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Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Fewer optimists than a year ago - Daily Times
"Fewer Pakistanis are optimistic about their country’s future than a year ago, a private survey has found. Gallup Pakistan said only 41 percent of respondents expressed hope about 2004, compared with 47 percent in a similar survey last year. It said nearly half of Pakistanis in the latest poll were either unsure about their future or believed their situation would not change in the New Year."
Asia has best year since 1999 - CNN
"Thailand has led Asian stock markets to their best performance for four years, with only China's Shanghai B-shares posting a loss for 2003. Top honors in the region went to Bangkok's SET composite index, which put on a massive 117.3 percent for the year as confidence returned among investors. India grabbed second spot, the BSE-30 in Mumbai finishing with a gain of 73 percent to 5838.96, within sight of its February 2000 record close of 6150. Last year's star performer, Pakistan's KSE-100, jumped another 65 percent to finish at 4471.60."
An Odd Sight in Iran as U.S. Flag Goes Up - New York Times
"For the past 24 years, the Stars and Stripes was unfurled publicly in Iran only to be burned, so Iranians were astonished on Wednesday by its sudden unveiling in an official capacity — not fluttering in the frigid winter wind, exactly, but glued to the peaked roofs of the three tents housing the American earthquake relief team. 'I guess that is O.K., but if they try to raise a flag, that will be a problem,' said Sayid Muhammad Hashemi, a burly, bearded clergyman who brought his motorcycle to a screeching halt when he saw the flags."
Pakistani Leader's New Tactic: Persuasion - New York Times
"Gen. Pervez Musharraf took power in a coup. Now President Pervez Musharraf is on the stump. On Thursday, Pakistan's president and army chief will face a vote of confidence by Pakistan's electoral college — members of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies — that would allow him to remain president until 2007 ... over the past three days, in a series of striking speeches, General Musharraf has been addressing those who will vote on Thursday, defending not only his presidency, but his vision of Islam as a tolerant religion."
Christians second-class in Muslim lands - Reuters
"Too many Islamic countries treat their Christian minorities as second-class citizens and bar them from building churches while Western states let their Muslims build mosques freely, according to a senior Vatican official ... Tauran was the latest and highest-ranking Catholic official to voice concern about Vatican relations with Muslims, an issue seen as central for whoever succeeds the ailing Pope John Paul."
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
A Nuclear Headache: What if the Radicals Oust Musharraf? - NY Times
"Under both President Clinton and President Bush, the Pentagon has analyzed whether American forces could seize or secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if it appeared likely to fall into the hands of terrorists or their sympathizers, part of a broad effort at planning for nuclear emergencies around the world. But a number of current and former administration officials said they had concluded that it was impossible to be certain where all of Pakistan's nuclear materials and weapons components were stored."
Canadian firm offers Rs 35b for HBL - Daily Times
"There are many discrepancies in the Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) bidding. The bank’s current market value is over Rs 71 billion, but it has been sold for Rs 22.404 billion. This was said by Maryna (Private) Limited Canada’s country head Rashid Amiruddin at a press conference here on Tuesday. He said the MLC would move the court because it was put out of bidding by raising the 'unreasonable' objection that it was not a serious buyer."
The International Herald Tribune reports on Aga Khan's bid for HBL: Aga Khan fund bids for control of Habib Bank.
The Saudi Paradox - Foreign Affairs
"Saudi Arabia is in the throes of a crisis, but its elite is bitterly divided on how to escape it. Crown Prince Abdullah leads a camp of liberal reformers seeking rapprochement with the West, while Prince Nayef, the interior minister, sides with an anti-American Wahhabi religious establishment that has much in common with al Qaeda. Abdullah cuts a higher profile abroad -- but at home Nayef casts a longer and darker shadow."
How US Manipulates News to Suit Its Interests - Arab News
"The coverage is managed and 'spun' and, when needed, shifted to new topics — positive stories of victories ... Americans and Iraqis continue to die, on a daily basis, but the stories of these deaths no longer generate front-page news coverage. For example, a series of attacks on US forces on Christmas Day resulted in four American deaths. A review of a number of major US daily newspapers found the story on page 39 in one, page 18 in another and not even appearing in another two."
Analysis: Musharraf faces killers' wrath - UPI
"Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is on a three- month race against time to stay alive in order to purge his army's senior command. And the most ruthless, determined terrorists in the world are out to kill him before that deadline. On March 23, the annual reassignments of top Pakistani Army commanders are announced ... South Asian intelligence and diplomatic sources say he is determined to purge the Islamist hard-liners in the army command and the mighty, shadowy Inter-Service Intelligence organization who hold real power in Pakistan."
South Asian peace stokes Indian tourism boom - Reuters
"Jodhpur, home to one of India's largest and impressive forts, the cliff-top Mehrangarh, has been a popular stop for travellers from far off lands since it was founded in 1459. But the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the threat of war with Pakistan last year scared off visitors. Detente with Pakistan this year has helped persuade foreign visitors to return to the city and the rest of the country, helped by lavish government advertising campaigns overseas and India's booming economy."
A Slender Reed in Pakistan - Christian Science Monitor
"The two recent attempts to assassinate Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, expose again the fragile foundation underlying US policy regarding Pakistan's neighbor, Afghanistan, and the broader war on terrorism ... The problem is that no one can see an alternative to Musharraf. Pakistan's civilian politicians have been notoriously incompetent rulers. But the Bush administration and its allies had better be looking for other allies in Pakistan - and developing policy options that include them."
Green card lottery goes online, but fewer play - Herald Tribune
"With a Dec. 30 deadline looming and 55,000 green cards at stake, the lottery has attracted fewer than half the usual number of applications, falling to 5 million from as many as 13 million. The startling drop-off, everyone agrees, results from the fact that for the first time applications are being accepted only by computer, which government officials say has curtailed duplications and fraud."
Monday, December 29, 2003
Secular school offers hope - Financial Times
"Goth Dhani Bukhsh, a suburb near Karachi's airport, would once have been an ideal recruitment ground for militant groups, which rely on poor, under-privileged boys with few prospects. But today the enthusiasm of students in Goth Dhani Bukhsh is palpable. Unlike the poorly resourced government establishments, their school, run by The Citizen's Foundation, offers uniforms, libraries, computer and science laboratories and subsidised tuition fees. Moreover, boys and girls are educated together, which is highly unusual in Pakistan."
The Internet hasn't reeled in everyone yet - Christian Science Monitor
"Once it was edgy and cool. Now the Internet has settled down into a comfortable middle age and become merely ... indispensible. After spiking in the 1990s and early 2000s, the percentage of adult Americans online has leveled off in the past two years at 63 percent, says a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. That percentage is expected eventually to rise, but not as quickly as some had imagined."
Bollywood film on mini-war with Pakistan fills the house in India - Daily Times
"Bollywood’s take on India’s near-war with Pakistan on Kashmir’s Kargil peaks opened to a packed house amid predictions the star-studded and nationalistic film could boost the industry’s fortunes at the box office ... JP Dutta, the director, producer and writer of LoC-Kargil, shrugged off criticism that his multimillion-dollar magnum opus was jingoistic. 'Just because the peace efforts are on that does not mean we should forget about our fallen heroes,' Dutta told reporters."
Deal that would see Musharraf quit army post by 2004 - SF Chronicle
"Pakistani lawmakers on Monday passed a landmark constitutional amendment giving U.S.-backed President Gen. Pervez Musharraf extraordinary powers in return for a promise that he will quit his army post by the end of next year. Supporters hailed the legislation as a return to democracy, while opponents staged a walkout and decried the deal as window-dressing on what they say is essentially military rule."
Expert: Tehran doomed if 'big one' hits - CNN
"An earthquake that may one day strike Tehran could kill hundreds of thousands and destroy most of the buildings in the capital city of 12 million, a top Iranian scientist warned Monday ... The building codes are almost universally ignored in Iran and Tehran is especially vulnerable to quakes because there is a major fault line running across it."
The Tightrope Is Fraying Under the President of Pakistan - NY Times
"After two years of playing both sides, analysts say, General Musharraf may now have to choose. The choice remains a difficult one for the president because militancy has been useful to Pakistan's government, despite its alliance with the United States. And some say his ability to crack down on extremists may in fact be limited by his own resolve to cling to power ... On one hand it is clear he has to go against extremist Islamist groups, but he is in coalition with religious parties that support Al Qaeda and Taliban-like elements."
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Seasons Greetings from Pakistani Perspective - Yahoo Greetings
Our offices are closed for the holidays. There might be sporadic posts for the next few days. Regular posts will commence from Monday December 29, 2003.
Happy Holiday Season!
Monday, December 22, 2003
Israel's nuclear programme - BBC
"Unlike Iran and North Korea - two countries whose alleged nuclear ambitions have recently come to the fore - Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, designed to prevent the global spread of nuclear weapons. As a result, it is not subject to inspections and the threat of sanctions by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency."
Pakistan Questions Top Atomic Scientist - New York Times
"Government officials confirmed Monday that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the developer of Pakistan's atomic bomb, was being questioned about reports that some Pakistani nuclear scientists had shared secrets with Iran and North Korea."
An Op-Ed in New York Times: Pakistan's Nuclear Commerce.
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Islam 'doesn't' slow economies - Christian Science Monitor
Is Islam a drag on economic growth? Economists have debated the impact of religion on economic performance for many years. A long line of scholars has blamed the relative poverty of Muslims today on their religious beliefs. But economist Marcus Noland maintains that this long-standing view is wrong. 'There is nothing inherent about these [Islamic] societies that they have to perform poorly,' says the economist with the Institute for International Economics in Washington. 'If anything, Islam promotes growth.' "
Cease-Fire Brings Little Respite on Siachen Glacier - Reuters
"A cease-fire declared in November between India and Pakistan has brought little respite for the men posted on the glacier, where freezing weather and treacherous terrain are far more dangerous than enemy fire ... The men posted here, often at heights above 18,000 feet, can survive for only three months, their bodies wasting away, starved of oxygen, and must be replaced by fresh troops."
Florida puts up $54 million for World Cup matches - Canberra Times
"The United States has placed its hopes of hosting cricket matches in the 2007 World Cup in the hands of legendary West Indies spinner Lance Gibbs ... Gibbs and his colleagues hope to bring World Cup matches to the city of Lauderhill, 50km north of Miami, by building a 35,000-seat stadium. 'In the Lauderhill area we've got 109 acres of land and the mayor and governor have put in around $US40 million ($54 million) in order to make this a success,' Gibbs said."
If Libya can do it, why not Israel? - Guardian
"There's a logic to these things. Muammar Gadafy, growing older, and his isolated Libya, growing poorer, were getting nothing worthwhile from the atomic bomb they hadn't built yet or chemicals they had scant residual use for. Logic - and common sense - meant changing tack. Good for logic. But logic doesn't stop there. What next? If weapons of mass destruction are a menace in unstable regions such as the Middle East, if their availability must be reduced, then logic begins to move us closer to the confrontation we never seek with the nuclear power we - let alone Messrs Bush and Blair - seldom mention: Israel."
Musharraf More Valuable than Ever in 'War on Terror' - IPS
"This month's narrow escape by Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf of an attempt on his life has made him even more important to the international coalition in its 'war on terror.' ... Inside Pakistan, Musharraf is beleaguered, though he has support from the United States, British, Chinese, Russian, some European and even the Indian and Israeli governments."
Inquiry Suggests Pakistanis Sold Nuclear Secrets - New York Times
"Until the past few weeks, Pakistani officials had denied evidence that the A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, named for the man considered a national hero, had ever been a source of weapons technology to countries aspiring to gain nuclear weapons. Now they are backing away from those denials, while insisting that there has been no transfer of nuclear technology since President Pervez Musharraf took power four years ago ... Pakistani officials said the sales to Iran may have occurred in the 1980's during the rule of the last American-backed military ruler, General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq."
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Pakistan riding television revolution - Utusan
"Television underwent a revolution in Pakistan in 2003, as new independent cable channels - many broadcasting from offshore - hit the airwaves and broke all the old rules. The phenomenal induction of private television stations broke the state's monopoly on broadcasting to thrill Pakistanis, starved of entertainment and incisive, impartial debates on domestic and international issues."
In related news, Times of India reports: Cultural coup - Indian talent wows Pakistanis.
Islam's All-Enveloping Hijab Is Hip in Indonesia - Reuters
"In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, the Islamic Hijab is hip, particularly among the rich and upwardly mobile. A walk through upscale shopping malls like Plaza Senayan in the capital Jakarta is a real eye-opener. Women are covering up, but with a dazzling array of chic, colorful and often body-hugging Islamic clothes, often complemented by the latest accessories ... 'Islamic dress has gone upper class,' says a local designer ... Even glamour models are embracing Muslim clothes."
Questions for Irshad Manji: In Good Faith - New York Times
"I accept the possibility that my sexual orientation might be a sin. But only my creator can make that judgment. But here's a question: The Koran says that everything God made is, quote, excellent, and that nothing God has made is, quote, in vain. If the creator did not wish to create me, a lesbian, then why didn't he create somebody else in my place? And given how explicit the Koran is that God has deliberately designed the world's breathtaking multiplicity, I wonder how my critics can justify their utter condemnation of homosexuality."
Irshad Manji's brief biography.
Sticks and carrots in Libya - The Observer
"The turning of Gadaffi could well encourage other dodgy holders of WMD down the road of peace ... It is rather fashionable to be blasé about WMDs. I fall into this trap myself, from time to time - especially in the wake of their stubborn refusal to turn up in Iraq. And for the many writers, flaming Meacherites, commentators and theatre people who make up the new Iraqodoxy, there never really was a significant terrorist/WMD threat. If Afghanistan and Iraq weren't about oil, they were about imperialism, and never mind September 2001."
Why Americans reach for their wallets first - Hi Pakistan
"This, boys and girls, is why so much of the world hates our guts. We capture a known despot just in time to make the Sunday morning talk shows, and within hours, the speculation on those shows is how the news will affect the American stock market. And you wonder why they call us infidels. What is it about Americans that make us first reach for our wallets? Could it be, as some of us fear, that the impetus behind this war was economic, and not the search for weapons of mass destruction - no, wait, make that a regime change?"
Friday, December 19, 2003
French Muslims Offer Little Opposition to Head Scarf Ban - Washington Post
"At a Tunisian bakery in a heavily Muslim neighborhood on the north side of Paris, a middle-aged woman with her head covered in an immaculate white head scarf shrugged off the news that President Jacques Chirac wants a new law banning Muslim head scarves from public schools. 'It's normal,' she said. 'School should be a place of equality.' The reaction was the same from the Algerian vendor at the local kebab shop."
Financial Times reports the beginning of a new thread in Denmark: Danish Muslim dismissed for wearing headscarf loses court case.
Pakistani women to marry freely - BBC
"Pakistan's supreme court has declared that adult Muslim women can marry anyone of their own free will. The ruling overturns an earlier verdict by a high court that described such a marriage without the permission of a father or brother as invalid."
India forced onto the back foot - Asia Times
"By offering to drop a 50-year-old demand for an United Nations-mandated plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has again managed to do what he has always done - steal the thunder from India in the eyes of the international community. In one stroke, he has put himself in a position that can only be a win-win situation for him. In more usual parlance, it is a move that will translate into heads he wins, tails India loses."
Asia Times has more to say on the topic: Pakistan plays a canny game.
Windfall fails to lift Pakistan's economy - Hindustan Times
"Pakistan is getting billions of dollars for its frontline role in America's war on terror, external remittances have spiralled and top rating agency Moodys Tuesday said the economic outlook has improved, but Pakistani analysts stress that development still remains on the slow track. Questions economist Muhammad Amin, 'The government claims the total liquid foreign reserves have crossed a record level of over US $11 billion. But of what benefit are such reserves if they could not change people's condition?'"
Courts set limits on terror detention - Mercury News
"The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that President Bush has no authority to hold American citizen Jose Padilla as an enemy combatant without congressional approval, and ordered Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to release the alleged 'dirty bomb' plotter from military custody within 30 days. In San Francisco, a federal appeals panel said the government cannot keep 660 foreign fighters captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan locked up indefinitely at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba."
Man and his moustache - Hindustan Times
"A mooch is used as a statement: 'I am a better man than you and I can prove it.' To drive the point home muchchals (moustache-owners) use their right hands to give the right end of the appendage an upward twist. It is known as taau lagana — to give it heat. It is done simultaneously with puffing out the chest."
On moustaches, unnecessary processions and Pakistan's fickle politics.
Musharraf is accused of betrayal - Gulf Daily News
"Pakistan's President Gen Pervez Musharraf was praised internationally but criticised at home yesterday for his latest peace offer to rival India, after he signalled new flexibility on the flashpoint issue of Kashmir ... the hardline Islamic opposition coalition Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, which controls one of Pakistan's four provinces and shares power in another, said any move toward dropping the resolution would be a 'betrayal of Kashmiris' and 'surrender before India'."
Some Indian dailies are alleging that Pakistan is going back on Musharraf's word: 'Who said we'd forget plebiscite demand?'. More on the motivations for regional peace in the following Op-Ed: The Golden Bilateral?.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Bias keeps Internet from global expansion - Seattle PI
"Rahul Dewan typed 'India' into the search box of an online stock photo service, hoping to find digital images of his native country. He found only three - all of flags. Dewan then typed 'Switzerland,' a country smaller than his, and found 33, while 'USA' returned 72. His demonstration underscores a major challenge in getting the developing world online: Even with access, the Internet remains meaningless to most of the world's population, its Web sites heavy in English and reflecting a Western tilt."
When Bombers Are Women - Washington Post
"Terrorists seek out vulnerabilities in the enemy government's countermeasures ... Profiling men exclusively, and also focusing so tightly on countries known to harbor terrorists, are significant loopholes that have not been closed despite the FBI's recognition that al Qaeda has begun recruiting women, and despite the discovery last spring that an MIT-trained female scientist may have been providing logistical support to al Qaeda."
Alternative energy to boost power generation - OCHA IRIN
"About 100 homes in a small village near the capital, Islamabad, are to be supplied with solar power in the first of a series of endeavours to bring alternative or renewable energy resources into the national mainstream over the next decade, according to an official of the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) ... AEDB's objective is to achieve a 10 percent share in the country's electrical power generation by 2010 by providing energy through alternative sources."
Love shines through the misery - Calgary Sun
" 'I am a very lucky boy,' shouts Anjomudin, in his broken English. The irony of his jubilant statement is not lost on me or my interpreter, Farid. This 10-year-old boy lives with five sisters and four brothers in a ramshackle structure at the internally displaced persons camp (IDP) known simply as 'the big one.' That, of course, is bad enough, but two months ago, Anjomudin had his left leg amputated below the knee after he was run over by a truck carrying bricks to a neighbouring shack."
Assassination 'windfall' for Musharraf - Asia Times
"As a further security measure, Musharraf employs several identical convoys, which speed off at slightly different times. Musharraf himself only decides at the last minute in which one he will ride. Helicopters are also used to keep a close eye on the route. Based on this information, the security source who spoke to Asia Times Online is adamant that the latest 'assassination' attempt was in fact carefully stage-managed by Musharraf's close staff - and at his instigation."
Another special report on Kashmir after the one in Reuters yesterday. This one considers seven possible solutions for the Kashmir conflict and discusses their practicalities. The report has pretty nice maps that you should check out if you are getting rusty on the region's geography.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Muslim women to build their own mosque : Hindustan Times
"Refusing to tolerate the ill-treatment meted out by their men, some Muslim women of Tamil Nadu have decided to build their own mosque with its own jamaat, sending tremors in the state's conservative Muslim society. Normally, under Islamic laws, women are not allowed to enter mosques ... 'This decision was taken after we found male-dominated jamaats handing down discriminatory verdicts in family disputes, especially in divorce matters,' said Sherifa, convenor of the voluntary organization Chaaya."
Bravo, go ladies go!
Pakistan manufacturer earns a fortune making bagpipes - Herald
"The British Raj is history and Pakistan is halfway round the world from Scotland, but in the bazaars and alleys of Sialkot, the pulse of the Highlands beats – or rather drones – on. For the dusty city in eastern Pakistan is home to four generations of bagpipe makers, who once kitted out Scottish regiments in what was part of Britain's India colony. Now they sell to piping enthusiasts around the world."
I found The Royal Music Company in one of my recent browsing escapades.
Pakistan to get little from peace talks: Economist - Hi Pakistan
"Economically, Pakistan will be one of Asia’s success stories in 2004. Growth will be among the fastest in the region, underpinned by inflows of foreign funds and a big debt-rescheduling package. Inflation will increase, but this is because of industrial bottlenecks and increased sales taxes, not food-price rises, says a report in Economist ... General Musharraf’s relationship with his Prime Minister, Zafarullah Jamali, is also fraught. The President would like to see Parliament run more effectively."
International Crisis Group on Kashmir - ICG
International Crisis Group has the following new reports on Kashmir:
(1) Kashmir: Learning from the Past
(2) Kashmir: The View From Islamabad
(3) Kashmir: The View from New Delhi
In related news, CNN reports: Pakistan offers Kashmir compromise. Both Musharraf and Vajpayee have shown great willingness to discuss Kashmir. Fellas, I feel this may be one of those rare moments of opportunity to move beyond the decades-old impasse.
Device on Limo May Have Saved Musharraf - Guardian
"Equipment installed on the Pakistani leader's limousine to jam devices that trigger bombs probably saved him from an assassination attempt over the weekend, intelligence officials said Wednesday. The powerful bomb that exploded moments after President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's motorcade passed over a bridge on Sunday evening was delayed by crucial seconds by jammers that temporarily disabled the bomb, they said."
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Bootlegger Paradise in 'Taliban' Pakistan Province - Reuters
"Business has never been better for the bootleggers of Peshawar. A year after a conservative Islamic bloc swept to power in northwest Pakistan, clandestine alcohol sellers speak of soaring demand for vodka and whiskey which are strictly prohibited ... While people in Peshawar shrug off perceptions in the West of a repressive, Taliban-style government in the province, moves to set up small cleric-led groups with the right to dispense justice, settle disputes and enforce sharia law have set alarm bells ringing."
Cricket: All together - it's Pakistan's big surprise - New Zealand Herald
"Pakistan's new-found sense of organisation could be their surprise weapon when the first test against New Zealand begins in Hamilton on Friday ... Auckland coach Mark O'Donnell, who was with the New Zealand team during the one-day series in India, said the worrying aspect for him was the degree of organisation surrounding Pakistan. O'Donnell, who also came into contact with Pakistan touring teams during his time in South Africa, said it was noticeable that coach Javed Miandad was running a tight ship this year and was starting to reap the benefits."
Interesting comment on the Pakistani squad. I hope we have turned the corner on unruly behavior from our cricketers.
'Victory Day' celebrated all over Bangladesh - Hindustan Times
"Bangladesh on Tuesday observed the anniversary of its independence from Pakistan with colourful `Victory Day' celebrations across the country. It was on this day in 1971 when after a nine-month war Pakistani occupation troops surrendered to the joint forces of India and Bangladesh. It is estimated that three million lives were lost in the war."
Indian Express reports Bangladesh, 32 years after. I did not find much coverage of the day in the Pakistani news media. 20 minutes later: Wait, I found a relevant Op-Ed, Bhutto and Fall of Dhaka, in a Pakistani paper.
Relocating the back office - Economist (sub required)
"The shift of service jobs to low-cost countries has only just begun. It promises huge benefits to consumers everywhere ... The debate has been brewing since a study by Forrester, a research group, in 2002 claimed that 3.3m white-collar American jobs (500,000 of them in IT) would shift offshore to countries such as India by 2015. There has been standing room only at recent presentations of a report by the McKinsey Global Institute suggesting that this process of “offshoring” benefits both the countries involved in it (see chart 1). It is, says the consultants' research arm, a 'win-win' formula."
Afghan warlord tells how he evaded U.S. capture - Reuters
"In a video recorded before the Iraqi leader's capture, renegade Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar relates how he narrowly evaded American forces on at least four occasions in the last two years, often escaping by the skin of his teeth.It is an account that graphically reveals the almost impossible task Americans have in tracking down al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden and Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, in remote mountains where they have few friends."
Pakistan to Challenge Europe's Curbs on Rice Exports - OneWorld
"Pakistan plans to contest the European Commission's (EC's) recent decision to withdraw duty exemption on high quality Pakistani rice, protesting that it will not only cause the country's exporters losses of nearly US $50 million, but will aggravate the condition of millions of farmers reeling from last year's poor crop ... The exemption was part of a scheme that gave trade preferences to countries fighting drugs."
Sun fined for illegally exporting computers to China - Mercury News
"A Bay Area technology giant is facing heavy fines for shipping some of Silicon Valley's technological wizardry to China, where it was used for military purposes ... Sun shipped a powerful E5000 server without the required license in February 1997. At the time, Sun filed paperwork stating that the server was destined for the 'Automated Systems Ltd. Warehouse' in Hong Kong. Federal agents found the machine at the Changsha Institute of Science and Technology in Changsha, in mainland China."
Soft drinks are hot - and getting hotter - Beverage Daily
"Soft drinks are set to become the biggest beverage sector in the world, overtaking hot drinks, with consumption rising by around 5 per cent a year ... Asia, along with the Middle East and eastern Europe, accounted for all of the top five fastest growing countries over the past five years, with the highest growth achieved by Pakistan, with volume up by 146 per cent since 1997."
Monday, December 15, 2003
The world's expanding waistline - Economist
"When the world was a simpler place, the rich were fat, the poor were thin, and right-thinking people worried about how to feed the hungry. Now, in much of the world, the rich are thin, the poor are fat, and right-thinking people are worrying about obesity. Evolution is mostly to blame. It has designed mankind to cope with deprivation, not plenty."
'Musharraf may have engineered life bid' - Hindustan Times
"Contrary to claims made by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that a bomb blast at a bridge near Rawalpindi was directed specifically at him, highly placed sources in Islamabad say that he may have engineered the incident to retain Washington's support as key ally in the war against terror and to strengthen his hold on power."
Trade promises to drive peace process - Asia Times
"Ahead of next month's South Asian summit in Islamabad, India is pushing the idea of increased trade as the engine of regional peace that has, for more than half a century, been held hostage by the intense rivalry between India and Pakistan ... South Asia is one of the world's few regions that does not have a free trade agreement and there is hope that this situation will change if the long-awaited South Asia Preferential Trade Agreement is signed at the January summit."
Musharraf urged to allow more democracy - Financial Times
"The head of Pakistan's main Islamic political alliance on Monday urged General Pervez Musharraf, the country's military ruler, to allow more democracy as an essential step towards curbing militancy. The remarks from Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) came amid a country-wide search for suspects following Sunday night's bomb attack aimed at Gen Musharraf in Rawalpindi. Mr Ahmed warned the government against a fresh campaign aimed at Islamic groups, responding to speculation that Islamic activists were high on the list of potential suspects."
An Islamic Terrorism Suspect in Norwegian Refuge - New York Times
" 'Americans came to our area, destroyed our organization and our mosques and killed our brothers, and if now my brothers inside Iraq attack American soldiers, it's a very, very natural reaction,' he (Mullah Krekar) said recently, ripping ruby kernels from a pomegranate in his small living room. He said he did not condone attacks on civilians inside Iraq or on Americans outside it ... His good-natured aplomb has apparently charmed some Norwegians ... So many admirers have asked him for a photograph that he put one on his business card."
Morocco struggles to tamp down radical Islam - Christian Science Monitor
"Each Friday, dozens of people gather for the Friday prayer at the mosque of Derb Ghellef, a popular district in Casablanca. Not far away, a couple of itinerant sellers display computer software and CDs of recorded sermons ... controversial religious theorists use the latest technology to spread their ideas to an increasingly conservative and religious youth."
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Melton campus mooted for Muslim students - The Age
"Australia's first residential university college for Muslim students could be built in outer Melbourne. Victoria University is talking to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils about plans for a college for local and international Muslim students at its Melton campus."
Leftists, intellectuals blaming Israel for world's ills - SF Chronicle
"On Britain's National Holocaust Day, the Independent newspaper runs a cartoon of a bloodthirsty Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon devouring a Palestinian baby. Despite many complaints, it is named best cartoon of 2003 by the U.K. Political Cartoon Society ... Anti-Semitism has existed in Europe since pre-medieval times, finding its ultimate expression in the Holocaust. While often associated with lower classes of society, historians agree that intellectuals played a key role in the rise of Adolf Hitler by providing justifications and excuses for his racist doctrine."
A Test of Turkish Tolerance - Washington Post
"Turkey's very existence is an irritant to those who see the world as split between Islam and the West ... The son of one of the bombers recently told a Turkish daily that he felt no grief over the six Jews who were killed in the synagogues -- he didn't like Jews anyway -- but he was sorry that Muslims had to die. Both he and his sister thought their father had been avenging the thousands of women whom they believed allied forces had raped in Iraq."
New film looks at racial discrimination in UK - Sify
"The burning issue of racial discrimination against Asians in the West and the slow but determined movement to secure the right to live peacefully in the adopted country forms the theme of the film `I Proud to be an Indian, slated to be released shortly ... The films aims to dispel the popular myth that the West was all about glamour and hitting big. The movie attempts to throw light on the dark side of the west."
Seems like the recent mega-success of Bend It Like Beckham has inspired a new generation of Western-settled South Asian filmers. Other notable mentions in the category are American Desi, East Is East, Raat Chali Hay Jhoom Ke and Monsoon Wedding. As reported in an earlier post, American-based Night of Henna is on the calendar for 2004.
Guide to the bad sex award - Business Standard
"Aniruddha Bahal, the investigative reporter of Tehelka fame, has won this year’s Bad Sex Prize for the sex scenes in his novel, Bunker 13 ... Literary Review founder and satirist Auberon Waugh created the Bad Sex in Fiction prize to be awarded annually to the novel that features the most 'inept, embarrassing and unnecessary' sex scenes, and the award winning passages have been truly mesmerising."
Pakistan tried to bug the British HC - Daily Times
"According to a high-grade Western diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, about six months ago the British high commissioner in Islamabad found a loose device hanging from the side of his desk. Not quite sure what it was, he sent for his security staff who declared it to be a 'bug' ... The Pakistan government has made no response to the British protest and the British government has done likewise. 'In my book, the two sides are even and should move on without chasing shadows,' the source said."
Saturday, December 13, 2003
The Nobel Lecture 2003, Shirin Ebadi - Nobel Peace Prize
"If the 21st century wishes to free itself from the cycle of violence, acts of terror and war, and avoid repetition of the experience of the 20th century - that most disaster-ridden century of humankind, there is no other way except by understanding and putting into practice every human right for all mankind, irrespective of race, gender, faith, nationality or social status."
A letter to Dawn on the above speech. An American perspective Hope for Muslim women voiced in USA Today.
Albright favours plebsicite in Kashmir - Sify
"In a statement that goes against India's stand, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright favoured a referendum or plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the people of Kashmir, which she described as one of the 'most dangerous and tragic places in the world' ... In reply to a question by National Conference President Omar Abdullah, the former Secretary of State said she believed areferendum or plebiscite was the best way to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people."
Sony is bigger than Pakistan - Times of India
"Are political boundaries becoming less and less relevant? The growing dominance of global corporate superpowers is making geography history. Consider this: Over half of the world's 100 largest economic entities are trans-national corporations, not nations. Of the world's 50 largest economies, more than a quarter are companies. Last year, Wal-Mart broke into the world's top 20 economic entities, well ahead of Sweden, and a hair's breadth behind Belgium."
Muslim role-play in school gets OK - Mercury News
"A federal judge in San Francisco has decided that seventh-grade teachers in a small east Contra Costa County school district did not violate the U.S. Constitution when they asked students to pretend to be Muslim in lessons about Islam ... Jonas and Tiffany Eklund, the parents of two former seventh-graders at Excelsior Middle School, sued the district last year after a world history class required their son to simulate elements of the Islamic faith."
India finds bullets laced with chemicals in Kashmir - Reuters
"Police battling Islamic separatists in disputed Kashmir have found bullets coated with lethal chemicals at a rebel hideout, they said on Saturday. The seizure comes four months after the Indian army said it had information that Islamic militants in Kashmir knew how to build crude chemical weapons but had no proof."
American Data Aided Iraq Arms Program - Guardian
"After hunting for days, the Iraqi physicist finally checked a long-locked attic room. There he spotted a box, coated with decades of dust, and opened it. Sure enough, it was full of reams of data - American data - on how to make a nuclear bomb. 'In it were the Manhattan Project books and reports,' Imad Khadduri recalls, referring to the U.S. program that produced America's first atomic weapons during World War II."
UK funds contraceptive drive in Pakistan - Times of India
"Britain has extended a grant of 7.5 million pounds for promoting contraceptive use in Pakistan , which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Asia , the United Nations said on Saturday ... At least 30 women die daily in Pakistan from bleeding caused by too many and too frequent pregnancies, the statement added. Less than 30 per cent of couples use modern contraceptive methods in the country, where maternal mortality rates range between 300 and 700 deaths per 100,000 live births, the UN said."
Friday, December 12, 2003
Court orders man to be blinded with acid - Reuters
"Pakistani man has been sentenced to be blinded by acid after a judge found him guilty of doing the same to his former fiancee, court officials have said. Mohammad Sajid carried out an acid attack on Rabia Bibi in June after her parents broke off their engagement and gave her hand to someone else."
I normally find myself siding with the liberals, but on this particular occasion, I feel our society will be better served if the court order is carried out. The man's fate will serve as a dreadful example for others who have the potential of following suit.
To the Pakistani mediamen who may be reading this post, can we please put this judgement on the headlines. Blow it, hype it, support it, televise the execution if it happens. Let the citizens of Pakistan know that their actions are being watched and that consequences for such mischief can be dire.
Pakistani completes first Pak-US film - Daily Times
"A United States-based Pakistani film producer, Dr Hassan Zee, has finished the postproduction on the first Pakistani-American film, named Night of Henna, in San Francisco ... Night of Henna represents a blend of cultures from East and West. The story is about a young woman’s struggle and her dreams about how she is torn between the love she has for her family and her desire for the freedom to make her dreams come true."
Method behind Pakistan's peace initiatives - Asia Times
"The volley of peace initiatives between New Delhi and Islamabad during October and November has puzzled many political analysts around the world. Two questions are asked most: Are these proposals for real? And why now? ... Gamesmanship notwithstanding, as of this writing, the ball is still in play. But to attempt to forecast any major outcome from this dizzying give-and-take between New Delhi and Islamabad would be frustrating."
Pakistan prepares to enact law to rein in religious schools - SF Chronicle
"For over a year, Musharraf's government has debated, consulted and rewritten a law that would heavily regulate the madrassas ... Madrassas will be required to register with the government, submit to audits, maintain their financial accounts at government-approved banking institutions and revamp their curricula, which today focus nearly exclusively on rote memory of the Koran and the teaching of Islamic law."
Non-Muslims and co-existence - Asia Times
"Like any other living faith, controversies abound in Islam. One of the most controversial issues is the relationship of a Muslim with people belonging to other religions. Since in India Muslims have always lived next to a very large non-Muslim community, this issue has created even deeper controversies ... It is one of the most serious and often-expressed grievances of Hindus that Muslims consider them kafir and that it therefore becomes their religious duty to either convert them or kill them."
Polluted water supplied to 21 cities - OCHA IRIN
"A national water-quality monitoring survey has shown that at least 21 Pakistani cities supply polluted water unfit for consumption, according to an official ... Overall, the water supplies were found to be bacteriologically contaminated, with almost 50 percent of the water samples in 17 cities being found unfit for human consumption ... Arsenic and lead were found considerable quantities in the collected water samples."
'Peace can spur South Asia trade' - BBC
"Indian Premier Atal Behari Vajpayee says peace in South Asia can spur the region's economy to greater heights. Mr Vajpayee said with closer economic ties, South Asian countries could put aside differences and jointly tackle issues such as drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling. 'Once we reach that stage, we would not be far from mutual security co-operation, open borders and even a single currency,' he said."
Indian firms fight back for $10bn Iraq 'prize' - Asia Times
"The United States' barring of Indian companies from bidding for a primary share of the US$18.6 billion in Iraq reconstruction contracts has derailed hectic lobbying to garner business in the war-torn country since Saddam Hussein was deposed. The US move could create an aggressive pressure group in India - and in Washington - that will favor deployment of Indian soldiers in Iraq to help the beleaguered US troops, as well as bring about a rethink by the Pentagon over the business deals."
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Headscarves: Contentious cloths - BBC
"A number of European countries have been struggling with the dilemmas posed by the Muslim headscarf, which throws up a variety of difficult issues relating to tolerance and equality ... efforts to prevent the headscarf appearing in civic spaces have raised serious questions about religious tolerance, and fuelled the ongoing row about the relative benefits of assimilation as opposed to multi-culturalism in an age of immigration."
India And US: Out Of The South Asia Box - Financial Express
"With Ms Madeleine Albright coming to New Delhi weeks after Bill Clinton, a question naturally comes to the fore. Why do US leaders always come so enthusiastically to India after demitting office? Is this country just a tourist destination for retired American leaders or what? One of the continuing frustrations of Indians dealing with the United States is the latter’s short attention span and superficial interest in this country. The relationship has been long on sentiment, short on substance."
The 160-page report New Priorities in South Asia mentioned in the above article.
Making a virtue of necessity - Economist
"The trickle of suspiciously large-bellied men emerging from the fifth floor of Peshawar's poshest hotel has dried up. The Gulbar bar, which supplied the bottles that bulged midriffs beneath their salwar kameez, the baggy costumes worn almost universally in Pakistan, has shut its doors. Licensed to sell alcohol—supposedly only to non-Muslim foreigners—the gloomy night-spot fell foul of the province's Islamic government, elected a year ago."
Gangs of 'New' Karachi - Newsline
"A young boy is kidnapped by a group of his peers - his own schoolmates - and driven to a deserted part of the beach. Once out of the sight of passers-by, he is beaten so severely that when his corpse is discovered a week later, he is found to have suffered multiple fractures and a broken back. His crime: going out with a girl that one of his assailants was interested in."
Thanks to Saad Tabani for spotting it.
Missing missiles irk Pakistanis - BBC
"A decision by authorities in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, to remove a life-size model of the country's nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Ghauri, from display in Islamabad has stirred bitter controversy in political circles. Officials say the move is part of a beautification plan for the capital, and is not linked to a planned visit by the Indian prime minister and other south Asian leaders for a summit meeting early next month."
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
The Young and the Restless - Newsline
"She could be any doting parent's teen princess, except 16-year-old Zahra is hooked on to a variety of drugs, and is sexually active, making her much sought after by the boys in her class. Rearranging her school kameez to show me the butterfly tattooed on her back, she asks, 'It's pretty, isn't it? I had it done abroad when I was on holiday last summer. Don't tell anyone, but I also had one of my nipples pierced.'
Welcome to the 'new' Karachi! The above piece fails to conjure memories of the city where I was born and where I lived the first eighteen years of my life. Well, not really. We often heard such stories in high school, but mostly dismissed them as grumbles of the wannabes. It appears from Shimaila Matri's above piece that matters are only getting worse (or better - depending on your world-view).
Where Taliban go to find warm beds and recruits - Christian Science Monitor
"With a bitter winter chill and the largest US ground offensive in nearly two years afoot in Afghanistan, Taliban commander Maulvi Pardes Akhund and his fighters are cheered by the warm reception and accommodations in a refugee camp for Afghans here. Mr. Akhund's band, and others like them, have come to Pakistan's sprawling Balochistan Province for a bit of R&R and to recruit new blood for the Islamic militia's fight in Afghanistan."
India becoming medical destination of choice - Straits Times
"While multinationals look to India as an outsourcing hub, citizens of advanced countries are increasingly making this country their medical destination of choice. The reasons are familiar: high quality, whether in terms of people, expertise or state-of-the-art equipment; and cost, as little as a tenth for similar procedures abroad."
Pakistan romance ends in 'honour killing' - Reuters
"As he was formally arrested this week, Afsheen's father confessed in tears that he had strangled his own 23-year-old daughter, ostensibly killing her to protect the family's honour. 'I gave her sleeping pills in a cup of tea and then strangled her with her dupatta,' a handcuffed Musarrat Sahu told police in a statement. 'Look sir, when I have no honour, I have nothing else. Honour is the only thing a man has,' he told the police. 'I can still hear her screams, she was my favourite daughter. I want to destroy my hands and end my life.' "
An earlier post with some relevant links on the matter. Dec 14: The Sunday New York Times graces the story: Pakistani Inquiry Reveals Details of a Woman's 'Honor Killing'.
U.N. Countries Reveal Costs of Corruption - Guardian
"For decades, corruption was something governments denied. But with the signing of the first worldwide anti-corruption treaty, governments are talking, revealing the enormous cost of embezzlement, collusion and 'accounting errors.' ... In Pakistan, an estimated 30 percent of the price of all public works projects goes to kickbacks and bribes. In Bangladesh, corruption eats up a whopping 50 percent of foreign investment."
Taliban deny killing Pakistani engineer - Hi Pakistan
"A senior Taliban spokesman has denied the reports that their fighters were involved in the murder of a Pakistani engineer in Ghazni province on Monday. 'It is untrue. Why would we kill an engineer from a brotherly Muslim country who was in Afghanistan to serve our long-suffering people?' asked Hamid Agha, the official spokesman of the Taliban."
India eyes Brazil for military hardware, and more - Asia Times
"At New Delhi on December 1, visiting Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Veiges Filho and his Indian counterpart George Fernandes signed a defense agreement that will explore the possibilities of cooperating in air-surveillance systems, as well as in exploring co-production and co-development of aircraft, warship building and sub-systems such as software avionics and ordnance, according to Indian Defence News."
Pakistan Army Silences the Media's Big Guns - OneWorld
"As Pakistan's premier arrived in France Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres or RSF) drew Paris' attention to the ten-month campaign of intimidation against investigative journalist Amir Mir, who was fired as editor of the Pakistan weekly Independent, allegedly at President General Pervez Musharraf's behest, and remains under threat."
Superstar, hero and idol - all in one man - Sydney Herald
"It is said that when Sachin Tendulkar is batting against Pakistan, the Indian TV audience exceeds the population of Europe ... The intensity of the Tendulkar cult is about much more than just cricket. Unwittingly and unwillingly, he has found himself at the epicentre of a rapidly evolving popular culture shaped by the intertwined growth of a consumerist middle class and an increasingly aggressive form of national identity."
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
'Morality-conscious' Lollywood vows to keep B'wood at bay : Hindustan Times
"Pakistani film producers on Tuesday vowed to stymie any bid by their Indian counterparts to have a ban on Indian films lifted, saying the raunchy Indian movies were a threat to Pakistani morality. 'We are totally against allowing Indian movies to run in Pakistani theatres, there is a big difference between their culture and ours, Indian movies shown on satellite and cable television and hired out by video shops have already damaged the moral fabric of our society.' Mian Amjad Farzand, chairman of the Pakistan Film Producers Association, told AFP."
Pakistanis dismantle world's second-largest ship scrap by scrap - MSNBC
"The French-made Sea Giant, at 74,400 metric tons the second biggest ship ever built, is being taken apart at the sprawling Gaddani complex, a 10-mile stretch of sand-turned-junkyard west of the port city of Karachi. Labor organizations have denounced working conditions at Gaddani, and international environmental groups like Greenpeace fear the rebound in ship-breaking will be a disaster for the ecosystem along the Arabian Sea coast."
Asia Radicals Divided on Killing Muslims - ABC News
"Southeast Asian radicals are divided over the wisdom of attacking hotels, nightclubs and other "soft targets" where Muslims may be killed alongside Westerners an internal split that could weaken the terrorist enterprise, authorities told The Associated Press ... Dissension inside militant ranks could potentially weaken terrorist networks anywhere in the world, officials said, though it may also mean greater danger as cells attack without the blessings of their peers."
British Teen generation will be 'world's sickest adults' - Telegraph
"The present generation of children and teenagers will turn into the most obese and infertile adults in the history of mankind, doctors warned yesterday ... one in 10 teenage girls aged 16-19 had the sexually transmitted disease, chlamydia, which can make women infertile. A quarter of 15- and 16-year-olds smoked, at least one in five 13- to 16-year-olds was overweight or obese and 11 per cent of 11- to 15-year-olds had used drugs in the previous month."
Granada rediscovers its Muslim roots - Guardian
"Five hundred years after being hounded out by the Catholic monarchs Isabel and Ferdinand, Spain's Muslims have built a mosque overlooking what was once Islam's most important outpost in Europe, the Alhambra palace in Granada ... The appearance of the £2.8m mosque, financed by donations from the United Arab Emirates, coincides with an increasing awareness in the city of the importance, and commercial value, of its Islamic past."
Repositioning India's brand - Rediff
"A good analysis would also scrutinize the Pakistani government funded Quaid-e-Azam Chairs of Pakistan Studies at Berkeley and Columbia ... Pakistani scholars have established their leadership over South Asian Muslims' campus activism in the US, and claim to represent Indian Muslims. Many Indian academicians have joined their bandwagon to denigrate Indian culture in the name of human rights activism and South Asian unity. These scholars hold great influence over young impressionable Indian kids in college."
Pakistan to Take Away the Rod to Save the Child - OneWorld
"Spurred by the recent beating of a federal minister's son by his school teacher and a report claiming thousands of children runaway every year to escape torture both at home and in school, Pakistan plans to introduce a Bill banning corporal punishment. Reportedly, the proposed Bill will also heavily penalize violators, both in schools and homes."
Dreams - and Hunger - Drive Trafficking into India - IPS
"Thirty-year-old Safia Begum, a domestic worker at a high-rise apartment in the upwardly mobile Gulshan enclave of the Bangladeshi capital, has a little secret. Till last year, she had been a prostitute in a small border town of India for as little as five rupees, or 16 U.S. cents ... Safia's is not a unique story. At least 50 such Safia Begums are lured and sold across the border everyday in Bangladesh with false offers of lucrative employment or marriage without dowry."
Something's rotten in the state of India - Asia Times
"In the phrases 'anti-incumbency factor' - invented by ruling parties when they lose elections as a ready excuse - and 'losing and winning in these states in a cyclical manner' lies hidden a fast deterioration of Indian polity. It is symptomatic of the Indian electorate's loss of faith not only in the so-called leaders, but in the system itself. In protest electorates have even voted for eunuchs against party candidates, a real cultural rebuff in Indian tradition."
Monday, December 08, 2003
Peace with India offers economic benefits for Pakistan - MSNBC
"After 56 years of conflict with India, whispers are growing in Pakistan about the benefits of peace. Rather than shells and bullets, truckloads of fresh vegetables and consumer goods could come across the border from India, they say. A reduced military budget would allow for desperately needed spending in education and infrastructure, and foreign investors could finally come knocking."
Asia Times reports on a similar theme in greater detail: India and Pakistan face economic reality.
Malaysia launches youth military service scheme to fight extremism - FT
"Malaysia yesterday launched a controversial national service programme for young males that is meant to reduce racial polarisation and Islamic extremism in the multi-ethnic country. The first group of national service recruits was selected randomly by computer, with 85,000 youths expected to report in February for three months' training in basic military skills and community service."
Chaplain's prosecutors focus on porn, sex charges - CNN
"Army Capt. James Yee, 35, is charged with taking classified documents home with him from Guantanamo, Cuba, on a flight to Jacksonville, Florida, where he was detained September 10 ... Yee served 67 days in a Navy brig in Charleston, South Carolina, before the Army released him. The government then filed additional charges of making a false statement, storing pornography on a government computer and adultery -- a criminal offense under military law."
Emirates flies higher and higher - Sydney Herald
"Less than two decades ago, Dubai, the second largest member of the UAE federation, leased two planes and started flights to India and Pakistan.Today, Dubai government-owned Emirates is the largest Arab airline, with 71 routes; the largest customer for Airbus SAS's planned A380 aircraft and a challenge to Qantas, Singapore Airlines and other long-haul carriers ... Competition is set to intensify. Emirates, which operates 52 planes, plans to more than double its fleet to 120 by the end of the decade at a cost of about $US26 billion ($35 billion).
Suspicion of Pakistan runs deep - Asia Times
"The distrust of the Northern Alliance-dominated Afghan government in Islamabad is not new. It is rooted in Pakistan's support of the Taliban - which the Northern Alliance had resisted - since the militia's takeover of Kabul in 1996 and before that ... The suspicion of the Northern Alliance is such that officials in the Pakistani Foreign Office privately say that they believe it takes its cues from rival India, in whose interest it is to restrict Pakistan-Afghan relations to a "functional level" and which had backed it against the Taliban."
Drop in foreign students costs colleges - Wichita Eagle
"Since most international students are not eligible for federal aid, they often pay the full sticker price. The benefit extends beyond tuition revenue. 'There's a ripple effect,' Altum said. 'They help to fill classrooms and the dorms. And they spend money at stores in Wichita.' Now educators are asking: Has the United States permanently lost its international student market share in the post-Sept. 11 world? Or is this a cyclical downturn, as seen during the Asian financial crisis?"
Pak licking Atal's feet: Imran : Hindustan Times
"Pakistan under General Pervez Musharraf does not have policies of its own, and is 'licking the feet' of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, claimed former cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan ... Citing the Commonwealth's decision to continue with Pakistan 's suspension, he said it was a right one. He also predicted that an unprecedented change in Pakistan is imminent, adding that there could probably be a revolution."
Mr. Khan, why are you so bent on losing your remaining credibility? Listen to yourself - you are starting to sound like a mullah. Please get your act together and let the winds of peace prevail.
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Can oil ever help the poor? - Economist
"Africa is on the verge of an unprecedented oil bonanza: a handful of states are expected to receive $200 billion in the next decade ... Paradoxically, unearned wealth tends to bust budgets. Everyone thinks the country is richer than it really is, so politicians spend a fortune on pointless prestige projects, and citizens clamour for handouts. This is how Nigeria got its artificial capital city, and how Saudi Arabia came to be saddled with more than 20,000 expensive princes. None of the extra spending is cut back during cyclical oil price slumps, so the lucky petro-states end up horribly in debt."
Islam no bar to economic growth, says US study - Financial Times
"There is no evidence that Islam restricts economic growth, according to new research that casts doubt on the widely-held belief that Muslim societies are intrinsically less conducive to capitalism than those dominated by other religions. The study, by Marcus Noland at the Institute for International Economics think-tank in Washington, reviewed growth in developing countries over the past few decades and found no evidence that countries with large Muslim populations grew more slowly, or had lower productivity growth."
Can Economic Diplomacy Work In South Asia? - Financial Express
"At a time when regional trading agreements are flourishing all over Asia and the world, the unfulfilled promise of SAARC does stand out. Can economic diplomacy work to make cooperation in this region a reality? There are many who don’t think so, thanks to the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan. But there are many others who are willing to give economic engagement a chance to promote greater regional integration."
Musharraf strives to avoid clash with Islamic groups - Financial Times
"Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf and the country's main Islamic political groups are making a last-ditch effort to avoid a clash next week over the constitutional legitimacy of his military rule. The coalition of Islamic groups, known as the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal), has set a December 18 deadline to launch an anti-government movement unless Gen Musharraf steps down as chief of the military staff and becomes a purely civilian president."
HIV message Bollywood-style - BBC
"Fears about the rising HIV infection rates in Asia prompted one Birmingham health worker to make a mini Bollywood film. And now Karamjeet Ballagan's film is set to tour the villages of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to help educate the population there. Ek Pal, Hindi for 'One Moment' (of regret) tells the story of a young married Indian man who discovers he has HIV, and the shame he and his family feel."
Many U.S. companies find foreign plants less desirable - Salt Lake Tribune
"As more U.S. firms ship work abroad to take advantage of cheap labor costs, some are realizing that operating outside their home country is more complicated than they expected and are bringing the work back to the United States ... Goldman Sachs estimates that of the 2.7 million U.S. factory jobs cut in the past three years, 1 million have been relocated abroad ... In the next 15 years, U.S. employers will move about 3.3 million white-collar jobs abroad, Forrester Research predicts."
Rugs woven into Afghan economy - Seattle Times
"Reviving the nation's rug exports on a large scale won't be easy. Merchants from Pakistan have made their way to Kabul to buy rugs, but safety concerns are keeping other foreign buyers at bay ... In this country, where bargaining over a cup of tea is practically a national sport, merchants will charge unknowledgeable foreigners as much as they can. But the weavers themselves generally make, at most, $100 per square yard for good-quality carpets, and substantially less for kilims."
Pak demolishes missile statues - Sify
"Ahead of next month's SAARC Summit to be attended by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee among others here, Pakistan is silently demolishing its giant missile statues erected after the country's nuclear tests in 1998 ... Considering the emotions it could evoke, officials brought down the statue with heavy cranes late last night ... The demolition of the statue was part of change of capital citys beautification plan, the Interior Minister said."
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Taking the Intifada to the Football Field - Los Angeles Times
"What could be more American? Dozens of young men in Orange County have planned a football tournament for the New Year's weekend in Irvine. But this gathering of Muslim American athletes on the gridiron - they say a first for Southern California - is being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct by religious leaders dismayed by some of the team names. The monikers for the flag-football teams include 'Mujahideen,' 'Intifada' and 'Soldiers of Allah' and are accompanied on the league's Web site, muslimfootball.com by logos of masked men, some armed with daggers or swords."
SF Chronicle reports: Muslim football tournament's team names sparks Jewish protest.
In foreign baby labs, NRI couples have white babies! - Newindpress
"Quietly and discreetly, Indian couples seeking infertility treatment abroad are learning to bring up a 'mixed-race baby' - born of an egg donated by a Caucasian woman - as their very own. It's a hard choice. They confront waitlists stretching six months to five years because Asian egg donors are too few. The takers are too many. Their legal alternative: a non-Indian donor. But one question first: 'Will our baby look Indian if the egg donor is a Caucasian?' "
The above is contrary to what we observed in an earlier post where Asians expressed a preference for 'light-skin babies'.
Simple pleasures of a 'normal' win - Indian Express
"Apart from Hindutva, which it can always fall back on depending on the circumstances, the BJP now has two other major planks in its arsenal — stability and development ... The recent assembly results are likely to further strengthen the 'moderate' forces within the party and help Vajpayee contain the Hindutva-wallahs. Having won on the development agenda in the states, the NDA is certain to push the achievements of its government."
"Islam in Britain has become a victim of its own success. Mosques are full to overflowing and new mosques are being built to meet the demand. A shortage of qualified imams means British mosques look abroad for clerics, often to Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. Such clerics are not sensitive to the complex spiritual needs of our young Muslims. The British Muslim community should be encouraged, with charitable tax breaks where necessary, to establish a prestigious national Islamic training school and establish a generation of home-grown clerics."
Pakistani gangs are targeting us, say fearful black youths - Telegraph
"In recent months Pakistani youths have threatened and assaulted dozens of Afro-Caribbean teenagers, according to leaders of the black community. Some have been roughed up; others seriously injured ... 'In the Seventies we used to help protect the Asians from what was called Paki-bashing by white skinheads. Now their children are the ones doing the bashing and they are targeting our children, young blacks. It's madness.' "
Pakistan Is ... - New York Times
"Pakistan is a great hub of duplicity, and the maulana was just one of the many chameleon characters who seemed able to operate at both its center and fringe, something like the nation itself, which is one of America's essential allies in the war against terrorism and also one of terrorism's essential incubators in its war against the West. Each time I visit the country, I hope for some blossom of understanding but return with the wilt of confusion. This is a nation of confounding murkiness."
A long piece, highly recommended! It will bring you upto speed on the current-day Pakistan. I am impressed by the author's depth of research and his sound understanding of local subtleties.
Indo-Pak. war risks 'fairly high' - The Hindu
"The risk of war between India and Pakistan will remain fairly high over the next 15 years and both countries will continue to build up their nuclear and missile forces, a US National Intelligence Council projection for 2015 has claimed ... Continued turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan will spill over into Kashmir and other areas of the subcontinent, prompting India to take more aggressive preemptive and retaliatory actions, it said."
The same intelligence report predicts India to be a major regional power by 2015.
Friday, December 05, 2003
The truth or a tactic? - Hindustan Times
"The ad in some Pak papers placed by Jemima Khan to scotch rumours about problem in her marriage with Imran Khan made some to promptly flash the denial to newspapers. But few appear convinced ... It cites the instance of Richard Gere and his then wife Cindy Crawford who 'took out a £21000 advertisement in The Times in 1994 to deny speculation that their marriage was on the rocks'. But the ad failed to stop the rumours and five months later Gere and Crawford confirmed that they had split. So only time will tell what is the reality."
Thomas Friedman: A letter from Tikrit - Herald Tribune
"We're not fanatics. We're I.B.M. We have a business plan and we're executing it: We started by eliminating the U.N., the Red Cross and attacking oil pipelines. Then we moved against the countries that have sent troops or might - Italy, Jordan and Turkey. And now we're killing all Iraqis who collaborate with you - police, army, judges, technocrats. We know who everyone is and where they live. We're 'a learning enemy.' When you adapt to us, we re-adapt to you."
Thanks to Farzal Dojki for this referral.
Ask President Hamid Karzai in Urdu - BBC
"President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan will answer listener's questions put to him in Urdu during a live phone-in programme on Sunday as part of the BBC's Talking Point series. The live phone-in programme will be broadcast by the BBC Urdu Service on Sunday, 7 December 2003, from 1500 GMT."
Karzai's turn on Talking Point after Musharrafs last week. To ask a question, simply fill out a small form on the above page.
India ranks higher with British Foreign Office - Rediff
"The British Foreign Office has upgraded India and bracketed it along with Russia, Japan and China in London's list of global priorities ... The contents of the FCO document, named 'UK International Priorities: A Strategy for the FCO', is further evidence that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has raised India's status at the international level."
Residences of top three Wapda defaulters - The News
"The Senate was told on Friday that official residences of President of Pakistan, Chief Justice of Pakistan and former chairman of Senate were on the top of defaulters of Wapda, owing it millions of rupees and that the Ministry of Water and Power had expressed its inability to disconnect power to these places ... The senators also sought names of all those top government officers, including chairman ADBP, who got plots in Islamabad from disabled people quota."
Thanks to Ahmed M. Akhtar for the pointer.
The kingdom caught b/w US pressure and Muslim tradition - Telegraph
"Stability and tradition are watchwords of one of the world's last absolute monarchies. Yet in reality, the royal family is under pressure as never before, caught between the demands of President George W Bush and powerful Muslim traditionalists ... In a stagnant, oil-dependent economy, unemployment stands at 20 per cent. Some 100,000 educated men enter the labour market every year. Few will get jobs. Around 60 per cent of Saudis are aged under 25 and the population doubles every 30 years."
The following in an informative piece on the 256-year old understanding between the House of Saud and the followers of Abd-al-Wahhab: The House of Saud’s crisis of legitimacy.
Confessions of a failed jihadi - Asia Times
"Then he decided on a radical change in direction. He would become a jihadi, undergo a six-month training program, and then die as a martyr in the Kashmir Valley. On the journey toward the ultimate sacrifice of his life, though, his views underwent another radical change, and what had appeared as reality became an illusion as the bitter realization hit home of how cheap life is in the military games that Pakistan and India play."
"The cold war served to exaggerate Europe's true position in the world and mask its underlying decline; 1989 was the last time that Europe was the centre of global affairs. Ever since, its star has been on the wane ... it is the end of the cold war and the emergence of the US as a hyperpower that has most clearly revealed the diminished status of Europe. Post 9/11, the US has made it abundantly clear that it no longer needs Europe, except as cheerleader and supporter."
Thursday, December 04, 2003
South Asia Can Rise And Shine Together - Financial Express
"When Timothy Ong, the co-chairman and publisher of Asia Inc, a monthly business magazine from Singapore, recently drew the attention of participants at a conference on Asia to what was happening on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), his audience just yawned. Karachi? Do they have a stock exchange? They do, and KSE is setting the pace for the bull run in South Asia."
The not-so-mighty dollar - Economist
"The dollar's slide has further to go, but if handled carefully it could help not harm the world economy ... Europe and Japan should be grateful for America's profligacy: those borrowing-and-spending habits, though plainly unsustainable, have recently been the major engine of global growth. It is past time for others to do their part. The ECB, in particular, must boldly seize the opportunity presented by the euro's rise. If euro-area GDP growth now slows, the ECB will be to blame, not the rise in the dollar."
Bank to be brought to account over BCCI collapse - Independent
"Those in the dock when the case begins on 12 January will not be the colourful characters who set up BCCI, nicknamed over the years the Bank of Corruption and Criminal Incompetence, allowing it to fall apart owing $10bn (£6bn) to more than 80,000 depositors. Instead it will be the Bank of England which must take the stand, to defend itself against charges of dishonesty in the way it regulated BCCI, and to ward off a claim for compensation of nearly £1bn from creditors."
Blood test plea before marriage - Gulf Daily News
"Blood screening for couples planning to marry should be compulsory in all countries, to combat hereditary diseases ... Over seven million people in Pakistan are Thalassemic carriers. It means that if they get married to each other, the possibility of a child suffering from thalassemia becomes very high ... those diagnosed with thalassemia should not get married, as they may have children with life-threatening disorders. If they must get married, they should not have children," said Rumi Dossal, COO of Fatimid Foundation.
"Both the Statesman of Calcutta and the Times of India took their government to task for its original decision to sever transportation ties following the Dec. 13, 2001, terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. The Statesman declared, '[I]t was the average citizen who suffered.' The ToI opined that 'when India cut off all air, road and rail links with Pakistan … it did so more in a fit of pique than out of any well-considered policy initiative. India unwisely linked the resumption of flights to the ending of cross-border terrorism, a linkage it could not itself sustain.' "
Christianity and Islam Battle Fervently for African Souls - NY Times
"The program follows a pair of American missionaries who have brought both Christian messages and indoor plumbing to a poor Muslim community called Blindtown. The missionaries, Bill and Dorothy Ardill, a married couple, pay respects to an emir who tolerates their proselytizing. Presumably, his constituency is better off with Christian-financed services, even if the exposure to these Westerners leads a few Muslims to convert."
Need for speed is India's flaw - Herald Sun
"When Indian fast bowling great Kapil Dev was an anonymous youngster attending a cricket training camp, he boldly asked a coach for more food. 'I need more food because I want to be a fast bowler,' Kapil said. 'Sorry, we don't have fast bowlers in India,' came the curt reply as Kapil was left with an empty plate."
Online Shopping Can Help Make Free Trade More Fair - Washington Post
"Forget the frustrations of free trade. Forget, at least for the moment, the lofty goal of linking producers and consumers in every corner of the Americas through hemisphere-wide negotiations. Instead, just go shopping -- online. 'Tis the season of giving and a chance for all to explore the full positive potential of globalization from an often overlooked perspective."
EU may ban cheap basmati from Pakistan - Business Standard
"The European Union (EU) has decided in principle to ban the import of low-quality basmati rice from Pakistan, providing a huge opportunity to Indian basmati exporters ... Most of these varieties are not grown in Pakistan commercially. So Pakistan’s share of the 100,000 tonnes of basmati rice exports to the EU, valued at around $50 million, is up for grabs."
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
US soldier left patrol duty to marry Iraqi - Guardian
"An American soldier, Sergeant Sean Blackwell, is expecting to be dismissed from the army for taking a break from patrol in Baghdad to marry his Iraqi girlfriend, says his lawyer ... The US army has accused the soldier of revealing the timing and location of his patrol to his bride and the Iraqi judge who married them, in organising the wedding. The sergeant and another soldier, Corporal Brett Dagen, converted from Christianity to Islam to marry Iraqi women, both doctors, in a double wedding."
Jemima denies rift in marriage - PakTribune
"Chairman PTI Imran Khan's wife Jemima Khan has categorically rejected the story appearing in the press about their marriage and said that she will return to Pakistan soon after completion of her studies in England ... She said, 'Both Imran and I have become accustomed to these spiteful rumours. However that does not make them less hurtful for those around us and in particular our family.' "
Jemima's response to the rumors mentioned of in the earlier post.
Bottom of the barrel - Guardian
"The world is running out of oil - so why do politicians refuse to talk about it? The petroleum geologist Colin Campbell calculates that global extraction will peak before 2010. In August, the geophysicist Kenneth Deffeyes told New Scientist that he was '99% confident' that the date of maximum global production will be 2004. Even if the optimists are correct, we will be scraping the oil barrel within the lifetimes of most of those who are middle-aged today."
Mexico Now Feels Pinch of Cheap Labor - Washington Post
"The 'China threat,' as people around this textile town call it, struck here last week, costing 80 jobs in a factory that makes blankets. 'Maybe next time, I'll be the one who gets fired; China is going to make Mexico go broke,' said Bernarda Parada, 27, as she hemmed blankets that sell for $10, while similar ones made in China sell here for $6. Turn on any radio show, attend any business conference or talk to workers in small towns like this one and the buzzword is China, particularly how its rising fortunes are causing pain in Mexico."
Expats at home in the UAE - Gulf News
"Undeniably, the destiny of many people from around the world has been rewritten in the UAE. Expatriates, who have flocked to this country in search of a better future, have found that their lives have changed beyond their dreams. They have found hope, helped impoverished families back home and dared to dream. They have flourished and prospered in a modern, cosmopolitan country. Some have even come to regard it as their home."
Tendulkar seeks that missing signature - Reuters
"As sporting greats go, Sachin Tendulkar is something of a puzzle. It is easier to recall the career statistics than the individual innings. His body of work is magnificent but the signature seems to be missing. The next few weeks, in Australia and against the world's best side, provide him with a perfect opportunity to put that right. All he needs to do is to serve up one of those 'I was there' days."
China Outlines Weapons Proliferation Plan - Guardian
China revealed in unusual detail Wednesday its methods of preventing dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands, trumpeting its trustworthiness even as it sideswiped the United States' approach by saying that 'unilateralism and double standards must be abandoned.' ... Particularly noteworthy was China's breakdown of government agencies responsible for monitoring technology exports that could be used for weapons."
Asia's regional labor tensions grow - Asia Times
"These foreign workers are a growing necessity for Asia's increasingly prosperous employers, who find in them people who are hungry for jobs that local countrymen regard as dirty, dangerous or demeaning - just as Western businessmen have known for decades.... Multi-ethnic Western societies have absorbed waves of immigration, sometimes with ease, sometimes with severe hostility. The Asian nations do not appear able to deal with that reality yet. Both Japan and Korea have ordered Draconian crackdowns on overstayed migrants in recent weeks."
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
S&P raises Pak rating - Business Standard
"International rating agency Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today revised Pakistan’s outlook on long-term sovereign credit ratings from stable to positive, citing the country’s improved fiscal and macroeconomic performance. At the end of June this year, S&P had retained India’s sovereign rating at junk grade and maintained a negative outlook for the country."
Kashmiris in Delhi feel victimised - Aljazeera
"In sharp contrast to the bright and cosy creations of its earth and artisans, the people of Jammu and Kashmir seem dull and despondent. Particularly depressed are Kashmiris who move in and out of the conflict-torn state for work and studies to the Indian capital... Corroborating the view, a human rights group report says, 'Kashmiri Muslims residing in Delhi feel unsafe, humiliated and at the mercy of the local police.' "
How Low Will Fox Stoop? - Washington Post
"Is television, like America, losing its middle class? Everything seems to aim either very high or very low, with little in between. Fox, a specialist in the latter, dallies in the depths yet again with its reality series 'The Simple Life,' premiering at 8:30 tonight on Channel 5 and attempting to answer the question 'Can one TV show insult the overprivileged and the underprivileged at the same time?' "
Pakistan: Threats to Journalists Escalate - Human Rights Watch
"Pervez Musharraf's military government is becoming increasingly intolerant of press freedoms in Pakistan... In the letter, Human Rights Watch highlighted the case of Amir Mir, Senior Assistant Editor of the Herald, whom Musharraf reportedly threatened at a Nov 20 reception for Pakistani newspaper editors. Musharraf is reported to have condemned the Herald for being 'anti-army' and working against the 'national interest,' and argued that the time had come for the Herald and Mir to be 'dealt with.' "
People the law forgot - Guardian
"In the almost two years since the Guantanamo prison camp opened to hold people seized by the US in what the Bush administration has designated 'the war on terror', it has settled from a rough and ready, occasionally brutal place of confinement into a full-grown mongrel of international law, where all the harshness of the punitive US prison system is visited on foreigners, unmitigated by any of the legal rights US prisoners enjoy. To this is added the mentally corrosive threat, alien to the US constitution, of infinite confinement, without court or appeal, on the whim of a single man - the president of the US."
U.S. to End Registration Program - Washington Post
"The Department of Homeland Security is ending a program begun after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that required tens of thousands of mostly Middle Eastern men and boys to register with the government while in the United States, officials said yesterday. Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security, said the department would focus more on individuals instead of 'broad categories' of people."
Normalcy returning to the US. This reminded me of the classic 'Technical Difficulties' flash at Moveon.org.
Pakistan lags behind in achieving goals - Hi Pakistan
"Pakistan is on the right track to meet all six goals of Education for All (EFA), but is lagging behind in achieving higher literacy rate by 2015... The meeting was told that India and Bangladesh remained coherent in their efforts to improve literacy rates in their respective countries. Pakistan, on the other hand, had recently started making efforts in this regard where the national commission on education was even reduced to the EFA wing in the education ministry because of finances."
New ministers put govt in trouble - Hi Pakistan
"The Punjab government is finding it hard to provide offices, staff, vehicles and official residences to the newly inducted 15 ministers of the Chief Minister’s cabinet that has now swollen to record 41 members. As per sources, the department concerned has the arrangement to provide offices only to six new Ministers while the rest will have to be adjusted in private lodgings, putting an extra burden on the government exchequer."
Fellow countrymen, the above is great news. Now we have more ministers to serve the population. It is only natural that our problems will be solved faster!!!
An amateur in a professional world - Cricinfo
Lt-Gen. Tauqir Zia stepped down as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board... "Your ultimate failure was one of management. You were responsible for four years of poor decision-making. The man at the top carries the can – that is how any organisation works – but you were ever-reluctant to go. Even your timing makes little sense, unleashing a period of uncertainty with India on the horizon. Now you depart, it seems, more to allow your son a chance at an uncontroversial career than for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. That says it all."
Monday, December 01, 2003
Pakistani company buys stake in Bend call center - Portland Journal
"The owners of Bend call center Centratel have sold 40 percent of the company to Pakistan technology company TRG Pakistan Ltd. for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, Centratel will purchase call-center services from TRG at a substantial discount to what such services cost in the United States... It's the highest multiple any answering service has been sold for, according to the broker who handled the deal."See also:
- Pakistan, a promising outsoucing destination - LA Times
- Pakistan and Offshore Outsourcing of IT- E-Commerce News
- India taxes IT outsourcing, Pakistan takes the spotlight - NW Fusion
Musharraf offers Kashmir pull-out - BBC
"The president said Pakistan would immediately withdraw the 5,000 troops it maintains in its part of Kashmir, if India were to do the same across the LoC by withdrawing its 700,000 soldiers stationed there... To a caller who complained that the price of tomatoes had soared, the president advised - 'Look here, eat vegetables that are in season.' "
Musharraf's appearance on BBC that was announced in the following earlier post. I hope at least some of you were able to get your questions answered.
Pakistan Braces for Decrease in Cotton Yield - Los Angeles Times
"Pakistan, the world's fourth-largest producer of cotton, is braced for crop losses because high moisture levels in the cotton-growing belt have encouraged attacks by pests. The government has lowered its expected cotton yield by about 13% to 10 million bales down from initial estimates of as many as 11.5 million bales... Pakistan's textile manufacturers, whose products make up about two-thirds of the country's annual export income, expect falling profits in the next 12 months."
Cease-Fire Reunites Kashmiri Villagers - Guardian
"A cease-fire in place, the people of this divided Kashmiri village - separated by the fast-flowing Neelum River that also marks the frontier between India and Pakistan - congregated on both sides of the icy channel Monday, shouting greetings to relatives and hurling letters wrapped around stones. The reunions were unthinkable before a cease-fire reached last week by the uneasy neighbors."
Visit to Third World offers cultural perspective - The Herald
Culture shock would be the last reaction expected of an adventurous author who has traveled five continents. But Ron Chepesiuk, a Rock Hill resident for 30 years, nearly stopped short when he strolled Main Street recently. 'This is amazing,' he observed, stretching out his arms. 'In Bangladesh, you can't take more than three steps without running into someone. And they just stop and stare at you. Many of them had never seen a Westerner.' "
KSE aims for $20b market capitalisation - Daily Times
"The Karachi Stock Exchange said on Monday it hopes total market capitalisation will reach $20 billion by the middle of next year, putting the small Asian bourse among the emerging markets watched by foreign investors. KSE is currently one of Asia’s smallest markets with a total market value of about $14 billion, but it has experienced phenomenal growth from $10 billion at the end of last year and $5 billion the year before."
Today's phenomenal run takes the market closer to the goal. BBC reports: Peace hopes boost Karachi stocks.
Pakistanis Need to Come Home - Aljazeera
"My father was a great believer in Islamic unity... With its large population and strong army, its modernity and sophistication, Pakistan, he kept telling me, was our big brother who would never let us down in the hour of need, and when the time comes to liberate Palestine. He taught me that to be a good Muslim means to be a Pakistani at heart."
'The visit seemed like a Hollywood stunt' - Guardian
"As political theatre goes, it was classic. Surely the image of the president of the United States carving turkey with the troops in Baghdad ranks up there with Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 shipboard meeting with Winston Churchill near Newfoundland or Lyndon Johnson's decision to land at Cam Ranh Bay at the height of the Vietnam War."
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