One of the most impeding characteristics in Pakistani society is the striving of people to do favours and to get favours in return, whether in cash and/or kind. To live life in Pakistan one needs patronage and/or protection for simple things like going to an office and applying for whatsoever. Even for access to a…
The advent of a new type coronavirus with quite unprecedented characteristics such as high contagiousness, long incubation time stretching to 14 days which necessitates the isolation time of two weeks-has put the world in a fix. By the time the danger was recognized the virus had already spread across borders, regions and oceans. Patients who…
This year the holy month comes to us with double difficulties: The social distancing, curfews and closure of shops, though hopefully loosening in the near future, is already putting people into a difficult situation. With May and June the hottest months in Pakistan, people without adequate access to cooling or sufficient water could face health…
Dear Readers, To facilitate businesses by ensuring payment of wages and salaries the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has initiated its refinance limits with the Rozgar Refinance Scheme and subsequently enhanced the lands, a life saver for millions of employees. Credit for this goes to Dr. Reza Baqir, the Governor SBP, who had the vision…
The Imran Khan government came into power in 2018 declaring fighting poverty and corruption as their main objectives. To reach this ‘Naya Pakistan’ a new poverty alleviation ‘Ehsaas’ program was launched in March 2019. Dr Sania Nishtar, a public health specialist and seasoned poverty and health care politician, took charge while also taking control of…
Pakistan has always taken the matter of moonsighting very seriously. However the moonsighting controversy is not Pakistan-specific, moon-fighting goes back to the 8th and 9th centuries when Imam Shafi put his trust behind science, Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal required sighting of the moon physically. The Quran doesn’t mention details about this point but the Hadith as quoted…
Mass poverty and pandemics are both facts of life that involve millions of people at the same time. The paramount requirement is to balance life with livelihood but not be stupid giving undue weightage to one over the other. Relief measures have to cater to millions of people after credible inspection tests have been identified…
India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is supposedly dedicated to foreign intelligence gathering, actually it carries out all covert and subversive activities on both foreign and domestic soil (where it is not supposed to). Its “false flag” operations to blame others for such activities, mainly Pakistan but others as well require domestic intervention causing deaths,…
One cannot condemn an entire nation as ungrateful but as a govt Afghanistan certainly qualifies. Despite all that Pakistan has done for Afghans over the last for decades, Pakistan’s relationship with its western neighbour has been difficult from the beginning actually to say the least. The main bone of contention is the Durand Line, a…
The largest manufacturing industry in Pakistan, it contributes 8.5% to our GDP and employs about 45% of the country’s labour force and 38% of its manufacturing workers. The 4th largest producer of cotton with the third largest spinning capacity in Asia after China and India, Pakistan contributes 5% to the global spinning capacity. Today 1,221…
