Resolve the energy crisis
THE energy crisis has reflected negatively on the national economy besides badly affecting people. In addition to becoming a nuisance during the work day, the duration of loadshedding increases instead of

Peace jirga
THE Afghan peace jirga at Nishtar Hall ended with demands for the restoration of peace in the region. … [I]t was held under the aegis of the ANP but several delegations from other cities, Afghanistan and some

Get your ID registered now
IT is difficult to find virtue in those who have not yet registered for their identity cards. The authorities have been more than patient and extended the deadline so frequently to accommodate even the laziest

Cosmetic solution
THE three-month deadline that the communications ministry set on Sunday for public transport operators to freshly paint their vehicles tends to betray the … government’s propensity for cosmetic solutions to systemic problems in terms of traffic management in … Dhaka.

Season of bad news
NOWADAYS Sindh is … in the news, but [it is not] good news as [it has to do with the] loss of human life. Sometimes it is targeted killings in Karachi….

Mumbai opportunity
IT could be said that the national executive meet of the BJP in Mumbai was overpowered by the spectacular seesawing of personal equations between its prominent leaders. There it was, all on show:

Arm patients with info
IF you can’t avoid the hospital emergency room altogether, the next best thing is knowing what to expect once you get there. Better information, generally, makes for better healthcare. Patients in

Balochistan situation
CHIEF Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, while hearing the missing persons’ case, has said the political government does not [seem] interested in improving conditions in Balochistan. Neither is the national

Technical education
THE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister for technical education, Mehmood Zeb, has pointed out that the need for skilled workers is increasing fast. …[E]very year students from various universities [graduate]

Repacking rice
EVER SINCE education became available to the masses … society in developing countries [is] seen … as “progressing” if the child of a farmer goes to university, moves to the city, and gets an office job. Such

Victory over terrorism
THE annual Victory Parade … took place with the usual military razzle-dazzle…. Commemorating the military victory over terrorism is amply justified but whether all the military trappings evident at the ceremony were justified with the poor and the middle class reeling under … price hikes … is [questionable].

People’s accountability
WHETHER in government or opposition, political parties make tall claims about saving democracy. But what kind of democracy are they saving?

Rupee plummets
WITHIN hours of the rupee hitting a record low of 54.52 against the dollar this week and the Sensex closing at its lowest since January 2012, finance minister …

Obama’s electoral lock
THE Obama campaign has had to deal with a rash of bad news lately. A souring economy combined with a series of gaffes … has made the president look weak….

Thar coal project
NUCLEAR scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand has said that four more wells of the Thar coal project had been set on fire and as a result gas production from these would begin from next week. A flame would be

Frequent bomb blasts
DURING the past few days several bomb blasts took place in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wherein innocent people … were killed and injured. In the recent attacks the militants have targeted the

Football hooligans
THE scenes of riot and mayhem in Istanbul after the end of season match between two of Turkey’s top football teams are a deplorable echo of the outbreaks of violence in Egypt in February and April this year.

Unrest in factories
THE garment sector is in the news again and this time for the very wrong reasons. Violence had run into the second day on Sunday in the Ashulia industrial area, which saw the region turn into a virtual battlefield with the police and garment workers locked in pitched clashes….

Dividing Punjab
…AFTER the National Assembly adopted a resolution about the creation of a new province in south Punjab it was being considered that the Punjab Assembly …

Social reform
A DEPUTY inspector-general of police in Uttar Pradesh has made headlines around the country with his remark that he would commit suicide or murder his sister if she eloped with her lover. The police officer

Democracy or anarchy?
WHAT does Quebec want? It was a pressing question some time ago … but hasn’t been heard much in the intervening years. Yet now the question looms starkly, and it begs to be answered by Quebecers. This was

Ignoring court orders
THE Lahore High Court has issued a contempt of court notice to the Punjab Inspector-General of Police. Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that the government officers not complying with court

Anti-US reaction
INCIDENTS of violence in Afghanistan have been on the rise since the United States-led Nato forces have started killing … innocent citizens of the country.

Work visa racket
THOUGH the government says that this has declined in recent years, the trade in illegal work visas remains a serious issue for the kingdom.

Need for a thorough probe
OURS is a very considerate government…. It may have jacked up bus and train fares … and sent the prices of motorcycles and three-wheelers through the roof with hefty increases in import duties, but out of its concern … for the poor, it has ensured that they will have aviation fuel in bottle lamps lighting their humble abodes….

New provinces
THE National Assembly and Senate have passed a resolution for a separate province in southern Punjab. Later, PML-N submitted a resolution to carve out four other provinces.

The rot’s setting in
THE government stocks a fifth of its grain out in the open, left to be washed by the monsoon. As the UPA’s most ambitious welfare programme — food security for poor Indians — is unrolled, more grain will be collected and allowed to rot unless warehouses are built to stock an additional 35 million

Sanctuary for Chen
AMERICAN embassy officials in Beijing didn’t exactly throw out the welcome mat when one of China’s leading human rights activists showed up on their doorstep last week seeking refuge. But having allowed him inside and sheltered him for several days while they negotiated his fate with Chinese

Explosions in Sindh
A PERSON died and several others were injured after 21 explosions rocked different cities of Sindh. Buildings were also damaged and vehicles destroyed. The most hit were the ATMs of the National Bank of Pakistan. There were seven explosions at different places of Hyderabad like Anaj Mandi,

Menace of terrorism
FREQUENT incidents of terrorism have caused huge loss of life and destruction of property on the one hand, and on the other have led to serious psychological problems among the people. …[T]he question is