EA* !ar 0>: resident $ugo !hY#e/ died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending 17 years of his rule that won him passionate support among the poor* !ar 0A: 'ormer a)istan Test cric)eter and chief selector $aseeb Ahsan passed away* $e was 93* !ar 0B: 'ilm star Aasia passed away in !anada* (he was E1* !ar 11: 'lags flew at half-mast across (weden as the country mourned the death of rincess :ilian, a ;elsh-born commoner who stole (wedes. hearts by waiting three decades to marry her lifelong lo#e rince 2ertil* !ar 13: ar#een <ehman, the Cirector of the "rangi ilot ro+ect, was shot dead in "rangi Town* !ar 13: ,eng (ary, one of three elderly 5hmer <ouge leaders on trial for atrocities that too) the li#es of as much as one-fourth of the !ambodian population in the 1@90s, died in hnom enh* $e was 89* !ar 1E: a)istan.s most celebrated news photographer '*D* !haudhry passed away, the day he was to celebrate his 10Ath birthday* Muhammad 1sman 2utt
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CSSForum.com.pk Content Copyright jWorldTimes.

com Jahangir World Times Published: pril, 2013

Gwadar Port: Geo-economic and Geostrategic Dimensions

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