Corrupt Keeray (Insects)

The leaked info from rent-a-spy agency Statfor both highlights the intel that Israeli forces wiped out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure –and casts doubts on the report’s validity.

According to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange,both Stratfor’s methods and the quality of their information gathering raise eyebrows. Speaking at a press conference in London,Assange drew attention to examples from the company’s communications.

Over 5 million emails have been released – but one has already caught international attention. In November 2011,Stratfor employees discussed the increasing tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the possibility of a military strike against the Islamic Republic by Israel. The source,who was commenting on the rumors of a ground offensive against Iran,said “I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago.”

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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah scolded Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last week for failing to coordinate with Arab states before vetoing a United Nations resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down. Emboldened by the lack of international action, Assad's forces are now slaughtering civilians in the streets at an even greater rate. Referring to the bloodshed, the king ominously warned Medvedev that Saudi Arabia "will never abandon its religious and moral obligations towards what's happening."

The last time the Saudis decided they had a moral obligation to scuttle Russian policies, they gave birth to a generation of jihadi fighters in Afghanistan who are still wreaking havoc three decades later.

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The Indian military is to conduct one of its largest mock war drills – involving 20,000 troops – close to the country’s border with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, an official said on Monday.

The manoeuvres, named Shoorveer or Brave Warrior, which will also involve 200 Russian-made tanks, are due to begin in the deserts of India’s state of Rajasthan next month, army spokesman colonel Jagdeep Dahiya told AFP.

“The exercise will be one of the largest manoeuvres conducted so far,” he said, adding that latest warplanes would be factored into the drills, which are scheduled to end in May.

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MOSCOW — Russian television reported on Monday that the Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services had worked together over many weeks to thwart an assassination attempt on the Russian prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin.

The report came less than a week before the Russian presidential election on Sunday, raising questions about the timing, in part because two suspects were arrested weeks ago. Mr. Putin, the dominant figure in Russian politics, is widely expected to return to the presidency, which he held for two terms before becoming prime minister in 2008.

The report by the government-controlled broadcaster, Channel One, said the two suspects were arrested in the Ukrainian city of Odessa after surviving an explosion in an apartment there on Jan. 4. A third man died in the blast, which occurred while the men were mixing chemicals for an explosive device, according to the report. The authorities said the Chechen militant leader Doku Umarov had sent the three men to the city, Channel One reported.

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The ‘Friends of Syria’ [FOS] grouping, sponsored by the Western powers and their Arab allies, is scheduled to have its first session on Friday. By a clever political ploy, Tunis has been chosen as the venue of the meeting, as the Mediterranean capital invokes the fragrance of the Arab Spring. Although, Syria’s crisis is more geopolitical than a whiff of Arab Spring, which is itself in great distress today.

Seventy countries have been invited to the Tunis meet. India qualifies for FOS membership, arguably, since it voted not once but twice in favour of the Arab League resolutions on Syria — in the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. Whether or not, or at what level, India proposes to attend the Tunis meeting — that is, whether India is willing to be a part of the FOS — will be keenly watched.

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Pakistani filmmaker and first-time Oscar nominee Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Academy Award on Monday for her documentary about acid attack victims,a first for a Pakistani.

In her acceptance speech,Chinoy dedicated the award to the women of Pakistan. “All the women in Pakistan working for change,don’t give up on your dreams,this is for you,”she said.

Directed by Daniel Junge and produced by Sharmeen Chinoy,the film follows British plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad,who returns to his homeland to help victims of acid burns.

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‘At the time of independence Pakistan had something around two and a half textile mills;a small unit at Lahore and one in Faisalabad. We decided to shift production to Multan as Faisalabad would be too big for two textile mills.’ Thus began Mian Mughees A Sheikh’s personal account of the historical political and socioeconomic conditions prevalent in Pakistan’s nascent years when industries first began agglomerate in the predominantly agro based economy of Pakistan.

The current state of the textile sector,once Pakistan’s industrial forte is festering and fizzling away due to unbridled malfeasance by pencil pushers in a dysfunctional system set in place by self serving individuals.

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Jammu and Kashmir has 158 NGOs authorised to collect foreign donations, 17 of them Christian religious organisations, besides 10 Buddhist, four Hindu and two Muslim organisations.

And in the last five years, two of the Christian NGOs, most of them working for the downtrodden sections of society and victims of violence, and one of the Buddhist organisations have received foreign donations over Rs 1 crore. The highest donations have gone to Catholic Social Service Society, which is not registered as a religious organisations.

None of the other Buddhist religious NGOs, nor any of the Hindu or Muslim organisations, received over that amount in that period, government figures show.

The top three received over Rs 36 crore between them. According to the Union Home Ministry, which maintains records of these NGOs under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Jammu-based Catholic Social Service Society got Rs. 15.26 crore from five foreign countries. According to its website, CSSS works in 172 villages of Jammu region.

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“Yours is a great country with enormous resources of wealth,experience and technical skill. We,who believe in individual initiative,effort and enterprise do not believe that the era of private ownership is over. But we do believe that we have entered upon an era when capital should come out of its shell and move in the spheres of international social objectives and move on from exploitation to production.

Your country fought for its own independence once. You have been great exponents and the jealous guardians of freedom. Words from your Declaration of Independence and your constitution have inspired men in far-off lands. You have shown to the world what human effort can do for human welfare. You have no colonies and I believe no territorial ambitions. Has not your history therefore equipped you more than most nations to be among the leading architects of the enlightened internationalism of the future?”

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NEW DELHI — The Indian government appears to be playing down evidence of Iranian involvement in last week’s bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat here, perhaps out of concern that any such evidence might put it under more international pressure to isolate Tehran, experts say.

India has said that it opposes any efforts by Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon but that it is not willing to join a U.S.-led sanctions effort against the Islamic republic. Iran is India’s second-largest supplier of crude oil and is seen in New Delhi as a key regional counterweight to Pakistan and a gateway to Afghanistan.

The delicate balancing act in which India is engaged, attempting to sustain its ties with the United States and Israel as well as its relations with Iran, was laid bare by the Feb. 13 attack, which almost killed an Israeli Embassy employee married to a member of Israel’s defense mission.

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This year Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. Is it time for Britain's republicans to stop worrying and learn to love the Crown?

One of the more reactionary Oxford colleges used to serve famously boring food to its undergraduates. There was no obvious reason for it. The college had plenty of money and the fellows - the academic staff - enjoyed a superb cellar and the ministrations of an excellent chef. One day a young student asked his tutor why he and his contemporaries had to put up with such needlessly monotonous and unappetising fare. "Oh, it's very simple," came the reply. "It's to stop you complaining about anything important."

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The Constitution as the supreme doctrine arching over all state bodies commands the same respect as the state itself. Its provision for ensuing amendments ensures its malleability over time. However, Pakistan’s constitutional history is fraught with amendments being passed and undone depending on whoever is in power. While any step forward is a good step, when these steps are only made to be backtracked a nation stays locked in impasse. The passage of the 20th Amendment in the NA last week was welcomed by the media at large, however the principal behind the dulation of one bill into another remains to be studied and the repercussions of the current breakthrough in democracy needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Let’s start with the relevant parts of the 18th Amendment and how the 20th Amendment developed on those. According to the 18th Amendment the Prime Minister would, in ‘consultation’ with the Leader of the Opposition of the National Assembly put forward three candidates for the position of the Chief Election Commissioner of which one will be chosen by a parliamentary committee, which would comprise of 12 members, of which 1/3 would be from the Senate, and will have a 50% representation from the opposition. If the National Assembly is dissolved and a Chief Election Commissioner has to be elected, then the committee will comprise only of the members of the senate.

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The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in a significant move, has equipped the newly renovated Jacobabad airbase with close to three dozen F-16s, including the advanced Block 52+ version of the aircraft.

Pakistan has spent over $3.75 billion on both the revamping of Jacobabad airbase and the acquisition of new planes, officials told The Express Tribune. The air force is in a better position to encounter any threats after acquiring the new F-16s which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, they added.

Defence analyst Lt General (retd) Talat Masood said this was a significant development especially as it had come months after the Americans had quit the airbase. Masood, however, warned of a shift in the strategic balance of the region, saying “India’s new aircraft deal with France would leave Pakistan far behind”. For all intents and purposes, he said, Pakistan should continue its cooperation with the US to enhance its defence capability. “Pakistan and the US are reciprocal when it comes to regional stability in South Asia,” he added.

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There is a big hype in the media about the Prime Minister’s fate at the hands of the judiciary. It is certainly news and a sad day for Pakistan but not the kind of catastrophe that it is made out to be. If he is convicted and goes there will be another Prime Minister and it will be business as usual. The majority feel that he should be allowed to complete his term and that writing a letter to a foreign government about an elected President is not what our government should be doing. In any case these matters are good for drawing room discussions and media speculations but do not matter one way or the other.

Then there is the furor over the memo, the so called memo-gate. This non starter from the outset started off with a bang, created some fireworks and collapsed with a whimper. It is being dragged along but no one is interested any more. If two functionaries had to depart then another two took their place. If there was some hard talk then it was followed by clarifications and assurance. The whole thing was and remains farcical.

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Pakistan Cricket have suffered major “lows” in last 5 years due to their notorious acts but they are like a vagabond who irritates the street with his loud and notorious acts but,once he is gone,a part of you always miss him.

They truly have been a soul of this game. In every aspect of this game there are Pakistanis who keep the blood running in heart of Cricket. Some astonishing and mind-boggling world records are held by Pakistan. Some of those overwhelming records are:

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Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said Wednesday that an Indian business delegation would still visit Iran despite a string of bomb attacks blamed on the increasingly isolated Islamic republic.

Sharma told AFP during a trade visit to Pakistan that terrorism and trade were “separate issues,” adding that the perpetrators behind Monday’s bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat’s car in New Delhi had yet to be established.

“I am sure that our investigating agencies will identify and bring to justice the perpetrators,” said Sharma.

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No police personnel was on duty at the EXPO Centre when a precious diamond was stolen from an Indian exhibit on Sunday evening,it is learnt on Monday. The City Police wanted to deploy 215 police personnel including seven SHOs,three DSPs and SP Saddar Shoaib Khurram Janbaz on Monday to guard the venue;however the EXPO Center administration refused to take security from the police.

“They have their own security guards so no policeman was deputed on the site,considering their capacity as sufficient,” said SP Shoaib Khurram Janbaz. “A good number of police contingents,security cameras and other security gadgets have been placed around the venue on Monday.” he added.

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With Afghan President Hamid Karzai expected to travel to Islamabad on Thursday, National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta made some unusually harsh remarks about the Taliban in the course of a media interview in Kabul on Monday. Spanta said: a) Taliban are murderers and hirelings of foreigners whose aim is to impose a medieval culture on the contemporary era. b) Taliban are incapable of behaving humanely. c) It is inconceivable that Taliban could be allowed into Karzai’s government. d) Taliban have been the main problem for Afghanistan through the past decade.

Evidently, Kabul feels frustrated that its overtures to the Taliban aren’t getting anywhere while Pakistan’s focus is on clawing its way back to the old game of pleasing the United States by acting as a mediator with the Taliban and aspiring to gain a central role in the peace talks in Qatar in the coming 8-10 weeks when Washington keenly seeks some progress on the political track to show to its allies before the NATO summit takes place in Chicago in May.

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"In consistence with their policy that in the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my Government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in kashmir and her soil cleared of the invader, the question of State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people".

Lord Mountbatten, Governor General of India, October 27, 1947

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Institutionalized religion can have a major social impact on society,for good or for evil. This blog is not concerned with discussing the ‘dogmatic’ aspect of religion;rather it revolves around religion’s impact on society.

Generally,it is the poorer societies that have the greatest proportion of the population following institutionalised religion. For this reason,religion tends to have a greater social impact in poorer societies,where it is supported more strongly by the majority. Either the religion controls the government or the government uses religion as an opiate in a majority-poverty society as influence.

When Karl Marx stated that “religion is the opium of the masses” he was perhaps referring to the above mentioned features existent in the state of Pakistan today – there is a majority following of institutionalized Islam and there is an abject condition of poverty prevalent in the state.

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The world is wary of the likes of John McCain and his trigger happy reactions to anything and everything that flits its wings. We watched and waited apprehensively for a year till Syria, one of the last chess pieces on the board, to become the new Libya; for the west to sanctimoniously step in with/without UN mandate as champions of democracy and its ideals. The great elephant in the room being of course UN’s inability to enforce anything without the blessing of the Big Five in the Security Council, donning imperialism with a whole new garb. So while any hopes of a UN sponsored intervention were dashed at the Security Council on 4th February following the double veto by China and Russia on invoking Article 6 for ‘pacific settlements of disputes’ several questions now surface in the face of protracted civil war and escalating violence, covert operations and furtive intervention coming to the fore; and a not-so subtle attempt to shift geopolitical dynamics from one tutelary to the other.

The Obama Administration has vehemently denied any involvement or intentions of pushing for an offensive NATO strike or supplying arms to the Syrian National Council or the small factions that exist within the opposition. The death toll in Syria has crossed the seven thousand mark since last year, the past week marking one of the bloodiest so far. The civil war however is contained within three of Syrias largest cities: Derra, Homs and Damascus, with Damascus still being a government strong hold and posts a sizeable support for Bashar Al Assad. America is in a flurry trying to come up with a viable policy regards to Syria, an overt armed intervention seems off the table and economic sanctions haven’t had much of an impact as yet either.

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Overnight OBL posed an existential threat to all of mankind, Saddam and a mushroom cloud literally became synonymous and Gaddafi morphed into a tyrant from a friend: Iran is a lethal combination of all three (so to speak). While a small minority remains critical of the hollow statements thrown at them by Western agenda driven media, majority of Americans have become victims of acute paranoia; leading lives of constant trepidation that somehow, somewhere someone will attack them.

War propaganda against Iran finds its abode in this very psyche. The dramatic Saudi assassination plot that was unraveled in October 2011, to Michelle Bachmann’s ‘reliable diplomatic’ sources which confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at wiping Israel off the map (and eventually destroying US) and the Israeli ad campaigns that hint at unilateral airstrikes on Iran: the mainstream media, social media, and establishment have all made Iran’s nuclear program the biggest security threat to the international community. The very Israeli lobby responsible for convincing Bush to go to war with Iraq in 2003 after WMD is now pitting the Obama administration against Iran.

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Comment on a video telecast by Rawal TV Canada featuring Tarek Fatah

“Recently the following video was posted to me. It is a program of a Canadian TV,called Rawal TV. One often sees content that one disagrees with,or there are cases where one does not know enough about the subject to form an opinion about it. But sometimes the content is outrageous. And sometimes it is so outrageous,that it is difficult to simply sit back and not respond.

I am not of the view that the army should not be treated with the stick that it so often deserves. But am of the firm view,that when army bashing assumes the form of a virulent disease,of which some of our “intellectuals”are acute patients,the boot needs being put into their mouths so that objectivity is restored to the debate.

Below is my response to one such video,addressed to Rawal TV.”– Saeed Malik

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US President Barack Obama has reviewed efforts to improve ties with Pakistan with his national security team, the White House said on Thursday as media reports indicated that both countries were trying vigorously to reduce tensions that have bedevilled their relations for more than a year now.

At Wednesday’s meeting, President Obama “received an update on our engagement with the Pakistani government on a range of issues of mutual interest, including efforts to strengthen cooperation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” the White House said.

US sources told Dawn that the White House had been regularly consulting Pakistan’s new ambassador in Washington, Sherry Rehman, on these issues.

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Responding to the US Congressional hearing on Balochistan, the Foreign Office on Thursday stated that it had conveyed its concerns to the United States and had been ensured that the US government had nothing to do with the briefing.

The Foreign Office – referring to the statement of the US State Department – said that it clearly pointed out that the US government had nothing to do with this briefing.

“We have conveyed our concerns and raised this issue with the US authorities both in Washington and Islamabad. The matter was clarified by the US State Department yesterday,” said the Foreign Office.

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Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Paul Jay in Washington.

Robert Kelley,a nuclear engineer and former director/inspector with the IAEA,recently wrote a piece in Bloomberg about the whole question of Iran,nuclear weapons,and such. Here’s a little bit of what he said:

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Spearhead Analysis - 09.02.12

The coming of a new year brings hopes of a brighter and better future. Unfortunately, few would say it holds true for the US-Pakistani relationship. It sure hasn’t had a sunny past as a precursor. In the past year, the Raymond Davis affair, OBL raid by US Seals, Salala check post attack together with recurrent drone attacks and accusations of being in cahoots with the militants has caused this relationship to plummet into a deep abyss.

Pakistan reacted to these transgressions in a bold fashion by shutting down NATO supply routes, forcing US to vacate the Shamsi Airbase and threatening to shoot down any drones that enter its air space. However, it’s safe to say that to some degree the frozen relationship has thawed. Drone attacks have resumed and although the Pakistani government denies giving consent, it hasn’t shot down drones either. Officials on both sides speculate the reopening of supply routes most probably once certain conditions have been met by US. Reports claim that an imposition of taxes can be expected. This would probably be a better deal for the US forces which are paying up to six times more for the northern distribution routes.

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There is a unique and dangerous commerce system at work in Amazonia, where children risk their lives for a few pennies.

There is a unique commerce system at work along the narrowest stretch of the Tajaparu River in Amazonia, northern Brazil.

This is where the boats pass close to the shore and it is the best place for the small canoes selling sweets and jams to do their business.

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A young Saudi blogger’s tweets about the Prophet Muhammad have inflamed Islamists,who are calling for his execution. Mike Giglio exclusively interviews Hamza Kashgari.

Last week,just before the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth,Hamza Kashgari,a 23-year-old Saudi writer in Jidda,took to his Twitter feed to reflect on the occasion.

“On your birthday,I will say that I have loved the rebel in you,that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me,and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he wrote in one tweet.

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India has already shown that it is starting to carve out its own path in Asia. But it’s one that could create clashes with the United States.

There’s a conundrum at the heart of the Obama administration’s “pivot” toward Asia, at least as it relates to India. The United States is eager to extricate itself from military conflicts in the Greater Middle East (Iraq and Afghanistan) so it can focus on a region where, as President Barack Obama put it, “the action’s going to be.” Shoring up the U.S. strategic posture in East Asia amid China’s ascendance will entail a deepening of geopolitical cooperation between Washington and New Delhi. But the quickening withdrawal from Afghanistan will increase bilateral frictions, pushing relations in the opposite direction.

The Pentagon’s just-released strategic guidance paper calls for “investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India to support its ability to serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the broader Indian Ocean region.” Both Obama during his visit to India in November 2010 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her trip last summer have called on New Delhi to play a more active strategic role in East Asia.

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In response to a recently published article:

US Congressional hearing may spell trouble for Pakistan

Ironically,US is the one who started the insurgency in Balochistan in the first place. Just like it started the so called “Arab Spring”. Libya,Egypt and now Syria are all mischief of US and one can see through the conspiracy linked with oil or Israel.

Balochistan was perfectly peaceful till after US invaded Afghanistan. With the help of RAW and Mossad,US started fomenting militancy and the insurgency slowly during 2003-2005. India was given a free access to Afghanistan and it quickly opened Consulates in Qandahar and Zahidan and started sending trained Baloch insurgents to kill Punjabis and security forces in Baloch areas of Balochistan. From 2007 onwards thousands of Punjabis were killed,over a million non-Baloch migrated to Karachi and Punjab. US did not raise a voice then. Human Rights only become visible to US when it suits its strategic aspirations. With Pakistan’s defiance after US troops killed 28 Pakistani soldiers,there is a visible resuscitation of insurgency in Baloch areas since mid December 2011. And now the Hearing! Very clearly,US is trying to pressurize Pakistan to allow supplies to its losing military adventure in Afghanistan and weaken her as much as it can.

Brahmdagh Bugti was protected by US in Afghanistan. He was made to live next to Karzai’s palace from where he,with professional support of CIA/RAW,directed insurgency in Baloch areas of Balochistan. He managed to have John Solecki,UNHCR’s Head in Balochistan,kidnapped. Then even managed to get $ 25 million from Anne Patterson,the then US Ambassador and only then,US shifted Brahmdagh to Switzerland,where he now lives in comfort but still carries on militancy in Baloch areas. Not only he,two sons of Khair Bakhsh Marri and Suleman Ahmadzai,so called Khan of Kalat,have also been given asylum in Switzerland and London. David Cameron,like Tony Blair,is always willing to do biddings of US.

US opened several anti Pakistan Baloch-Websites in Jerusalem and New York and these are dutifully being updated to spread propaganda like a business corporation would do.

And what Baloch issue? Balochistan is not where only Baloch live,the wrong name not withstanding. Nearly one third of Balochistan is peaceful where Pashtuns,Hazaras,Kurds,Sindhis and settlers live. Even the areas where Baloch and Brahuis live is not all disturbed. Only components of three tribes,Marri,Bugti and Mengal ( who are Brahuis) have been carrying out insurgency. Even in their areas,much of the area is peaceful. The militants go on roving “missions” duly briefed by their handlers,and kill here and there and throw some explosives and mines. For every killing they are paid. ISI should check the millions of rupees which are coming through Western Union postal system to Dalbandin,Noshki,Khuzdar,Dera Murad Jamali etc,all small places but getting huge sums from aboard. These are not remittances of expatriates,these are payments for killing security forces and Punjabis.

Does the US not know the true population of Baloch in Balochistan? Its not more that 3-4 million,while Baluchistan’s population is around 7-8 million,and Pakistan is pushing the figure of 180 million. There are far more Baloch living in Punjab and Sindh than in Balochistan. US cannot handle 40-50 million rebellious Pashtuns in Afghanistan and it now wants to further antagonize this massive population?

No one ,other than perhaps diplomats,like the US anymore. Not the people of US,but the state policies which are grossly detrimental to Pakistan,are despised. US Congressional hearings will only further exacerbate the massive hatred prevailing towards US.

And why is US Congress not hearing about Chechnya? Kashmir? Palestine? Somalia? Zambia? And a lot of other global issues? The Bush,and now Obama Administration’ is sowing such seeds of hatred in the minds of Pakistanis that for generations they will not be able to eradicate this hate.

Area 14/8

I spent last year in Afghanistan, visiting and talking with U.S. troops and their Afghan partners. My duties with the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force took me into every significant area where our soldiers engage the enemy. Over the course of 12 months, I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops in Kandahar, Kunar, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Kunduz, Balkh, Nangarhar and other provinces.

What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.

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CIA’s drone campaign in Pakistan has reportedly been targeting civilians involved in rescuing victims or attending funerals, an investigation report revealed.

According to the investigation carried out by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism for the Sunday Times, drones not only targeted militants but also civilians who had gone to help the victims targeted by the drones.

Earlier, Pakistan had acknowledged ‘tactical advantages’ to US drone strikes on the Taliban and al Qaeda, but appeared to shrug off the unexpected confirmation by Washington of attacks on its soil.

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In higher education,donors can often exert substantial influence over the curriculum.

What is the relationship between knowledge and power?

When we think about this question,we normally assume that knowledge –that which we take to be “truth”–is separate from power. The problem is when “money”or “politics” influences knowledge.

Such an outlook forgets that it takes power to produce knowledge in the first place.

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Last week the Pakistani public experienced yet another blast. But this blast was not the like the typical blast we hear so often. It was one which will cause the entire nation to suffer for times to come because this was the week when petrol prices shook the country.

With petrol prices making a record high of Rs. 94.95 per liter,diesel prices crossing the Rs. 100 mark and a further increase of 10% in the gas cess,Pakistanis are wondering if life can get any worse?

The Petroleum Ministry is never devoid of excuses for increasing the rates. At least last week they had a reasonable excuse- global rise in oil prices and an effort to generate revenue. Wonder what last month’s rise was intended for? Especially when the prices in the international market had remained stagnant.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today acknowledged that the Kashmir issue would have to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Pakistan “cannot afford wars” in the 21st century.

Four wars have already been fought on the Kashmir issue and the region still “was a flashpoint”, but in the 21st century “we cannot afford wars”, Gilani said.

“We want to resolve issues through dialogue, diplomacy, prudent policy and national consensus,” he said while addressing a convention at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to mark ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

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Lahore is the capital of Pakistan’s most populous and most developed province—Punjab. It has glorious history,many cultural and architectural attractions and it is Pakistan’s pride. Today it is in need of urgent attention.

The Allama Iqbal International Airport the gateway to Lahore is a shambles. The entrance is overcrowded with walls of people lined up barring access for passengers. Once you enter barely one foot away is a customs post that checks passengers before they have even checked in.

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The deadly cold snap that has gripped Europe for more than a week wrought more havoc across the continent on Sunday, straining emergency services, grounding flights and pushing the death toll past 300.

The homeless population has borne the brunt of the suffering, with dozens of transients freezing to death in unheated apartments, fire escapes or in makeshift street shelters.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Monday, February 27, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Monday, February 20, 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Monday, February 6, 2012