China and India are known for their manufacturing and service Industries. The hunger to move up in the innovation cycle is seen in both. However, the lesson of the history is that you cannot get your economies right if you do not get your Politics right. Pakistan has been a serious victim of bad governance, ethnic rivalries, absence of rule …

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit human beings for some type of labor or commercial sex purpose. Every year, millions of men, women, and children worldwide’ including in Pakistan’ become victims of human trafficking. Today remittances of Pakistani expatriates hover around US$ 13-14 billion which accounts for …

2013 Elections have brought to light many firsts in Pakistan. Firstly, there was an independent and impartial Election Commission that conducted the general elections. Secondly, a caretaker setup, to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, was installed through a constitutional process. We are also heading towards a first-ever civilian transition. Since the general elections 1970, seven general elections ‘1985, 1988, …

‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan started by the US on 7th October 2001 under ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) umbrella is to complete twelve years soon. At this point, can we say that the Taliban stand defeated? The answer is definitely a big ‘No’. The Nato and Isaf forces were equipped with all the military might and the most sophisticated …

The security transition plan in Afghanistan is a high-risk political game. Decreasing the presence of foreign troops is not just a military strategy; it signifies a concomitant reduction in international commitment to Afghanistan after 2014. This development could spell disaster for Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics policy, which relies heavily on international donors for military infrastructure and financial resources. Much of the civilian …

Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Najam Sethi, in a press conference, denied US role in his appointment, adding that he never held one-on-one meeting with the US envoy Richard Olson. Even if he had no one-on-one meeting with US envoy recently, it does not mean that US had no role in his appointment. In the past, there were reports that he …

Election is a game of numbers. Stakes are high and this time again things aren’t going to be as simple as they are apparently. Delay in electing a new setup is next-to-impossible. It will benefit none; neither the army nor the politicians. International forces won’t be receptive either. Country’s security establishment may not dare to prolong the tenure of the …

Education has been accorded great importance in every religion and society. Islam also attached utmost importance to it. 1.    Introduction 2.    Importance of Education 3.    Present state of Education: Dismal a)    Literacy b)    Equity c)    Quality d)    Access e)    Relevance f)    Environment 4.    Technical Education 5.    Higher Education 6.    Causes of Failure a)    Historical and societal b)    Governance-related Factors 7.   …

Pakistan crossed the nuclear threshold to become a declared nuclear weapons state on 28 May 1998 after it detonated five nuclear devices in the Ras Koh Hills in Chagai, Balochistan. This day is celebrated across the country as a national day ‘Youm-e-Takbir’, and is a milestone in the history of Pakistan. Background After BJP came into power in India after …

Most educated people in Pakistan agree with the fact that the country’s population has been growing at an alarming rate during the past few decades. Pakistan was only the second country after India that started an official family planning programme about 50 years ago, while many other Asian and Arab countries did so later. Even though in Islam there is …