Sunday, June 28, 2009

Pakistan: A Superpower by 2050: Pakistan Times

By Dr Ali Mohammad

In a recent article, “Turning Challenges into Opportunities” we argued that Pakistanis are a brave, resilient, and highly intelligent people who, under a strong, determined, and patriotic leadership, can surmount any crisis. Furthermore, there are many reasons that Pakistan could become a global superpower within few decades.

Of course, in the sublime sense, the only superpower is the Almighty Allah. However, in more mundane terms, a superpower can be defined as having the ability to influence events and project power on a worldwide scale. Unfortunately, the traditional definition of a superpower represents a raw and crude psyche that only exacerbates violence, environmental decay, inequality, tyranny, and instability.

We must then redefine “superpower” to emphasize morality, international cooperation, world peace, clean and healthy environment, eradication of poverty, and promotion of equality among nations. Pakistan can take up the challenge under a two-pronged doctrine, namely possessing an effective and successful deterrence against aggression and the will and the means to enhance international cooperation, peace, and prosperity.

The defeatists, uttering doomsday scenarios, will question our proposition. These elements have always infused distress, despondency, and despair among the masses. Pakistan has survived many odds since its birth. To the dismay of its detractors, Pakistan has achieved a reasonable degree of self-sufficiency in food and other essential commodities. The poverty level has declined to 25%, while wealth distribution has been relatively much better compared to many developed and developing countries.

In the vital fields of agriculture, science and technology, industry, medicine and engineering, nuclear technology, art and architecture, as well as in sports, cultural, and the literary world, it has won a respectable place in the community of nations. The Pakistani people have courageously defied what the proponents of gloom and doom had wished. At the time of its inception in 1947, the country lacked the basic infrastructure for development, but it had the romance of youth, the diversity of its people, and a kind of mysticism for survival. The birth of Pakistan in less than ten years since the idea of nationhood was conceived in the 1940 Resolution is truly a gift of Allah to the Ummah. And its survival is a miracle.

Many serious analysts believe that with proper management and governance, Pakistan can become the sixth biggest economy within the next fifteen years and one of the most developed economies by 2050 AD. (Adjusting for unreported economic activities and comparative prices, the current GDP estimates can actually be four times higher putting Pakistan in the middle-income category.) Moreover, with an estimated population of 350 million by 2050, it will be fourth largest country in the world. Similarly, the literacy rate, 52% at present, is expected to reach 90% in next twenty years.

However, Pakistan’s biggest asset is its 100 million people below the age of 25, a highly productive age, which can play a vital role in the economic development of the country. These young people have entered the phase of their economic life cycle, whereas in many other countries most of the population is aging. Moreover, some ten million overseas Pakistanis, with estimated assets of $500 billion, constitute a huge reserve and strength as well as a source of considerable remittances and investment.

On the geo-physical scene, Pakistan has adequate natural resources. For example, of a total land area of nearly 882,000 sq.km. (ranking fifth among the developed countries while it is larger than France, Germany, Britain, Japan, and Italy), it has over 30 million hectares of land under agriculture. It has rich soils, favorable agro-climatic conditions, one of the most extensive irrigation systems in the world, and a hard-working farming community. Pakistan also has a large population of cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep, camel, and poultry while it ranks among the highest producers of meat, milk, and animal products.

In addition, the country has tremendous opportunities for developing fresh water and sea fisheries. With the introduction of improved farming techniques, the country can produce at least 60 million tons of food (wheat, rice, and maize) — enough to meet the nation’s food requirements and for exports. Pakistan can also boost its existing significant production and export of fruits and vegetables. The potential exports of food products alone to the Middleast are estimated at $200 billion per year. Development of the agriculture sector could also release surpluses of income and manpower for the industrialization of the country.

Pakistan has been bestowed with huge deposits of mineral resources and stands among the top ten nations in the world in vital mineral resources such as gold, copper, silver, gas, precious stones, and coal. In the case of energy, the country has immense hydroelectric power generation potentials as well as solar, wind, nuclear, and thermal power and can boost electricity production several times its present levels. For example, Pakistan has the world’s fourth largest coal reserves equivalent to over 600 billion barrels of oil, which can be developed for electricity generation both for domestic and export markets, coal byproducts, gasification, petrochemicals, and many other chemicals.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan: A Superpower by 2050: Pakistan Times

Pakistan not to hand over any citizen to any country at any cost: FO: OnlineNews

ISLAMABAD : Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit has said unconfirmed reports about funding of terrorists and extremists by Arab and European countries have been received adding the matter will be taken up with these countries after confirmation of such reports.

Foreign Office spokesperson said this during his weekly press briefing here Thursday. He told Pakistani high commissioner in India had come to Pakistan with reference to resumption of talks between Pakistan and India and he had consulted foreign secretary.

The time frame and venue of talks had not been set so far on foreign secretaries level talks between Pakistan and India, he informed. "Pakistan welcomes restoration of talks process and both the countries are eager for holding sincere talks for peace and security in the region", he added.

To a question about release of Indian spy Sarabjit Singh he said "I can offer no comments on this count at present. It is premature to say some thing about his release now".

"We have conveyed our view point to US with respect to US drone attacks that such attacks are intolerable in the perspective of solidarity and sovereignty of Pakistan. We condemn them at all levels", he underscored.

Regarding issuance of arrest warrants of certain Pakistanis by India through Interpol Abdul Basit said he did know nothing about the legal aspects of this matter nor some one had contacted us in this respect. "However I make it clear that Pakistan will not hand over any Pakistani to any country at any cost. Any proceedings in this respect would take place in Pakistan according to law of land, he announced.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan not to hand over any citizen to any country at any cost: FO: OnlineNews

PR to reconstruct 600 coaches, 250km long track in Sri Lanka: Pakistan Observer

ahore—Pakistan Railways (PR) will rehabilitate 250 km long rail track damaged in civil war in Sri Lanka besides carrying out a project for improving Sri Lankan Railways’ rolling stock.

Presiding a meeting of Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services (PRACS) board here Friday, Pakistan Railways Chairman Samiul Haq Khilji said agreement in this regard was reached during his visit to Sri Lanka from June 14 to 21.

He said Pakistan Railways would also carry out reconstruction and rehabilitation of 600 passenger coaches of Sri Lankan Railways. The meeting was attended by GM Operations Saeed Akhtar, Member Finance Jehangir Aziz and Managing Director, PRACS, Mehmood Rashid.

Giving details of agreements made during his visit to Sri Lanka he said, five hundred 4-wheeler freight coaches would be converted into eight-wheelers besides upgrading 60 diamond style coaches to new standard.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: PR to reconstruct 600 coaches, 250km long track in Sri Lanka: Pakistan Observer

Pakistan Ordnance Factories to manufacture CNG cylinders: Steel Guru

Daily Times reported that to save USD 100 million foreign exchange annually on import of CNG cylinders in the country, Pakistan Ordnance Factories has entered into a JV with foreign company for manufacturing CNG cylinders with a project outlay of USD 17 million.

It is expected that joint venture comprising POF and a foreign company would kick start production of CNG cylinders in the country to meet the growing demand in cities as well as in rural areas.

According to an official document, Compressed Natural Gas cylinders are importable at 0% duty in the country. About 600,000 CNG cylinders involving USD 100 million are annually imported into Pakistan.

POF had sought exemption from customs duty on import of inputs used for manufacturing of CNG cylinders. Steel tube falling under PCT heading 7304:5900 importable at 15% duty was a major input for manufacturing of CNG cylinders.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Ordnance Factories to manufacture CNG cylinders: Steel Guru

Friday, June 26, 2009

Pakistan-Romania trade rises to $63.8m in ’08-09: Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Romania is Pakistan’s important trading partner within the European Union (EU), and Pak-Romania bilateral trade has increased from $25.92 million to $63.80 million in 2008-09.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim, while talking to Director General Asian Department of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Gheorghe Margheru, who, along with a six-member delegation met him on Thursday. Secretary Commerce Suleman Ghani and other officials of the ministry were also present on the occasion.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan-Romania trade rises to $63.8m in ’08-09: Daily Times

Qtel’s wi-tribe to launch wireless broadband service: Daily Times

KARACHI: Internet users in Pakistan are set to experience a new lifestyle of instant, simple, convenient and user friendly wireless broadband internet.

The wi-tribe Pakistan, a Qtel Group company, will provide increased freedom and ease of use with their ‘plug and play’ wireless broadband internet, offering the people of Pakistan a reliable service they can trust. Internet users in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad will experience this new freedom.

With their corporate offices in the Kingdom of Bahrain, wi-tribe successfully launched their first operations in Jordan in 2008, with Pakistan being the second ‘tribe’ to join their network.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Qtel’s wi-tribe to launch wireless broadband service: Daily Times

Woolmer’s son praises Younus: Dawn

LAHORE: Dale Woolmer, son of Pakistan’s late coach Bob Woolmer, said captain Younus Khan dedicated Pakistan’s World Twenty20 victory to the nation and his father to acknowledge his association with the Pakistan cricket.

Appreciating the comments of Younus, Dale thanked the skipper for giving consideration to his father and to dedicate team’s success to him.

He also spoke highly of Younus’ performance as captain. ‘Dedicating the Cup to my father is very sweet and lovely,’ said Dale in a statement made available here on Wednesday.

He recalled his father’s attachment with the Pakistan team and said, ‘My father used to say that Pakistan can be the best team if they believe in themselves.’

Dale visited Pakistan more than once and stayed in Lahore with his father spoke warmly about the people of Pakistan and described them friendly.

Commenting on the situation after the refusal of foreign teams to visit Pakistan, Dale said, ‘People of Pakistan are great and foreign cricket teams should visit Pakistan.’

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Woolmer’s son praises Younus: Dawn

AEDB facilitates geothermal tech in Pakistan: Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Offices of a private firm in Islamabad have become one the first place in the country to have been powered by geothermal energy. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) facilitated Shan Geothermal in setting up of a pilot project of geothermal earth energy in line with the government’s policy of promoting the use of renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: AEDB facilitates geothermal tech in Pakistan: Daily Times

China Mobile Pakistan to Double Number of Base Station by Year-End: CN

China Mobile's ­Pakistani subsidiary, Zong is planning to spend up to US$500 million by the end of this year on a substantial expansion of its mobile network, reports the local Daily Times newspaper. The network is expected to double the number of base stations it operates from 4,500 to around 9,000 by the year-end.

the newspaper that China Mobile has planned to double Zong's cell sites in various parts of the country in order to facilitate their subscribers with smooth and fast signals traffic.

The Chinese company has invested US$1.66 billion so far in Pakistan, including US$600 million invested in the closing fiscal year 2008-09.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: China Mobile Pakistan to Double Number of Base Station by Year-End: CN


ADB Approves US$500 Mln Loans For Pakistan To Encounter Crisis: Bernama

MANILA, June 26 (Bernama)-- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Friday it has approved two loans to Pakistan totalling US$500 million to assist the government with its macroeconomic stability efforts and fund a targeted safety net programme for the poor.

The first loan, US$150 million, from ADB's Special Fund will target a Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) -- a cash transfer programme focusing on poor women, China's Xinhua News Agency reported the ADB as saying in a statement.

Under the scheme, the female head of qualified families receives 1,000 rupees (US$12.3) per month to help defray the rising cost of food and other household expenses, the Manila-based development bank said.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: ADB Approves US$500 Mln Loans For Pakistan To Encounter Crisis: Bernama

Pakistan squad leaves for Sri Lanka today : Younis and his charges ready for challenge of men from Pearl Island: Daily Times

By Muhammad Ali

LAHORE: Led by Younis Khan, a 15-man Pakistan squad will leave for Sri Lanka on Saturday (today) to play a three-Test and five one-day international (ODI) series starting there from Monday. After having beaten Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup final, Pakistan will be under great pressure when they face the men from the Pearl Island. Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets last Sunday at Lord’s to win their first World Cup title since defeating England in the final of the 50-over format in 1992 in Melbourne.

“Our countrymen want us to win every match – especially after success in the Twenty20 World Cup,” Younis Khan told reporters on Friday. “It can put pressure on us but we are ready for it. It is true that we have achieved a big victory, but a tour of Sri Lanka will be a big challenge for us,” he added. Younis said the celebrations became a matter of the past when the team embarked on the next tour. “So I hope players get into a different mood soon. We will have to leave our World Cup win behind and focus on what is a very tough assignment against Sri Lanka.” Pakistan have been bolstered by the return of middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. Both players have been welcomed back into international cricket after resigning from the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). “Yousuf is a quality player and gives strength to our middle-order batting,” said Younis of the 34-year-old Yousuf who scored a world record of 1,788 runs in 2006 – the most in Test cricket in a calendar year.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan squad leaves for Sri Lanka today : Younis and his charges ready for challenge of men from Pearl Island: Daily Times

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Pakistan doubles mango exports: Fruitnet

Industry players have reported that exports are up this year, but have bemoaned the fact that the government has set the yearly target too low

Pakistan look set to comfortably meet the government's target for mango exports this season after fruit traders in the country reported that shipments have doubled so far this season compared with the same period of 2008.

According to a report in the Daily Times, the country has exported approximately 30,000 tonnes of the fruit so far in 2009, compared with the 15,000 tonnes exported last year, leaving the country well on track to hit the overall target of 125,000 tonnes.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan doubles mango exports: Fruitnet

US owes Pakistan $1bn for NATO fuel supply: Haroon: Daily Times

LAHORE/KARACHI: The United States owes Pakistan $1 billion for fuel supplies to the NATO forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon said on Saturday.

According to a private TV channel, the envoy told reporters that out of the $10 billion given to Pakistan by Washington, $6 billion had been spent on fighting terrorism.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: US owes Pakistan $1bn for NATO fuel supply: Haroon: Daily Times

Pakistan-based education group buys Newlands: Eastbourneherald

AN EDUCATION group based in Pakistan has bought Newlands School in Seaford.
Beaconhouse Group confirmed the move on Monday following a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday.
The Beaconhouse group is an international private school system with more than 165,000 students in eight countries.

It has schools in Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan the Philippines, Thailand and the UK.

Last month financial experts Tenon Recovery denied the independent school was going into administration but admitted a petition had been issued to wind up the company behind it.
The school hit the national headlines back in April 2005 when it closed suddenly because of financial difficulties.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan-based education group buys Newlands: Eastbourneherald

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Pakistan plans new cities along highways: Gulf Times

n an effort to deal with the adverse effects of rising population in the existing cities, Pakistan is planning to develop new ones along major highways, sources said yesterday. The National Trade Corridor (NTC), work on which is under way, is proposed to be linked to these cities, which would also serve as logistics centres, special economic zones and industrial and technology parks.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan plans new cities along highways: Gulf Times

Pakistan may buy BT cotton seed worth $1bn: The News

By Shahid Shah

KARACHI: The country has finalised issues in its negotiations with Monsanto about growing BT cotton which is expected to increase the yield by 40 per cent.

“Last year, around 28 per cent land was cultivated with BT cotton, but this year our target is 60 per cent,” Textiles Adviser Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig told The News. “There are also arrangements to produce BT seeds locally, and the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved growing BT cotton to increase production,” he said. Pakistan is in the process of signing a $1bn agreement for the purchase of BT cotton seed from Monsanto, a seed developing company of the United States, with a view to increasing cotton production by 40 per cent.

However, it has not been agreed so far how much quantity the country would purchase. BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a live microorganism that kills unwanted insects from forests and agriculture crops. Provided in cotton seed, it boosts the yield and protects the crop from most of the pests. Currently, farmers are using BT cotton seed on around 2.7 million acres of land against total cultivation of over eight million acres in the country.

BT cotton seed being sold in the country was smuggled and therefore illegal, said the textile adviser. BT cotton seed being produced and consumed in Pakistan is from its first generation and plant insects can develop resistance power against it. Experts say once BT cotton lost its resistance, the insect could damage the crop and the seed itself.

BT cotton seed requires continuous improvement in order to cope with growing immune power of insects. French expert Pierre Louis Dupont, who has around 20 years of experience in cotton seed development, was offered to become Pakistan’s consultant in its negotiations with Monsanto. Dupont, in an interview with The News, said there was a need to supply second generation BT cotton seed with weed control capability. With the use of BT cotton seed, he said, yield could be increased by 40 per cent.

India has boosted its cotton production to 30 million bales from 18 million. Pakistan can increase it to around 18 million bales from the current 12 million. The textile adviser said they were going to improve the supply chain. In the last couple of years, cotton production was low and industrialists suffered due to imports.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan may buy BT cotton seed worth $1bn: The News

P&G to set up $100m plant in Pakistan: business 24-7

By

Shashank Shekhar on Thursday, June 25, 2009

Fast-moving customer goods giant Procter and Gamble (P&G) will set up a $100 million (Dh367m) manufacturing plant in Pakistan by mid-2010, said Al Karim Al Rajwani, the company's Vice-President for Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan, yesterday.

The firm is also looking to set up a manufacturing plant at its Jebel Ali facility.

The Pakistani plant would produce detergents and other laundry products. Al Rajwani said the company has begun handling its operations in Pakistan, Middle East and North Africa from its Jebel Ali based office.

"We are continuously looking for opportunities and we want to use the potential of Jebel Ali," he said.

Besides a P&G office, Jebel Ali has warehouses from where the company re-exports its products. Al Rajwani said the company that has been registering a five to seven per cent growth for the past several years registered a one per cent growth in the first quarter of this year over the last quarter in 2008 as global economic downturn impeded its growth.

The P&G vice-president said the company's expenditure on promotions has remained intact during the crisis and it continues to hire staff. "We had 200 people in our Dubai office the last year. We have about 350 of them now," he said.

The company has focused on introducing a "tier system" of pricing the products to tackle a stubborn customer looking to spend less during the global financial crisis. "We are not crisis-proof but crisis-resistant. There is a two-pronged strategy that we have adopted to sail through the crisis. One is to provide additional value in the same product. The other is to provide cheaper options to the customer," Al Rajwani said.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: P&G to set up $100m plant in Pakistan: business 24-7

Celebrations in Indian Kashmir after Pakistan win: AFP

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Residents in Indian-ruled Kashmir Sunday fired crackers in the region's main city after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to win the World Twenty20 championship, witnesses said.

Srinagar -- the Kashmiri summer capital -- erupted in celebration after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets and as scores of Kashmiri youth poured on to the streets and lit firecrackers.

The youths also chanted pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom slogans as Indian paramilitary troops stayed in their bunkers, witnesses said.

Thousands of Kashmiris, including women and children, were glued to their televisions sets to watch the tense final.

"It is a great victory and one day I hope we will merge with Pakistan," said a die-hard Pakistani cricket fan, Mohammed Yaseen.

Residents in Muslim-majority Kashmir valley traditionally support Pakistan in sports events.

Indian Kashmir is in the grip of a nearly 20-year insurgency that has so far claimed more than 47,000 lives by an official count.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Celebrations in Indian Kashmir after Pakistan win: AFP

Pakistan may get additional $200m aid: The News

KARACHI: US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson informed that an additional $200 million aid assistance for Pakistan, was approved on Tuesday, while at the same time, the US is also working on the $1.5 billion annual financial assistance promised to the country for the next five years.

She further said $30 million had already been provided for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) earlier. Patterson added that the US was also ready to provide assistance to deal with the energy crisis of Pakistan.

She also stated that the Obama administration is working hard towards implementing the bill on the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) of Pakistan and she was optimistic that work would soon begin on it.

Addressing the media at the inauguration ceremony of the new American Business Council of Pakistan (ABC) office premises on Tuesday, she admitted that while the House of Bills had approved of it, there were some differences in the Senate which the Obama administration was working to resolve.

Patterson said that it was a challenge for the US to expand their trade to developing countries when they themselves were facing critical times due to recession as the western country was also facing losses and increasing unemployment threats.

However, she added that the Obama administration was working on increasing investments in the country and she too personally encouraged American businessmen to visit Pakistan and invest here.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan may get additional $200m aid: The News

Four Pakistan cricketers named in ICC World Twenty20 squad: Daily Times

LAHORE: Four Pakistan cricketers have been named in an International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 squad. The ICC on Monday announced the team of the tournament for the Twenty20 World Cup 2009 that finished at Lord’s on Sunday. The Pakistan players are Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal. “The team was chosen by a select group of experts who were given the task of picking a balanced side for all conditions on the basis of performances in the tournament,” a spokesman for the ICC said. “Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections,” he added. The men’s team, including 12th man, also included three players from South Africa, three from Sri Lanka and two from the West Indies.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Four Pakistan cricketers named in ICC World Twenty20 squad: Daily Times

Pakistan cement exports rise to USD 750 million: Steel Guru

The News reported that Pakistan cement industry, despite being affected by the global economic crisis has managed to boost exports to USD 750 million in fiscal year 2008-09.

A senior official at the Ministry of Industries said that “Being an irregular sector if compared with textile, the cement industry increased exports to USD 750 million. Though the industry has been given relief of PKR 200 per ton in central excise duty, it is to be fully passed on to end-consumers. This means the price of a cement bag will fall by PKR 10 from July 1.”

Before the budget relief, the cement industry was paying PKR 900 as central excise duty which has been reduced to PKR 700 per tones. Despite a cut in the Public Sector Development Program to just PKR 219 billion owing to which domestic cement consumption has dropped sharply, the industry has performed well in foreign markets in these times of worldwide recession.

Mr Rehmat general chairman of All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association said that land transportation cost and port handling charges stand at USD 25 per tonnes and if the duty drawback facility is enhanced to PKR 120 per tonnes exports will easily increase to USD 1.5 billion.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan cement exports rise to USD 750 million: Steel Guru

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Jolie and Pitt donate to Pakistan: BBC

Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $1 million to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting, the UN refugee agency says.

More than two million people have been uprooted since the army began fighting Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat region earlier this year, the UN says.

Ms Jolie has visited Pakistan three times since becoming a goodwill ambassador for the agency in 2001.

The two actors made the donation through their charitable foundation.

Ms Jolie and Mr Pitt - who are partners - have set up the foundation to help counter humanitarian crises.

In 2005, the two visited survivors of an earthquake which devastated parts of northern Pakistan.

They travelled aboard a helicopter carrying food, blankets and plastic sheets.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Jolie and Pitt donate to Pakistan: BBC

Pakistan Must Ban Indian/Afghan Over-flights: Daily.pk

Written by www.daily.pk
Friday, 19 June 2009 17:57

Does the Pakistani government know what is being transported on the planes that ply the Delhi-Kabul and Amritsar-Kabul routes over Pakistan? Certainly not Indian tourists. We suspect it’s weapons and intelligence operators. These flights are bound to increase in view of the crushing blow that Indian assets are receiving at the hands of the Pakistani military on the Pak-Afghan border. To be on the safe side and expose Indian support for terrorism in the region, Pakistan must announce this ban. The pro-US elected government will not do it. The military should push for this.

We have evidence now [some of it published on this form – see links at bottom] that the India-U.S. combine has been supplying arms to “fake Taliban” and that India is also using its bearded soldiers inside Paksitan’s FATA, Swat, Dir, Hangu, Bunair, Malakand, Bannu, Timmergran and other areas, posing as “Taliban”, stoking a war that has caused the displacement of three million Pakistani residents of these areas.

These fake Taliban and Indian agents, besides killing hundreds of innocent citizens also killed more than 600 gallant soldiers of Pakistan army in this undeclared war by India and Afghanistan, of course in collaboration with US.

One way the Indians are consolidating their military-intelligence presence in Afghanistan is through the Kabul-New Delhi air route over Pakistan.


For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Must Ban Indian/Afghan Over-flights: Daily.pk

WB approve $135 mn worth of projects for Pakistan: Dawn

WASHINGTON: The World Bank has approved two projects totalling $135 million to help the Government of Pakistan strengthen its social safety nets and eradicate polio.

The $60 million Pakistan Social Safety Net Technical Assistance Project will enhance the operation and management of a safety net system for the poor in Pakistan to cushion the negative effects of food inflation as well as the country’s economic crisis.

‘The Government of Pakistan is committed to developing a modern social safety net system,’ said Yusupha Crookes, the World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. ‘This project will assist Pakistan in establishing an effective social safety net system that provides poor people with basic income support.’

For more on this article, please click on the following link: WB approve $135 mn worth of projects for Pakistan: Dawn

Pakistan looks abroad to boost energy capacity: AFP

HONG KONG (AFP) — Pakistan needs to increase its energy capacity by 10,000 megawatts by 2015 and is hoping foreign investors can help it halt damaging power cuts, the country's investment minister has said.

Waqar Ahmed Khan said on Friday Pakistan was looking to foreign firms to help it deal with its energy shortfall, which has seen regular blackouts that have prompted riots in Karachi.

Khan added that Chinese companies had expressed a clear desire to invest in the energy sector, particularly in the provision of hydropower.

"Chinese companies are extremely interested in building dams in Pakistan," he told reporters in Hong Kong, after a visit to Shanghai and Beijing.

He said the government would boost capacity by 3,000 megawatts by the end of the year, but demand would remain high. Industry, including the crucial textile sector, has suffered from the inconsistent supply.

Khan is on a foreign tour to try to attract investment into Pakistan, and will see him also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan looks abroad to boost energy capacity: AFP

Pakistan Stuns South Africa to Reach Final: New York Times

Published: June 19, 2009

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND — Rarely does the honking of a car horn in a British traffic jam express any emotion other than anger and frustration. But the cacophony that erupted from the vehicles snarling the roads around the Trent Bridge ground in Nottingham after Pakistan had qualified for the World Twenty20 final Thursday night was an expression of pure joy.

Flags were waved from car windows, there were choruses of the victory chant “Pakistan zindabad!” and an impromptu party broke out on the corner outside the venerable Trent Bridge Inn. It was a truly joyful moment for a people who have had it hard of late. Winning a cricket match won’t, of course, solve the grim security situation in Pakistan or ease the economic and social pressures on Pakistanis in Britain, but it will, for the moment, make them feel a lot better. It was also a celebration of a magnificent performance by Pakistan’s team.

Pakistan lost the first World Twenty20 final in 2007. It earned a shot at going one better by beating the previously flawless South Africa by seven runs.

It was hard to believe this was the same team that had lost its opening match to England 11 days earlier.

As Younis Khan, its captain, said in yet another beaming stream-of-consciousness post-match news conference, “We are always slow starters.”

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Stuns South Africa to Reach Final: New York Times

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Science v art in clash of cultures: Cricinfo

The Preview by Osman Samiuddin

It's first a clash of ethos, of philosophies and even of time, more than a semi-final. Here is truly man against machine, the art of cricket against the science of it, cricket's future and cricket's past. South Africa's progress to this point has been smooth, well-planned, calculated and inevitable, as if their players were born to do this. Pakistan have got here in shambles - losing games, winning some, treating it all as a bit of fun - and the players not so much born to do this are struggling to discover why they are doing it at all.

South Africa lack nowhere and nothing. If Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are the efficient drones at the top, there is heart in the middle, with the ever-frail skills of Herschelle Gibbs and the creativity of AB de Villiers. Even Albie Morkel, in whom there are glimpses of Zulu, thankfully smiles more. They've always had pace, but now they even have spinners, who are not batsmen forced to bowl. Sure, they are a little one-dimensional (watching videos of Umar Gul's yorkers?), but they are spinners - South African and successful; how often have we said that in the past?

The whole machinery is intimidating, determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed; with seven consecutive wins in this format, they have apparently also taken the inherent unpredictability of this format out of the equation. They are well-trained, well-oiled, and their psychologist talks about 120 contests and of processes over outcomes and how choking is not really an issue anymore. They win even warm-up matches and the dead games because every game counts. They are cricket's future.

Pakistan are the past. They are wholly dysfunctional, but just about getting along, though unsure where they are going. They don't control their extras, they don't run the singles hard and they field as if it were still the 60s. They are least bothered about erasing the flaws because any win will be in spite of them. They did hire a psychologist though, and you can only imagine what those sessions were like and how much they actually talked about sport and cricket. There are permanent mutterings of serious rifts. They may not bat, bowl or field well all the time, but sometimes, they do what can only be described as a 'Pakistan': that is, they bowl, bat or field spectacularly, briefly, to change the outcome of matches. You cannot plan or account for this as an opponent because Pakistan themselves don't plan or account for it.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Science v art in clash of cultures: Cricinfo

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

65 ships arrive at Gadani for breaking: The News

Wednesday, June 17, 2009
ISLAMABAD: At least 65 abandoned ships have arrived at the Gadani ship-breaking yard from various countries for scrapping while more are expected to reach shortly.

According to a senior official of the Customs Department, the ship-breaking industry will flourish once again in the country with the arrival of 65 abandoned ships and more which are expected to reach after a gap of two decades.

It will not only provide job opportunities to thousands of workers, but will also provide a boost to the steel industry as these 65 ships will produce around 500,000 tons of scrap for the steel industry in the country, he said.

Around Rs1000 million have, so far, been generated from customs duty and income tax through the import of abandoned ships, he said.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: 65 ships arrive at Gadani for breaking: The News

Pakistan arrests Sri Lanka cricket attack suspect: AFP

LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistani police said Wednesday they had arrested one of seven men accused of plotting the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore in March.

Six policemen and two civilians were killed and seven Sri Lankan squad members were injured when militants launched a gun and grenade attack on the team as they travelled to a match on March 3.

"We have identified seven men accused of planning the attack and one of them has been arrested," Lahore police chief Pervez Rathor told reporters.

Rathor identified the suspect as Zubair, also known by his alias Nek Mohammad, who appeared at the televised press conference in Pakistan's cultural hub Lahore with his face completely covered in a black mask.

"We came to Lahore two days before the attack," Zubair shouted through his mask, adding that they had lodged in a small house on the outskirts of Lahore.

All the seven accused belong to a previously unknown group named as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab network, the police chief said, adding that the mastermind was a man named Farooq, who remained at large.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan arrests Sri Lanka cricket attack suspect: AFP

EU offers over $138 mn in aid to Pakistan: Sify News

The European Union (EU) is to give Pakistan over 100 million euros ($138 million) in aid, more than half of it for victims of the recent fighting in the Swat Valley, EU officials said Wednesday at the first ever EU-Pakistan summit here.

'I will be able to announce today more than 100 million euros... because we stand by the Pakistani people,' EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said as she arrived for talks with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who chaired the summit as the holder of the EU's rotating presidency, said that the EU 'takes Pakistan very seriously' and was 'aware of the tremendous importance Pakistan has in the region'.

But Zardari said that he was most interested in boosting trade relations with the world's largest economic bloc.

'What I need is trade, not aid,' he said before the summit.

Officials from the European Commission, the EU's executive, said that the aid decision was intended to 'help the most vulnerable' among the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by fighting between government and Taliban-linked forces in the Swat Valley.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: EU offers over $138 mn in aid to Pakistan: Sify News

Pakistan want to win T20 title for Woolmer: AFP

LONDON (AFP) — Pakistan captain Younus Khan has said his side would love to win the World Twenty20 as a tribute to their former coach Bob Woolmer.

The ex-England batsman died during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, hours after Pakistan's shock loss to Ireland.

However, a 39-run victory over the same opponents at the Oval on Monday saw Pakistan into the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 where they will play South Africa at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Woolmer, one of the most innovative coaches of his generation who guided English county side Warwickshire to several trophies before enjoying a successful spell with South Africa, was in charge of Pakistan for more than two years and many members of the current side played under him.

"He was an inspiring person for us," said Younus, who hopes to lead Pakistan to victory in Sunday's climax at Lord's after seeing them lose the inaugural 2007 World Twenty20 final to arch-rivals India in Johannesburg.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan want to win T20 title for Woolmer: AFP

US approves bill of $1.5 bln non-military aid to Pakistan: The News

by Sami Abraham
WASHINGTON: The unanimous approval of Enhanced partnership with Pakistan act of 2009 (bill s-962) by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, here on Tuesday, has brought Pakistan another step closer to receive the annual non-military economic assistance of $ 1.5 billion for next five years.

Senator John Kerry, Chairman of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hailed the measure as a "strong bipartisan effort" to help people of Pakistan and said that anti-Taliban military offensive has given hope in the context of curbing militancy and fostering peace in the area. He said it is very critical that US provide required assistance to Pakistan, immediately, and millions of displaced people are brought back to their homes safely.

Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar also urged the US senate to pass the bill as soon as possible.

The US House of Representatives has already approved, last Thursday, a Bill HR1463 to tripple the developmental economic assistance to Pakistan (making it $ 1.5 billion annually) for the next five years. Though the US House dropped, controversial specific demands to access Dr A.Q. Khan and prevention of future terrorist attacks against India, it still puts it as a condition that Islamabad would have to provide “access to Pakistani nationals” connected to proliferation networks” and prevent future terrorists attacks into neighboring countries”.

The version approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as compared to the US House International relation committee, seems to be closer to the version supported by Pakistan. The language, in the bill, is less intrusive and does not micro-manage Pakistan. The bill is expected to be placed before the US senate for a vote within days.

Pakistan's ambassador to the United Staes Mr Hussain Haqqani also praised the the approval of S-962 by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and said that any conditional aid to Pakistan will not send any positive signal to people of Pakistan . He said that the support of US Law makers was encouraging People and Government of Pakistan in meeting the challenges of fighting against the menace of terrorism.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: US approves bill of $1.5 bln non-military aid to Pakistan: The News

47.5 per cent drop in foreign investment in Pakistan: Dawn

KARACHI: Net foreign investment in Pakistan fell 47.5 per cent to $2.22 billion in the first 11 months of the 2008/09 fiscal year compared with $4.23 billion in the same period last year, the State Bank of Pakistan said on Wednesday.

Foreign private investment fell 34.2 per cent to $2.76 billion in the July to May period, compared with $4.20 billion in the corresponding period last year, the State Bank of Pakistan said on its website. Out of total foreign investment, foreign direct investment was down 19.8 per cent to $3.32 billion, compared with $4.15 billion the previous year.

Rated deep in junk bond territory, Pakistan was saved from a balance of payments crisis and default by a $7.6 billion emergency loan package from the International Monetary Fund last November.

Its economy is also in virtual recession with gross domestic product growth for the 2008/09 fiscal year expected at 2 per cent, compared with 4.1 per cent last year.

There are also security concerns for investors as Pakistan battles a Taliban insurgency in its northwest.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: 47.5 per cent drop in foreign investment in Pakistan: Dawn

Pakistan Can Bring the Noise to Final Four: New York Times

Published: June 17, 2009

LONDON — Of the four teams left in the World Twenty20 tournament, which starts its semifinals in England on Thursday, Pakistan represents both continuity and passion.

It stands for continuity because it is the only survivor that also reached the final four at the first World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007.

Pakistan represents passion because, alone among the final four, it can guarantee the atmosphere that comes only when a large section of the crowd cares desperately who wins and which lends any sporting event a sense of occasion.

In many countries that support could be generated only by the host and England was eliminated Monday when it lost to West Indies. But this is Britain in the 21st century. India also draws huge support. Its fans outcheered the English when the two teams met at Lord’s in London on Sunday. But India lost that match and it too has been eliminated.

That leaves Pakistan to pull in emotionally involved fans.

The results earlier this week show that crowd support can take a team only so far, but Pakistan will need all the help it can get when it plays South Africa at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday.

Each semifinal has a clear favorite.

In both of them, a team that has won all five of its games faces one that lost matches at both pool and Super Eight stages.

South Africa has been remorselessly victorious. Pakistan has won only one match out of three against test nations — its progress has been made possible by victories over Netherlands and Ireland, both on the second tier of international cricket. But its single victory over a test nation, New Zealand, was perhaps the most emphatic result of the tournament.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Can Bring the Noise to Final Four: New York Times

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Pakistan May Need Extra Bailouts as War Hits Economy: Bloomberg

By Farhan Sharif and Khaleeq Ahmed

June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s escalating war against the Taliban is taking its toll on the nation’s faltering economy, making a further bailout from international donors more likely.

The government is counting on foreign aid to fund almost a third of next year’s widening budget deficit, Junior Economics Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told parliament in Islamabad on June 13. Pakistan has asked the International Monetary Fund for a $4 billion stand-by loan as “insurance” if the pledged assistance doesn’t arrive, Shaukat Tarin, finance adviser to the prime minister, said yesterday.

South Asia’s second-largest economy has ground to a near- halt as the global recession erodes exports and foreign investment. The situation may get worse as the government intensifies its fight against Islamic extremists in the northwest Swat Valley and struggles to provide food and shelter for an estimated 2 million people displaced by the war.

“It will be very hard to meet development spending and defense expenses without more external support,” said Asad Farid, an economist at AKD Securities in Karachi. “The worry is how we will fund expenditure with low revenue.”

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan May Need Extra Bailouts as War Hits Economy: Bloomberg

Pakistan needs no advice to settle its issues: COAS: SANA

SARGHODAH (SANA): Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has said the operation “Rahe Raast” in Swat and Malakand division has been launched to guide the misguided people to the right track.

Addressing airmen at PAF airbase in Sargodha, he said operation is not solution to the problem and a solution will be hammered out in accordance with the traditions and culture of the tribal area. In this connection, he said Pakistan does not require advice from anywhere.

Describing it as an important war, the Army Chief said the utmost care is being made to avoid civilian casualties in the operation.

He said more than one hundred soldiers have lost their lives in the war but their sacrifices would not go in vain and the militants will completely be wiped out.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan needs no advice to settle its issues: COAS: SANA

Pakistan to tap copper reserves next year: Dawn

By Amin Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to emerge on the world map next year as a major copper producing country when the world’s largest copper and gold producing company’s billion dollar investment in Saindak is expected to be launched.

The ‘Reko Dik Copper-gold project’ is expected to produce 0.3 million tons of copper annually through indigenous physical and human capabilities. However, this is subject to entering into viable agreement between the mining company, federal government and Balochistan government.

The Duddar lead-zinc deposits in Balochistan being developed by Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) have come into production to produce 100,000 tons of zinc concentrates and 33,000 tons of lead concentrates for export.

Official reports reveal that the mineral sector is expected to grow by two per cent in the fiscal year, beginning next month with an allocation of Rs580 million earmarked by the Planning Commission in its annual plan.

The government has decided to launch three projects during the coming fiscal year which include ground follow-up of aeromagnetic anomalies in Chagai district, accelerated Geological Mapping and Geochemical exploration of the out-crop area of Pakistan, and up-gradation and strengthening of Geo-sciences Advance Research Laboratories of Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP).

The Thar coal field containing 175 billion tons of good quality lignite, on completion, would be used for power generation and gasification.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan to tap copper reserves next year: Dawn

Take the EU’s Pakistan policy off autopilot: Dawn

By Shada Islam, Daniel Korski and Fabrice Pothier

When EU leaders hold their first ever summit with Pakistan on June 17, they will meet a country at a critical juncture. After two months of warfare, the Islamabad government has regained territory in Swat and Malakand from the Pakistani Taliban. Feeling pressured, the militants are now striking back the best way they can – through terror and bombings, such as the attacks seen in Peshawar.

How Islamabad deals with the three fronts of the current crisis - security, governance and humanitarian - will determine whether Pakistan slides back to its old habits of denial and fragmentation, or whether it can uphold the fragile but genuine momentum for change.

Through a three-pillar stabilization package using aid and governance tools, while boosting trade and development, the EU can play a critical role in making Pakistan's change a lasting one. For the EU –Pakistan summit to be the start of a true strategic cooperation between Europe and Pakistan, Brussels and its institutions will need a stronger mandate from European capitals.

First the EU should help address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis triggered by the military offensive. The number of internally displaced people is a staggering two million in addition to the 500,000 made homeless by an earlier operation in Bajaur. This may in the long-term hamper Pakistan’s economic recovery; in the short-term, it undermines the military’s hard-fought gains. The reason: the Pakistani government’s inability to deliver post-combat assistance to the 2.5 million displaced people who are easy prey for charity-cum-extremists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba. As Pakistani forces fight today’s enemy, they may inadvertently be swelling the ranks of future foes.

The EU should begin by matching the recent US pledge of more than 200 million US dollars (142 million euros) in humanitarian aid. Its 5.5 million euro humanitarian aid package pledged so far - in the light of the half-billion dollar appeal from the UN - and the fact that not a single EU commissioner has visited the refugees speak volumes of the EU’s neglect.

For those EU countries that do not have bilateral ties with Pakistan, the establishment of a 'Frontier Emergency Fund' would help channel aid into quick-impact projects. Small donations of a million or even half a million euros could make a difference. Such a fund would also help reinforce the credibility of Pakistan’s civilian government by providing assistance to support state services, including the provision of security, electricity and potable water.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Take the EU’s Pakistan policy off autopilot: Dawn

Pakistan Takes On Taliban Leader Mehsud: Time

By Omar Waraich / Islamabad

No one has contributed to Pakistan's slide into chaos over recent years more than Baitullah Mehsud. From his base in the wilds of South Waziristan, the leader of the Pakistan Taliban has overseen the killing of over 1,200 civilians and several hundred soldiers through brutal means including suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. He has been accused of masterminding the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in late December 2007. In late March, Washington announced a $5m reward for information leading to his capture, describing Mehsud as a "key al-Qaeda facilitator." And over the past week alone, he claimed responsibility for five separate terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a luxury hotel in Peshawar and the killing of a vocal anti-Taliban cleric in Lahore.

Now Pakistan is taking the fight to his mountainous stronghold, ordering an expansion of its current offensive against Taliban fighters in the Swat Valley. On Sunday night, denouncing Mehsud as "the root cause of all evils," Owais Ghani, the Governor of the North West Frontier Province said that the government has called on the army to launch a "full-fledged" military operation to eliminate Mehsud and his estimated 20,000 men. The crucial battle may prove to be the most difficult that Pakistan's military has faced on its soil in recent years.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Takes On Taliban Leader Mehsud: Time

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Terrorists in Swat using American and Indian made weapons: Pakistan Daily

Written by Dan Qayyum
Monday, 01 June 2009 00:00

Briefing reporters about the progress of operation Rahe Rast, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas yesterday revealed the extent of foreign support that the TTP terrorists are getting from Afghanistan. Large caches of weapons of US and INDIAN origin have been found as the security forces completely secure control of Mingora city, destroying various training centres of terrorists and killing important militant commanders, the military said.


The Americans have their excuses in order – Earlier this year it was revealed that over 200,000 US weapons – including assault rifles and grenade launchers – are ‘missing’ from the US army’s inventory in Afghanistan. The US army is unable to provide serial numbers for a large number of the missing weapons and no records have been maintained for the location or disposition for the rest.

The Pakistan Army, quite rightly has told the Americans to stop worrying about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and start worrying about the weapons ‘lost’ in Afghanistan.

Coming to the issue of Indian made weapons found in Swat – India claims its consulates in Afghanistan only issue visas for Afghan tourists to India and runs scholarship programmes for Afghan students. The Indians also claim their presence in Afghanistan is limited to reconstruction and aid efforts.

Here is what Christine Fair of RAND corporation had to say about India’s actual operation in Afghanistan and Iran:

“I think it would be a mistake to completely disregard Pakistan’s regional perceptions due to doubts about Indian competence in executing covert operations. That misses the point entirely. And I think it is unfair to dismiss the notion that Pakistan’s apprehensions about Afghanistan stem in part from its security competition with India. Having visited the Indian mission in Zahedan, Iran, I can assure you they are not issuing visas as the main activity! Moreover, India has run operations from its mission in Mazar (through which it supported the Northern Alliance) and is likely doing so from the other consulates it has reopened in Jalalabad and Qandahar along the border. Indian officials have told me privately that they are pumping money into Baluchistan. Kabul has encouraged India to engage in provocative activities such as using the Border Roads Organization to build sensitive parts of the Ring Road and use the Indo-Tibetan police force for security. It is also building schools on a sensitive part of the border in Kunar–across from Bajaur. Kabul’s motivations for encouraging these activities are as obvious as India’s interest in engaging in them. Even if by some act of miraculous diplomacy the territorial issues were to be resolved, Pakistan would remain an insecure state. Given the realities of the subcontinent (e.g., India’s rise and its more effective foreign relations with all of Pakistan’s near and far neighbors), these fears are bound to grow, not lessen. This suggests that without some means of compelling Pakistan to abandon its reliance upon militancy, it will become ever more interested in using it — and the militants will likely continue to proliferate beyond Pakistan’s control.”

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Terrorists in Swat using American and Indian made weapons: Pakistan Daily

US announces separate 400 billion dollar counter-insurgency aid for Pakistan: Thaindian

Washington, May 27 (ANI): The United States has set up a separate aid of about 400 billion dollars to help Pakistan counter extremism effectively.

The annual fund named the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capabilities Fund (PCCF) would primarily provide sophisticated weapons and counter insurgency training to the Pakistan military.

The fund would be in addition to the war supplement that has already been approved by the Senate.

The PCCF will allow the US Central Command officials to work directly with the Pakistani military to help build its counter-insurgency capability, The Dawn reports.

A Pakistan Embassy spokesman said that this additional fund would be of great help in the ongoing military operations in Swat and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

For more on this article, please click on the following link: US announces separate 400 billion dollar counter-insurgency aid for Pakistan: Thaindian

Mobile phone techonology fast growing in Pakistan: WB: Nation

By: Saadia Qamar | Published: May 27, 2009

KARACHI - In recent times, there has been a rapid increase in the use of new technologies to increase access to financial services in many countries including Pakistan, reports World Bank in its annual booklet, “Bringing Finance to Pakistan’s Poor.”
The report states that this has included the widespread use of smart cards and of mobile telephone networks. In Pakistan, mobile phone penetration has increased at a rapid pace recently. Half of Pakistanis including women have access to a cell phone together with rural areas (two-thirds in urban areas.)
While more than 86 percent of men have their own cell phone, 40 percent of women do. These figures suggest a much higher access to cell phones (available in the household or within the extended family) than the figures for regular usage.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Mobile phone techonology fast growing in Pakistan: WB: Nation

Bilateral talks in Japan over $1 bln aid for Pakistan: The News

TOKYO: Two-day talks between Pakistan and Japan have started here over the latter’s pledge during Friend of Pakistan Forum last month to extend one billion dollars aid to Pakistan.

Chairman Privatization Board Salim Mandviwala is heading the delegation representing Pakistan in the talks being held in Tokyo.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Bilateral talks in Japan over $1 bln aid for Pakistan: The News

Pakistan teenage quick Aamir eyes golden summer: AFP

KARACHI (AFP) — When Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, Mohammad Aamir was not even born.

But the country's newest pace sensation has a precious memento, a videotape of the glorious moments of Pakistan?s famous triumph in Australia and he knows what it takes to become a champion.

"I was born two weeks after Pakistan won the World Cup but I watched the 1992 World Cup on tape and especially Wasim Akram?s bowling," said Aamir, who modelled his style on the legendary left-arm paceman.

The 17-year-old is the latest addition to Pakistan?s pace armoury and has impressed everyone, including former skipper Wasim, with his pace and swing.

"I have watched him more than once and he's impressive with over 140kmh speed and can swing the ball both ways," Wasim told AFP, predicting the rookie paceman can be a "revelation" in the World Twenty20.

Wasim came across Aamir in a talent-spotting programme, paving his way for selection for the Pakistan Under-19 tour to England in 2007.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan teenage quick Aamir eyes golden summer: AFP