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Professor Hoodbhoy's Critique of Higher Education Reform in Pakistan



Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy is a vocal critic of Pakistan's Higher Education Reform initiated by Dr. Ata ur Rahman, adviser to President Musharraf, in 2002. This reform resulted in a fivefold increase in public funding for universities, with a special emphasis on science, technology and engineering. The reform supported initiatives such as a free national digital library… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 5, 2009 at 7:30am — 3 Comments

Appraising Higher Education Reform in Pakistan

Here's an editorial opinion published in Nature Magazine on the status of Pakistan's Higher Education Reform initiated under President Pervez Musharraf in 2002:



Massive funding for Pakistan's ailing universities holds many lessons for other developing nations.



Eight years ago, a task force advising Pakistan's former military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, laid out a bold plan to revitalize the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 4, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Poor Quality of Higher Education in India and Pakistan



A few top-tier Indian schools, such as the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), are often compared with world-class schools, but the American investors and businesses have finally learned the hard way that there is huge gap between the few tier one schools and the large number of tier two and three schools in India. Other than about 5000 graduates from the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 3, 2009 at 6:00pm — 3 Comments

Pakistan's Dietary Habits and Sugar Crisis



World raw sugar futures hit a 28-year high of 23.52 cents a pound last week as the fears of a bad sugarcane harvest grew stronger. The key background factor is the continuing scarce supply scenario in the global market because of weather factors, particularly in India, the second largest producer of sugarcane, according to the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 2, 2009 at 10:00am — 31 Comments

NY Times Fires Harpoon at Heart of Pak Aid Bill



The New York Times is quoting unnamed senior Obama administration and Congressional officials as claiming that the United States is accusing Pakistan of illegally modifying American-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles to expand its capability to strike land targets, a potential threat to India.



American military and intelligence officials reportedly say they suspect… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 30, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Pakistan Launches Production of Falco Drones

At a ceremony held at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, last Thursday, Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan, the chairman of the PAC board, announced the launch of Falco UAV production in Pakistan in collaboration with Selex Galileo of Italy. Speaking on the occasion, the Air Marshal said the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 28, 2009 at 4:30pm — 1 Comment

Jaswant Acknowledges Quaid-e-Azam MA Jinnah as a "Great Indian"

Jinnah was a great Indian.



Gandhi himself called Jinnah a great Indian. Why don't we recognize that?



Jinnah stood against the might of the Congress party and against the British who didn't really like him.



Jinnah was not against Hindus.



Indian Muslims… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 19, 2009 at 8:55am — 8 Comments

Three Summer Days in Beijing



My family and I arrived on a Saturday evening in late July at Beijing's international airport's beautiful and spacious terminal 3, the new massive glass and steel structure that was opened just prior to last year's Summer Olympics in the city. I did not see it when I visited Beijing… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2009 at 9:05am — 6 Comments

Karachi in July 2009





Arrival in Karachi



My family and I arrived at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport on Tuesday in mid-July, 2009, after a short flight from Dubai in the afternoon. Our arrival was an hour later than scheduled. The disembarkation from the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 5, 2009 at 8:44am — 3 Comments

Dubai in July



My family and I stopped in Dubai for a three-day vacation in July on our way to Pakistan from the United States. As I was planning the Dubai stopover, a friend of mine who maintains an apartment in Dubai for his frequent business trips there heard about it, and offered to me the use of his apartment and his driver for the duration of our stay. This friendly gesture… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 2, 2009 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

Science, Discovery and Daydreams



Much is often made of logic, methodical reasoning and rationality in Science, but it seems from the latest research about human mind that the actual process of… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 22, 2009 at 9:08pm — No Comments

Obama, Scientific Discoveries and the Muslim World

Speaking to the Muslim world from Cairo recently, President Barack Hussein Obama talked about the contribution of Islamic civilization to the world of science and discovery. He said, “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar University — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 10, 2009 at 10:01pm — 2 Comments

Silicon Valley's Pakistani-Americans Support Pakistan's Human Development



The Human Development Foundation (HDF) held its sixth annual benefit dinner at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose, CA, yesterday, May 30, 2009. The dinner attracted about 500 attendees. In spite of the down economy and rising unemployment in the high-tech valley, the event exceeded… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 1, 2009 at 12:19pm — No Comments

Young Pakistanis Lead By Public Service Example

Alongside the usual negative and depressing coverage about Pakistan that fills the electronic media and newsprint in the West these days, I am really happy to see a rare but hopeful and inspiring story from Lahore about public service and volunteerism in today's New York Times. The youth group epitomizes what it means to be a… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 18, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Loose NBC Weapons in Pakistan?



"Imagine if the (swine flu) spread were intentional, not natural, and the virus’ lethality had been artificially enhanced. Pakistan has many dangerous diseases and pathogens under its control. The Nunn-Lugar program can help secure the pathogen strains to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands. Equally important, the U.S. can assist Pakistan in establishing a system… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 16, 2009 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

Shakti Solar Model to Empower Pakistani Villagers

Reliable 24X7 availability of electricity is taken for granted in most of the developed world. Whenever consumers plug their favorite gadgets into the wall socket, it is assumed that the power will be there. Everyone has access to it. Electrical power outages are extremely rare.



Electricity empowers consumers by enhancing their lives through better learning and entertainment, higher productivity and income, greater comfort, increased safety, superior health, and improved economy.… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 11, 2009 at 10:00pm — 4 Comments

Israel Lobby Intimidates American Academia

"Gaza is Israel's Warsaw -- a vast concentration camp that confined and blockaded Palestinians. We are witness to a slow-motion process of genocide," says sociology professor William I. Robinson of University of California at Santa Barbara.



As is the norm at universities in America, any criticism of Israel is immediately followed by an orchestrated campaign of attacks and intimidation against the critic. In this case, there has been swift condemnation of professor Robinson, who is… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 5, 2009 at 8:45am — 6 Comments

Small Entrepreneurs Thrive in Pakistan

A new class of entrepreneurs has emerged in Pakistan during this decade who, in small but significant ways, have challenged the religious orthodoxy. They present a sharp contrast to the rising wave of Islamic radicalism that the U.S. and others view as an existential threat to Pakistan. And with many well-traveled Pakistanis importing ideas from abroad, they are contributing to Pakistan's 21st-century search for itself.



The new entrepreneurial outfits range from fashion apparel and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 29, 2009 at 4:00pm — 4 Comments

Remaking Pakistan in Uncle Sam's Image

The $663 billion US defense budget for 2010 announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates emphasizes higher spending on counterinsurgency weapon systems, and cuts back on expensive conventional weapon systems. For example, there is a huge increase in the budget for predator class armed drones, helicopter gunships, surveillance, cyber warfare and special (commando) operations. At the same time, it envisions deep cuts in spending on the expensive F22 Raptor stealth fighter, large navy ships and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 12, 2009 at 8:58am — No Comments

Encouraging Social Entrepreneurship in South Asia

Understanding the need to design for extreme affordability is giving birth to a new generation of entrepreneurs. These are entrepreneurs with a social conscience who are motivated by the desire to do good and do well at the same time. They are finding new ways to empower the poor by satisfying their basic needs for safe water and electricity in emerging markets.



According to Wikipedia definition, a social entrepreneur… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 6, 2009 at 7:05pm — 6 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    Pakistan's Rising Arms Sales to Developing Nations

    Pakistan is emerging as a major arms supplier to developing countries in Asia and Africa. Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Sudan have all made significant arms purchases from Pakistan in recent years.  Azerbaijan expanded its order for JF-17 Thunder Block III multi-role fighter jets from Pakistan from 16 to 40 aircraft. The recent order extends a 2024 contract worth $1.6 billion to modernize Baku’s airborne combat fleet to $4.6 billion. This makes Azerbaijan the largest export customer of…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on October 29, 2025 at 10:30am

    Improved US-Pakistan Ties: F-1 Visas For Pakistani Students Soaring

    The F-1 visas for Pakistani students are soaring amid a global decline, according to the US government data. The US visas granted to Pakistani students climbed 44.3% in the first half of Fiscal Year 2025 (October 2024 to March 2025) with warming relations between the governments of the two countries. The number of visas granted to Indian students declined 44.5%, compared to  20% fewer US visas given to students globally in this period.  The number of US visas granted to Pakistani…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on October 19, 2025 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

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