Riaz Haq's Blog – January 2018 Archive (17)

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 — 4 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 — 42 Comments

Pakistan is the World's 5th Largest Motorcycles Market

Pakistan is the 5th largest motorcycle market in the world after China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. With 7,500 new motorcycles being sold everyday, Pakistan is also the among the world's fastest growing two-wheeler markets. Passenger car and motorcycle sales in Pakistan are both soaring at rates of over 20% a year. …

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 16, 2018 at 7:30pm — 14 Comments

Pakistan Economy is the World's Third Fastest Growing Among Top 25 Economies

Pakistan is now the world's third fastest growing economy among the world's top 25 economies with PPP GDP of over one trillion US dollars, according to  the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF has recently raised the country's 2018 growth forecast to 5.6%.…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 14, 2018 at 10:30am — 8 Comments

World Bank: Pakistan Outperforming Emerging Economies Average

The World Bank sees Pakistan's GDP to grow 5.5% in current fiscal year 2017-18 ending in June 2018, a full percentage point faster than the 4.5% average GDP growth for Emerging and Developing Economies (EMDEs) that include Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Nigeria and Russia among others. However, Pakistan economic growth continues to lag growth forecast for regional economies of…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 11, 2018 at 10:24am — 4 Comments

CPEC is Transforming The Least Developed Parts of Pakistan

In a New York Times Op Ed titled "How Not to Engage With Pakistan",  ex US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson says "Its (CPEC's) magnitude and its transformation of parts of Pakistan dwarf anything the United States has ever undertaken".  Olson goes on to warn the Trump…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 9, 2018 at 8:00pm — 104 Comments

Husain Haqqani's Influence in Trump White House

Do you know that Pakistan's ex Ambassador Husain Haqqani co-authored a paper in 2016 with current US National Security staffer Lisa Curtis calling for tough US policy against Pakistan?…



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Added by Riaz Haq on January 7, 2018 at 8:07am — 4 Comments

India's Ex Intelligence Officers Blame Kulbhushan Jadhav For Getting Caught in Pakistan

India's former RAW officers, including one ex chief, have blamed Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested by Pakistan in 2016, for getting caught in Pakistan as a "result of unprofessionalism", according to a report in India's "The Quint" owned and operated by a joint venture of Bloomberg News and Quintillion Media. The report that appeared briefly on The Quint website has since been removed,…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 5, 2018 at 8:30pm — 4 Comments

General Petraeus Rejects Trump's Charges of "Lies and Deceit" Against Pakistan

General David Petraeus, former CIA director and commander and US Forces in Afghanistan, has rejected  President Donald Trump's charges of "lies and deceit" against Pakistan.  He did so back in late 2016. Here's a brief excerpt of what he said:

"I looked very very hard then (as US commander in Afghanistan) and again as CIA director at the nature of the relationship between the…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 3, 2018 at 7:41am — 11 Comments

Ex US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Pakistan's "Lies and Deceit"

President Donald Trump's first new year tweet in 2018 accused Pakistan of "nothing but lies and deceit". This is not new.  Back in 2011, then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in a US Senate Hearing was asked by Senator Patrick Leahy about Pakistan's "lies" to the United…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 2, 2018 at 11:00am — 4 Comments

Trump's Godfather Doctrine: New Year's First Tweet Warning Pakistan

President Donald Trump began year 2018 with his very first tweet insulting and threatening Pakistan. Is this a continuing manifestation of what American foreign policy experts John Hulsman and Wes Mitchell call "The Godfather Doctrine"? Is Trump prepared to reject the US-created post World War II international institutional  framework? Is he ready to abandon diplomatic route and act unilaterally against a…

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Added by Riaz Haq on January 1, 2018 at 7:48pm — 2 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    IDEAS 2024: Pakistan Defense Industry's New Drones, Missiles and Loitering Munitions

    The recently concluded IDEAS 2024, Pakistan's Biennial International Arms Expo in Karachi, featured the latest products offered by Pakistan's defense industry. These new products reflect new capabilities required by Pakistani military for modern war-fighting. The event hosted 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, as well as 350 civilian and military officials from 55 countries. 

    Pakistani defense manufacturers highlighted their latest products, including armed…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on December 1, 2024 at 5:44pm

    Barrick Gold CEO "Super-Excited" About Reko Diq Copper-Gold Mine Development in Pakistan

    Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow says he’s “super excited” about the company’s Reko Diq copper-gold development in Pakistan. Speaking about the Pakistani mining project at a conference in the US State of Colorado, the South Africa-born Bristow said “This is like the early days in Chile, the Escondida discoveries and so on”, according to Mining.com, a leading industry publication. "It has enormous…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on November 19, 2024 at 9:00am

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