20% construction work on new Islamabad airport completed

 News & Articles  18 Responses »
Jun 302009
 

More than 20 per cent construction work of ‘airside infrastructure’ of the new Islamabad International Airport which includes pavement works (Runway, Taxiway, Apron etc.) has already been completed as commenced in August last year and this airport will become functional by the end of 2011.

According to a senior official of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Phase-I of the project which includes site preparatory and earth works has already been completed in April last year. According to details, the new Islamabad International Airport is being constructed at Tarnol-Fateh Jang road equipped with all facilities of international standard and would be completed in the stipulated period as set end of 2011. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:06 pm  Tagged with: ,

Governance level in Pakistan at lowest in region

 News & Articles  No Responses »
Jun 302009
 

By Mansoor Ahmad

LAHORE: The Worldwide Governance Indicators 1996-2008, released on Monday by the World Bank, reveal that the level of government control in fields vital for the well-being of a nation is the lowest in Pakistan among regional countries.

Six governance indicators, which are crucial for the economic and social well-being of people, are voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption. These indicators are measured in units ranging from -2.5 to 2.5 with higher values denoting better governance outcomes. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:05 pm

When words betray the feelings- BY ALI SUKHANVER

 Ali Sukhanver  No Responses »
Jun 302009
 

The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people; said Napoleon. Words are more important than actions. What we do comes latter than what we say. Actions can be forgotten but words are ever living. The most painful thing regarding the present day media men is that they sometimes pay least attention to the credibility of their words. Misreporting and disfigurement of the facts has become a professional requirement. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 5:12 pm

PAKISTAN-TAJIKISTAN FRIENDSHIP

 Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan  9 Responses »
Jun 302009
 

Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan

TAJKISTAN EM

Pakistan a second home

Pakistan is like second home to us. It is a beautiful country with rich heritage and culture. People are brave, tolerant, cooperative and above all open-minded. We respect their social values which is dynamic also.

Tajikistan President

Tajikistan President


Brotherly Muslim country

Moreover, Pakistan is our brotherly Muslim country. We share many cultural and societal similarities. The strength of cultural lies in our divine faith. Closed cultural ties make bridges of better understandings, trust, harmony, peace and above all equality. It promotes connectivity, decency, tolerance, and guarantees good bilateral diplomatic relations. Visit of dynasty and free interaction of dynamics, religious scholars, exchange of business and cultural tours and above all student exchange programs may be vital to enhance our cultural ties in the days to come. Continue reading »

 Posted by Mehmood Ul-Hassan Khan at 11:56 am

Points-based system for UK visa: Revised policy guidance for tier 4 of the points-based system and for PBS dependants

 Scholarships & Visas  7 Responses »
Jun 292009
 

Revised versions of the policy guidance for tier 4 of the points-based system, and of the PBS dependants policy guidance, have now been published.

The key changes that are included in the revised guidance are highlighted below: Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:47 pm  Tagged with: ,

Statement on UK Visa Applications in Pakistan (07/06/2009)

 Scholarships & Visas  447 Responses »
Jun 292009
 

The British High Commission yesterday issued a statement about the UK visa application process, including the current processing times, and a warning about the activities of unscrupulous agents.

“We decided to make this announcement because we are aware that unscrupulous agents are exploiting some applicants and giving them misleading visa information. These agents are taking money to arrange appointments at the visa application centres and encouraging applicants to submit fraudulent applications. It is important that our customers know that there is no charge for appointments and fraudulent applications will be refused and mean longer processing times for everyone” said Director of Visa Services, Peter Chaplin. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:45 pm  Tagged with:

Lobbying dollars flowing out of Pakistan at super speed

 News & Articles  No Responses »
Jun 282009
 

By Shaheen Sehbai

WASHINTGON: At least 11 big and small, known and unknown, lobbying companies have been hired by Pakistan and state-owned Pakistani organisations in the US, paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars every month, some of them having mysterious names and almost dubious credentials.

Although lobbying is a legal profession in Washington, the way it is conducted has earned it the nickname of “officially certified corruption” and what the Pakistan government, Pakistan Embassy and Pakistani organisations are doing may come close to this unofficial definition, analysts say. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:49 pm

Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Geo-Political and Geo-Strategic Dynamics

 News & Articles  No Responses »
Jun 272009
 

Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is emerging as yet another player in a crowded web of diplomatic and military ties. For many in the region, particularly the smaller nations, this jockeying promises benefits of all sorts, whether measured in aid, security guarantees or energy investments

(The Institute of strategic studies, London)

9the summit of the shanghai cooperation organization was held in Russia Yekaterinburg. All the participants thoroughly discussed on Afghanistan, security problems, terrorism and separatism. They all agreed that the SCO should play active and effective role in the international affairs. Many new ideas were floated. New policies were finalized. New approaches were envisioned. They adopted a joint declaration. The Republic of Uzbekistan assumed the chairmanship in the SCO until the organization’s next summit in 2010. Continue reading »

 Posted by Mehmood Ul-Hassan Khan at 11:42 am

Pakistan’s fragile economy and its paradoxes

 Pak Economy  No Responses »
Jun 272009
 

If Pakistan has to shed the fragility of its economy, it must be diversified and industrialised on a massive scale. Both the public and the private sectors have
to take initiatives towards this end, as it is a critical prerequisite for entering
the “take-off” stage which has eluded the country for the last six decades

By Dr. Aqdas Ali Kazmi

All the major macro and micro level indicators of Pakistan’s economy for the fiscal year 2008-09 lead to one principal conclusion, that Pakistan has a fragile economy and it suffers from numerous built-in paradoxes. The current year’s developments have shown that the economic fundamentals remain weak, and only serious and well-coordinated efforts can help restore its health and sustainability. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 7:37 am

Living with the Garden City-Ahmad Rafay Alam

 Ahmad Rafay Alam  No Responses »
Jun 262009
 

By the middle of the 19th Century, life in the cities of Industrial Revolution Europe was grim. The continent had experienced unprecedented urbanisation, the science of public sanitation hadn’t quite met the challenges posed by densely populated cities and the main source of energy was coal. As a result, urban dwellers spent their days avoiding squalor amid slums and decaying buildings while breathing the thick black smoke produced by burning coal. It was Ebenezer Howard, the urban planner, and Patrick Geddes, a Scottish biologist and sociologist, who pioneered the solution to the problems of urban living of the day: the Garden City.
Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 10:13 am

Nissan to mass–produce electric cars in 2012

 Automobiles  3 Responses »
Jun 252009
 

YOKOHAMA: Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday its electric vehicles will be affordable, setting sights on the potentially lucrative market with a plan to mass produce zero-emission cars globally from 2012.

Japan’s No. 3 automaker said it would unveil its first electric vehicle in Japan on August 2 and begin sales next year. “We are moving forward with zero-emission vehicles,” said Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn at a shareholders’ meeting. Nissan will sell electric cars first in Japan and the U.S. after April 2010, and then mass produce them globally in 2012.
Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 9:05 pm

UZBEKISTAN AND SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

 Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan  1 Response »
Jun 242009
 

Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan

Annual meeting of SCO was held in Ekaterinburg on June 15-16. Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov participated at the meeting. During his addressed he positively assessed the activity of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for over the last period. He noted that “a considerable work has been carried out on further widening and enhancing the fruitful cooperation in political, economic and social-humanitarian spheres, substantial steps have been taken in implementing the most important policy tasks and objectives.

He was of the opinion that the SCO did succeed to resolve the regional geo-political and geo-strategic issues and remained affirmed to solve the international problems too. He praised that the SCO contributed tremendous work for global security, terrorism, drug trafficking and other challenges and threats to our security in the region. Continue reading »

 Posted by Mehmood Ul-Hassan Khan at 6:48 am

Pakistan Budget 2009-10: We missed everything again

 Pak Economy  No Responses »
Jun 242009
 

HUZAIMA BUKHARI AND DR IKRAMUL HAQ

Majority of the Pakistanis were dejected after hearing the budget speech on the evening of June 13, 2009. Not because there was no relief for the poor section of society. This was not expected by anybody from a government dealing with war time economy. The real cause of disappointment was demonstration of lack of will to tax the rich – especially the absentee landlords.

The government failed to outline any measures for revival of ailing economy. All the taxation proposals show that the poor will have to face more miseries. On the contrary, the rich and the mighty have again managed to escape taxation on their colossal income and wealth. The gigantic bureaucratic apparatus – epitome of bad governance – is given 15% pay raise but not a single step is made to curtail their monstrous wasteful expenditure and monetize all their perquisites and benefits received in kind. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 6:02 am

The Saga of Survival – By Zafar Iqbal

 News & Articles  No Responses »
Jun 242009
 

image.zafarDescribing the life and views of an editor, the writer explains how journalists cope with permanent fear and threats of security agencies and Taliban in war -crippled Pakistan. 

 On superficial glance, he seems to have nexus with Taliban, or a Taliban commander with long disheveled beard on face and traditional Swati cap on head. No one can recognize him except one knowing him personally that the person he came across is severe critic of Taliban regime and bold as well. He has been deprived from the lives of two of his colleagues and Taliban has blasted his office buildings thanks to his overt and covert opposition to their policies. This audacious Muslim man is Mumtaz Sadiq of 45 and rendering his valuable services in Urdu Daily in Swat Valley of Northwestern Province of Pakistan, and he dedicated his professional life for the service of his community.  Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 5:46 am

Creating efficient safety nets in Pakistan —Syed Mohammad Ali

 News & Articles  No Responses »
Jun 232009
 

Creation of a database based on household profiling for the entire country is an administratively complex and costly exercise. But once completed, it can improve the productivity of, and synergy between, social protection programmes

Social safety nets are necessary to alleviate poverty within broader macroeconomic growth policies that take a long time to trickle down benefits to the poor and disadvantaged. Special programmes for poverty alleviation are therefore necessary, especially for countries like our own which has recently been through an economic crisis that has reversed poverty alleviation gains made in during the earlier part of the decade. Continue reading »

 Posted by Raheem at 2:54 pm
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