Riaz Haq's Blog (1,639)

Pakistan Lived Through the World's Second Deadliest Mass School Shooting

The recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida has brought back the horrible memory of the tragic mass shooting at Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan on December 16, 2014.  The Peshawar school mass shooting claimed 149 lives, making it the world's second deadliest mass shooting at Beslan school in Russia where 334 people were killed.…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 22, 2018 at 6:18pm — 4 Comments

How Can Pakistan Reduce High Rates of Infant Mortality?

Of every 1,000 babies born in Pakistan, 45.6 die before the end of their first month – 1 in 22, the highest infant mortality rate in the world, according to a United Nations Children's Fund report titled "Every Child Alive: The urgent need to end newborn deaths".   Pakistan’s newborn mortality rate has declined by less than one quarter, from 60 in 2000 to 46 in 2016, according to UNICEF.…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 20, 2018 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments

Rapid Growth in China-Pakistan Scientific, Educational and Cultural Ties

Pakistan-China ties are rapidly growing well beyond the economy and the military with tens of thousands of Chinese and Pakistani citizens regularly traveling between the two countries.

More Pakistanis than ever are learning the Chinese language. China with its world class educational institutions is…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 19, 2018 at 1:30pm — 22 Comments

History of Pak-Afghan Ties; Afghan War End-Game; Asma Jahangir Tribute

Who was Asma Jahangir? What was her impact on Pakistani society? How did she influence political and legal discourse in Pakistan? How did she defend human rights and rule-of-law in Pakistan? Was she really a foreign agent? Was she serving Indian or western interests in Pakistan? How will she be remembered?…



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Added by Riaz Haq on February 17, 2018 at 5:55pm — 13 Comments

Pakistan's Saadia Zahidi Leads World Economic Forum's Gender Parity Effort

Pakistan-born, Harvard-educated economist Ms. Saadia Zahidi, author of "50 Million Rising", is currently a member of the executive committee and the head of Education, Gender and Work at the…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 15, 2018 at 11:30am — 43 Comments

The Checkered History of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations

Afghanistan has been governed by secular Pashtun Nationalists and their Tajik and Uzbek allies for much of the 20th century. These Afghan rulers and their secular Pashtun allies on the eastern side of the border have been hostile toward Pakistan since 1947 when it became independent. Afghanistan's was the lone vote against the admission of the newly independent state of Pakistan to the United Nations. Since then, the anti-Pakistan campaign by Pashtun Nationalists on both sides of the Durand… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on February 13, 2018 at 7:30pm — 11 Comments

Steve Coll's "Directorate S" Demonizes Pakistan ISI

"Directorate S: The C. I. A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001-2016" by Steve Coll holds Pakistan ISI's Directorate S primarily responsible for America's longest war.

The author does acknowledge other factors such as Washington's policy failures, Kabul government's corruption,…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 10, 2018 at 11:55pm — 11 Comments

CPEC: Separating Facts From Fiction (Urdu)

Is China using China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to colonize Pakistan just as the British East India company colonized India centuries earlier?

Will Pakistan be caught in a massive Chinese debt trap and eventually become China's colony? What are the terms of …

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 9, 2018 at 1:59pm — 10 Comments

Karachi's Safety Ranking Climbs Amid Declining Crime Rates

Karachi, one of world's fastest growing megacities, has seen its crime index ranking improve dramatically from 6 in 2013 to 50 in 2017, according to a survey of 327 world cities conducted by Numbeo.  Karachi was ranked 47 in 2016.  Reduction in violence is helping revive Pakistan's economy, making it the third…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 7, 2018 at 2:30pm — 11 Comments

ALKS: Child Pornography Ring in Kasur, Pakistan?

Is the shocking rape-murder of 7-year-old girl Zainab an isolated crime?

Or is it part of a larger organized crime syndicate engaged in highly lucrative global child pornography business in Pakistan?

If so, who else is involved in it?

Powerful politicians? Bureaucrats? Police…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 4, 2018 at 1:09pm — No Comments

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Myths And Facts

Is China using China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to colonize Pakistan just as the British East India company colonized India centuries earlier?

Will Pakistan be caught in a massive Chinese debt trap and eventually become China's colony? What are the terms of …

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 3, 2018 at 12:54pm — 11 Comments

Pakistan Generates Positive Vibes at World Economic Forum in Davos 2018

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were the stars at Davos, not US President Donald Trump, according to a New York Times report. The geopolitical momentum lay with Beijing, not Washington, the report said. The…

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Added by Riaz Haq on February 2, 2018 at 10:42pm — 3 Comments

Pakistan's Debt Crisis: Fact or Fiction?

Pakistan is taking on significant amounts of domestic and foreign debt to finance its budget deficits and to support major energy and infrastructure development projects as part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).  Over one-third of this public debt is external debt denominated in US dollars, Euros and other hard currencies. At the same time, Pakistan's exports have declined over the last several…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 30, 2018 at 9:00pm — 11 Comments

Padmaavat Reinforces Negative Stereotypes of Muslim Rule in India

Famed Bollywood producer Sajay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat is a fictionalized portrayal of a Rajput queen Padmavati, played by Deepika Pudokone, whose earliest mention is found in a 16th century epic poem by a Muslim poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. With the movie Padmaavat's (Padmavati's) musical score and the song and dance sequences and the opulence and the splendor of the costumes, the jewelry and the sets, it's safe to say that the fans of Bhansali's earlier Bollywood blockbusters like…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 28, 2018 at 8:30pm — 8 Comments

Electric Power Rates in India and Pakistan

Pakistan National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has cut electricity price by 2.99 rupees (2.7 U.S. cents) per unit under the fuel adjustment for the month of December, 2017, according to news reports. This reduction brings the price per kilowatt-hour to Rs. 5.11 (4.60 US cents), down from Rs. 8.10 (7.30 US cents).

Power Rate in Pakistan:…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 25, 2018 at 9:40pm — 6 Comments

Madrasa Teacher Inspired Pakistani-American to Transform Medical Education Online

Inspired by a madrasa teacher in Islamabad, Pakistani-American Dr. Husain Sattar is revolutionizing medical education in a similar way that Salman Khan of Khan Academy has transformed K-12 education. Dr. Sattar has written a widely used medical textbook titled "Fundamentals of Pathology" along with a series of videos called Pathoma available…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 24, 2018 at 5:38pm — No Comments

Modi's Hypocrisy on Full Display at Davos 2018

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in support of globalization and talked of his commitment to diversity in his country.

Modi's Rhetoric:

Prime Minister Modi warned that "forces of protectionism are…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 23, 2018 at 7:00pm — 7 Comments

WEF Reports More Pakistanis Sharing Fruits of Economic Growth

More and more Pakistanis are sharing in their nation's development, according to World Economic Forum (WEF). Pakistan ranks 47 among 74 emerging economies ranked for inclusive development by WEF released recently at Davos, Switzerland. Inclusive development in the South Asian country has increased 7.56% over the last 5 years. World Economic Forum assesses …

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 22, 2018 at 11:30am — 8 Comments

Pakistan Rising or Failing? Reality vs Perception

Pakistan has a population of over 200 million people and a booming trillion dollar economy ranked among the top 25 largest economies of the world.…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 20, 2018 at 11:00pm — 14 Comments

Pakistan's $20 Billion Tourism Industry is Booming

Pakistan's tourism industry, currently estimated at $20 billion (6.9% of GDP in 2016), is booming, according to data available from multiple reliable sources. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasts it to grow to over $36 billion within a…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 18, 2018 at 5:30pm — 43 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    Ten Pakistanis Among Unicorn Founders in America

    There are ten Pakistani immigrants included among founders or co-founders of unicorns in America, according to  a recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). A unicorn is a startup with a valuation of at least one billion U.S. dollars. Immigrant entrepreneurs of US unicorns are diverse, hailing from 76 different countries. India, with 96 companies, is the leading country of origin for the immigrant founders of U.S. billion-dollar companies. Immigrants…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on June 8, 2026 at 6:00pm

    Growing Fan Base of Cockroach Janata Party in India

    "Indians live like cockroaches and die like cockroaches", argued Jayant Bhandari in an X post in April this year. "They vote for bottom of the barrel cockroaches as rulers, who rightly treat them as cockroaches", he added, faulting the people of India for this state of affairs. More recently, Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant said during a hearing that certain unemployed youth were "like cockroaches" who enter professions with fake degrees or become social media…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on June 2, 2026 at 1:30pm — 5 Comments

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