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Performance vs promises

By Dr. Muhammad Yaqub

The PML-N government proclaimed, in the words of its finance minister in his first budget speech on June 12, 2013, that it “is inheriting a broken economy” requiring a “comprehensive agenda of reforms” for its turn around. In the same speech, he also made a “declaration of our intent to fulfil all promises that we made to the nation” during the election.

The PML-N promised to break the begging and borrowing bowl and achieve self-reliance, and improve rates of investment and growth and create employment opportunities. Assurances were given that a clean and lean government would be run, and the palatial prime minister house and similar other lavish official residencies would not be used – to save taxpayers’ money and set personal examples of austere living. It was promised loadshedding would be managed better, laws obeyed universally, accountability enforced vigorously and all key appointments made on strict merit to ensure good governance.Read More »Performance vs promises

Top five deadliest attacks on commercial airliners

Reuters

A Malaysian airliner was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides.

If confirmed as having been downed by missile fire, the attack will be the deadliest incident of a commercial passenger plane being shot down since the 1960s.

Since 1967 more than 700 people have been killed in 19 separate incidents involving live-fire attacks, according to UK-based aviation consultancy Flightglobal Ascend which keeps a detailed database of aircraft accidents.

The most recent attack was in January 1999 when a Lockheed Hercules plane operated by TransAfrik was reportedly shot down near Bailundo in Angola, killing all nine passengers and crew on board.

Following is a list of the five deadliest incidents:Read More »Top five deadliest attacks on commercial airliners

KASHMIR-WHERE EVERY DAY IS 13th JULY

ALI SUKHANVER

 

‘We won’t let you visit the Kashmir valley because we have turned it into a blazing hell of death and horror’, it must have been the honest response to every request presented to the Indian authorities by the international human rights caretakers for the visit of Indian Occupied Kashmir. And this situation is not a new one; even ten years back, the response must have been the same. I remember in the first week of March 2003, a delegation comprising of six-members belonging to a US legislators group from New Hampshire, visited India in a hope that they would be given an opportunity of visiting the Indian part of Kashmir. On his return, the group leader Mr. J. Guide complained about the silence from Embassy of India and said: “I have personally written two letters to the ambassador of India in Washington to grant my delegation visas so that we can visit the Indian side of Kashmir but unfortunately I have received no letter.” Senator Frank V. Sapareto, a member of that group was more pungent in his comments. He said, “Whatever is happening there in the Indian Occupied Kashmir is a pure genocide, nothing less than a holocaust.”Read More »KASHMIR-WHERE EVERY DAY IS 13th JULY

QADRI’s SHARP OBSERVATION

Muhammad Javed

Talking with Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri in his residence on 24 June 2014, Mubashar Luqman the popular Anchor mentioned the general surprise of the masses that while Qadri was very critical of the present rulers during the most critical moments of his confinement in the Emirates plane at Lahore Airport, Qadri accepted the “hand” of Mohammad Sarwar Chaudhary the Punjab Governor a diehard supporter of Nawaz Sharif.  Dr. Qadri while denying it and explaining his side of position added that he was surprised how “belittle” the official protocol, Nawaz Government had provided to Governor.

Read More »QADRI’s SHARP OBSERVATION

Poor performance of transport sector costing Pakistan 5% of GDP

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*Railway enduring worst crisis mainly due to locomotive shortages

The World Bank estimates that poor performance of the transport sector is costing Pakistan about five percent of its GDP. Furthermore thirty percent of agriculture output is currently wasted due to its inefficient farm to market channels, lack of cold storage facilities and an obsolete underpowered trucking fleet, says Pakistan Economic Survey 2013-14. According to the survey, Pakistan Railway is enduring the worst crisis mainly due to locomotive shortages. Passenger and freight services substantially declined during last five years. This is evident from above table that gross earning of Pakistan Railway has declined during last five years. Due to over aged infrastructure and rolling stock, increase in Read More »Poor performance of transport sector costing Pakistan 5% of GDP

Three UK varsities, 57 colleges banned from sponsoring international students

Three universities and 57 private colleges have been told they cannot sponsor any new international students in a major crackdown on suspect English language qualifications.

In a statement to the House of Commons on June 24, immigration minister James Brokenshire said he was taking the action in the light of “detailed and wide-ranging investigation into actions by organized criminals to falsify English language tests for student visa applicants”.

It follows a BBC Panorama exposed in February, which revealed systematic cheating in tests from an organization called the Educational Testing Service (ETS). More than 29,000 invalid results and 19,000 questionable results had been identified so far, though “it is likely that the true totals will be higher,” said Brokenshire, who condemned the organized criminality behind the fraud.Read More »Three UK varsities, 57 colleges banned from sponsoring international students

Rich growing richer at the cost of poor

Pakistan’s economy has not done badly in the last two decades and per capita income in the country rose from $612 in 2003 to $1,295 in 2013 despite deteriorated internal security and frequent natural disasters, according to the International Monetary Fund. But participants in a discussion on inequality, arranged by SDPI and Oxfam here on Wednesday, learnt that the doubling of national income benefited the poor of the country the least.

“In urban areas, the top 20 per cent of the population take 61 per cent of the monthly income in comparison to 3.45 per cent of the bottom 20 per cent,” informed Babar Jamal of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute.Read More »Rich growing richer at the cost of poor

Highlights of Punjab Budget 2014-15

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Broadening  the tax net instead of burdening the existing taxpayers and setting up of coal and solar power plants from own resources are the highlight of Punjab government’s over Rs1 trillion budget for the next fiscal year

Following in the footsteps of the federal government, the provincial administration would also propose a 10 per cent increase in the salaries and pensions of its serving and retired employees.Read More »Highlights of Punjab Budget 2014-15