Unite Pakistan

Tougher days: ahead IMF loan THE government and the market are jubilant over the ‘successful conclusion’ of a new loan of $5.3bn from the IMF. And why not? The loan will ease pressure on diminishing foreign exchange stocks and relieve the government of worries of how to repay over the next 12 months what the country already owes to the Fund. But is it really a ‘step forward’ for the new government, which had promised voters so much? Although the announcement of the agreement on the loan hides more than it reveals, from whatever has so far been divulged it is clear the people should brace themselves for greater hardship. When Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a “better tomorrow dawns only when the requisite pains are borne today”, he was signalling towards a tougher future for the people in whose name the loans are secured and who must repay these generosities with sacrifices. The help from the IMF is necessary not only to repay its existing debt but also to obtain bu...

State and security Sunday was again a day of carnage in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Around 50 people are dead in both incidents – bomb blasts. Quetta’s Hazara Town once again saw a large number of its own, 30 at last count, die along with scores injured – nearly all of them from the Hazara Shia community. A Frontier Corps’ convoy was attacked in Peshawar, where 18 were reported dead and more than 45 injured. Police and other security personnel and women and children died in both the attacks. Yet again the terrorists have struck at a minority community. And yet again the usual words come from those in high positions – leading to nothing of substance. There also seems to be a distinct lack of unequivocal condemnation from the political parties so recently elected on the back of promises to make a positive improvement in the lives of all, no matter their sectarian adherence. It is not just a particular sect that is under attack, it is the very fabric of the st...

Realisation dawns: PTI’s call for anti-terrorism plan AS the sprawling militancy and terrorism complex continues to rain down violence across Pakistan, a slight shift in political perceptions was witnessed on Sunday when PTI chief Imran Khan called for a joint civil-military strategy to fight terrorism. Until now, Mr Khan has talked more about drones and talks with the TTP than about the threat that militancy poses to the stability and security of Pakistan. But with the PTI’s government in KP rocked by a series of attacks in the province and violence in other parts of the country continuing unabated — in addition to Peshawar, Quetta and North Waziristan also suffered serious attacks on Sunday — there is perhaps the beginnings of a realisation within the PTI that the internal threat is real and serious and can only be countered by a firm resolve and coherent plan. So while Mr Khan did repeat on Sunday his standard trope of a ‘political settlement’, he appeared to ac...

Forays into friendship The British Prime Minister David Cameron is the first leader of a foreign government to visit Pakistan since the election that brought the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif’s government to power. His visit comes back-to-back with a trip to Afghanistan. High on the British agenda is the nature of the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in particular the timbre of that relationship as the wind-down of foreign engagement in Afghanistan accelerates. In a more than usual anodyne press conference (at which neither leader took a single question) there were assurances about the enemies of Pakistan being the enemies of the UK, and the eternal friendship that exists between the two countries. Afghanistan got a mention too as Cameron spoke of the UK government’s support for President Karzai saying that any peace process will be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, a mantra that is looking distinctly threadbare in the light of the debacle in diplomatic terms tha...

Need for restraint: Altaf Hussain`s speech IT was, in the end, the briefest of resignations, and very much in keeping with previous such episodes. But there was also something new about Altaf Hussain`s early morning speech and quick change of heart yesterday. For the first time, the MQM supremo acknowledged that the London police consider him a suspect in the Imran Farooq murder investigation. Mr Hussain also confirmed that British authorities recently raided his home in London and confiscated unspecified material. While railing against an international conspiracy against his person, Mr Hussain pledged to cooperate with British authorities and defend himself in a trial, if he is eventually charged in relation to Mr Farooq`s murder in September 2010. This is a good sign: the MQM boss, while denying any involvement, has indicated his willingness to respect the judicial process. The protracted telephonic back-and-forth between Mr Hussain and MQM activists and support...

PART-I Q.1 Select the best option and fill in the appropriate circle. 1. Who proposed the concept “All motion is relative”? a. Albert Einstein b. John Kepler c. Galileo Galilie d. None 2. The field of specialization of famous Muslim scientist Abu Usman Aljahiz was: a. Botany b. Zoology c. Astronomy d. None 3. Albatros is: a. A sea bird b. A beetle c. A fruit d. None 4. The sunlight can reach a depth of …….. meters in the ocean: a. 100 b. 80 c. 120 d. None 5. The biggest planet in our solar system is: a. Venus b. Pluto c. Jupiter d. None 6. The biggest species of the cat family is: a. Tiger b. Lion c. Leopard d. None 7. Which group of animals has heterogametic females? a. Domestic fowl b. Earthworm c. Rabbit d. None 8. The dominant phase of life cycle in these organism is haploid: a. Mosses b. Bacteria c. Protoza d. None 9. The atmosphere of moon consists of: a. 90% Hydrogen, 10% Nitrogen b. 80%Nitrogen, 20% Hydrogen c. 60% Ni...

1. There should be colleges and schools just for men/boys and some just for women/girls. 2. Let me take care of today, tomorrow shall take care of itself. 3. The traditional male role changed in the last 20 years. 4. Gender equality is a myth. 5. Meaning and purpose of education. 6. If gold rust what shall the iron do. 7. Country life is better than city life. 8. Free speech should have limitations. 9. Not economy but politics is a key to success. 10. Modern day communication via social networks puts an end of true and sincere relationships.

Part-I (MCQs) 1. Who was the governor of Sindh after Muhammad Bin Qasim? a. Zaid Bin Marwan b. Yazid Bin Muhallab c. Abdullah Bin Haris d. none 2. who was the mughal emperor who accepted the british pension firstly? a. Alamgir-II b. Shah Alam-II c. Akbar-II d. None 3. Ahmad Shah Abdali launched his early invasion against: a. Mughal b. Marhatas c. Sikhs d. None 4. The British fought Plassy war against: a. Haider Ali b. Tipu Sultan c. Sirajuddula d. None 5. Dars-i-Nizami was named after: a. Nizamuddin Auliya b. Nizamul Mulk c. Mullah Nizamuddin d. None 6. Before 1857 how many Universities on Western pattern were established in India? a. 16 b. 13 c. 3 d. None 7. When the MAO College at Alligarh was started? a. 1864 b. 1877 c. 1875 d. None 8. Anjuman-i-Himayat e Islam was started in: a. 1849 b. 1884 c. 1885 d. None 9. The constitution of All India Mulim League was written by: a. Mohsin ul Mulk b. Muhammad Ali Johar c. Nawab Salimu...

T he last Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), completely changed the intellectual outlook of Arabia. Within a span of 23 years he transformed the barbarous and impious Arabs into a civilized and religious nation. During his life and also after his death, Muslims took the message of Islam to every corner of the world and within a few years Muslims became the super power of the era.             Trade relations between Arabia and the Sub-continent dated back to ancient times. Long before the advent of Islam in Arabia, the Arabs used to visit the coast of Southern India, which then provided the link between the ports of South and South East Asia. After the Arab traders became Muslim, they brought Islam to South Asia. A number of local Indians living in the coastal areas embraced Islam. However, it was the Muslim conquests in Persia, including the provinces of Kirman and Makran, which brought the Arabs face to face with ...

THE existential threat to Pakistan starts with the letter ‘T’ — but it’s not the Taliban. It’s ‘Taxes’. More precisely, it’s the lack of a fair and equitable taxation system, and the unwillingness and inability of successive governments to fix it. This was the gist of the first part of my column two weeks ago. This part will outline what can be done about it. But first, it will be useful to review the recently presented federal budget for 2013-14 from the perspective of fairness of ‘burden sharing’. While the budget does make a welcome — albeit somewhat modest — attempt to widen the tax base, it falls short of the standards of equity and fairness by placing an unduly large burden on existing and honest taxpayers. Take the case of the higher tax incidence on salaried persons — a group of around 900,000. While this group of captive taxpayers will be coughing up substantially more tax revenue, the group of professional service providers (doctors, lawyers, architects,...

IT is our war. It is America’s war. Thousands of Pakistanis have perished in this war. And all we do is take part in this debate. We do nothing to end it. If one could put it down to a simple lack of will or spine it would have been bad enough. That a fair bit of the discourse on terrorism represents ideologically motivated obfuscation is unforgivable, particularly given how many compatriots have had to sacrifice so much. The dominant argument is that Pakistan’s support to the US-led war in Afghanistan and the CIA’s drone attacks are the only drivers of terrorism in the country. Ergo, this support to the US is not just blamed for terrorism but also advanced as a justification for the mass murder of our people. Refusal to accept this view in its entirety is immediately pounced upon as being tantamount to condoning or worse still supporting the drone attacks that mostly kill our civilians, women and children, and occasionally the militant in the tribal areas. God ...