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Pakistan Exporting Drones to America



By Noah Shachtman



America's killer drones are getting all the attention, in the fight against Pakistani militants. But Pakistan's military has plenty of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, too. And they're being used to… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 24, 2008 at 6:00am — No Comments

Pakistan's Internet Outage--Service Disrupted Yet Again



Internet and telephone traffic between Europe and the Middle East and Asia has been seriously disrupted since Friday when three major underwater data lines were cut in the Mediterranean, according to media reports.



The main damage is to the four submarine cables running across the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal. The damaged cables include Sea… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 20, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

War on Hunger Takes a Back Seat in South Asia



Calls to "do a Lebanon" to fight terror are being made vociferously by the Indian media as they have focused the national and international attention on Mumbai terrorist attacks that targeted two opulent hotels and a small Jewish center in India's financial capital. The need for war on… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 15, 2008 at 9:00am — 4 Comments

Social Networks Bring Blessings, Pose Risks



Of the two recent studies making headlines this week, one brings good news and the other warns of grave risks.



The good news first: New research shows that in a social network, happiness spreads among people up to three degrees removed from one another. That means when you feel happy, a friend of a friend of a friend has a slightly higher… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 5, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Mumbai's Slumdog



Based on Simon Beaufoy's screenplay adapted from a Vikas Swarup's novel, Slumdog Millionaire is a well-made movie by a British director Danny Boyle. The early part of it reminds me of Dickens' Oliver Twist. But that impression quickly changes as the story develops into more than an… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 30, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Indian Cricketers Recruited By Major League Baseball



While the Indian Navy is going after the pirates in the Gulf of Aden, two Indian youngsters are joining the Pirates in the United States.



Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel are two 20-year-old pitchers with million dollar arms. Neither had picked up a baseball until earlier this year. Both have now signed free-agent contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates,… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 26, 2008 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India

By Riaz Haq





The pre-British, early 19th century Moghul India, described as caste-ridden, feudalistic and unmodern, was economically ahead of the rest of the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 22, 2008 at 4:09pm — 10 Comments

Aligarians Celebrate Sir Syed Day in Silicon Valley

ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman kaa bulbul huuN

sarshaar-e-nigaah-e-nargis huuN, paa-bastaa-e-gesuu-sumbul huuN

ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman ka bulbul huuN



Prior to the start of the mushaira, the above Aligarh Muslim University Taraana (Anthem) was sung by the Aligarians clad in black sherwanis (long tunics) and white pajamas (trousers) along with a few… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 18, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Obama's Technology Policy



Technology will likely get significant attention by President-elect Barack H. Obama, in spite of the more urgent issues of two wars, a sputtering economy and ballooning US national debt. While there will be the usual rush by various special interest groups in the high tech world to try and influence US technology policy to favor their particular sectors or… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 10, 2008 at 10:31pm — No Comments

How is NED Doing in 2008?



Is NED Making Progress?



Is NED University making progress to deal with the challenges of the 21st century? Is it competitive within Pakistan with other institutions of higher learning? How have NED University administration and faculty responded to the institution's low ranking by the HEC? How are the NED alumni… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 8, 2008 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

NED Alumni Convention 2008 Draws 400 NEDians



NED Alumni Convention 2008 in Hartford, Connecticut attracted over 400 NEDians and their families and friends this year on Nov 1, 2008. This was the fourth successful North America annual convention of NED University alumni after Houston, New Jersey and Silicon Valley conventions.… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 3, 2008 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Powell: So What If Obama Is Muslim?



Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a life-long Republican who served George W. Bush in his first term and argued for Iraq war at the UN, endorsed Senator Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States on NBC's "Meet the Press". While the endorsement was not unexpected, what caught my attention was the statement that Secretary Powell made about… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 20, 2008 at 10:48am — 1 Comment

HEC University Rankings Controversy in Pakistan



Summary:

Higher Education Commission in Pakistan released its first and only ranking of universities in Pakistan in October 2006. Prior to this HEC effort, there had been no formal attempts by any public or private group to establish a set of criteria and judge Pakistani institutions of higher… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 14, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Can US. NATO Win in Afghanistan?



"We're not going to win this war", Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, the UK's commander in Afghanistan's Helmand province, told London's Sunday Times this week.



"It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army." he added.



"If the Taleban were prepared to sit on the other… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 9, 2008 at 8:57pm — No Comments

Pakistani Scientists "Hunting for God Particle"



Humans have been engaged in the perennial effort to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what the universe is made of; to know the origins of human and other species; in other words, to get to the very bottom of things. These are existential questions that religions and philosophers have offered answers to. But most scientists remain unconvinced with these… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 1, 2008 at 11:41am — 1 Comment

US-Pakistan FATA Face Off Fears

"I've been to Waziristan. I can see how tough that terrain is. It's ruled by a handful of tribes", said Senator John S. McCain in a recent presidential debate referring to Waziristan "agency" in Pakistan's FATA region.



Often described in the world media as "lawless" and "a terrorists sanctuary", Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area) region, particularly Waziristan, has been the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 30, 2008 at 7:59am — 18 Comments

McCain and Obama Debate Pakistan Policy



By various estimates, there are about 1.5 million to 2 million American Muslim voters, including several hundred thousand Pakistanis, in the United States. There is a significant concentration of Muslim vote in Florida and Michigan. If, as the anecdotal evidence suggests, Obama gets the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 26, 2008 at 10:53pm — No Comments

Renewable Energy to Tackle Pakistan's Electricity Crisis

In June 2007, the power cuts in Pakistan lasted no more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Today, in extremely hot weather, Pakistanis have to endure without electricity for 8 to 10 hours a day. Industrial production is suffering, exports are down, jobs are being lost, and the national economy is in a downward spiral. By all indications, the power crisis in Pakistan is getting worse than ever.…



Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 17, 2008 at 9:00am — 32 Comments

Light a Candle, Don't Curse the Darkness



"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Adlai Stevenson, 1962



It is important to repeat these golden words to exhort people to positive action. But it takes more than words to make social service and volunteerism become normal part of every day life for ordinary citizens. The message to be proactive to solve society's problems has to be… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 11, 2008 at 9:18am — No Comments

Can American Muslims Swing US Presidential Race?



The presidential contest between Barack H. Obama and John S. McCain is now even at 42 percent, according to a new CBS News poll conducted Monday-Wednesday of this week. Twelve percent are undecided according to the poll, and one percent said they

wouldn't vote.



The Race Tied:

The two main presidential… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 8, 2008 at 12:22pm — 1 Comment

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    Blog Posts

    Pakistani Student Enrollment in US Universities Hits All Time High

    Pakistani student enrollment in America's institutions of higher learning rose 16% last year, outpacing the record 12% growth in the number of international students hosted by the country. This puts Pakistan among eight sources in the top 20 countries with the largest increases in US enrollment. India saw the biggest increase at 35%, followed by Ghana 32%, Bangladesh and…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on April 1, 2024 at 5:00pm

    Agriculture, Caste, Religion and Happiness in South Asia

    Pakistan's agriculture sector GDP grew at a rate of 5.2% in the October-December 2023 quarter, according to the government figures. This is a rare bright spot in the overall national economy that showed just 1% growth during the quarter. Strong performance of the farm sector gives the much needed boost for about …

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on March 29, 2024 at 8:00pm

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