Pakistan : Terrorist Wahabi Islamic Rep Pakistan 7

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=24027&title=Osama-family-allowed-to-leave-Pakistan"]Osama family allowed to leave Pakistan[/url]



ISLAMABAD: The Abbottabad commission led by Justice retired Javed Iqbal has allowed the widows and daughters of Osama bin Laden, who was taken out by US navy seals in Abbottabad on May 2 this year, to leave the country, Geo News reported.



According to a notification issued by the commission, the statements of bin Laden’s widows and daughters had been recorded and they were no longer required to stay in Pakistan.



The compound of bin Laden will also be handed over to local authorities, the statement added.



Cheers

[Naresh]

.



Mudy Ji :



Please refer to the following You Tube Video :



[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yelsksvXSj0"]Zaid Hamid & Marvi Sarmad EXPRESS NEWS 25 AUG.[/url]



I request your attention to the Period of 29m 01s to 23m 00s.



In the period 29m 17s to 29m 27s Marvi Sarmad states that Jinnah died in the Ambulance whilst being transported – possibly to the Hospital etc.



Please confirm my inference.



Cheers

[Naresh]

.



[url="http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/09-Oct-2011/200-suicide-bombers-are-planning-attacks-while-living-in-Britain-intelligence-chiefs-warn"]200 suicide bombers are planning attacks while living in Britain, intelligence chiefs warn[/url]



More than 200 UK-based terrorists are currently plotting to carry out suicide bombing attacks in Britain and are likely to strike during next year's London Olympics intelligence chiefs have warned. Government ministers have been briefed on the threat by senior intelligence officers from MI5 and MI6 who claim the figure is a 'conservative estimate'. The information is said to be part of a secret government report on the enduring threat from Al-Qaeda [color="#FF0000"]and other Islamic terrorist organisations.[/color]



Cheers

[sumishi]

[size="3"]Obama (has) piles pressure (piles == pak).[/size][size="3"][/size][size="3"] Of course, since US nurtured it for so long. [/size][size="3"]<img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/size]

[size="3"]-----------------------------------------------------------------



Jokes apart, <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mellow.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':mellow:' /> [url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Obama-piles-pressure/articleshow/10291441.cms"]Obama piles pressure[/url], but Pakistan might go the North Korea way: TOI Editorial, Oct 10, 2011[/size]

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/afghanistan-pakistan/you-arent-hearing-about-pakistans-biggest-problems/"]You Aren’t Hearing About Pakistan’s Biggest Problems[/url]



We know Pakistan is important. Every day headlines raise questions about Pakistan’s stability: its military’s alleged ties to terrorism, the security of its nuclear weapons and its long-standing conflict with India.



But some of the real threats to the country are largely absent from Western media. More conventional domestic issues may define Pakistan’s stability, and in doing so define regional and global security.



From electricity shortages to a looming fiscal deficit, here are four of Pakistan’s biggest problems you might not be hearing about.



A Dire Power Shortage



If you were to stop a Pakistani at random on the street and ask what his or her biggest concern is, there’s a good chance you’d hear about the country’s dire electricity shortage.



Because it cannot produce enough electricity to meet demand, the government shuts off power for extended periods of time. These chronic blackouts, called load-shedding, sometimes last up to 18 hours a day and hamper economic activity, particularly affecting the country’s textile industry, and leave people across a wide socio-economic spectrum in sweltering heat.



And the shortage is at an all-time high.



Today protesters upset over the shortages took to the streets in cities across the country for the second day in a row, even clashing with police and turning to violence in the industrial city of Gujranwala.



Though such riots have become routine, a solution is far from near. This summer the government announced it would take seven years to develop the power generating capacity to end the pervasive blackouts.



Relentless, Devastating Floods



More than a year after monsoons ravaged the country in 2010, months of torrential rains have forced 2 million Pakistanis to flee their homes, some of them for the second year in a row.



On Monday the United Nations warned that the international community’s failure to respond to the latest flooding crisis has left 3 million people in urgent need of food. The floods have primarily hit the southern Sindh province, wiping out valuable cash crops, destroying 600,000 acres of agricultural land and leaving 2 million people at risk of contracting hepatitis, malaria and other sanitation-related diseases.



The government has been criticized for failing to apply lessons from last year’s floods, but climate experts warn that seasonal flooding will not only continue, but intensify in years to come. In fact, some analysts project the country’s structural vulnerability to flood hazard, its poor drainage capabilities and changing climate patters will contribute to Pakistan being designated a “water-scarce state” as early as 2020.



Minorities Under Attack



While much of the world’s focus on Pakistan hones in on the Taliban, sectarian terrorist groups that have been systematically attacking minority communities are overlooked.



This morning gunmen in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan stopped and evacuated a bus filled with day laborers of the Shia ethnic Hazara minority, forced them to stand in a line and then opened fire. Thirteen people were killed. Last month 26 Hazaras were killed in similar sectarian attacks, for which the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi took credit. These aren’t isolated incidents, but are part of a systematic campaign against the country’s Shia, which make up a quarter of the population, that has escalated in recent years. Citing the failure of Pakistani authorities to prevent them, Amnesty International has documented 15 such attacks in the last year alone.



There has also been an upsurge in attacks in recent years against the country’s Christian communities and members of the Ahmadi minority sect. Critics argue these attacks are in part implicitly sanctioned by the country’s controversial blasphemy laws, which enforce the death sentence on anyone found guilty of insulting the Prophet or Islam. Human Rights Watch reported that in 2009, “at least 37 Ahmadis were charged under the general provisions of the Blasphemy Law and over 50 were charged under Ahmadi-specific provisions.”



There has been nationwide resistance to attempts to reform the laws.



A Looming Fiscal Crisis



Last financial year, Pakistan’s fiscal deficit was its highest in history.



But recent moves, including its decision to end a $11.3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program, have some wondering how it will dig itself out of the hole.



Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said Pakistan was not seeking another IMF loan because it could not meet some of its conditions and was “strong enough” to live without it. But critics say the move will hinder development loans from other financial institutions and that the country is choosing short-term gains in favor of long-term economic stability



Cheers

[Guest]

[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pakistan-wants-50-Indian-engines-Railways-says-no/H1-Article1-756250.aspx"]Pakistan wants 50 Indian engines, Railways says no[/url]

Pakistan’s proposal to take 50 train engines on lease from India. “Domestic demand remains high. Any commitment to Pakistan at this stage would mean a compromise on domestic

requirement,

<img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[ravish]

It is indeed a golden opportunity for India . If the Government of India finally decides to supply locomotives to Pakistan, it will make the Pakistan Railways dependent on India for the spare parts in the future. To ensure smooth supply Pakistan may try to sincerely improve its relations with India. The proposal when received needs to be seriously deliberated upon.

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.samachar.com/US-bets-on-India-says-Pakistans-a-problem-in-Afghanistan-lknrMKbehdj.html?utm_source=top25_most_read&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=samachar_homepage"]US bets on India, says Pakistan's a problem in Afghanistan[/url]

By Arun Kumar,

Washington, Oct 13 :

The US said that India will be the linchpin of it new vision of an economically integrated and politically stable South and Central Asia and noted that "Pakistan has to be part of the solution, or they will continue to be part of the problem" in Afghanistan.



"The future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq, and the United States will be right at the centre of the action," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in an Op-Ed in Foreign Policy magazine, outlining US priorities after the end of Iraq and Afghanistan wars.



Describing China as "one of the most prominent of emerging partners", Clinton said the US was setting its sights on "enhancing coordination and engagement among the three giants of the Asia-Pacific: China, India, and the United States".



"[color="#8B0000"]Among key emerging powers with which we will work closely are India and Indonesia, two of the most dynamic and significant democratic powers of Asia[/color]," Clinton wrote, describing them as "key drivers of the global economy" whose "importance is likely to grow in the years ahead".



Noting that President Barack Obama told the Indian parliament last year that the relationship between India and America will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, rooted in common values and interests, she said there are still obstacles to overcome and questions to answer on both sides.



But "[color="#800080"]the United States is making a strategic bet on India's future - that India's greater role on the world stage will enhance peace and security, that opening India's markets to the world will pave the way to greater regional and global prosperity[/color]".



It was also betting "[color="#800080"]that Indian advances in science and technology will improve lives and advance human knowledge everywhere, and that India's vibrant, pluralistic democracy will produce measurable results and improvements for its citizens and inspire others to follow a similar path of openness and tolerance[/color]".



"So the Obama administration has expanded our bilateral partnership; [color="#800080"]actively supported India's Look East efforts, including through a new trilateral dialogue with India and Japan[/color]; and outlined a new vision for a more economically integrated and politically stable South and Central Asia, with India as a linchpin."



Clinton said that "Pakistan has to be part of the solution, or they will continue to be part of the problem" in Afghanistan.



"Everybody knows Pakistan has a big stake in the outcome of what goes on across their border, and they are going to be involved one way or the other," Clinton said after a lecture on American Global Leadership at the Centre for American Progress Wednesday.



"Part of what we've done is to continue to push forward on what our expectations are from Pakistan and [color="#2E8B57"]hold them accountable on a range of issues that we have laid out for them[/color]," she said, describing it as a "very difficult relationship."



"But I believe strongly that it is not one we can walk away from and expect that anything will turn out better, because I don't believe that will be the case," she added.



"Therefore, we are deeply engaged in finding ways to enhance cooperation with Pakistan and to further the Afghan desire for a legitimate peace and reconciliation process."



A senior US official said that America's vision of a secure, stable, prosperous 21st century world has at its heart a strong partnership with a rising India.



"The question is not whether we will have a strategic partnership, but whether we are doing as much as we possibly can to ensure that we realise its full promise," Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said Wednesday ahead of the first US-India Higher Education Summit.



Over 300 higher education leaders, government and private sector representatives are participating in the daylong education summit co-chaired by India's Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.



The official said he was confident that India can make a decisive contribution to building what Hillary Clinton has called "the global architecture of cooperation," to solve problems that no one country can solve on its own.

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch/NightWatch_11000205.aspx"]http://www.kforcegov...h_11000205.aspx[/url]

Pakistan-US: For the record. US Defense Secretary Panetta said on 11 October that the United States is waging "war" in Pakistan against militants. Speaking to an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, the former CIA director described a "complicated relationship" between Washington and Islamabad due to the fact that the United States is "fighting a war" in Pakistan. He said the two countries disagree over the relations they maintain with some of the militant groups in Pakistan.



Comment: No US official publicly has ever made such a statement. [color="#9932CC"]Use of the phase "waging war" suggests a level of US military activity inside Pakistan and a disregard for Pakistani sovereignty that have not previously been disclosed.[/color] Panetta's statement will generate a firestorm in Pakistan. Pakistan, and perhaps others, will demand a clarification. Pakistan might recall its ambassador.

[Naresh]

.

[quote name='ravish' date='14 October 2011 - 12:16 AM' timestamp='1318531095' post='113318']

It is indeed a golden opportunity for India . If the Government of India finally decides to supply locomotives to Pakistan, it will make the Pakistan Railways dependent on India for the spare parts in the future. To ensure smooth supply Pakistan may try to sincerely improve its relations with India. The proposal when received needs to be seriously deliberated upon.[/quote]



Ravish Ji :



Welcome Back.



I do appreciate your enthusiasm for India-Pakistan Dialogue-Trade etc. but do feel that you are innocent of the malaise that has afflicted Pakistani Industry-Commerce in General and the Pakistan Railways in Particular.



It would be better if you were to read the “Saga” of the 69 Diesel Locomotives procured from China a few years ago which have not lasted for even Five Years under the Auspices of the “Enlightened Management of Pakistan Railways.



These 69 Chinese Locomotives are lying in “Parks” and will be eventually scrapped as in addition to a severe lack of maintenance due to lack of “Finances” for spare parts, lubricants etc. the Pakistani Railways – as “voiced” by my Pakistani sources – has an abysmally trained labour force especially the Locomotive Drivers who are “minimally” educated. In this respect one would rather add “if at all”.



Thus Pakistan Railways has to undergo a complete overhaul and it would be better if Indian Railway Equipment Suppliers in General and “Rolling Stock” Manufacturers in Particular avoided Pakistan Railways like the proverbial “PLAGUE”.



Even more hazardous is the condition of Pakistan Railway Tracks and Bridges which have achieved “Dangerous” Levels of Safety.



In addition the Government of Pakistan – Pakistan Railways is a PSU – has no money at all. Pakistan still owes India the astronomical sum of Indian Rupees Three Hundred Crores since 1947, a sum that is worth at least Two to Three Hundred Times in today’s money. Thus Pakistan will “NEVER” pay India for any “Capital Equipment”.



Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes – YES. Capital Equipment like Railway Locomotives – NO.



Today it can be said :



[color="#006400"][size="7"][center]PAKISTAN KA MATLAB KYA?



BHEEK MANGNAY KAY LIYE HAATH



PHAILA[/center][/size][/color]



As to the state of Pakistan’s Industry I quote the following in respect of China destroying Pakistani Industry :



[url="http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta2/tft/article.php?issue=20111014&page=1"][center][color="#FF0000"][size="7"]1 : Trading with the enemy[/size][/color][/center][/url]



[url="http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2011-weekly/nos-02-01-2011/pol1.htm#4"][center][color="#FF0000"][size="7"]2 : Dumping ground[/size][/color][/center][/url]



You will notice that over the last Eight or Ten Years since China has systematically destroyed Pakistan’s Industry Pakistan has not uttered a “Dickie Bird”!



Do you think that the Hatred inculcated in the Ordinary and vast majority of Pakistani Muslims - by the Satanic Pakistani Leadership of Islamic Terrorists Leaderships be they Bureaucratic, Feudal, Jehadi, Military or Political Leadership – for Indians in General and Hindus, Jains & Sikhs in Particular can ever be eradicated nay reduced by an Iota?



No Sir! NEVER!!



Thus one has to stop thinking in Terms of India-Pakistan Relationship in any sphere with Lotos Eating Minds.



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/13/pakistan-faces-threat-of-water-scarcity.html"]Pakistan faces threat of water scarcity[/url]



ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has placed Pakistan among the ‘water hotspots’ of Asia-Pacific region, saying that the country is facing major threats of increasing water scarcity, high water utilisation, deteriorating water quality and climate change risk.



Changes in weather patterns across the world have increased occurrences and intensities of extreme events of rain, floods, droughts and cyclones, such as those afflicting Australia, China, Myanmar and Pakistan, according to the [url="http://www.unescap.org/stat/data/syb2011/ESCAP-syb2011.pdf"]Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2011[/url] published by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on Wednesday.



The report says climate change has affected hydrological patterns and freshwater systems, thereby posing a risk to overall water security. Climate change results in changes in spatial distribution and shifting of precipitation patterns, such as the start of rainy season and snowmelt.



Asia and the Pacific have the highest annual water withdrawal of all the world’s regions because of their geographic size, population and irrigation practices.



Pakistan faced an economic loss of $7.4 billion because of last year’s massive floods, reflecting a damage of 4.9 per cent of GDP. [color="#FF0000"](Does this mean that Pakistan’s GDP for 2010-2011 is US$ 151 Billion and not over US$ 220 Billion as can be gleaned from Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2010-2011)[/color] Figures show that Pakistan’s economy has been facing damages from natural disasters since 1991-95 when this loss was $248 million or 0.4 per cent of GDP.



The period of 1996-2000 was relatively calm and the loss was only $59 million. It was also a period when the country faced drought-like situation due to El-Nino factor.



However, natural disasters started denting the national economy from 2001-05 when economic losses rose to $1.1 billion and $1.8 billion in 2006-10, statistics reveal.



Over 2,100 people were killed and over 18 million affected by the 2010 floods. In terms of number of mortality, data calculated mortality from natural disasters at 2,186 people per annum in 2010, 7,919 between 2001 and 2010 and 675 in 1991-2000.



Asia-Pacific countries continue to suffer disproportionately from disasters caused by natural hazards. The region is vulnerable to many types of disasters, including floods, cyclones, earthquakes, drought, storm surges and tsunamis. During the past decade, on average, more than 200 million people were affected and more than 70,000 killed by natural disasters annually.



The region is undergoing major demographic transformation.



Gender inequalities in the Asia-Pacific region are also evident in education, employment and property ownership and decision-making. Female participation in the labour force in the region has remained unchanged for almost 20 years, with 65 employed women per 100 employed men.



The report also reveals that for the first time in recorded history, the Asia-Pacific fertility rate was equal to the replacement rate of 2.1 (live births per woman).

[ravish]

Nareshji,



Many thanks for your most interesting insight on Pakistan Railways and on power and water shortage. It gives a clear indication that the State of Pakistan has failed in all respect of the functioning of a normal State. I say all respect because in addition to the above factors, there is widespread terrorist acts, gross violation of Pakistan airspace and land border by the Coalition forces operating from Afghanistan, frequent threats and humiliations from the United States and a variety of other issues, just to name a few.



As you know much better than me, the crisis being faced by Pakistan can be mainly attributed to its policy of hate India, crush India which it had followed since 1948 onwards. Today it has lost its international credibility and no nation takes it seriously, The United States continues to engage Pakistan, despite all its drawbacks, out of military operational requirements in Afghanistan.



If this state of affairs continue for some more years, it may prove to be a blessing for India. Pakistan will no longer be in a position to create any serious tension on our borders, neither it will be resourceful enough to finance and support the terrorist groups that operate inside India .

Shall appreciate your take on the future scenario.

[Naresh]

.



Self Deleted - Double Post



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011/10/16/story_16-10-2011_pg5_8"]‘Lack of basic quality in Pak products hampers exports’[/url]



KARACHI: Many of the exports are unable to penetrate in international markets successfully due to lack of compliance to basic quality and health standards by some manufacturers.



Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Senator Haji Ghulam Ali said at a seminar on standardisation in collaboration with Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) assured both PSQCA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) of FPCCI’s commitment towards helping the former achieve across-the-board compliance to quality standards by manufacturers in Pakistan.



He said FPCCI would assist them in every possible manner to achieve their objectives.



Speaking on ‘International Standards: Creating Confidence Globally,’ Liaquat Ali Arain, Director General-PSQCA highlighted the activities of PSQCA towards creating awareness regarding international standardisation among members of the business community.



Dr Shahzad Afzal, Deputy Director General, Standards Development Centre SDC, PSQCA made a detailed presentation about the role of PSQCA in ‘Harmonisation of Pakistan’s Standards with International Standards.’



Mir Changez Khan Jamali, the Federal Minister of Science and Technology appreciated the FPCCI’s offer to extend all manner of support to PSQCA and MoST in improving the standard of quality made available to local consumers.



He lauded FPCCI’s dedication towards assisting PSQCA and MoST in the past, stating that this seminar was being held for the third consecutive year, which demonstrated the business community was eager to cooperate with the government in ensuring the consumer receives a premium quality product, rather than a counterfeit and low quality product.



Umer Ghouri for the Consumer Eye, Huma Bukhari Chairperson of FPCCI Standing Committee for Consumer Rights Protection and Kaukab Iqbal for Consumer Associates of Pakistan, highlighted the importance of standardisation with a view to proving consumer confidence.



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2011-weekly/nos-16-10-2011/spr.htm#5"]It’s silent minority not silent majority[/url]



Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy



The overdose of religion given to young Pakistanis means that bitter sectarian wars are up ahead [color="#FF0000"] that will last for decades. Today, Shias are being slaughtered with barely a sign of protest from the Sunni majority. Tomorrow it will be one Sunni faction butchering another. For years, Ahmadis, Hindus and Christians have been desperately seeking to flee Pakistan. They would be foolish to want to stay.[/color]



Yet, even as faith-based extremist movements disrupt society, the cry for an ever greater role for religion in public life gets louder. Sharia-seeking Taliban have blown up more than one thousand girls and boys schools since 2005. Yet men like Imran Khan have barely uttered a word of displeasure. For these people, all ills come from the outside.



Religious fascists threaten to drag Pakistan into barbaric medievalism. That Governor Taseer’s murderer is their hero shows just how bad things have become. A confused and frightened state is fighting militants who say this is a conflict of Islam versus America, India and Israel. But, in fact, they are actually waging an armed struggle to remake society and will keep fighting this war even if America were to miraculously disintegrate and disappear.



Created by poverty, a war-culture, and the macabre manipulations of Pakistan’s intelligence services, they want a cultural revolution. This means eliminating music, art, entertainment, and all manifestations of modernity and westernism. Those who claim that Pakistan’s silent majority is fundamentally secular and tolerant are clutching at straws. Take a vote: all who say that every citizen should have equal rights will lose.



Cheers

[Naresh]

[url="http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/16/railway-employees-take-to-streets-over-non-payment-of-salary.html"]Railway employees take to streets over non-payment of salary[/url]



LAHORE : The financial mess afflicting Pakistan Railways took yet another threatening turn on Saturday after thousands of employees took to the streets and picketed near railway tracks to voice indignation over non-payment of salary.



Many of the protesting employees not only sought payment of salary but also necessities like electricity and water. The reason: electricity supply to railway stations and employees’ colonies in major cities and towns has been cut off because of non-payment of bills.



Passengers wait for hours on end for trains that don’t arrive on time, and sometimes never at all because they are cancelled.



[color="#FF0000"]The organisation is in such dire straits that it has had to discontinue 150-odd train services, forcing people to turn to other means of transport[/color].



According to APP, Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour informed the National Assembly on Friday that 153 trains had been suspended because of shortage of diesel, adding that Railways had no money to disburse salaries and pensions.



He said a business plan of Rs11.1 billion for the revival of railways had been submitted to the cabinet in December last year. He said the problem would persist if the money was not released.



He said the railways was facing acute shortage of locomotives, resulting in delay of passenger trains on major routs and suspension of operation on small stations. Only 60 locomotives were imported over the past 20 years.



Mr Bilour said when he was railways minister in 1992 the organisation’s total deficit was Rs1.480 billion, but now the situation had complicated to a great extent.



Hundreds of passengers had to wait for hours at the Lahore station on Saturday when railway workers closed the gates of Loco Shed in protest against the non-payment of salary.



Lack of proper seating arrangements, non-functional water coolers, unusable toilets and substandard food items at exorbitant prices made the wait a nightmare for passengers of Tezgam, Jaffar, Karachi, Allama Iqbal and Karakorum expresses.



Gathered under the banner of Railway Mazdoor Ittehad, the workers did not allow for two hours or so any locomotive to roll on to the washing lines, further delaying the departure of several passenger trains. After holding a demonstration outside the Loco Shed, the workers marched to the Garhi Shahu Bridge where they staged a sit-in and blocked traffic for some time.



Raising slogans against the government and railways administration while beating their chests, the workers threatened to jam railway traffic throughout the country if the government did not pay them salary on time.



Ittehad leaders announced a country-wide campaign on Oct 18 and formation of a workers’ alliance for the purpose.



In Hyderabad, a large number of railway employees staged a sit-in on a railway track and burnt tyres in protest against the disconnection of power supply to their residential colony.



The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company has disconnected the supply to railway stations and colonies for non-payment of electricity dues.



Several trains coming from Karachi, including Karakoram Express, Allama Iqbal Express and Tezgam, were stopped for several hours at the Kotri railway station.



The protesters raised slogans against the deputy superintendent of railways, Karachi. They demanded immediate restoration of power supply to the residential colony.



Railway police reached the area, but did not try to stop the protest. In the evening, MNA Salahuddin of MQM addressed the protesting workers and assured them that electricity would be restored to the colony in the night. After that they ended the protest.



Agencies add : Hesco also suspended electricity supply to Mirpurkhas railway station, its colony, regional offices of the Left Bank Outfall Drainage and Metrological Department on Friday.



Hesco chief Farooq Afghan said Rs10 million was due on the LBOD, Rs7 million on the railway station and Rs0.1 million on the Met Office.



Cheers [color="#FF0000"][/color][color="#FF0000"][/color]

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/111012-india-pakistan-indus-river-water/"]India and Pakistan at Odds Over Shrinking Indus River[/url]



Irrigation and hydroelectric projects are draining the river's flow, while glaciers are melting in Kashmir. - William Wheeler



Nearly 30 percent of the world's cotton supply comes from India and Pakistan, much of that from the Indus River Valley. On average, about 737 billion gallons are withdrawn from the Indus River annually to grow cotton—enough to provide Delhi residents with household water for more than two years. (See a map of the region.)



"Pakistan's entire economy is driven by the textile industry," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "The problem with Pakistan's economy is that most of the major industries use a ton of water—textiles, sugar, wheat—and there's a tremendous amount of water that's not only used, but wasted," he added.



The same is true for India.



That impact is an important part of a complex water equation in countries already under strain from booming populations. More people means more demand for water to irrigate crops, cool machinery, and power cities. The Indus River, which begins in Indian-controlled Kashmir and flows through Pakistan on its way to the sea, is Pakistan's primary freshwater source—on which 90 percent of its agriculture depends—and a critical outlet of hydropower generation for both countries.



[url="http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/fair-trade-cotton-2874.html"](Related: "Discover Fair Trade Cotton")[/url]



Downstream provinces are already feeling the strain, with some dried-out areas being abandoned by fishermen and farmers forced to move to cities. That increases competition between urban and rural communities for water. "In areas where you used to have raging rivers, you have, essentially, streams or even puddles and not much else," said Kugelman.



In years past, the coastal districts that lost their shares of the Indus' flows have become "economically orphaned," the poorest districts in the country, according to Pakistani water activist Mustafa Talpur. Because Pakistani civil society is weak, he says, corruption and deteriorating water distribution tend to go hand in hand.



In the port city of Karachi, which depends for its water on the Indus, water theft—in which public water is stolen from the pipes and sold from tankers in slums and around the city—may be a $500-million annual industry.



In the balance is the fate not only of people, but important aquatic species like the Indus River dolphin, which is now threatened to extinction by agricultural pollution and dams, among other pressures. Scientists estimate that fewer than 100 individuals remain.



Threat to Peace?



One of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the region's fragile water balance is the effect on political tensions.



In India, competition for water has a history of provoking conflict between communities. In Pakistan, water shortages have triggered food and energy crises that ignited riots and protests in some cities. Most troubling, Islamabad's diversions of water to upstream communities with ties to the government are inflaming sectarian loyalties and stoking unrest in the lower downstream region of Sindh.



But the issue also threatens the fragile peace that holds between the nations of India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed rivals. Water has long been seen as a core strategic interest in the dispute over the Kashmir region, home to the Indus' headwaters. Since 1960, a delicate political accord called the Indus Waters Treaty has governed the sharing of the river's resources. But dwindling river flows will be harder to share as the populations in both countries grow and the per-capita water supply plummets.



Some growth models predict that by 2025, India's population will grow to triple what it was—and Pakistan's population to six times what it was—when the Indus treaty was signed. Lurking in the background are fears that climate change is speeding up the melting of the glaciers that feed the river.



Mountain glaciers in Kashmir play a central role in regulating the river's flows, acting as a natural water storage tank that freezes precipitation in winter and releases it as meltwater in the summer. The Indus is dependent on glacial melting for as much as half of its flow. So its fate is uniquely tied to the health of the Himalayas. In the short term, higher glacial melt is expected to bring more intense flooding, like last year's devastating deluge.



Both countries are also racing to complete large hydroelectric dams along their respective stretches of the Kashmir river system, elevating tensions. India's projects are of a size and scope that many Pakistanis fear could be used to disrupt their hydropower efforts, as well as the timing of the flows on which Pakistani crops rely.



[url="http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/can-residences-conserve-water-2204.html"](Related: "Seven Simple Ways to Save Water")[/url]



"Many in Pakistan are worried that, being in control of upstream waters, India can easily run Pakistan dry either by diverting the flow of water by building storage dams or using up all the water through hydroelectric power schemes," said Pakistani security analyst Rifaat Hussain.



For years, Pakistani politicians have claimed India is responsible for Pakistan's water troubles. More recently, militant groups have picked up their rhetoric. Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Pakistani militant group allegedly responsible for the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, even accused India of "water terrorism."



Hope for the Future



In the past few months, however, the situation has improved, according to Kugelman. "We've been hearing nearly unprecedented statements from very high-level Pakistani officials who have essentially acknowledged that India is not stealing Pakistan's water, and that Pakistan's water problems are essentially a function of internal mismanagement issues," he said. Militants are still griping, he said, "but not as shrilly."



This may be because the two countries are cooperating on water and other issues better than before, and because militants are now focusing less on their archenemy in India and more on coalition forces in Afghanistan.



"But I imagine this is momentary," said Kugelman. "The facts on the ground—the water constraints in both India and Pakistan—have not abated. They're both still very serious and getting worse."



What's needed, he says, is more conservation and adaptation—a smarter way of doing business.



William Wheeler's reporting in Pakistan was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

Zardari steps in to rescue Pakistan Railways



* President advises govt to release funds for payment of railway salaries, pensions



* Meeting held to discuss issues facing Pakistan Railways



* Railway minister claims that most trains, equipment are outdated and obsolete



ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday advised the government to release funds within seven days for the payment of salaries and pensions of railway employees, who have been protesting against the non-payment of salaries.



The president was speaking at a high-level meeting in the Presidency held to discuss the issues facing Pakistan Railways.



Private sector entrepreneurs were also invited to the meeting to discuss public-private partnership model for revamping railways, he said.



The president also advised the government to arrange a loan of Rs six billion for locomotive repairs and purchase of new locomotives. The loan will be used exclusively for this purpose and will not be diverted for any other purpose.



The president gave this directive when Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour pointed out that because of the non-availability of locomotives, freight trains had been suspended and the revenue from cargo transportation had come down from Rs nine billion a year to almost zero at present.



He said that the cargo service was the most critical element of Pakistan Railways. The president said that this matter ought to be taken up in the Council of Common Interests as railways services were utilised by all provinces and the issue was inter-provincial in nature. The president also said that Pakistan Railways needed to reorient itself to introduce corporate culture in its organisation while simultaneously undertaking comprehensive administrative, financial and human resource reforms.



The president mentioned that merely injecting more finances by the government alone, and that too when the country’s economy was under severe stress, was no permanent solution.



Federal Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Secretary Railways Javed Iqbal and General Manager Pakistan Railways Saeed Akhtar briefed the meeting about the various causes that had contributed towards the deterioration of the organisation and the various ways that it could be resuscitated.



[color="#FF0000"]Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that [size="5"]half of the total locomotives were out of order, 86 percent of the bridges were more than 100 years old, signalling that the system was obsolete, the telecommunications system was outdated and the track overaged.[/size][/color] He said efforts were underway to attract private investment to shore up the organisations declining resources.



The railways minister claimed that a crisis management programme had been put in place to explore the possibility of repairing locomotives in collaboration with the private sector, as well as hiring or leasing them from other countries. app



Cheers

[Naresh]

.

[url="http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/18/impending-economic-crisis.html"]Impending economic crisis[/url]



PAKISTAN’S economy stands on the edge of an impending economic crisis, which like that of 2008 could threaten Pakistan’s ability to service its external debt putting it in default. Even today the economy is failing, causing untold misery and losses but its impact remains domestic.



Last year’s hike in export prices and acceleration in remittances have insulated foreign exchange reserves from declining so far, but a stagnant economy and inflation are taking a severe toll on domestic employment, incomes and the purchasing power of the poor in particular. Since the latter have not yet translated into political and social strife, present economic conditions have not triggered the urgent response that these warrant, either from the civilian government or other stakeholders.



Persistent and growing budget deficits are at the root of macroeconomic imbalances which afflict Pakistan’s economy contributing to rigidities and risks across the economy. While reducing the deficit is critical to recovery, the democratically elected federal and provincial governments have made no credible attempt at revenue mobilisation and expenditure control.



Important fiscal reforms are hostage to short-sighted political compulsions and corruption. The government response to rising unemployment, economic stagnation and persistent inflation has been over-employment in state-run enterprises, untargeted subsidies and mushrooming development projects. The latter contribute to more losses in PSEs, circular debt and greater fiscal deficits that contribute further to inflation and economic stagnation, perpetuating a vicious cycle of worsening government finances.



Instead of facilitating growth and employment in the private sector and focusing on its basic role of service delivery, the government tried to become the source of employment, both unjustified and unsustainable. With local government systems on hold there can be no effective improvement in service delivery. Meanwhile, the large infrastructure development agenda and social sector needs of Pakistan remain neglected.



Management of macroeconomic stabilisation and governance has been complicated by the new NFC award and the 18th Amendment which dealt with important fiscal assignment issues superficially. As a result, the federal government is further handicapped in ensuring macroeconomic stability without cooperation from the provinces that remain fiscally irresponsible behind a dangerous parochial rhetoric.



Large persistent budget deficits financed by borrowing over the last three years have increased the burden of public debt, now over 64 per cent of GDP. New debt is from more expensive domestic sources on increasingly shorter term. Cheaper longer-term foreign funding has declined and the share of floating domestic debt has increased, reflecting the lack of support for the government’s economic management.



The resultant increase in government exposure to roll over and interest rate risk is worrisome as domestic creditors’ appetite for treasury bills will soon decline amidst the potential downgrading of Pakistan’s public debt as happened in the larger European economies. Markets are also watching the rising burden of debt servicing as it reaches alarming proportions casting doubt on the government’s ability to repay its domestic debt.



The government has few alternatives. Visits at the highest level to traditionally friendly countries have yielded no concessionary loans. In any case, the remedy is not more financing, it is tough fiscal reforms. Borrowing again from the State Bank to finance budget deficits will result in further acceleration of inflation. The public tolerance for more inflation is doubtful, especially as we approach elections.



Double-digit inflation has stubbornly persisted for more than four years now. More recently, the budget deficit has been increasingly financed by borrowing from commercial banks, which is less inflationary but has crowded out private-sector borrowers with serious consequences for growth. During the last two years, banks have lent over 80 per cent of their new lending to the government thus giving up financial intermediation. The increase in banking-sector credit to private fixed investment in FY11 was less than Rs10bn for the entire economy, an indicator of the dismal state of the economy and an alarming decline in private-sector activity.



Industry in Pakistan has been ground to a halt by power shortages, high interest rates, lack of credit and loss of competitiveness of nearly 15 per cent over the last three years. Pakistani producers face higher inflation of costs than their trading competitors disadvantaging exports and domestic industries against imports. With the energy crisis continuing mainly due to financial mismanagement by this government it is no surprise that large segments of industry have shut down across Pakistan.



The impact of all this on growth in national income is inevitable. Growth in GDP has slowed to an average of 2.5 per cent annually during the last four years. Prospects for revival in growth are poor due to declining investment especially private investment. Forecasts of four per cent growth in FY12 is another false hope offered by incompetent policy managers.



Contrary to government claims, the surplus in the external current account in FY11 reflects a collapsing domestic economy as declining national savings exceeded more rapidly decreasing total investment. The sharp increase in exports reflected buoyant prices not increasing market shares or higher volumes, hence susceptible to reversal with international prices.



The recent increase in remittances is not policy-induced hence risky to rely on; the decline in September 2011 is worrisome.



The current account is likely to be in deficit again in 2012, while the surplus on the financial account may decline further resulting in a large decline in official reserves. Foreign direct investment (FDI) was already lower in 2011, and will continue to decline in view of the economic crisis, killings in Karachi and the unjust fate meted out to Pakistan’s largest single FDI in Reko Diq.



The official capital inflows will be lower too unless the government can present a credible programme to the IMF and get support from other multilateral and bilateral partners. With weak fundamentals, an accumulation of reserves of over $17bn has created a false sense of economic security encouraging further delay in important reforms across the economy.



An economic crisis is inevitable with this government in power. Economic imbalances cannot decline unless the budget deficit is reduced through tough fiscal measures. The government is unlikely to undertake tough measures or refrain from its compulsive corrupt practices as polls approach. Without fiscal adjustment the IMF is unlikely to endorse the government’s economic programme which will also restrain other donors from providing support, so Pakistan is likely to be in a serious foreign exchange crisis early 2012. Time will tell whether the economy will survive till the elections.



The writer was formerly on the IMF staff and a federal commerce minister.



Cheers

[ravish]

Pakistan warns the United States of America



Quote



Kayani warns US against anti-Pakistan offensive

Islamabad, Oct 19 (IANS)



Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan's all powerful army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has warned the US not to launch any military offensive into his country's tribal region.



Asking the US to "think 10 times" before moving into North Waziristan region from Afghanistan, Kayani reminded the Americans that Pakistan was a nuclear power and should not be compared with Iraq or Afghanistan.



The army chief, who has been smarting since US commandos intruded into Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town in May, was addressing members of parliament's defence committee Tuesday.



But Kayani did not specify what Pakistan would do if American troops, now massed on the Afghan side of the border, did move into North Waziristan hunting for the militant Haqqani network.



US officials are linking the Haqqani group with Pakistani's intelligence agencies and say it has stepped up attacks on American interests in Afghanistan, with some tacit Pakistani backing. Xinhua quoted a participant as saying that the general rejected US allegations that Pakistan was using the Taliban-linked Haqqani network for waging a proxy war in Afghanistan.



Pakistan, Kayani insisted, was a part of a solution to the Afghan tangle, not the problem. The US is livid with the Pakistani establishment for not taking strong action against the Haqqani group.



The Americans say Pakistan, which remains obsessed with India's growing clout in Afghanistan, is trying to keep alive the Haqqani network so that it plays a role in any Kabul dispensation once the US army pulls out.



Kayani said he had told the Americans that Pakistan would go for military action in the region if the situation demanded but not under any pressure. "If somebody convinces me that military action in North Waziristan will resolve all problems, I am ready to go for it tomorrow," he said.



Kayani also rejected the growing perception that Pakistan wanted to control Afghanistan and said it was evident from history that nobody had ever succeeded in doing so.

"When the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union failed to do so, how can it be expected of Pakistan? We do not have a magic wand to succeed in doing what others failed," he added.



Unquote



It may perhaps be for public consumption only and perhaps with the approval of the United States.If that is the case, no major development is expected and business will go on as usual. However, if it is really a challenge pointed at the United States and by default to the NATO, one needs to wait with fingers crossed to see the results. The prestige of the United States in that case is at stake. Here is a country nursed from its infancy with both economic and military aid,turning against its master. Such things have happened in the past with other satellites of the United States but it was least expected of Pakistan.

Nareshji our in house expert on Pakistan may like to enlighten us with his expert views on the evolving situation.