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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

Saving Urdu in India--its Birthplace



Popular Bollywood filmmaker MAHESH BHATT, known for films such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam, Naam, Inteha, Jism, Murder and Woh Lamhe, makes an impassioned appeal to save Urdu from extinction in India, the birthplace of the language, in an article published by the Hindu:



Man is memory, and memory is sound. The… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 3, 2009 at 4:30pm — 11 Comments

China Signs Power Generation Deals With Pakistan



China has agreed to build several power plants in Pakistan to help the South Asian nation deal with its worsening electricity crisis. When completed over the next several years, these plants, including Nandipur (425 MW, Thermal), Guddu(800 MW, Thermal) and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 25, 2009 at 11:30am — 17 Comments

Auto Sector in India, Pakistan and China

Tata Motors is set to launch its low-cost Nano minicar Monday, March 23, according to media reports from India. With a starting price of about $1,945, which doesn't include dealer markup and other charges that consumers will pay, the Nano will be one of the world's cheapest cars. This product launch comes at a time when the auto industry is facing a severe downturn, attributed to the worldwide consumer credit crunch amidst a serious global financial crisis.…

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Added by Riaz Haq on March 21, 2009 at 4:00pm — 19 Comments

Overseas Job Opportunities Dry Up For South Asians



As the global economic crisis continues to take its toll in US, Europe, Middle East and East Asia, South Asian workers overseas are being let go in large numbers



Faced with rising unemployment in Malaysia, the Kuala Lumpur government on Tuesday said it will reduce the number of foreign workers in the country to 1.8 million by 2010 from the present over two… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 17, 2009 at 7:16pm — No Comments

Vibrant Financial Services Sector in Pakistan



Pakistan has been ranked 34 out of 52 countries in the World Economic Forum's first Financial Development Report, which was released in Pakistan through the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) in December, 2008.



The report is a comprehensive analysis of financial systems and capital markets in 52 countries that explores key drivers of financial system… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2009 at 8:58pm — 41 Comments

Math Function Wrecked Economy



Not unlike Albert Einstein whose equation E=MC2 made possible the creation of physical weapons of mass destruction, Chinese mathematician David X. Li could go down in history as the man who enabled the development of financial weapons of mass… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 8, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Pakistan Leads Asian SMS Growth



With cellular phone penetration exceeding 50%, the Pakistan mobile market is continuing to experience rapid subscriber growth with thousands of customers signing up every month. The growth in subscriber rate has consequently led way to triple digit growth in messaging traffic over last year,… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on March 4, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Arms Production Going High Tech in Pakistan

U.S. Army Gen. William Westmoreland is reported to have said: "On the battlefield of the future, enemy forces will be located, tracked and targeted almost instantaneously through the use of data links, computer-assisted intelligence and automated fire control. … I am confident the American people expect this country to take full advantage of its technology–to welcome and applaud the developments that will replace wherever possible the man with the machine." It seems that this vision from the…

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Added by Riaz Haq on March 2, 2009 at 8:30am — 38 Comments

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