The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in a verdict issued in April, directed the provincial governments to announce the timetable for local bodies’ polls. Four years ago local governments had been unceremoniously closed down by the provincial administrations. Since then there has been a lack of grass-roots democracy for the Pakistanis, which ironically is being denied to them by the very …

During the blessed month of Ramadan, many Muslims slack off, showing up late at work (or not showing up at all), sleeping on the job, procrastinating, doing the least possible, and asking employers for shorter working days at the same wage rate. This type of behaviour is inconsistent with the very spirit of Ramadan. Islam does not advocate a special …

AUGUST August 1, 1838 – Slavery was abolished in Jamaica. It had been introduced by Spanish settlers 300 years earlier in 1509. August 2, 1939 – Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt concerning the possibility of atomic weapons. “A single bomb of this type carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy …

The person in this state is not different from a drug addict who has all possible excuses, manipulation and rationale to take drugs. Knowing that it will kill; the addict desires to dilute his life in drugs. Likewise, once becoming emotionally dependent on other, a person desires to dilute life in emotional dependency and avoids freedom. There may not be …

‘By means of their laptops, special children will be able to get the modern education of information technology and play a constructive role in the progress and prosperity of the country.’ (Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.) For the smooth and multi-dimensional progress of a country and society, it is necessary for all individuals to make their utmost contribution to this process, in …

Nouns: Nouns perform different functions in English. These are often described as referring to persons, places, things (anything we can think of) states. Excerpt: means a passage or quotation taken or selected from a book, document, letter, etc. Here are the excerpts from the letters written by Allama Iqbal. Malediction: a curse, the utterance of a curse. What have I …

JWT’s August issue focuses on Independence and the Youth of Pakistan; for both the Independence day of Pakistan, and the World Youth Day happen to fall in this month. This article has been written in the perspective of the generation gap that has taken place over recent years among the Pakistanis. These lines suggest as to how we can bridge …

For a country whose founder defined democracy as ‘the complete equality of men’ the laws like ‘the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012’ are not less than a shame; rather contemptuous for a people who feel proud to be Pakistani and aspire for a dignified life in their dreamland, that is, Pakistan! If Pakistan were to look into a mirror today …

The revenue raised by printing money is called seigniorage. Whenever government relies on seigniorage for financing its expenditure, the money supply goes up. Consequently, a rise in inflation is also witnessed. Raising revenue by printing more money is just like imposing an inflation tax. It is a tax in the sense that, for the holders of money, inflation decreases the …

It is the independence month. As a nation, if at one end we have been suffering from some big blows like the dictatorship and its off-shoots, at the other end we have been, every now and then, having reasons to smile as nation. Our people valiantly worked in the field of education, health, technology, social work and sports. Who can …