By: Hussain H Zaidi Recently, while arguing against the crass materialism and selfishness that allegedly form the basis of Western culture, the head of a noted religio-political party stated that in the US a man wouldn’t even buy ice cream for his girlfriend. Therefore, Pakistanis – generous and caring as they are towards their friends and relatives – must not …
Read More »The epidemic of short-termism in Pakistan
By: Syed Ali Sajjad KARACHI: Short-termism refers to the currently popular focus on immediate gains and ignorance of the future. This makes the future much more uncertain and entails a lot more risk. Some analysts credit the global financial crises to short-termism. It is a relatively new term in literature and is gaining popularity after a famous Ted Talk by …
Read More »How North Korea Managed to Defy Years of Sanctions
By: JANE PERLEZ, YUFAN HUANG & PAUL MOZUR DANDONG, China — As the end of the fashion season approached, and the suits and dresses arrived in her company’s warehouses here in the Chinese border town of Dandong, the accountant crammed about $100,000 into a backpack, then boarded a rickety train with several co-workers. She asked to be identified only by …
Read More »How China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is making the world smaller
By: Chen Shilei With a high-level forum on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, scheduled to take place in Beijing from May 14-15, approaching, the China proposed initiative has again drawn the world’s focus. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, …
Read More »Yadav and the ICJ
By: Imaan Mazari Hazir “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on”. The saying goes something like that – though different versions are attributed to different people. Information, for better or for worse, has an inherent capacity to be taken out of context and moulded to fit whatever paradigm a …
Read More »Basics about Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held on May 14 to 15 in Beijing. The following is some basic information about the Belt and Road Initiative. ORIGINATION The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the 2Ist Century Maritime Silk Road. The initiative was put forward for the first time by …
Read More »World in Focus (March-April’17)
NATIONAL Mar 16: Justice Saeeduddin Nasir of Sindh High Court passed away. Mar 16: Pakistan Navy successfully conducted the test launch of a land-based anti-ship missile. Mar 16: The federal government made it mandatory for health professionals or healthcare establishments to make video recording of every cardiac procedure. Mar 16: The Senate of Pakistan passed the Pakistan Climate Change Act. …
Read More »Exclusive: CPEC master plan revealed
By: KHURRAM HUSAIN Details from original documents laying out the CPEC long term plan are publicly disclosed for the first time. Plan eyes agriculture Large surveillance system for cities Visa-free entry for Chinese nationals The floodgates are about to open. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Beijing over the weekend to participate in the One Belt, One Road summit, and …
Read More »INVASION OF THE ALIENS
By: SALMAN RASHID Pakistanis have the greatest knack for making the worst possible choices insofar as the natural environment is concerned. In 2016, motoring north on M-2, I was very pleased to see large scale destruction of the non-native, water-guzzling eucalyptus underway. On another trip shortly afterwards I was aghast to notice that the stumps, about a metre in height, …
Read More »THE POLITICS OF HASHTAG ACTIVISM
By: RAMSHA JAHANGIR A spectre is haunting Pakistan — the spectre of social media. For Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, it is even “lethal for democracy” — no control, no censors, just pure, unadulterated rhetoric. A growing war of information has encapsulated the political landscape of Pakistan. Now, online discussions can quickly transcend into angry mobs and 140 characters can cost …
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