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Alleviating Severe Child Malnutrition in India, Pakistan

Although it's a subject I have often written about, this particular post about fighting child malnutrition is inspired by a recent email from Col. Pavan Nair, an Army officer turned social activist, and a patriotic Indian with a deep sense of service to those in the greatest need in his country and its neighborhood.…



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Added by Riaz Haq on March 15, 2010 at 11:09pm — 4 Comments

Pakistan's Media and Publishing Boom

With the planned September launch of its Pakistan edition, Newsweek magazine is the latest publication to join Pakistan's media revolution, according to MediaBistro.com. Newsweek Pakistan will be the first licensed international news magazine for the country and the eighth local edition under the Washington Post Co.-owned Newsweek brand. Other country editions published by… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 13, 2010 at 10:30am — 18 Comments

Pakistani-American Engineer Buys America's NFL Football Team

What is NFL? It is America's National Football League, the biggest sports franchise business in the world. It's much bigger the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise which is much better known to South Asians. The IPL has particularly been in the news lately for its controversial exclusion of Pakistani cricket players. Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, who criticized Pakistanis' exclusion from IPL, has come under attack by right-wing Hindu extremists who are rampaging through the streets in… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on February 12, 2010 at 10:30pm — 1 Comment

Should Competence Trump Honesty in Pakistan?

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" is a quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, also known as Honest Abe.



I do not entirely agree with Honest Abe, but what does it mean in Pakistan's context, given the extraordinary and often hypocritical incessant demands for honesty by the nation's TV talking heads? Is competence not as big or bigger virtue than honesty? Is it not Utopia to expect angels to rise to leadership positions in a nation that… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on February 1, 2010 at 8:47am — No Comments

Carbon Credits Can Fund Clean Energy in Pakistan

Cash poor and energy-starved Pakistan should consider tapping into the London-based global carbon trading market to fund its renewable energy projects. The carbon market is about $6 billion now, and it is projected to exceed 50 billion dollars after the US joins carbon trading. Here is how I understand it:…



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Added by Riaz Haq on January 28, 2010 at 11:00pm — 2 Comments

Empowering Pakistani Women and Poor With Phones, Literacy

A pilot program in Pakistan has demonstrated the effectiveness of pushing mass literacy through the use of cell phone text messaging capability. The five-month experiment, initiated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), targeted 250 females aged 15 to 24 years old in… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on January 25, 2010 at 10:30am — 3 Comments

Guns Versus Butter Debate in South Asia

I have just published on my blog, Haq's Musings, a guest post by Colonel Pavan Nair, a retired Indian Army officer, a detailed analysis of the Indian defense spending in the context of the nation's growing needs for social spending on food, education and health care. Col Nair prefaces his analysis by lamenting that "defense economics has not been a subject for serious… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on January 23, 2010 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Gas and Electricity Shortages Hurting Pakistan

Hagler Bailly, a global management consulting firm with an office in Islamabad, warned in a 2006 study that Pakistan is going to witness gas shortage starting in 2007, and the imbalance will grow every year to cripple the economy by 2025, when shortage will be 11,092 MMCFD (Million standard cubic feet per day) against total 13,259 MMCFD production. The Hagler Bailly… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on January 13, 2010 at 9:57pm — 24 Comments

Comparing India and Pakistan 2010

Making predictions is hazardous business. After all, who would have forecast with any accuracy the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and the fall of the Berlin wall in late 1980s, or the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001, or the near-collapse of the US financial markets in 2008, the kind of events that fundamentally changed the world. This new decade of 2010-2020 could also bring long-lasting but hard to… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on January 7, 2010 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Thorium Nuclear Power For South Asians

In addition to green energy from water, wind and sun, is there a source of clean, renewable and plentiful energy that can satisfy the growing needs of the humankind… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 30, 2009 at 5:00pm — 2 Comments

Demographics: Pakistanis in America

Pakistani-American has been elected mayor of a town in Washington state by a landslide. The 54-year-old Mayor-elect Haroon Saleem admits that running the Timberline Bar and Cafe, with beer ads plastered everywhere, is not exactly a pious following of Islam, which forbids alcohol consumption.



The big win for a Muslim… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 28, 2009 at 1:48pm — 2 Comments

Pakistan: Year 2009 in Review

This December 31, 2009, is not just the end of the year; it brings a momentous decade of achievements in Pakistan to a chaotic and bloody end. After a relatively peaceful but economically stagnant decade of the 1990s, the year 1999 brought a bloodless coup led by General Pervez Musharraf, ushering in an era of accelerated economic growth that led to more than doubling of the national GDP, and dramatic expansion in… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 26, 2009 at 7:40pm — No Comments

Human Capital Generates Wealth of Nations

In modern economies, land and manufacturing continue to be significant sources of wealth of nations. However, the developed world, with icons like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, is in the midst of a major transformation to accumulation of wealth in the form of intellectual property. In this evolving new economy, there is much greater emphasis on intangible knowledge assets than on physical or tangible assets. The value of the intellectual assets determines the clout and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 23, 2009 at 6:07pm — 6 Comments

Pakistan's Modern Infrastructure

As Pakistan struggles to bring a sense of stability and security amidst daily carnage, it is important to recognize that there is more to Pakistan than meets the eyes of a casual consumer of the images and reports by the world's media. For example, Pakistan is a developing country with functional bureaucracy, well-organized police force, democratic institutions and a powerful army. And Pakistan has more…

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Added by Riaz Haq on December 18, 2009 at 8:30pm — 30 Comments

Pakistan Thrash India to Reach Hockey Final

Pakistan and India have had two sports encounters this year at major international events in cricket and field hockey. Pakistan have won on both occasions to go on to the the final or semifinal. In September this year, Pakistan beat India in the ICC T20 Champions Trophy group match in South Africa to qualify for the semifinal. And today, Pakistan beat India 6-3 in a Champions Challenge hockey tournament… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 13, 2009 at 9:23pm — No Comments

Pakistan Defeat Kiwis--Level Test Series

After a string of 12 test match losses over the last three years, Pakistan won convincingly today against New Zealand by 141 runs at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Pakistan's bowling attack, the Akmal brothers superb batting performance and patient scoring and leadership by Mohammad Yousuf were crucial in winning.



Ross Taylor's valiant second innings stand that added 97 runs couldn't save the Kiwis from defeat. In the end, Pakistan 264 (Kamran Akmal 70, Vettori 4-53, Tuffey 4-64)… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 6, 2009 at 12:15am — No Comments

Volunteer Programmers Contribute to Google Maps For Pakistan

After painfully watching the heartbreaking scenes of carnage in Pakistani provincial capital of NWFP on TV screens, it came as a pleasant surprise to see the New York Times mention Peshawar in a different context; volunteer cartographers contributing to digital maps "from Petaluma to Peshawar". It particularly caught my attention because I have had the pleasure of visiting both of these fine cities, and I currently live not… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 22, 2009 at 10:45pm — 10 Comments

Remembering Professor Nauman 1951-2009

My good friend and NED University Professor Mohammad Nauman passed away last Sunday. He was a dedicated teacher at NED Engineering University in Karachi. Born on December 19, 1951 in Bahawalpur, Nauman attended Cadet College, Petaro, and then graduated from NED University in electrical engineering in 1974. He attended North Carolina State University for his graduate work.



Nauman was a soft-spoken academic and a left-leaning intellectual of high caliber. He was loved by his friends,… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 16, 2009 at 8:08pm — 1 Comment

Life Goes On in Pakistan

The world media are focusing on scores of deadly terrorist attacks in the last four weeks claiming over 300 innocent lives in Pakistani cities, and tracking the military's counterinsurgency campaign unfolding in South Waziristan. However, the Pakistani blogosphere is buzzing with… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 12, 2009 at 5:01pm — 3 Comments

Social Entrepreneur Fixing India's Sanitation Crisis

Guest Post by Dost_Mittar



A simple solution to a disgusting problem

"The toilet is a part of the history of human hygiene which is critical chapter in the growth of civilization."

[Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak]



Anyone who has seen the blockbuster film “Slumdog Millionaire” would remember one… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 28, 2009 at 11:00pm — 2 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    Global Baby Bust: Pakistan is A Rare Bright Spot Among Most Populous Nations in Asia

    There is an alarming rapid decline in fertility rates in both developed and developing nations, according to the United Nations.  Here is how the Wall Street Journal describes it: "The world is at a startling demographic milestone. Sometime soon, the global fertility rate will drop below the point needed to keep the population constant. It may have already happened". …

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on May 14, 2024 at 9:30am

    India's Modi Brags About Ordering Transnational Assassinations

    In a campaign speech on May 1, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi bragged about his campaign of transnational assassinations of individuals he has labeled "terrorists". “Today, India doesn't send dossiers to the masters of terrorism, but gives them a dose and kills them on their home turf", he is reported to have said, according to a tweet posted by his BJP party. Last…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on May 3, 2024 at 5:09pm — 2 Comments

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