April 2013

Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, who died on March 7, was a charismatic and prograessive leader, whose idiosyncratic brand of socialism gave hope to the poorest people in the Latin American country. Mr Chavez was born on July 28, 1954 in the state of Barinas. The Chavez family were of Amerindian, Afro-Venezuelan, and Spanish descent. His parents, Hugo de …

The gateway of Islam in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, Sindh is the second largest province of Pakistan. It is home to the Indus Valley Civilization that is one of the earliest urban civilizations in the world. Geography East     Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan West    Indus River and Balochistan North    Punjab South    Arabian Sea Sindh forms the lower Indus basin …

Pakistan is inching closer to the new elections and people of Pakistan will soon elect their representatives for the next five years. At this point, let’s take a look at the past elections held in Pakistan. ELECTIONS OF 1970 In the General Elections 1970, twenty-four political parties contested for 300 National Assembly seats; 13 were reserved for women. Parties were …

Netanyahu insulted the president, backed Romney, and hasn’t moved the peace process. Now, White House should not reward behavior like that, not even from an ally. Iran is accelerating its nuclear program, Syria’s gruesome civil war is beginning to bleed across its borders, Two years after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, Egypt’s political transition is, at best, dicey and yet according to …

Historically speaking, Pak-India bilateral relations have predictably been unpredictable. The more both countries seem to make headway the more pitfalls they have to contend with in trying to negotiate this fragile and volatile relationship. Just at a time when all was set for the third round of composite dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi, the incidents at the Line of …

The retirement of Benedict XVI on Feb 28 was the first time in nearly 600 years that a pope stepped down. This situation forced the Roman Catholic Church to begin the ancient election process known as ‘Conclave.’ For centuries, the procedure of electing a new pope was simply called a ‘papal election.’ That was, until 1274, when the word conclave …

Nayyera Haq Nayyera Haq, Urdu Spokesperson of the US State Department, comes from a family of Punjabi descent with roots in Multan and Lahore. She holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University where she served as a Fellow of Journalism and Law. She has been the student of history in University of Michigan, one of the top universities of the …

As the majority of coalition forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan at the close of 2014, concerns are growing for the future of the detainees they must leave behind. During the course of the twelve-year war, NATO troops have apprehended thousands of suspected insurgents, most of whom have been released or transferred to the Afghan authorities. However, renewed fears regarding …

Long-awaited Gas Pipeline agreement has been finally inked by Iran and Pakistan. Both countries signed historic deal partly out of feeling of Islamic solidarity, to take Pakistan out of energy crisis, and partly to frustrate Western countries’ imposed isolation on Iran in the name of nuclear programme. The gas pipeline is not the only one that will limit to Pakistan …

Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. Gwadar has geostrategic significance as it lies on the conduit of three most commercially important regions of the world. The oil rich Middle East, Central Asia bestowed with natural resources, and South Asia having the potential for growth, for this century. …