November 2012

He wrote about the emergence of bureaucracy from more traditional organisational forms (like feudalism) and it’s rising pre-eminence in modern society.   Max Weber Max Weber (1864-1920), was a German sociologist. He proposed different characteristics found in effective bureaucracies that would effectively conduct decision-making, control resources, protect workers and accomplish organisational goals. Weber’s contributions were indented to supplant old organisational …

Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan and the capital of Punjab, has been facing severe traffic problems for a very long time. In these circumstances, it has become indispensable to make real improvements in the quality and services of the public traffic system. During the last two decades, a number of proposals have been under consideration about tackling the …

Corruption is regarded as an evil in the developed countries, but quite ironically, certain business firms in the developed countries themselves indulge in corruption in their international business transactions. Corruption is a universal curse, found almost everywhere in the world, in the rich as well as poor countries, with the only difference of intensity. Terms like shares, kickbacks and per …

Studies around the globe vividly depict that healthier people tend to earn higher wages and, therefore, lead a better life as compared to unhealthy adults. The World Health Organisation displays the definition of health on its webpage as, ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.’ Developing countries of the …

It is not possible to revamp the entire system to produce quality human beings unless we realise that our goals are crystal clear; for what purpose we are educating our children; and what values need to inculcate among the disciples through education. The terribly humongous number of students who fail to get through the competitive examination each year indicates not …

Ombudsman office has received public applauses. However, certain improvements are required to enhance its image in the eyes of public. One such step is the appointment of Ombudsman. The modern society is a bureaucratic society as every citizen comes into contact with the government functionaries for redressal of his problems but they find themselves entangled in bureaucratic way of disposing …

Since 2010, the number of non-political people being shot in the city has been on the rise, and the latest HRCP report showed that the trend was continuing. A total of 493 people with no political affiliation were killed in the first eight months of the year, as opposed to 418 in the entire 2011 and 301 in 2010. The …

Isn’t it time that we ask our lawmakers to, at least on paper, show their only allegiance to this fledgling country? It is a pity that both the National Assembly and the Senate have refused to verify whether their members hold dual nationality. It is as if they do not care if their members are indeed even verbally loyal to …

Two important constituents of the Islamic Jurisprudence Literally the Arabic word Ijtihad means to strive or struggle and in legal terminology it is a juristic exercise in which a Muslim jurist utilises his intellectual and legal expertise for finding solution to those matters that are not directly covered by the two primary sources of Shariah, namely the Quran and Sunnah. …

Going by the texts of the six points presented by both leaders and the events that followed, there are many differences. ‘Mujib’s six points covered constitutional, political, economic and strategic aspects. It was a maximalist position to secure a fair deal for East Pakistan. Mengal’s six points do not go beyond demanding ordinary rights enjoyed by citizens elsewhere in the …