Pakistan

Current issues and comments...

Just a second

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A man was praying to god.

He said, "God?"

God responded, "Yes?"

And the Guy said, "Can I ask a question?"

"Go right ahead", God said.

"God, what is a million years to you?"

God said, "A million years to me is only a second."

The man wondered.

Then he asked, "God, what is a million dollars worth to you?"

God said, "A million dollars to me is a penny."

So the man said, "God can I have a penny?"

And God cheerfully said,

"Sure!.......just a second."

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posted @ 12:38 PM, ,

We all need home security!

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The sense of security and peace at home is incomplete until we take suitable measures to safeguard our house from the vulnerabilities of fire, burglary and medical emergencies. For that you need the services of a home security company. The service should be available twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. It should be dependable and prompt in response. Yet, with all the pluses, it should be affordable.

ADT Home Security has been in business for over one hundred and thirty years. With that much experience at their back, having the latest equipment and a network of four interconnected monitoring centers throughout the country, your house is monitored for all the emergency hazards. You can arm and disarm the system with Keychain remote and communicate with security professionals with digital keypad. ADT staff will immediately alert the emergency services to enable them to be with you without loss of precious seconds. ADT Security offer economical and affordable packages suiting the requirements of different households. If you come to calculate, it is going to cost you around a dollar a day which is certainly a very good deal to safeguard your home, particularly, under the prevailing economy. If you buy a package for three years, you get $850 home security system for free from All Home Security, ADT authorized dealer. Their customer service is at your beck and call. They are only a click or a call away.

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posted @ 9:28 PM, ,

Friends That Matter

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Friends of Thatta Kedona Self Help Project that made all possible snapped in front of Pakistan House Potsdam, Germany.

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posted @ 12:32 PM, ,

Dolls, Toys and More - Book by S A J Shirazi

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Thatta Kedona

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posted @ 7:39 PM, ,

Punjabi Taliban

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A report published by the Washington Times said,

Extremists from Punjab had increasingly taken control of the Taliban forces fighting the army in Waziristan, but might now be fleeing back to Punjab “which already has been the scene of multiple suicide bombings” before the army launched the offensive.

Madrassahs from all over the country in general and from Punjab in particular have been the major source of recruitment of terrorists. These Madrassahs are academic home to not only the major part of the poor youth of Punjab but also the rest of the country, particularly, NWFP. Pseudo Islamist parties and a number of foreign actors provide financial and all other type of support to these Madrassahs. These Madrassahs do not belong to one school of thought but they have one common misperceived goal which is to enforce sharia through force. That's another reality that each school of thought has its own interpretation of sharia different than the other. Whereas behind the scene actors have their own vested interests and not the love of Islam, quite a few innocent educated and the rich Pakistanis and Pakistanis living abroad are also victim of the mindset that Islam can only be spread through force and the society can only be made to practice Islam through force. Since students join these Madrassahs in early childhood and remain there for their entire period of impressionable age, the students 'graduating' from these Madrassahs have only one mindset; force all and sundry to follow their version of Islam and if they do not kill them by waging Jihad implying that if in the process these jihadis get killed they will go to heaven. It was this very theme which produced jihadis to fight against Russian invasion of Afghanistan and later the freedom struggle in Kashmir. However, 9/11 reversed the situation and jihadis of yesteryears have now become terrorists. Pakistan government created these jihadis and armed them and only government can shatter them and disarm them. The government can only do this if it has political will to do it.

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posted @ 11:49 PM, ,

Friends, not masters

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The News International, Pakistan in its editorial of Wednesday, October 21, 2009 writes,

Senator John Kerry has described the meetings he held during a brief visit to Pakistan to 'clarify' the concerns raised over conditionalities attached to the $7.5 billion aid to be extended under the Kerry-Lugar Bill as 'positive'. It is significant that the US lawmaker focused the time he had available on meeting those who had most reservations about the bill – Mian Nawaz Sharif and General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani. But reading between the lines, it seems clear that Mr Kerry found the going tough. This is evident from the fact that he carefully declined to say if fears raised by the bill had been allayed and on several occasions looked quite visibly frustrated by the response to it. But the US lawmaker also made several things quite clear. For one, he stressed that the intentions behind the bill were good and that he for one ranked himself as a friend of Pakistan, eager to do what he could to help the country and to strengthen democracy within it. He also pointed out Pakistan was free to refuse the aid package. The plain talking from one of the most experienced US Senators should make us all think. The question is whether as a country strapped for cash, and trapped in a quagmire of problems made up by political instability, economic desperation, a militant threat and a devastating shortage of energy, we are in any position to choose. The country, quite simply, cannot do without assistance. Its people cannot do without the improved access to education and healthcare that the Kerry-Lugar Bill offers. This is the reality that we should be talking about.


Late President of Pakistan Field Marshall Ayub Khan said, " We need friends, not masters". But in the dictionary of international relations, the word friendship does not exist. Agreed, that we are strapped for cash. When have we not been? How many times have we got loans and aids in billions of dollars since independence, all in the name of alleviating poverty and educating the masses? Whither has it gone? Same is going to happen to this money. These loans and aids suit the government officials as it are they who benefit from it the most. So, I beg to differ with the conclusion of the editorial. Losing integrity, allowing other countries to interfere more and more in our internal affairs for any sum what to talk of a paltry sum of $ 1.5 bn which too is going to be eaten by officials in the name of masses isn't a good bargain at all. Let's learn to stand on our own feet.

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posted @ 6:52 PM, ,

India warns of fresh militant attack

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The News International, Pakistan, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 reports,

NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister on Tuesday warned of a fresh militant attack and urged the armed forces to take measures to tackle security challenges nearly two weeks after a bomb attack on its embassy in Kabul.

It's only a couple of days ago that Iran accused us of terrorism. Afghanistan has been accusing us for many years and India started doing that more vocally ever since Mumbai attacks in Nov'09. Now that our armed forces are deeply involved in military operation in South Waziristan, India has resurfaced on the scene. I won't be surprised if India orchestrates a terrorist act on its soil and makes it an excuse to launch some sort of military actions across the borders. It is fair to assume that our government and, particularly, armed forces must have made some contingency plans to deal with the Indians. Success of military operation in Swat neither suits Americans nor Indians both of whom are interested in weakening Pakistan armed forces, the only unifying and integrating organization, and hope left for survival of Pakistan as a nation/country. If you have any doubts about that, read Kerry Luger bill.

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posted @ 6:28 PM, ,

Fight terrorism actively and not pasively

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The News International, Wednesday, October 21, 2009

All government and private schools, colleges and universities have been closed throughout the country because of fears about militant attacks after twin suicide bombings at a university campus in Islamabad on Tuesday, officials said.

Closing of educational institutions all over Pakistan may be a wise step if it's a temporary move for a few days. These few days should be utilized by the administrations to review the security measures and bring them up to the mark. Having done that, the institutions must open. We, as a nation, should not adopt a passive and reactive approach to deal with the terrorists. We must face them fare and square. There is a need to educate all Pakistanis to keep their eyes and ears open and report any untoward activities to the law enforcing agencies. I don't see any public information publicity campaigns by the government. I would go even a step further. Government should organize public awareness sessions with the masses or their elders at the village/mohallah level to educate the masses. Families, shopkeepers, workers in restaurants, hotels, offices, factories and all other sections of the society need to be educated to observe untoward activities and report. Terrorists are living amongst us. Unless all of us unite to identify them before hand, we will continue to be reactive and passive. We need to follow a proactive approach. But for the media, not a single leader has taken the trouble of mobilizing the masses. Who else is going to do this job?

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posted @ 6:04 PM, ,

NATO vacates check posts on Pak Afghan border!

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Daily Times dated Tuesday, October 20, 2009, writes,

RAWALPINDI: NATO forces vacating checkposts in Afghanistan allow Afghan Taliban to cross the Pak-Afghan border and join the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani said on Monday.

The above issue was raised by Pakistani Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani during a meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General David Petraeus. Any good reasons for the NATO troops to vacate the check posts in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan in the neighborhood of South Waziristan! Removal of these check posts will allow Afghan Taliban to join Pakistani Taliban and also it will facilitate the Pakistani Taliban to flee into Afghanistan to fight another day. This very clearly speaks of the ill intentions our so called allies have about us. Earlier there was a lot of hue and cry on their part that Pakistan was not taking any serious action against terrorists in South Waziristan, and now that Pakistan Army is launching military operation, NATO has opted to provide terrorists with entry/exit points by vacating the check posts. This was the time that NATO should have beefed up/strengthened these check posts and asked Pakistan Army as to how else they could support the military operation in South Waziristan.

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posted @ 4:14 PM, ,

How Many SIM(s) are Issued Against Your Name?

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Given the security situation in the country (and also reported abuse of communication systems and channels), everyone must be cautious. It is possibility that someone might have got a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) against your ID (CINC). I suggest you check and find out the total number of SIM(s) registered against their respective CNIC number with each mobile operator.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has developed a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) information system to address associated risks on security and to ensure subscription regulations in cellular sector. {Thanks Light Within}

posted @ 5:45 PM, ,

Diwali greetings to all followers

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This is to greet all followers of Hindu and Sikh faith who await and celebrate the festival of Diwali. There are a number of legends associated with this marvelous celebration. One of these relates to the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi who is stated to have taken refuge in the ocean of milk once the gods were sent into exile. The oceans churned and Lakshmi was reborn. The other legend is about Lord Vishnu who rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali on this day. The third version is about Lord Krishna who killed the demon king Narakaasura and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The fourth narration is about the return of Pandavas from their 12 years of vanavas on this day. The fifth version talks about Lord Rama having killed Ravana on the Vijaya Dashami and returned to Ayodhya on this day. People of Ayodhya celebrated the occasion by decorating the entire city with lamps. Going by the sixth version Lakshmi visits her devotees and sets up residence in the house which she finds most hospitable. So, the day of Diwali is spent by devotees for cleaning, painting the walls, decorating the floor with attractive rangoli designs. According to the seventh version, Diwali is the day on which great king Vikramaditya was coronated which started the Vikrama era. The people of Ujjain celebrate it by lighting lamps. Diwali is also considered to be the day of nirvana or passing away of the great Mahavira Jain. The lighting of the lamps is a symbolically done as substitute for the light knowledge that was extinguished with Mahavira's passing. This is also the day on which Guru Har Gobind Ji (1595-1644), the sixth Guru of Sikhism, who was imprisoned along with 52 other Hindu kings at Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir was released. After freeing the other prisoners, he went to the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed happily by the people who lit candles and diyas to greet the Guru.

Diwali is also a harvest festival. It marks the start of the Lunar year. One of the rituals traditionally associated with Diwali is gambling. Buying new clothes, exchange gifts and sweets with friends and neighbors, lighting of lamps and candles and lots of fireworks and doing Lakshmi Pooja are the most common rituals associated with Diwali.

While Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light". I wish the best of awareness of the inner light to everyone including myself.


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posted @ 8:22 PM, ,

Mitigating Supremacy of Pakistani parliament?

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The debate about the Kerry Luger bill passed by both houses of America has been on in National Assembly of Pakistan. The bill grants $ 1.5 bn per annum for five years but has certain conditions attached to it. These conditions have been rejected by the opposition parties, media and a wide cross section of Pakistani society. The pressure on the government has been so intense that ultimately some of its parliamentarians too opposed the conditions. The conditions relate to micromanagement of the aid money, American access to persons under the garb of pursuing nuclear proliferation network and involvement in the affairs of Pakistan army promotions and the use of military aid. But the most offensive condition relates to the language used while talking about Pakistan's handling of terrorism which presupposes Pakistan to be sponsoring terrorism and asks it to cease it.

However, the surprising thing has been the sudden flight back of Pakistan's foreign minister to Washington, while the debate in the national assembly is still on, to have an explanatory note added to the bill to mitigate the effects of the conditions laid down in the bill before the bill was signed by the American president. And, the latest is that the debate in the Pakistani parliament has been wound up without any vote on the subject or without any resolution. What's the use of such a debate? Where is the writ of the Pakistani parliament? Whither democracy?

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posted @ 7:45 PM, ,

Hughes Net Satellite Internet

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Having the right type of internet connection is a very important pre requisite to be able to make best use of internet facility. Your internet connection must be such that it has a fast download speed, it is always on, broad serviceability is available, and it is functional even if you are living in a remote area. Even if all the aforementioned facilities are available, last but not the least, the internet connection must be affordable having flexible payment options depending upon the needs of the customer. Gone are the days of manual dial up connections and even that of internet cable. This is the era of having a satellite internet connection.

Opting for Hughesnet Satellite Internet is not only the best but also the only option. They are spread all over contagious America. They cover the remote areas where manual dial up internet connections have problems of reliability besides having very slow download speed and the cable is yet to reach. Hughesnet satellite internet download speed is fifty times faster than the manual dial up connection and this is being offered at affordable rates. At times, one realizes the positive effects of a change only after one has actually made the change. Hughes Net Virginia is providing excellent service to the people of Virginia including the remote areas. One does not have to wait after every click for your desired sites to download and this certainly results in saving lot of precious time. There are no interruptions and the connection is affordable. You can opt for the package that suits you. The payment options are flexible and within easy reach. Call this internet satellite for professional advice. They are only a click away, always there to serve you.

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posted @ 7:29 PM, ,

Internet Radio Comes to Thatta Kedona

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Thatta Kedona Radio Station project is coming of age. Two rooms have been constructed and new solar units have already been installed in them. Computer and MP3 recorders for the Radio Station.

In addition to infrastructure including building, electrification and hardware, special some software is also required for streaming for high speed traffic to run the Internet radio. When commissioned, this will be another ‘first’ in Pakistan.

posted @ 4:20 PM, ,

Clear Wireless Satellite Internet

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Advent of computers and internet has revolutionized the world. Using internet, communication with near and dear ones, friends and family, peers, business partners and others has become a matter of minutes. Inter office and intra office communications are all dependent on internet communication. Buying and selling of physical products or services is being increasingly undertaken via internet. Students, with every day passing, are becoming more and more dependent on internet.

In nutshell, most of the communication is now possible through internet. Extensive use of internet is only possible if you have a fast and reliable internet connection. Without a fast and reliable internet connection you lose a large number of seconds between countless clicks you make on your computer to communicate. In present day times, you will also like to utilize your travelling time using internet provided you have access to internet on the move. The single answer to have the best internet connection is to avail the services of Clear Wireless Internet 4G. It’s only when you switch to clear 4g that you would realize as to how much at ease you have become and how much time you have started saving as a result thereof.

Using Clear, you get the fastest internet broadband speed, as fast as you can get on broad band DSL or Cable connection. But, here, there is no hassles of wires as it is wireless. They are using the latest technology due to which, they are faster, easy to use, convenient and affordable, too. You order, receive the equipment, plug it in and start using it. It’s as simple as that. You can send and receive emails, download music or anything you require, send voice mail or talk one to one or make conference calls. Clear wireless are spread all over the country and have most of the area covered to enable you to use your internet on the move. They offer affordable plans suiting the needs of home users as well as that of professionals. They are only a click or a call away from you.

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posted @ 8:12 PM, ,

Will the parliamentarians rise up to the occasion?

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Nasim Zehra writes in The News International of October 07, 2009,

The ball is now in the court of Pakistan's elected legislators. As they formulate a response they must recognise that if Pakistan faces a financial crunch, the United States faces a strategic one. For the US to walk away from Pakistan is a virtual impossibility at this juncture. It is far more unaffordable for them since Pakistan occupies more than 50 per cent of the space in their strategic calculation. Meanwhile $1.5 billion accounts for roughly three per cent of Pakistan's federal and provincial annual budgets.

If Pakistan's legislators are able to rise to the occasion and craft a consensus response to the Kerry-Lugar bill, they will have proved their worth as men and women who are capable of promoting and protecting the interests and dignity of the citizens of the country. Otherwise, whether democracy or dictatorship, Pakistan's parliament is merely a rubber stamp which follows the will of a handful of individuals who exercise their authority overlooking constitutionally defined institutional mechanisms like the Cabinet, defence committee the parliament.

How right Nasim Zehra is. It's indeed a momentous occasion for the parliamentarians to rise up to the occasion setting aside their petty differences and speak out their conscious which may or may not be as per their party's policy. Security and integrity of Pakistan are far more important than $ 1.5 bn.

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posted @ 6:52 PM, ,

Efficient Home Alarm System

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Taking care of the security of our homes is imperative as without any home alarm system, you are vulnerable to hazards like burglary, fire, medical emergency etc. The alarm system should be such that it is functional round the clock i.e. 24/7 and is prompt in response to the extent that the requisite help reaches from the concerned agencies without loss of valuable seconds.

A few days ago fire broke out in our neighborhood. We came to know about it because of the buzzing of fire fighting vehicles. We were happily surprised to note that the fire had still not expanded. Only smoke was coming out of the house. It appeared as if the fire had broken out only a few minutes ago and the fire fighting staff had reached well in time to control and extinguish the fire. They took control of the situation and were able to extinguish the fire without any loss of time. It was all over within a few minutes. There was no loss of life and loss to the property too was far less than what one can imagine under such circumstances.

Later, we learnt that there was only an old sick man at home who saw some simmering fire in the garbage bin. He could not do much on his own due to his indisposition. Fortunately, adt alarms was installed in the house. The old man, using remote key pad, passed the alarm message to the ADT staff who very promptly passed on the emergency information to the nearby fire fighting staff. That is how a catastrophe to a house was averted.

posted @ 4:44 PM, ,

Style of governance!

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The News International of Tuesday, October 06, 2009 writes,

During the question hour, Mr Tarin made a written revelation that the powerful bureaucrats sitting in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had quietly spent a World Bank loan of Rs150 million on purchase of office furniture from China. At the same time he made another disturbing confession that during the last one year in office, his financial team put a new burden of Rs100 billion loan on the nation to meet the rising difference in income and expenditure.

The above is just one example of the style of governance. Worthy finance minister should be credited with speaking the truth, which I assume it is. However, where are the deeds following the government's resolve to lead the austerity drive?

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posted @ 10:02 PM, ,

UN offices to continue despite suicide attack threats

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The News International dated Tuesday, October 06, 2009 writes,

ISLAMABAD: The representative of the United Nations Tuesday said the UN is not dismantling the operations in Pakistan; only a few offices have temporarily been closed; however, important offices will remain open uninterruptedly.
It's indeed very encouraging to know that after the suicide attack on one of the UN offices killing around half a dozen people.

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posted @ 9:52 PM, ,

30% Parliamentarians fail to submit Assets' details

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ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued list of as many as 349 parliamentarians who have failed to submit their assets’ details to commission, Geo news said on Tuesday.
Parliamentarians are supposed to be the role models of a country. They were to submit their assets' details by 30 Sep'09. 349 parliamentarians make around 30% of the total. Such is the state of our leadership!

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posted @ 9:50 PM, ,

Mud Architecture in Lahore

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Concept of shifting to mud architecture is creating waves in Pakistan. It is heartening to know that a lot is happening to convert this concept in to a reality in the form of proposed Mud Village, Peerzada Festival Area, Lahore. Read the latest story at Light Within.

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posted @ 7:13 PM, ,

Postponement of Bye Elections

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The News International, Pakistan dated Thursday, October 01, 2009 writes in its editorial,

The LHC has called the attorney general and chief election commissioner to appear before it in a case involving the Punjab government's petition to stay by-polls to four National and provincial assembly seats. The court also declined to stay the polls, scheduled for November 7 by the CEC, holding that the Election Commission was under no obligation to consult a provincial government when setting dates for polls.

If elections can be held in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the law and order situation is far more worse than in Pakistan, it's not understandable as to why these can't be held in Pakistan, and, particularly, in Punjab where the situation is much better than the other provinces. Requesting for postponement of elections is a clear admission on part of PML(N) led Punjab government that they have failed to restore the law and order situation. What if after another three and a half year PPP led federal government takes the same stance to postpone the next general elections?

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posted @ 5:28 PM, ,


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