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December 2013

Breakthrough in coal power

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Until the late 1970’s, Pakistan’s entire power generation was based on indigenous resources. Now, less than 60 per cent of power generation is from indigenous resources, which are depleting fast or getting out of use.

There are now no two opinions that after hydropower generation, domestic coal, in the long run, is going to be the cheapest source of power generation when compared with imported coal, LNG, furnace oil and high speed diesel. Domestic natural gas, although cheaper than coal, is fast becoming a scarce commodity, and is at the centre of political wrangling.Read More »Breakthrough in coal power

Afghan officials begin handing over security check posts to Taliban

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US alarmed by surprising move

December 23, 2013: In a surprising development the Afghan security officials have begun handing over several security check-posts to Afghan Taliban peacefully.

The latest action by Afghan security forces took the U.S. officials by storm and U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel had to make a statement that he was concerned by “unconfirmed reports that Afghan forces turned some security checkpoints over to the Taliban.”
Read More »Afghan officials begin handing over security check posts to Taliban

Pakistan in search of new life

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Dr Mahboob A Khwaja

Nothing has changed over the years except Pakistan is floating in a bubble of political, social, economic and strategic entanglement and it is just a matter of time that foreign masters could undermine its flight without notice. Pakistanis are camouflaged into a world of fantasy and dream that crime-riddled corrupt politics of the few could rescue them from catastrophic consequences unthinkable to conventional wisdom at the present.
Read More »Pakistan in search of new life

Pakistani applicants to pay UK visa fee online

 

The British High Commission (BHC) has announced that applicants from Pakistan applying for the UK have to pay the visa fee through an online process from today (Monday) to onwards. Head of Visa section BHC Margaret Partridge announced while inaugurating the online services in Islamabad. “As part of the UK government’s Digital by Default initiative, this move will help cut costs and help keep visa fees down,” a statement quoted her as saying. She said that it would also be a safer system for customers as it reduces the risk associated with handling large amounts of Read More »Pakistani applicants to pay UK visa fee online

Justice Iftikhar played like Afridi, not Tendulkar: Aitzaz

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* Kurd says CJP never looked back at common people who had campaigned for him

* Asma says country needs a constitutional, not political, CJP 

Senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Aitzaz Ahsan has said that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry played his innings like Shahid Afridi, not like Sachin Tendulkar.

Talking to a private TV channel on Wednesday, he said, “Iftikhar Chaudhry did politics and he wants to be a politician,” he added. He said that the chief justice might not have been expecting such a reaction over permitting only one private TV channel to cover the full court reference. “Discrimination was just a no ball from the Supreme Court’s side,” Aitzaz Ahsan said. He maintained that the CJP committed a fatal mistake in the end and he did not leave as Tendulkar, “he just played like Afridi”.Read More »Justice Iftikhar played like Afridi, not Tendulkar: Aitzaz

Tumultuous end to a whirlwind era

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* Justice Chaudhry’s retirement day hit by controversy over SC administration allegedly favouring a private TV channel by providing it with an exclusive footage of full-court reference

Romance between the media and outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry came to a tragic end on his retirement day, as the Supreme Court’s administration on Wednesday allegedly provided the video footage of the Supreme Court’s full court reference to one TV channel (Geo), and other TV channels started a campaign against the outgoing CJP. Read More »Tumultuous end to a whirlwind era

GOODBYE, MY LORDSHIP AND OUR TWO OVERSEAS FUNDS

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BY MUHAMMAD JAVED

Despite huge voices there is so far no answer as to from where came Rs. 5.5 billion recently paid for settling the circular debit. Was this through further extra printing of currency notes or taken/diverted from any other fund/source? Though Sheikh Rasheed’s question in the assembly was answered but according to Rauf Klasra the two page answer was complete with undesired technical definitions lacking any hint to the real question from where came this money.  Katrina Hussain the anchor commented, this might have been taken “from different funds.  Sheikh Rasheed still Read More »GOODBYE, MY LORDSHIP AND OUR TWO OVERSEAS FUNDS

Judging Chaudhry

BY BABAR SATTAR

IT is ungracious to take pot shots at someone walking into the sunset. But to refuse to take stock of the performance of a public office holder as remarkable as Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and draw lessons for the future is also undesirable.

In measuring up Chaudhry’s tenure as chief justice there are five broad areas that invite comment: judicial independence; suo motu powers; judicial appointments; judicial reform; and Arsalan Iftikhar.Read More »Judging Chaudhry