Monthly Economic Affairs April, 2014

APRIL 2014
Volume-III, Issue-IV
PRICE: 250
to raise joint military for
Pakistan
Gulf States
APR 2014 4 htp://www.economicafairs.com.pk APR 2014 5 htp://www.economicafairs.com.pk
APRIL 2014
Pages 10-11
Ballot, bombs,
bloodshed & bullets
Kiren Lakhani
Pages 16-17
Pakistans green growth
plan gets underway to
tackle climate vagaries
Saleem Shaikh
D I S C L A I M E R
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Exclusive
Pages 14-15
Tammy Swofford
A mutually beneficial
relationship
Page 36
6th Ladies Fund
womens awards 2014
Afrah Jamal
News in Brief...........................12-13
Paper Miracles bags best stall
award at WEXNET exhibiton.......18
Trial, tribulatons and the jury.....19
Total Siyapaa: A tale of cheerful
absurdites and follies.............20-21
Mind sciences and its scope...22-23
Diabetes in Pakistan to double
by 2035........................................24
Energy, taxaton & politcal
economy of Pakistan....................25
Redefning Pakistan.................26-27
Economic downturn and domestc
terrorism.................................28-29
Dont forget the mountains....30-31
Prospects of Pak-Russia tes.........32
PML-N leading the country to a
new era of ICTs.............................33
Technology: Impacts, challenges
and the future.........................34-35
The NSP and
peace in Pakistan
Pages 8-9
EDITORIAL
T
he main opposition parties in the parliament are criticizing the
present government for not disclosing the name of the friendly
Muslim country which has gifted $1.5 billion aid to Pakistan.
Opposition parties are apprehending that the significant aid
maybe to deploy Pakistani forces in the Middle East to safeguard
Saudi interest and other Arab countries.
It is largely believed that the trusted friend is Saudi Arabia which gifted
Pakistan $1.5 billion to help shore up its foreign exchange reserves, meet debt-
service obligations and undertake large energy and infrastructure projects.
Whether it is a gift or something else, but the assistance has contributed
to a sharp recovery of the Pakistani rupee, which rose to a nine-month high of
97.40 from 105.40 against the dollar between March 4 and 12, its strongest rally
in 30 years.
Every country has a right to safeguard its interests and they do it the
way it suits them. The argument that most of the critics are making is that any
involvement in the Shia-Sunni tussle in Arab region would have repercussions
back at home. The most glaring example is that when Pakistan joined the US
war against terror for economic gains, it instead economically harmed the
country tremendously and even shook the core of her existence as a nation. The
war has now become solely ours as the US and Nato forces will soon exit the
region thus leaving the war against terrorism to Pakistan.
Political parties in the opposition may have their own axe to grind but the
experience with the US and Saudi freebies are different. While US has always
adopted carrot and stick policy for Pakistan, Riyadh has always shown her
generosity and support to Pakistan in difficult times, whether its following the
US sanctions after nuclear test or the devastating earthquake.
Saudi Arabia has always willed for a strong Pakistan, probably in order
to counter the overwhelming Israeli military sway in the Middle East, in case
the Jewish state with US backing, tries naked aggression to change the Arab
political map. In case of any such aggression, Pakistan would be the only stick
that the Saudis may hold. The Saudi rulers know that the well-trained Pakistani
soldiers, on active duty or retired, will fight as valiantly for Saudi Arabia as for
Pakistan and even more because of the holiest of holy Muslim sites there.
Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs,
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan has not changed its foreign policy due to foreign
funding.
Under the circumstances, the government in Pakistan should take all the
stakeholders in confidence and consider all aspects wisely to accept all kinds of
assistance from the Arab states whether it is in the form of financial aid, loans,
investment or trade with the understanding that no strings should be attached.
There is no doubt that the relation between the two countries is historic
and unique. The government should not be nervous about the criticism regarding
Saudi help. The existing relations would need to be strengthened in the days to
come and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would be mutually
beneficial for both the nations.
Penny for your thoughts
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the need to enhance bilateral cooperation in
the field of defense.
Saudi Arabias close military ties with
Pakistan, although not new, now have a new
dimension. Officials revealed that Saudi Arab
fears that one of the unintended consequences
of international efforts to reach a nuclear deal
with Iran could end economic sanctions on
Iran, enabling it to secretly pursue its ambi-
tions. With one of the largest armies in the
world and the only declared nuclear power
among the Muslim states, Pakistan is in a
unique position to assist Saudi Arabia with its
defense needs.
It is pertinent to mention here that last
year, BBC reported that Saudi Arabia has in-
vested in Pakistans nuclear weapons projects.
However, both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia de-
nied the report.
Moreover, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are
also chalking out a common strategy against
terrorism, extremism, human & drugs traffick-
ing and maritime piracy. Human trafficking
and maritime piracy have become major secu-
rity concerns to socio-economic stability, in-
vestment inflow and above all energy security
in the region. The recently occurred horrible
incidents of Somalia pirates badly exposed
regional vulnerabilities and security derisory.
Therefore, Pakistan-GCC security bloc aims
to jointly cope with this widespread menace in
the days to come.
Food Security
Pakistan-GCC strategic partnership also
looks at solutions for threats of food insecurity
and water conservation. Food security has be-
come a burning issue in the region especially
in the GCC due to increasing water shortage.
According to KSA notification, Saudi Arabia
would close self-production of wheat and oth-
er food products by 2016 keeping in view the
severe shortage of water. This issue could be
resolved by utilizing untapped irrigation land
in Pakistan. Pakistan will lease out 100,000
acres agricultural land to GCC to produce
crops to their needs.
Greater Economic Integration
GCC is one of the main sources of
worker remittances to Pakistan. Millions of
Pakistanis are employed in these countries.
The GCC is also one of the biggest sources of
investments and joint ventures in the country.
GCC agreed to further boost up the economic
integration and to provide more overseas em-
ployment opportunities to people of Pakistan
for the win-win situation to both sides.
Moreover, Saudi Arabias macro-econo-
my stands tall in the ongoing global economic
recession, EU/US debt crisis. It extends its
resources and financial reserves ($590 billion
foreign exchange reserves, the third largest in
the world after China and Japan) for the better-
ment of its people and regional economies. So
way forward, for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is
to enhance economic ties for the benefits of
both the countries.
Energy Security
GCC agreed to provide Pakistan a long-
term oil credit facility valuing about $10 bil-
lion. The matter was taken up during the visit
of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal to
Pakistan in the first week of January.
At present, Saudi Arabia provides over
10,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Paki-
stans refineries. Annual crude import bill is
around $7.5 billion.
Apart from Riyadh, Kuwait will also
provide oil on deferred payments of six
months that will help Pakistan build its foreign
currency reserves.
Arab Spring

In a larger context, Middle East region
is passing through its toughest challenge of
survival. From Manama to Hama, the political
map of the Middle East is being redrawn. The
waves of change (Arab Spring) have already
produced serious dints in the socio-economic
plans and physical landscape in the region.
Even the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is
feeling the pinch of ongoing Arab Spring and
has already lost billions of dollars. It is hoped
that the proposed Pakistan-GCC security bloc
would be instrumental to maintain law and or-
der, peace, harmony and sovereignty.
Peace in Afghanistan
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have high
stakes in bringing peace in unstable Afghani-
stan. Both the countries can pool their resourc-
es to maintain peace in the region at large.
The way forward for both countries is to work
jointly for bringing peace in Afghanistan and
in the region.
The writer is a team member of monthly
Economic Afairs. He can be reached at
gondal.sajid@gmail.com
P
akistan, being the sixth largest
army of the world and sole nuclear
Muslim state, will assist the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) con-
sisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates in setting up of a formal joint se-
curity bloc to combat any external or internal
security threats.
According to reliable military sources,
the policy initiative also stressed for a strate-
gic partnership which would also ensure food
safety and economic integration. Under this
strategy, Pakistan will assist the GCC to fur-
ther strengthen its existing Peninsula Shield
and to raise a force of 100,000 guards that will
operate under Joint Defense Council, having
its headquarters in Bahrain. Most of the retired
Pakistani soldiers would also find employment
in the envisaged force.
The joint military bloc would be dif-
ferent from that of Peninsula Shield, as the
joint military is being raised for joint efforts
to confront threats. Its main goal is to combat
the threat from al-Qaida and border incursions
from neighboring Yemen.
Pakistan will also assist GCC to up-grade
their weapon system and fighting capabilities
of the GCC Peninsula shield. The prospects
of having new weapon system and unifying
military training would also be initiated under
this planned joint strategic security bloc. The
Saudis are also seeking Chinese-built JF-17
Thunder fighter planes.
The raising of joint military shield was
also discussed during the recent visit of Crown
Prince Salman bin Abdul aziz, who is Saudi
Arabias deputy prime minister and defense
minister. The joint statement issued following
the visit of Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul
aziz visit said The two sides also agreed on
Sajid Gondal
Pakistan will
assist the GCC
to further
strengthen its
existing Peninsula
Shield and to
raise a force of
100,000 guards
to raise joint military for
Pakistan
Gulf States
COVER STORY
APR 2014 9 htp://www.economicafairs.com.pk
No autonomy has been given to the counter-
terrorism body (NACTA). All powers lie with
the "federal government", and then the ques-
tion arises, what is the purpose of NACTA
when the Board of Governors include10 out of
18 political people?
To bring peace and create deterrence in
our beloved homeland, good governance and
rule of law is must. We need to bring certain
reforms in anti-terrorism laws and strict im-
plementation of these laws should be ensured.
Government should bring all stakeholders on
board while making reforms in these laws.
While bringing reforms, first, govern-
ment should negotiate with all stakeholders
including terrorists who in order to meet their
political gains and for making money, are
causing huge financial loss to the country as
well as killing innocent people. As per NISP
concept paper, the country suffered a loss of
more than US $ 78 billion in the last ten years
only. More than 50,000 Pakistanis, including
civilian, Armed Forces and Law Enforcement
Agencies (LEAS) personnel, have been af-
fected.
Secondly, reforms in anti-terrorism laws
are must. By bringing reforms terrorists who
are caught/arrested will not get relief from
courts as it is said that presently they are get-
ting relief from the courts due to poor laws.
Third, emphasis should be on speedy dispen-
sation of justice.
In the current situation, government
should first go for dialogue and if negotia-
tions remain ineffective then it should go for
surgical strikes. If that is also useless then a
full-fledged operation is must. If this happens,
there will be some losers, for example, inter-
nally displaced persons (IDPs) and the people
who will lose their property and businesses.
They should be compensated and government
should assure opinion leaders of the area
that they will be taken care of.
Government wants to put into operation
57-point NISP Implementation Plan in the
next five years. However, interestingly, ex-
ecutive summary of its concept paper reveals,
The Implementation of NISP will require an
estimated cost of 32 billion rupees and it will
be implemented till December 21, 2014. Pro-
vincial component of this estimated cost is Rs.
22 billion and Rs. 10 billion is the estimated
cost of federal components though it will also
be supporting the provinces.
If one reviews this policy document,
by and large it is a commendable effort of the
government but what about implementation?
Government vowing that it has started to put
NISP into practice, one can hope for its timely
implementation in letter and spirit. If, timely
implemented, it can minimise scourge of ter-
rorism in the country and law and order situa-
tion can be improved.
This policy could also influence foreign
policy of Pakistan especially in the wake of
Afghan end game as NATO forces are sched-
uled to leave Afghanistan this year. Internal
politics always influences foreign policy of a
state.
All states actually serve their own in-
terests based on their domestic environment
and choices of the individuals which finally
becomes the choice of state. But our foreign
policy and choices of our leaders are quite
complex in nature. The recent loan taking from
Saudi Arabia is an example. Reuters reported
a Pakistani officials quote, Saudi Arabia
loaned $1.5 billion to Pakistan last month to
help Islamabad shore up its foreign exchange
reserves, meet debt-service obligations and
undertake large energy and infrastructure proj-
ects.
However, experts are of the opinion that
there is a long list of compromises behind this
loan. Putting Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline
deal into doldrums is one of them. Nation
states follow almost similar patterns of for-
eign policies, and that is their self-interest. It is
quite disturbing what our leaders keep in mind
while formulating foreign policies. If United
States can go for a nuclear deal with Iran after
a long standstill of 34 years, why cannot Paki-
stan go ahead on IP gas pipeline deal?
The writer is pursuing an M. Phil in
Internatonal Relatons from IQRA University
Islamabad. He tweets @irfanchaudhri and
can be reached at irfanchaudhri@gmail.com
F
inally government brought the
much awaited national security
policy, the National Internal Se-
curity Policy (NISP) 2014-2018.
Time and again, different policies
have been made during different regimes in the past.
Did they remain fruitful? And the answer is NO. A
few remained fruitful and others failed to produce
results due to poor implementation.
Now when this new security policy (NISP)
has been approved, newly established National
Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) will be
raised in order to remove the menace of terrorism
and establish peace in the country.
If you go through the document, especially NACTA Act, it needs amendments.
The NISP
and peace
in Pakistan
Hafiz Muhammad Irfan
to disrupt the Afghanistan elections and so it
is using scare tactics to keep democracy out
of Afghanistan. Election workers have been
kidnapped; villagers have been tortured and
killed. Just recently, the Taliban took credit
for killing a campaign worker for Abdullah
Abdullah and a suicide bomber attacked Ismail
Khan, the vice-presidential candidate.
We have given orders to all our Muja-
hadeen (holy warriors) to use all force at their
disposal, to disrupt these upcoming sham elec-
tions, and to target all its workers, activists,
callers, security apparatus, and offices, the
Afghan Taliban warned in a recent statement.
The actual election has already taken place in
the offices of the CIA and Pentagon; and their
favorite candidate has already won", they con-
tinued. It seems as the Taliban is the leading
force in the area, regardless of how violent or
unjust they may be.
Still, there is no real evidence that the
April 5th elections are going to be rigged in
any way; and furthermore, the Taliban did not
say who this favorite candidate might be.
The Taliban so far have been targeting
the police, prominent businessmen, public
health workers, election officials, and even or-
dinary citizens. Fears seem to be well-found-
ed, especially since the Taliban is challenging
elections for the simple fact that they do not
believe in a stable democracy for Afghanistan.
In fact, the Talibans version of Islam outright
opposes all deliberate bodies that happen to be
in favor of a one-man ruling system perhaps
because the Taliban itself came into power as
a result of instability.
Unfortunately, the Taliban rose to power
as a popular movement because they brought
stability, law and order to a chaotic area. For a
while, the Taliban presence seemed to decrease
crime rates, but strict enforcements resulted in
abductions, kidnappings, and hostages taken
for ransom. Order was lost for these self-pro-
claimed Men of God and this has made them
very dangerous.
Reports of Taliban executing large
numbers of civilians during conflicts
with the National Islamic Movement of
Afghanistan in the Faryab province
Targeting of ethnic Hazaras and ethnic
Tajiks and Uzbeks by Taliban
An estimated 2,000 5,000 people
reportedly killed by Taliban in Mazar-
i-Sharif
Taliban killed an estimated 500 peo-
ple in its recapture of Bamiyan
Reports of an estimated 300 civilians
(including women and children) killed
by a Taliban official in the southeastern
province of Zabol
Human Rights Watch advocates have
documented massive violations under
the rule of Taliban
Taliban attacks on the Hazarah Shi-
ah population resulted in an estimated
2,000 civilian deaths
Shortly after taking Kabul the Taliban
enforced the most drastic interpretation of
Sharia Law ever seen including bans on mu-
sic, movies, television, womens magazines,
pigeon keeping, haircuts, dancing, and kite
flying. Ignorantly, television sets, radios, cas-
settes, and photographs were destroyed by the
Taliban in an effort to bring out their ideal so-
ciety. Unfortunately the hammer fell the hard-
est, as usual, on the women.
Even the United States Department of
State thinks the Taliban has adopted a blood
and circuses approach to criminal/political
justice. People found to be in violation of the
edicts are subject to punishment on the spot.
This often includes beatings, unwarranted de-
tention, and public executions that sometimes
took place in front of over 30,000 people in
the center of Kabul Stadium. Because of the
Taliban some women suffered being stoned to
death for committing adultery while caught ho-
mosexuals had walls toppled on them because
of their sexual transgressions. As a result, tens
of thousands of people have fled their homes
in search of protection.
Women no longer have the right to ade-
quate education under Taliban rule. Girls over
the age of eight cannot even attend school.
Sadriqa, a young but wise woman living in Ka-
bul, candidly stated, The Taliban has clamped
down on knowledge and ignorance is ruling
instead. What do the women and other citi-
zens have to look forward to next? An attack
on health care?
Under Taliban rule, women are to be giv-
en only the most rudimentary access to health
care and medical attention. In most hospitals,
male physicians could only examine a female
patient if she had all her clothes on. I ask, what
sort of meaningful diagnosis or treatment can
be administered to a woman who has been ex-
amined in such a slipshod way? It cant; and
that is why Afghanistan has the worlds second
worst rate of maternal death during childbirth.
In fact, about 16 out of every 100 women die
giving birth in that country!
The upcoming elections would be a
monumental benchmark for Afghanis and per-
haps even for the entire part of South Asia. The
question remains whether or not people will
join the 21st century by implementing some-
thing stable such as democracy or whether
they will go back 800 years to be ruled by the
whim of some self-righteous religious dicta-
tor. The Taliban cannot stop the elections by
launching the same kind of battle that drove
them to power in the first place, so the terror
attacks are quickly becoming bolder.
Recently, the Taliban has been mounting
attacks on military bases, killing twenty-eight
people so far as they took their frustrations out
on a Polish base in Afghanistan. Hell, there
are even attacks being made on restaurants.
Suicide bombers stormed local establishments
and killed the patrons inside, removing twen-
ty-one people from their earthly families.
Nils Horner was just another tragic loss
in the mounting number of murders being per-
petuated by the Taliban. In fact, the Swedish
radio reporter was simply standing near the
ruins of one of those targeted restaurants on
that day in March. He was planning to meet
and interview a survivor of the actual attack.
Instead, Horner got killed as he stood there,
oblivious to the gunman behind him. He never
got the interview, he never told the story of the
survivor; and soon, the truth about the whole
situation will become nothing but a part of for-
gotten Afghani history.
allot
ombs
loodshed
ullets O
n March
11, 2014
the peo-
ple of
Kabul
witnessed firsthand the
terrors of democracy
as pistol fire clapped
and blood ran in the
streets. People in the
upscale neighborhood
of Wazir Akbur Khan,
a diplomatic area that is
favored by Westerners,
screamed and ran in fear while chaos took over the city. When
the smoke cleared, a Swedish radio journalist, Nils Horner, lay
dead - the 51-year old man having come to cover the elections in
Afghanistan.
The Taliban did promise to use full force to disrupt the
elections. March 11th marked the day when we all figured out
exactly what they mean by that statement. We quickly learned the
hard way that full force disruption meant killing off those whose
only weapons were their minds and voices.
The Taliban denied being involved until after the fact, as the
extremist wing, Fedai Mahaz Tahrik Islami Afghanistan, proudly
took responsibility. Their justification for the chaos was that they
believed Horner to be a spy for British Intelligence, although they
had absolutely no proof of their ridiculous claims. It is not un-
common for unfounded allegations of spying to circulate among
members of the Taliban. After all, this is a group that once hanged
a 7-year-old boy for espionage before beheading two teenagers for
supposedly being spies.
It seems as though Horners murder has more to do with
electoral politics than anything else. The Taliban has pledged
Kiren Lakhani
Western
Democracy
and the Taliban
Square off
TERRORISM
The author is a recent business graduate, a social
media enthusiast and a freelance writer. She can be
reached at kiren82@gmail.com
IMF releases $555.6 million
third tranche to Pakistan
WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund approved on
March 24 a fresh aid disbursement to Pakistan after the country passed
the second review of its ongoing $6.8 billion support program.
The IMF immediately freed $555.6 million for the country, with
the money helping the government bridge financing gaps while it un-
dertakes fiscal reforms required under the program.
It was the third tranche of the three-year program, approved in
September 2013, which required the government to implement strict
economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector and tax
system.
The review followed the resignation at the end of January of the
governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Yaseen Anwar, after what was
widely reported as policy differences with the government. In the last
fiscal year, Pakistan's economy grew at 3.6 per cent and inflation fell
to single digits. But the central bank has warned inflation could surge
this year.
Economists say growth needs to be seven per cent to absorb the
country's booming population.
Govt eyes Rs137bn from part
sale of OGDC, PPL, UBL
The dis investing of 10 to 20 per cent shares of three public sector
entities OGDCL, PPL and UBL is expected to fetch Rs137 billion in the
proceeds, Chairman of Privatisation Commission, Muhammad Zubair
said on March 20th.
Mr Zubair gave a detailed briefing to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar
during a meeting which reviewed the progress made by the Privatization
Commission in pursuing the time line for the disinvestment of OGDCL,
PPL and UBL which have already approved by the Cabinet Commit-
tee on Privatization. The privatization minister said that as a first step
towards dis investing, shares of the three state-owned entities will be
offered to general public through prospective capital markets, and in
this regard, the appointment of financial advisers will be completed by
the third week of April.
Chinese energy frm signs
$3.5bn MoU
Pakistan and Gezhouba Group of China on March 18 signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up of total of four
coal-fired power projects of 2,640 megawatts at Gadani with an esti-
mated investment of $3.5 billion.
Simultaneously, another Chinese firm State Grid Corporation of
China (SGCC), held meetings with Pakistani authorities for construction
of transmission line from proposed Gadani Power Park to the national
grid when the government announces shortly a transmission policy for
private investment. Water and Power Minister Khawaja Mohammad
Asif witnessed the MoU signing ceremony. President Gezhouba Group
Chen Xiano Hua and Managing Director Private Power and Infrastruc-
ture Board N AZuberi signed the MoU.
Under the MoU, China Gezhouba would install three projects of
660mw each (1,980mw) based on imported coal at Gadani. The com-
pany earlier this year had signed another MoU for a 660mw coal power
plant at the same park. Kh Asif said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs
idea to set up a 6,600mw Gadani Power Park project had generated a lot
of interest among the international and domestic investors.
SBP blocks sale of Meezan
Bank stake
Kuwaits Noor Financial Investment Co said the proposed sale
of its stake in Meezan Bank had been blocked by the central bank of
Pakistan, which felt the prospective buyer had not met its standards for
suitability.
Ownership of Meezan Bank, Pakistans first and largest full-
fledged Islamic lender, may be a sensitive issue for regulators as they
seek to develop Islamic banking in the country. In a bourse filing on
March 16, Noor Financial said the prospective buyer would continue to
seek approval from the regulator, with the offer set to expire on April
15.
Little is known about the prospective buyer, identified only as Vi-
sion Financial Holdings Ltd in a separate filing by Meezan Bank. Last
December, Noor Financial said it planned to sell its 49.1 percent stake
in Meezan for $190 million and expected to book a $24 million profit.
Regulators are stepping up their efforts to develop Islamic banking in
Pakistan, aiming to double the industrys branch network and reach a 15
percent share of the banking system by 2018.
As of December, Meezan Bank had a network of 351 branches
and held assets worth 329 billion rupees ($3.3 billion), a 20 percent in-
crease from a year earlier. There are five full-fledged Islamic banks and
14 Islamic windows in Pakistan, with several looking to grow or spin
off their existing operations while new entrants are also expected. Last
month, Meezan Bank said it was in talks to buy the Pakistan operations
of HSBC Bank Middle East, a 10-branch business which the British
lender has been trying to sell for the past two years.
Pakistans MCB Bank plans to take a 55 percent stake in Islamic
lender Burj Bank, alongside an additional investment by the private
sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank. That deal, which still re-
quires regulatory approval, would involve the sale of Bahraini Bank
Alkhairs 36.9 percent stake in Burj Bank, which it classified as held-
for-sale in June 2012. Reuters
Iran cancels Pakistan gas
pipeline loan
TEHRAN: Iran says it has canceled a planned $500 million loan to
Pakistan to build part of a pipeline to bring natural gas from Iran.
Deputy Oil Minister Ali Majedi says Iran has no obligation to fi-
nance the Pakistani side of the project and also doesn't have the money.
Majedis comments were posted on the oil ministry's website, shana.
ir, March 22.
"Pakistani officials were told in recent talks that, given the sanc-
tions, Iran is not able to finance construction of the pipeline (in Paki-
stan) and has no obligation to do so," he said.
He said Tehran will demand compensation if Islamabad fails to
take Iranian gas by end of this year. Under a valid contract, Pakistan is
required to finish construction of the pipeline on its territory by the end
of 2014.
"If a contractor is chosen today and pipeline construction begins
today, it will take four years to complete it. Should Pakistan fail to take
gas by the end of next year, Iran will demand compensation under the
terms of the contract," he said.
Pakistan has welcomed an Iranian offer to approach third parties,
including European companies, to finance the project. The Iran-Paki-
stan pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its mushrooming
energy needs. Pakistanis experience frequent blackouts.
Iran has already invested over $2 billion to construct the Iranian
side of the pipeline. But there are serious doubts about how Pakistan
could finance the $2 billion needed to construct the pipeline, which also
faces US opposition.AP
Pakistan postpones special
trade status for India
Pakistan postponed a much-publicized decision to grant India
special trade status by the end of March.
Pakistan's decision to give India "Most Favored Nation" (MFN)
status was connected to a policy of improving trade and business ties
with its neighbors. The decision to grant MFN status to India has
been postponed due to lack of consensus on the issue, Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif told reporters at The Hague in the Netherlands, where he
is attending a two-day nuclear summit.
We have deferred the decision also because of the forthcoming
elections in India. We do not want to favor one single political party in
India, said Sharif. I have directed my team to talk to all the stakehold-
ers, and develop a consensus on the matter," said Sharif.
He did not elaborate on who was unhappy with the decision but
it is generally believed that the countrys powerful army and right-wing
parties are uncomfortable with such close relations.
Mobicash reaches 30,000
retailers
Mobicash the Mobilinks mobile financial service reached
30,000 retailers around the country in the first 15 months, said a press
statement on March 24.
Mobicash was launched in November 2012 with 2,000 retail-
ers. It offers its customers the safest and securest way of meeting their
financial needs, said the statement. Over-the-counter services include
utility bill payment, money sending and receiving facility and a secure
mobile wallet solution, it said.
In 2013, Mobicash recorded around seven million transactions
worth Rs12 billion, said the press statement.
Aniqa Afzal Sandhu, head of Mobile Financial Services, Mo-
bilink, said, Our vision is to ensure financial inclusion for Pakistan-
is.
PTCL introduces 4 Mbps speed
as minimum benchmark
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has
added another feather to its cap by introducing 4Mbps as a minimum
benchmark for broadband speed nationwide.
President and CEO of PTCL, Walid Irshaid while commenting
on this new initiative said "PTCL is passionately pursuing its vision to
bring broadband access to everyone, regardless of income levels and
geographic terrain".
Over the last few years, the expansion of PTCL broadband foot-
print and upgrade of existing infrastructure have all come together to
change the very dynamics of information and communications technol-
ogy services in the country.
The new initiative is a step further in ensuring that country pro-
gresses at faster speed and creates opportunities for the citizens of Paki-
stan to make economic gains using ICT services.
And this is just the beginning of our high speed broadband initia-
tive; there will be more to come in the future. "PTCL, being the leader
in the broadband services, connects customers in more than 2,000 cities
and towns across the country.
NBP holds 65th annual general
meeting
National Bank of Pakistan held its 65th Annual General Meeting at
a local hotel in Karachi on March 28th, 2014. The meeting was well
attended by the shareholders. The Chairman NBP, Mr. Muneer Kamal
and President NBP Mr. Syed Ahmed Iqbal Ashraf also attended the
meeting. The banks performance during the year was highlighted in
a presentation to the shareholders. The shareholders were informed
that central bank reduced its policy rate by average 200 bps from
2012 besides linking minimum profit rate on deposit with SBP repo
rate thereby increasing the minimum deposit rate to 7% from 6 % last
year. Calculation mechanism for profit payment was also changed. Due
to these factors the banks interest margin like other banks remained
under pressure. The impact on net interest margin was partially offset
through volume increase especially in high yielding advance salary,
agriculture financing and gold loans. The bank posted operational profit
(pre-provision profit) of Rs. 27.5 billion compared to Rs. 32.4 billion
(restated) last year registering a decline of Rs. 4.9 billion mainly due to
the above-mentioned factors. The banks pre-tax profitability decreased
to Rs. 7.1 billion compared to Rs. 21.4 billion (restated) due to higher
provision charge in overseas branches and lower net interest margins.
Provision coverage is around 80%, which will strengthen the balance
sheet and benefit the bank once recovery efforts yield results in years
ahead. Administrative expenses were kept under strict check which
increased by just 4 %.
The banks growth in balance sheet remained healthy. NBPs
domestic deposits were increased by over 10% in 2013 with CASA
deposits constituting 69% of the total deposits. The bank is well capital-
ized with capital and reserves of Rs. 156.3 billion and capital adequacy
ratio of 15.24%.
NEWS IN BRIEF
I
n the aftermath of the Devyani Kho-
bragade affair the media tilt against
India-U.S. relations has allowed for
an estuary-like commentary to prevail.
This is most notable within the brack-
ish waters of India's journalism corps. The
frank embarrassment of the Indian govern-
ment, confronted with the reality of a career
diplomat arrested in a very public manner and
indicted for visa fraud, is duly noted. But the
story has lost its freshness. The news print is
best recycled to the local fisherman's wharf.
Separating the acute and momentary
political angst of the day from a greater real-
ity can be hard. Bad news sells because of
our primitive need for excitation. Writing the
good news is harder work. This is the news
written for a disciplined readership.
Policies, treaties and accords which cir-
cumscribe the relationship between nations
create the complete package known as for-
eign policy. Beyond any flash point of con-
cern the existing precedents give guidance
and point the way for resolution of conflict
of interest. Foreign policy is like a Byzan-
tine mosaic. Individual tiles and stones come
together under the hands of skilled crafts-
man. The finished product is a depiction of
both the history and the future of combined
national interest.
While mosaic is not a Byzantine inven-
tion, the Byzantines did manage to move the
decoration from floor surfaces to the walls.
They crafted remarkable mosaics with a few
simple changes. This feat as accomplished
with lighter-weight tesserae and different
cement composite. Artists also played with
tiles, stone, and glass to create shimmer-
ing decorative expressions. One experiment
which worked well involved placing gold
behind clear glass tessarae. The mosaic then
appeared to emit an ethereal and delicate
light. Foreign policy is like gold-enhanced
tessarae. What goes on behind the scenes
is not the stuff of fish markets. The mosaic
can be beautiful, and almost celestial, when
crafted with care.
One of the earliest Byzantine buildings
is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia located
in Ravenna. The exterior of the building does
not capture the imagination. What is hidden
inside is breathtakingly beautiful. I like to
imagine the India-U.S. relationship resem-
bles the mosaic of two birds perched on the
same water bath. Both enjoy the same water
source. But one bird watches while the other
takes a drink. India and the United States
have a long history of looking out for the in-
terests of each other.
One of the strongest of historical bonds
exist in the realm of higher education. Our na-
tions share a rich heritage. You send us your
best students. We open the doors of our top-
tier institutions. Global markets and national
leadership are the ultimate beneficiaries of this
unique arrangement.
From the mid-twentieth century until the
present, the United States has been the dream
destination for Indian graduate students seek-
ing invigorating environments for post-gradu-
ate studies. This has been especially true for
Stem-immigrants, our foreign student popula-
tion engulfed in learning the disciplines of sci-
ence, technology, engineering and math. They
account for more than 40 percent of the master
and doctoral program candidates. As of 2011,
that number stood at 205,600 students.
Indian nationals have functioned as one
of the largest demographic of foreign students
within U.S. universities for multiple decades.
These post-graduate and doctoral can-
didates grace our classrooms and move freely
within our campus research labs.
In November of 2013 The Council of
Graduate Schools (CGS) released an inter-
esting report. The first time enrollment of
international graduate students was up ten
percent (2012-2013). This is a substantial
gain. Responding institutions reported a total
enrollment of 220,000 post-graduate students
in 2013.
What is astounding is how the upward
spike in first time enrollment was driven by
students from India. The number of first time
enrollees from India increased forty percent
this year. The nearest competitor for berths
within America's university institutions was
Brazil, with an increase of 17 percent (2012-
2013).
Students from China, India, Korea and
Taiwan account for roughly one-third of the
science and engineering candidates in the U.S.
It is interesting to note that the patriarchs of the
science and engineering, PhD students are ap-
proximately 15 times more likely to have a BA
degree than their contemporaries are to have
tertiary education. In my mind, this type of
candidate has an added value. On the cusp of
adulthood, the students are marking their own
professional emergence within the context of
a family which already contains measurable
benchmarks for higher learning. (6) Education
is valued within the context of familial goals.
One of the battles which is currently be-
ing fought is over STEM immigrants and their
post-graduate status. After experiencing life
in America STEM immigrants are inclined to
seek out H1-B work visas so that they may re-
main on U.S. soil. The issuance of this legal
document gives a six year window for the
worker to seek permanent residency. H1-B for
the aforementioned demographic are based on
a small percentage (7 percent). In a sense, this
is a gift extended back to you. We want your
citizens to take what they have learned, return
to your shores and invest in your economy. We
do not want to function as a talent vacuum. I
think this is a form of quiet justice. If we keep
your nations best as our eternal investment we
show ourselves a bit too greedy.
But corporations with high tech needs
paint a different picture. The law of supply
and demand creates a rather merciless process
which distinguishes between those who can
flip a burger and those who can work an algo-
rithm in their heads. There is a widening gap in
the need for STEM talent pools which cannot
be met by Americans alone. We have plenty of
burger flippers.
My mind is drawn back to the mosaic in
the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. Our foreign
policy should continue to extend robust ben-
efit to our friends, the people of India. Let us
work, for the common good.
A mutually beneficial
relationship
Tammy Swofford
India and the United States:
Policies, treaties and accords
which circumscribe the
relationship between nations
create the complete package
known as foreign policy. Beyond
any flash point of concern
the existing precedents give
guidance and point the way for
resolution of conflict of interest.
The writer is a freelance journalist and
author of the novel Arsenal. She can be
reached at tammyswof@msn.com
Corporations with high tech needs paint a different picture.
The law of supply and demand creates a rather merciless
process which distinguishes between those who can flip a
burger and those who can work an algorithm in their heads.
WORLD POLITICS
A
n ambitious eco-
nomic growth ini-
tiative focusing on
efficient and sus-
tainable use of nat-
ural resources has been launched
by the governing political party in
northwest province of Khyber-Pak-
htunkhwa.
The Green Growth Initiative
(GGI) aims to boost the provinces
socio-economic development by
efficiently using natural resources
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs according to Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Teh-
reek-e-Insaf (PTI), a national political party.
PTI came into power in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province as a
result of elections held in May 2013. The party had promised its
supporters to implement the GGI if elected, saying that it would cre-
ate green jobs, boost growth and reduce poverty in the state.
Experts say that poverty is a major cause of deforestation as
people cut down trees to sell the timber. The new government be-
gan the GGI on March 1 with a campaign to plant 8 million trees
by June 30.
The GGI reflects our understanding well that the transition
to a green growth economy is vital from an environmental conser-
vation and climate change mitigation and adaptation viewpoint.
Above all, it promises huge economic returns, Imran Khan said
during the initiatives launch in Peshawar, capital of Khyber-
Pakhtunkhwa, in February.
Malik Amin Aslam Khan, a former state minister for envi-
ronment, who as PTIs green growth policy advisor is the archi-
tect of GGI, described the provincial governments strategy for
greening economic growth as having three prongs: defining
environmental challenges and identifying solutions within sec-
tors such as energy, water, forestry, transport and agriculture;
integrating green growth policies into these sectors; and creat-
ing political support for the vision of a green economy.
The government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Com-
mittee on Green Growth and a task force on Green Growth,
with the provincial chief minister as its chair, to run the
GGI.
Khan said that the exact cost of the initiative have not
yet been worked out but estimated them to be
in the range of 40 to 60 billion Pakistani ru-
pees (about $390 million - $590 million) over
five years. He said the financing would come
through reallocation of existing funds to in-
crease budgets for forestry and clean energy,
attracting private-sector investment in waste
management and carbon sequestration, lever-
aging capital market funds for commercial
projects such as hydroelectricity and solar en-
ergy, and funding from donors.
According to Khan, a core objective
of the GGI is promoting water efficiency in
households, agriculture and industry. The
initiative also calls for green public transport
such as buses running on compressed natural
gas and rechargeable electric batteries, using
renewable energy particularly hydropower
to power the provinces economy, and increas-
ing the climate resilience of public infrastruc-
ture such as schools, medical facilities, water
and sanitation networks, which are often dam-
aged during floods.
Ghulam Rasul, senior weather scientist
at the Pakistan Meteorological Department,
welcomed the governments emphasis on in-
creasing water storage capacity to generate hy-
dropower and said this would help cope with
the impact of increasingly intense monsoon
rains.
The rivers which criss-cross the province
make it vulnerable to flooding, and rapid deg-
radation of forests has exposed the province to
landslides and flash floods during the wet sea-
son, which runs from July to September.
Possible massive collateral damages
resulting from overflowing floodwater can
be avoided, if controlled through building
up dams of varying sizes in the province and
managed for economic gains by diverting for
watering existing agriculture lands and irrigat-
ing new ones, he said.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province is home
to 40 percent of Pakistans dwindling forests,
and under the GGI, a major campaign aims
to increase the proportion of forest from 20
percent of the total land mass to 22 percent
by 2018. This will entail converting at least
30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of additional
land into forest every year and planting a total
of 2 billion trees.
Khan said it was logical to develop
the forestry sector through the REDD+ pro-
gramme, a global financial instrument that
provides carbon credits for standing forests.
Forestry officials in the federal climate
change division in Islamabad say that the
province can earn over $850 million annually
through the REDD+ programme.
Even if the forestation goals are
achieved, protecting and maintaining the forest
will prove the tougher test for the government,
commented Pervaiz Amir, former member of
the Prime Ministers Task Force on Climate
Change.
Amir believes that corrupt provincial for-
est officials who are part of the timber mafia
must be replaced with honest officials. He says
reforestation efforts are highly vulnerable to
failure as long as those responsible for illegal
felling remain unpunished.
Efforts for greening the province would
go down the drain, if the provincial govern-
ment do not chalk out viable, effective strat-
egy to contain the timber mafia, which has
cleansed decades-old forests over thousands
of hectares, he said
This would, however, require exem-
plary punishments for the timber mafia and
corrupt forest officials.
Khan said that he hopes the GGI will
lead political parties in other provinces to re-
spond with their own initiatives.
At the end of the day, it is our countrys
environmental resources that we want to con-
serve and use them wisely for achieving green
growth goals, he said. We want the initiative
as a globally replicable model in the future.
The writer is climate change and
development journalist
Saleem Shaikh
Pakistans green
growth plan
gets underway
to tackle
climate vagaries
ENVIRONMENT
WEXNET exhibition, which is Pakistans premier exhibi-
tion dedicated solely to the promotion of women entrepreneurs, was
organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP)
at the Expo Centre, Johar Town, Lahore from 21st to 23rd of March,
2014. WEXNET aims to provide a formalized platform to women giv-
ing them an opportunity to exhibit their products, network, learn from
others experiences and form collaborations and partnerships for mu-
tual benefits.
Paper Miracles experienced the WEXNET trade fair expo for the
first time, displaying its unique artisans work to promote the innovative
jewelry and accessories made from recycled paper to the international
delegates, local dignitaries, corporate visitors and the general public.
Paper Miracles is an exemplary initiative. This year, the theme
of the exhibition is Women hold up half of the sky-celebrating wom-
ens leadership. Paper Miracles team and the paper beads artisans
symbolizes WEXNETs theme well and are inspiring examples of
what female entrepreneurs can achieve using their creativity and tal-
ents, said Roubina Taufiq Shah, Director of Trade Development Au-
thority of Pakistan( TDAP).
In the crowd of more than 300 stalls, Paper Miracles clearly stood
out as the only stall showcasing stylish and trendy accessories made
from recycled paper. The visitors admired the quality of each product
and unconventional use of waste paper. This is the first time I have
seen such a successful initiative which not only positively empowers
women, but addresses the environmental issues like the importance of
recycling in a very professional way, said a female customer who
purchased earrings made from Urdu newspaper.
At the closing ceremony of the WEXNET exhibition, Minister
for Women Development, Zakia Shah Nawaz acknowledged and dis-
tributed awards to selected participants. Out of hundreds of domestic
and international exhibitors, Paper Miracles was one of only two or-
ganizations which were given multiple awards. TDAP praised Paper
Miracles for their innovative approach and for their contribution to
positively impacting the lives of the artisans.
Paper Miracles was also awarded the Best Stall award for its
aesthetics and tasteful display of its products and was recognized as
one of the few outstanding brands with the level of professionalism
and quality products ready to participate in international trade fairs and
compete in the global market.
It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award and recog-
nition amongst so many talented women entrepreneurs from all over
Pakistan. (Paper Miracles)
Paper Miracles
bags best stall
award at WEXNET
exhibition
T
he question at hand is to evaluate
whether the fate of an individual
can be judged using lay mem-
bers of the public who lack legal
expertise or whether with those
who possess it. On one hand lay men and phi-
losophers see the jury system as the embodi-
ment of the democratic process, whereas legal
professions have raised doubts in its use within
the criminal justice system. Trial by jury is
commonly used in the Crown Court (Criminal
Division) for indictable offences within the
UK and rarely in civil courts.
The role of the jury is defined as a
body of men temporarily selected from the cit-
izens of a particular district, and invested with
power to present or indict a person for a public
offense, or to try a question of fact. There-
fore the jury (which consists of 12 members in
England and Wales) is responsible for weigh-
ing the evidence presented to them in court by
lawyers, judges and witnesses and expected
to return with a guilty or not guilty verdict. In
cases involving trial by jury, the judge serves
the final sentence. Alongside this, the judge is
responsible for assisting the jury with techni-
cal legal terms, a summary of the evidence
presented and the information that needs to be
taken into consideration in order to deliberate
upon.
A further argument against juries is the
fact that the judicial system grants too much
authority to people who lack legal knowledge
and expect them to conclude a verdict, which
could be life changing for the defendant. Crit-
ics argue that people who lack legal exper-
tise would not attain the qualities to present
a fair verdict; rather legal experts that have
spent years practicing the law would be more
competent based on their experience.
In support of the jury system, judges are
just as likely to make wrong decisions when
handing out sentences. The fact that lay mem-
bers do not have legal expertise poses as an ad-
vantage as well. They ensure a simple process
by judging the situation from what an ordinary
man would have done in a similar scenario by
using common sense. Deliberations that take
place amongst the jurors when concluding a
verdict must remain strictly confidential and
cannot be shared outside the twelve-jury mem-
bers. It ensures no undue influence and pres-
sure from the outside to be imposed upon the
final verdict. Therefore jurors are instructed to
avoid reading newspapers, access social me-
dia sites or any medium that could potentially
influence their decision and infringe the case.
The seriousness of this matter can be demon-
strated through the case of Joanne Fraill in
2011, who was sentenced to eight months im-
prisonment on the charge of contempt of court
due to contacting the defendant using face
book. However the confidentiality of delibera-
tion carried out by jurors can also be seen as
a downfall as this hinders research upon jury
decision-making. The procedure and topics
of discussions that take place within the four
walls of the jurors private room will always
remain a mystery. Therefore it can be argued
that the Criminal Justice Systems apparent
blind faith in a jurys capability to make the
right decision may in fact be misplaced.
The use of jurors in complicated fraud
trials can be problematic as most evidence is
presented numerically or statistically, there-
fore having a good working knowledge
could almost be regarded as a necessity. In
such cases jury members fail to understand
the facts of the case and return with not guilty
verdicts. In 1986, The Roskill Committee pro-
posed that due to the frequent misunderstand-
ing demonstrated by jurors in relation to fraud
cases, that they should be dispensed from
such cases. Psychologists carried out research
in Cambridge University and found that in fact
jurors way of understanding can be strength-
ened through the use of visual aids and dia-
grams as well as by asking the judge questions
and the meaning of legal definitions. Most ju-
rors are not even aware that they are allowed
to do this, and those who are aware of this fact
still opt not to ask judges.
The next question to consider is that if ju-
ries were to be omitted from use within courts
then what system should take its place? The
first suggestion is to use judges. As explained
above, they are the most dominant figure with-
in the judicial system as they submit the final
sentence and are considered as the most expe-
rienced legal experts. It has been established
that juries are used only in a minority of cases;
therefore judges arguably would pose as the
better alternative. However judges arent per-
fect servers of justice and present drawbacks.
Judges are expected to be unbiased, however
how far this standard is met is open to debate.
The stereotypical profile of judges are present-
ed as old, white, English, upper class males-
making them even more susceptible when tak-
ing in the defendants account features such as
pre-trial status, socio-economic status, race
and attractiveness. Therefore judges have the
tendency to be inconsistent in handing out sen-
tences and arguably undermine fairness.
In order for the judicial branch to operate
systematically and fairly, trial by jury needs to
be reviewed in order to put issues surround-
ing its use to rest. It could be suggested that
instead of removing the system, it be reformed
instead, to prevent juror mishaps from occur-
ring. Possible future reforms include the need
to focus on how information is presented to ju-
rors. This can be done by providing adequate
meaning of legal abbreviations from the start
of the trial, supplying jurors with legal books
for educational guidance to avoid misunder-
standings of legal jargons and finally judges
should be encouraged to use simplified lan-
guage for jurors to understand.
The fact that courts still use trial by jury
affirms the evidence that being judged by
ones own peers clearly plays out its benefits.
Arguably it is costly and time consuming, to
use a jury, yet the practical benefits of the sys-
tem outweigh such issues. Historical nemesis
it may be, but British institutions have long
standing practical values and trial by jury is
one of the many traditional customs still prac-
ticed today, carrying a sentimental attribute
which can not be so easily dismissed.
The writer is a Forensic Psychologist at the
University of York and has presented research
papers at Internatonal Psychiatry and
Psychology Conferences.
Trial, Tribulations
and the Jury
Fajar Fawad
OPINION
fighting each other initially, get united against the Western policeman in the end and beat him
jointly to avoid his attempt of playing divide and rule. So, love is beyond the confinement of
religion, nationality and race.
As the story unfolds, we come across the protagonist Aman Ali (Ali Zafar) who is in
the city of his girlfriend Aasha (Yami Goutum) to meet her parents for a formal proposal,
but, unfortunately lands in jail after being suspected and arrested by the police. On the way.
Aasha, somehow manages to get him free and tries to take him with her to her parents home,
but Aman foresees a bad patch in life and suggests her to postpone the program for at least a
day. Any ways, he has to surrender before his would-be-wife and the next moment, he is at
the house of Aasha where a series of troubles, nuisances and ridiculous traps is awaiting him
desperately. The more he endeavours to do something impressive, the more embarrassing situation comes
out of those actions. Here, it is desirable to mention that the Punjabi expression Siyapa stands for chaotic situation and trouble. In the
end, after all little misunderstandings and the conflicts of confusing egos, both Aman and Aasha comprehend the real theme of love and humanity
and fall in each others arms to stay united forever.
As comedy is always beautifully yoked with the melodies to complement each other, it is surprising that all the sound tracks and certain
scenes that were the part of the teasers and trailers are not the part of the film. Moreover, it was edited abruptly on some occasion that gives the
impression of incoherence. Any ways, Ali Zafar, in addition to being leading male in the movie is also the playback singer and musician of it. So
far, as his acting is concerned, he will have to go beyond that circle which is confining him in all the films such as Meray brother ki dulhan,
Chashm-e-baddoor and the present one.
F
inally, the well-awaited light comedy of Ali Zafar Total Siyapa is on screen now to entertain the cinema
gores and to provide food for thought to the critics. The well-organised and considerably vibrant and glam-
orous premier was held the other day by Geo Entertainment, at a newly built modern cinema of the city,
with Ali Zafar onboard. Besides, Aamna Shaikh, Muskan, Humayun Saeed, Ijaz Aslam, Asif Raza Meer
and other showbiz stars, media personalities, business icons and people from all walks of life graced the
occasion.
The film is a light story, imbued with situational comedy and diversified ironic angles and most of the times,
keeps the viewers energetic, smiling and laughing. The locale is of a foreign country that has not been named in
the film, and the story revolves around a Muslim youngster Aman Ali from the West (Pakistani) Punjab and a
Hindu girl Aasha and her family from the East (Indian) Punjab. The implicit theme of Aman ki Aasha is
also traceable from the names of the leading characters, the love-birds. As the plot develops further,
it becomes obvious that the message is love and we see that Indian and Pakistani neighbours,
A tale of cheerful absurdities and follies
Muttahir Ahmed Khan
ENTERTAINMENT
of learning and healing of different
diseases and psycho-emotional
disorders. Have things changed in
recent past in the context of people
trusting such fields?
Dr. Moiz: Presently, the society is go-
ing through a crucial period on socio-eco-
nomic levels. Price-hike, poor law and order
situation, unemployment, tense relationships
and declining socio-moral values have made
people desperate. They are ready to go to any
place and any person for the solution of their
ever increasing issues and disorders
In our part of the world, due to
illiteracy and obscurity, people think
Reiki is Shirk as it calls for help the
millennia-old symbols instead of calling
Allah who gives both sufferings and
Shifa (cure).?
Dr. Moiz: Actually people here are not ready
to seek knowledge or to conduct any research
and start giving verdicts on the basis of their
half-baked education and information. It is
why they are easily exploited by the so-called
spiritual and faith healers who further drag
them towards the quagmire of evil practices.
We must remember one thing very clearly that
all the positive deeds that result in the benevo-
lence and welfare of the humanity are Divine
and all the practices that harm the human-
ity are Satanic. We call for help only the Al-
mighty and nobody else. So far as process and
symbols are concerned, they are just resources
like medicines, food and physical exercises
that people avail for recovery.
Initially, it was thought that only the
backward and illiterate people believe
in unscientific methods of healing
or spiritualism. Now, the Western
world is adopting spiritual ways,
meditation and parapsychology. Has
this trend of modernisation popularized
and developed mind sciences and
parapsychology?
Arooj: First, there is a difference be-
tween westernisation and modernisation. With
the passage of time, everything evolves and
gets improved on the basis of new experiences
and research. Even in old times, people used
to go to several faith healers and spiritual prac-
titioners while there were others who would
not have any belief in spiritualism and prefer
going to doctors, herbal experts and ayurvedic
healers for logical methodology. Today, we
have developed forms of all the fields. We
have specialist surgeons and physicians in dif-
ferent diseases and medical fields. In the same
way, we have modernised and improved insti-
tutions and centre for mind sciences, parapsy-
chology, yoga, reiki healing and other spiritual
practices. This is modernisation. Westernisa-
tion, on the other hand, is a trend of following
Western culture and philosophy.
All these branches of knowledge and
enlightenment are purely Eastern,
but why were they ignored by Eastern
people and developed and researched on
modern lines by the Western experts?
Arooj: The Western people were more
educated and liberal and their minds were open
to accept and experiment with the new chang-
es. On the other hand, we hardly welcome any
change or new practice. So, the developed
nations have modernised and promoted these
Eastern treasures of knowledge on modernised
and scientific lines by conducting research on
these fields. That is why the present world is
more inclined to reiki, meditation, spiritualism
and mind sciences, unlike the previous genera-
tions.
These days, medical treatment is
very expensive and the treatment by
a psychiatrist is even more expensive.
People can hardly afford that. How
can we advise people to go for proper
treatment in these circumstances?
Arooj: People must understand the val-
ue of health and life. There are certain things
in life that cannot be cheaper or easily af-
fordable. Some medicines and equipments of
curing procedures are highly costly and their
maintenance is also very expensive. So, the
financial crunch will always be there. Believe
me; Pakistan is still very economical for medi-
cal health services and treatment charges in
comparison with the Western countries. Psy-
chological treatment is very expensive every-
where on the globe, but it is still affordable in
our part of the world.
In the East, fields of mind sciences,
para-psychology and spiritualism
remained confined to handful
individuals who gifted and shared
their knowledge and experiences only
with their informal devotees and family
members. Only West established proper
institutions for certain fields and
expanded them to the general public
and learners. Had Professor Usui not
faced that difficult question about
Reiki while teaching at an American
university, the Reiki would not have
been revived. What do you say?
Dr. Moiz: Actually the systematic
knowledge and organized study of different
fields was available in Western world. That
is how they attracted the learners. In East, the
possessiveness for and withholding knowledge
has always been prevalent. The great scholars
and experts in these Eastern fields of yoga,
meditation, mysticism, etc confined conferred
upon their knowledge and blessings only on
those disciples who served them for years.
Arooj: Whatever is introduced or pro-
moted by the Western world, even if it has its
origin in the East, it becomes a value-added
phenomenon. Even the artists and singers who
have sung even a single song or played a minor
role in the Western showbiz world, are deified
when they come back to their native Eastern
countries. In East, the spiritual education and
knowledge was regarded as a privilege of the
learners or people who had strong socio-moral
character and altruistic nature. But in West,
knowledge and education is imparted to every
interested and enrolled candidate without any
thought of their moral norms and the justified
use of these powers.
Do supernatural creatures and Jins
really exist and also affect our lives and
everyday affairs as people complain?
Dr. Moiz: Being Muslims and the be-
lievers of the holy Quran, we believe in the
existence of Jins as the creatures of the Al-
mighty. They have certain extraordinary
powers like passing through the walls and
changing forms. They do not come across or
in contact with human world very often as it
is misconceived. Psychological interpretation
of these syndromes is very different but it is
known as a disorder in the nervous system. In
certain diseases and conditions people assume
and even demonstrate extraordinary physical
power and energy. Their facial expressions
and sound gets totally changed and they start
behaving in a violent and aggressive way.
People who believe in supernatural creatures
influence consider these psych-emotional dis-
orders an outcome of Jins and spirits and claim
that the patient is possessed by them. In both
the cases, it is the central nervous system that
is targeted.
How do you deal with the people who
come to you for treatment but cherish
firm belief that they are possessed?
Dr. Moiz: It is a matter of strong belief
and conviction. So when people who believe
they are possessed, come to us for treatment,
we do not negate their notions and assure them
that we liberate and rescue them from that evil
creature. The patients of hysteria and schizo-
phrenia need both counselling as well as medi-
cines for normalising their central nervous
system.
Arooj: Your beliefs regarding supernat-
ural forces are mostly based upon the stories
narrated by your elders and the people around
you. If you are told in your childhood that su-
pernatural creatures or Jins sprinkle blood on
floors and walls, you will see that at any suspi-
cious place. If you are told that Jins pelt stones
and throw crockery, you will experience that.
It is all about your preconceived thoughts and
imaginations. If the cases of supernatural crea-
tures exist, they are very rare and not too per-
vasive as people in our society report or talk
about.
Mutahir Ahmed Khan is a Pakistan-based
Educatonist, Writer, Journalist, Analyst and a
Psychotherapist.
Were you fascinated by
these mind sciences
powers like hypnosis,
telepathy, etc, from
your childhood, as
common children
usually are when
they watch
certain movies
and read stories
about these
phenomena?
Dr. Moiz:
Yes, I was fasci-
nated to an
extraor-
di-
nary extent. My education was general
and I started my practical life as a busi-
nessman, following the footsteps of my
father. In 1980, I went to America in as-
sociation with my business organisation,
and during the years I spent there, I felt
inclined towards doing something differ-
ent and spiritual to shatter the monotony
of materialistic world and mundane life.
Then, I met Shri Yogendra of Bombay, a
spiritual personality and Yogi of a high
calibre, who changed my lifestyle and
thinking process. He is my inspiration
and mentor in this field. In 1986, when
everybody was dreaming of going to
America for a better living and promising
economic career, I decided to penetrate
further into this mystic and mysterious
world of spiritualism and came back to
Pakistan. It was an unbelievable move for
my friends and family members.
So when did you lay the foundation
of The Institute of Mind Science
(TIMS) which is now attracting
a number of people from different
walks of life and far remote areas?
Dr. Moiz: After coming to Paki-
stan, I established Institute of Classic
Yoga, with the help of some friends. That
institution was a small one housed in a
residential building. We went on work-
ing and making progress and now you
can see a full-fledged Institute of Mind
Sciences. Under its platform, people are
being trained and educated in different
fields of parapsychology and spiritual
practices, and when they learn, they
start serving humanity.
Previously mind sciences
were not a popular or even
a familiar field or subject
Prof. Dr. Moiz Hussain (Ph.D) is internationally acknowledged in
the field of mind sciences and sufism and has been sharing his
knowledge and expertise in mind sciences and sufism to people
of all ages, professions and nationals through his workshops,
seminars, lectures and theosophical sittings all over Pakistan
as well as in USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, India and many other countries. He is a certified
Psycho Orientologist and a Clinical Hypnotherapist from USA.
Urooj Moiz, his daughter, has joined his team since the last 10
years and has become a very popular and trusted counsellor.
Besides hosting many informative TV shows on mental health
and psychological issues, the duo of father and daughter
appear regularly on different morning shows, talk shows and
other socio-educational programs on various leading channels
enlightening people with knowledge, awareness and experience.
Talk about
Mind
Sciences
and its
scope
Prof. Dr. Moiz Hussain, Founder of The
Institute of Mind Sciences, and Urooj Moiz
Muttahir Ahmed Khan
INTERVIEW
Mr Lars Rebien S-
rensen is one of Europes
leading bio-industrialists,
the president and Chief
Executive Officer of
Danish health care giant
Novo Nordisk A/S. He
joined Novo Nordisk, a
world leader in diabetes
care, in 1982, working in
its Enzymes Marketing
department. He was made
a member of Corporate
Management in 1994, and
in 2000 was appointed
company President and
CEO. Headquartered in
Denmark, Novo Nordisk
is a global health care
company with 90 years of
innovation and leadership
in diabetes care. Novo
Nordisk employs approxi-
mately 38,000 employees
in 75 countries, and mar-
kets its products in more
than 180 countries.
T
here are around 6.7 million people
with diagnosed diabetes in Pakistan. It
is estimated that this number will rise
to 12.8 million by 2035, which puts
Pakistan among the top countries with
the highest number of population suffering from di-
abetes Pakistan will be on top of the countries with
the highest number of diabetic patients in the next
20 years, Lars Rebien Srensen said in exclusive in-
terview with Economic Affairs.
You highlighted the urgency and the scale
of the challenge presented by diabetes in
Pakistan. What are the reasons for this
alarming growth of diabetes?
Ignorance is the main reason for the increas-
ing diabetic patients in Pakistan. Just imagine that
almost 7 million people are diabetic in Pakistan
whereas only 0.5 million are using insulin, not
knowing that they are suffering from a silently kill-
ing disease.
Around 120,000 people die in Pakistan every
year as a result of diabetes related complications and
many more are being incapacitated, much of which
can be successfully avoided.
Diabetes is a major challenge to the health
care system in Pakistan as well as to peoples qual-
ity of life. Only around 3-4% of people with diabetes
reach their treatment targets. The health care sector,
government and the industry needs to work together
to make this happen.
The diabetes phenomenon is not limited to
Pakistan only. It is growing around the world with
an alarming pace impacting individuals, families
and societies. As of now 382 million people are af-
fected with diabetes in the world and the Interna-
tional Diabetes Federation estimates this figure to be
592 million by 2035.
What would you suggest for the damage
control?
Most importantly there is a need to educate
the population and health care providers regarding
DM, as this will ultimately serve as the best hope
in controlling the disease and its complications. A
national strategy to reduce the burden of this disease
is required which would need more resources to be
earmarked for diabetes care. The task is challenging
and stakes of success and failure are high. In this
battle there is not much time for delay.
Education and prevention is important to
fight diabetes. Four out of five diabetics world-
wide are living in middle or low income countries
with half of them unaware of their condition. Small
improvements in glucose control can lead to sig-
nificant reduction in complications. Pakistan needs
to increase its health spending, if ignored, future
generations in this country would have to face a lot
of challenges in the health sector.
How is public health important for poverty
alleviation in Pakistan?
Diabetes is associated with high rates of hos-
pitalization, blindness, renal failure and non-trau-
matic amputation. The economic impact of diabetes
is high and it is a major contributor to the escalating
health care cost worldwide.
Pakistan has 50 percent of its population be-
low poverty line and if any member of the family
suffers from diabetes that would consume all sav-
ings of the family, paying the cost to be cured. Its
alarming that the government of Pakistan doesnt in-
vest in public health; unfortunately the poverty level
rises and jolts her GDP growth.
Novo Nordisk is the biggest insulin manufac-
turer in the world. We consider it our responsibil-
ity to educate people and increase awareness about
diabetes. We have launched awareness campaigns in
many countries and now we are looking forward to
start awareness campaign in Pakistan, I hope that it
proves beneficial for the citizens.
How do you see the investment opportunities
in health sector of Pakistan?
Huge potential, I say. Pakistan is a market of
over 180 million with friendly investment policies,
amazing equity and interest rates. The work force
here is energetic, skilled and focused. There is im-
mense potential in public health and I will give a
message to Danish investors to visit Pakistan, meet
the people and officials here and take investment op-
tions into consideration.
Diabetes in
Pakistan to
double by
2035
Maria Khalid
Maria Khalid is the Deputy
Editor of monthly Economic
Afairs. She can be reached
at editor@economicafairs.
info
T
hough various sources can be tracked to raise the level of national exchequer,
national tax base remains most important. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz
(PML-N),while having majority in the federal government plans to increase tax
to GDP ratio up to 15% which is currently 9% and has been declining over time.
Pakistan has a workforce of 58 million out of which only 2 million are registered
taxpayers. Monetizing the potential 3.2 taxpayers can provide additional tax financing to the
development programs.
The creeping reform process in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is also a big hurdle. If
this institution still believes in its current passive strategy, it needs around 32 years to target the
potential tax payers. To identify the hidden tax payers, the National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA) should facilitate the FBR department which is very difficult otherwise.
The alternative financing mean which is the tax financing in the present case becomes very
important especially when the PML-N government seems divided over a proposed increase in gas
tariff presented by Mr. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural
Resources. However, the limited options provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
may not allow government to suspend the gas price rise as the government is supposed to collect
around PKR100 billion under the
IMF programs.
A number of factors in po-
litical economy do not allow the
government to raise the gas prices.
The textile and industrial sectors
both claim that the proposed rise in
gas tariffs would not allow them to
take benefit from the Generalized
System of Preferences (GSP) by
the European Union. In addition,
the CNG sector is afraid that such
a rise would throw various CNG
stations out of the business. All
these factors may give benefit to
the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
in the local government elections
scheduled in the end of January.
On the other hand, the government
is under severe pressure as it is al-
ready facing criticism over the past rise in electricity prices.
The statutory regulatory orders (SROs) provide various tax exemptions to the business
community. SROs are a source of corruption, and loss of revenue in Pakistan. They contribute to
tax leakage of around 3-4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Nine out of ten SROs issued by
the government give tax benefits to monopolies. These SROs reduce the competitiveness of the
industry which is reflected in the form of inefficiency and reduced exports. The FBR needs to
bring back the confidence of taxpayers by revising tax policies, reducing administrative problems
and tax evasion culture.
However, making the tax filing procedure easier for the persons willing to pay taxes and
targeting the others who do not pay taxes at all, can increase the tax collections. The complicated
tax filing system creates various problems to tax payers and needs to be made easy. Further,
incentive schemes for tax collectors can increase tax collections. The absence of such incentives
promotes leakages, reducing tax collection.
The role of the provincial government is very important in increasing tax revenues. India
has a 16 % tax to GDP ratio in which the federal government contributes around 10% while
the provincial governments collect the remaining 6%. After the 18th amendment, the provincial
governments in Pakistan are empowered to devise the provincial policies. Following the Indian
model can increase Pakistans tax to GDP ratio significantly. Though there are provincial tax
laws in Pakistan, however, the provincial governments are unable to implement theselaws in
agricultural sector showing their lack of commitment.
The absence of accountability in the FBR does not allow the tax to GDP ratio to rise. The
regular tax audits of the business entities can reduce the tax evasions. Various politicians and
members of parliament pay fewer taxes out of which around 51 include senators. The absence of
penalty for tax evasion makes the things worse and this situation needs urgent attention.
Energy, Taxation &
The author is a researcher at the
Sustainable Development Policy Insttute.
He can be reached at zeshan@sdpi.org
Political Economy
of Pakistan
Muhammad Zeeshan
INTERVIEW ECONOMY
acts of terrorism and ultimately war. The
fact that we did not choose our beliefs in
which we were born, we did not choose
the sects within which we were born makes
religious intolerance completely unneces-
sary. Different religions and different sects
have lived together all over the world and in
Pakistan - why the growing intolerance?
The Constitution of Islamic Repub-
lic of Pakistan 1973 by Justice Muham-
mad Munir states, Wrongs practiced in
the name of religion are not protected by
the Constitution providing for the free
exercise and enjoyment of religious pro-
fession and worship. Everything which
may be equally an exercise of religion is
not required to be tolerated and the right to
exercise religious freedom ceases where it
overlaps and transgresses the rights of oth-
ers. (Volume 1 pg 369)
The Constitution of Islamic Republic
of Pakistan 1973 does not differentiate be-
tween followers of different religions and
sects by offering different degrees of fun-
damental rights to its citizens.
Article 25 under the Constitution lay
out;
Equality of citizens:
(1) All citizens are equal before law
and are entitled to equal protection of
law.
(2) There shall be no discrimination
on the basis of sex
(3) Nothing in this Article shall pre-
vent the State from making any spe-
cial provision for the protection of
women and children.
It is an extremely sad case of affairs
when non-state actors decide to take the de-
cision in their hands to a) make a determi-
nation as to who is, and who is not a citizen
and b) to then inflict hatred and brutality
upon those deemed to be non-citizens. In
any civilized society, Equality is one of
the three pillars the structure of the soci-
ety balances itself upon. The other two are
Liberty and Justice. If we refuse equality
across the board to all citizens, we are auto-
matically denying to them; liberty and jus-
tice! In an extremely interesting paper by
Thomas Christiano dealing with the subject
of equality and democracy, Equal consid-
eration of interests means that advancing
the interests of one person is as important
as advancing the interests of any other per-
son... It is an elementary requirement of
justice that individuals ought to be treated
equally. Pakistan needs to ensure none of
its citizens are victimized or reduced to the
level of second class citizens!
But then there comes evidence of
interfaith respect in Pakistan which re-
stores confidence in the country. Sikandar
Chandio who guarded the Hindu Temple at
Johi. Chandios Muslim family protects
the only temple in Johi, a town in which
no Hindu family resides. A Hindu man
handed over the charge of the temple to
his grandfather, Jamaluddin, says the lo-
cal newspaper. (February 8, 2014) Report
states I was born in this temple, so were
my children. We all are watchmen of this
building. Pakistan needs more Sikandar
Chandios!
E.A. Bucchianeri in Brush strokes of
a Gadfly recounts an enchanting dialogue
between Socrates and Plato;
Socrates: Have you noticed on our
journey how often the citizens of this new
land remind each other it is a free country?
Plato: I have, and think it odd they
do this.
Socrates: How so, Plato?
Plato: It is like reminding a baker he
is a baker, or a sculptor he is a sculptor.
Socrates: You mean to say if some-
one is convinced of their trade, they have
no need to be reminded.
Plato: That is correct.
Socrates: I agree. If these citizens
were convinced of their freedom, they
would not need reminders.
Pakistan needs to redefine itself;
super-fast.
The writer is a lawyer, academic and
politcal analyst. She has authored a book,
A Comparatve Analysis of Media and
Media Laws in Pakistan.
Wrongs practiced in the name of religion are not protected by the Constitution
providing for the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship.
J
innahs speech of 11th August 1947
printed by most dailies was a cen-
sored version released. Resultantly, to
date there remains confusion whether
Jinnah wanted Pakistan for only Mus-
lims or for all religions. Besides, there are
quite a few controversial issues that have deep-
ened the lines of division within Pakistan. On
ground there is flagrant violation of the Con-
stitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973.
The chapter of fundamental rights that awards
equal rights to its citizens is often flouted.
Groups decide who classifies as a citizen of
Pakistan and who does not. Hatred, anger, os-
tracism is directed towards those deemed not
to be citizens of Paki-
stan.
Lets establish first,
the meaning of a citizen.
Blacks Law Dictionary de-
fines it as, One who under the
Constitution and laws of United States, or of
any particular state, is the member of the po-
litical community, owing allegiance and being
entitled to the enjoyment of full civil rights
(Centennial Edition 1891-1991 Pg 244)
Nowhere does it award a superior status
to one group of people over the other based on
religion, gender, ethnicity or any other basis.
The Objective Resolution, made a substantive
part of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of
Pakistan 1973 states, Wherein shall be guar-
anteed fundamental rights including equality
of status, of opportunity and before the law,
social, economic and political justice, and
freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith,
worship, and association, subject to law and
public morality..
If all are equal at all levels, where did we
go wrong? So horribly wrong? Dr Haroon Ul-
lah, Member of Secretary, Kerrys Policy Plan-
ning Staff and author of a recently published
treatise, Vying for Allah's Vote; Understand-
ing Islamic Parties, Political Violence, and
Extremism in Pakistan talks about the driv-
ing force that guides political extremism in
Pakistan. He talks, among others; of the death
of Salman Taseer and reactions to his murder,
killed for supporting minorities rights and
those of women in Pakistan. He talks of struc-
tures of the religious parties and the conflict
within the defining parameters of the rightist
groups. A mention, well understood and ac-
cepted within Pakistan but need to be better
understood by those in the west, Any use
of the term sharia must come with some
caveats. The fact that Islamist parties share
roughly similar conceptions of the role that
sharia should play in governance should not
obscure the significant differences in their po-
litical programs, their different interpretations
of what sharia entails, or the contested nature
of the term sharia itself. (Pg 11) He con-
tinues to share, Differences regarding what
sharia entails exactly, and who has the right to
defne and enforce it, help explain the surpris-
ing fact that Islamic parties that occupy much
the same space on the continuum are as likely
to disagree with one another as they are with
groups to their right or left. This is the key to
Pakistans dilemma of defining herself. Bulls
eye! Very interestingly, the Supreme Court
of Pakistan has referred a plea to Islamabad
High Court; a plea filed to enforce sharia in the
country. The court has been allowed 3 months
to adjudicate upon the petition.
In an earlier oped I had written, The
desire for peaceful coexistence must aim at
cultivating, first and foremost, a tolerance and
understanding towards these differences by
all. Failure to do so must result in differences,
Redefining
Yasmeen Aftab Ali
Pakistan
The desire for
peaceful coexistence
must aim at
cultivating, first
and foremost,
a tolerance and
understanding
towards these
differences by all.
Failure to do so must
result in differences,
acts of terrorism and
ultimately war.
OPINION
I
t is difficult to
reject the notion
that socio-eco-
nomic develop-
ment does not
significantly affect ter-
rorism. When an alter-
native view is taken we
note that a country's so-
cio-economic circum-
stances affect terror-
ists' behaviour through
terrorism's opportunity
costs. It can be argued
that this reasoning also holds for the case of supreme value terrorism
and poor socio-economic development is conducive to terrorism. We
find that socio-economic variables indeed matter to terrorism, contrary
to other results. Clearly countries like Pakistan can benefit from eco-
nomic development and growth in terms of a reduction in terrorism.
Central to this argument is the observation that because terrorism is not
a mass phenomenon but rather is undertaken by politically marginal
actors with often narrow constituencies, the economic status of sub-
national groups is a crucial potential predictor of attacks. The majority
of studies conclude that socio-economic factors are poor indicators of
terrorism. Yet factors such as poverty and education continue to be por-
trayed as fundamental drivers of terrorist violence in political rhetoric
and practice targeted at preventing terrorism.
As we sit in the middle of an ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan,
socio-economic issues have been forced into the limelight. At first
glance, the global financial crisis has brought about a widespread lack
of economic growth and youth unemployment rates of over 64% in
Pakistan in the background of increasing levels of anti-austerity atti-
tude across the whole country. The question is, does the current socio-
economic landscape create the perfect storm for domestic, home-grown
terrorist group recruitment? The resounding response to this question
is perhaps.
Current thought is evolving in respect to this question. There is
now a more nuanced discussion of the similarities and differences be-
tween domestic terror and international terror. There is a move away
from simply asking if to asking how socio-economic factors might
Economic downturn and
domestic terrorism
Dr Fawad Kaiser
Analysts continue to debate how the relationships between
socio-economic issues such as poverty, level of education and
terrorism manifest themselves in todays recession-riddled world?
influence participation in or provide support for terrorists groups.
Poverty has been flagged repeatedly as a potential breeding factor
for membership of terrorist organizations. Poverty and unemployment
are often blamed for creating feelings of hopelessness and desperation
and poor economic conditions foster a lack of economic opportunities,
resulting in a limited number of options for gainful employment. This
generates a positive relationship between unemployment and individual
levels of willingness to engage in terrorist violence, but this relationship
is complicated. For example, while individuals from higher GDP coun-
tries are more likely to have a range of economic activities available
to them and less likely to engage in terrorist activities, high levels of
unemployment can increase the potential for terror organization to re-
cruit well-educated individuals capable of carrying out more effective,
brutal attacks. Conversely, economic growth has also been linked with
increase in terrorism and support for terrorism. In this case, economic
growth has been shown to inflame political and social unrest as a result
of the shock waves of change that resonate through a society. These
changes cause higher degrees of social inequity. This incites discontent
and frustration, leaving the gateways open to terrorist groups who are
keen to channel and offer solutions to the frustrations.
However, there is contrary evidence which negates the link be-
tween poverty and terrorism. Osama Bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers
came from comfortable backgrounds and one third of suicide bombers
are reported to come from middle-class backgrounds. Thus forwarding
an interesting hypothesis that higher levels of education, combined with
poor economic opportunities have the potential to increase the appeal
of terrorist organizations to disgruntled individuals. These findings go
some way towards explaining the lack of political will to fully reject
support for the link between socio-economic factors and terrorism. As a
result, the continued political focus on social issues in order to prevent
terrorism appears to have some basis. In summary, these mixed and,
at times, contradictory findings make it hard to confidently identify a
straightforward association between poverty and terrorist group mem-
bership or support at this point in time.
Analysts continue to debate how the relationships between socio-
economic issues such as poverty, level of education and terrorism mani-
fest themselves in todays recession-riddled world? While the evidence
suggests that terrorists are not any more likely to come from an econom-
ically deprived or uneducated background, the potential of economic
changes to fuel political and social unrest requires additional explora-
tion. Will the tremors of austerity measures create new or additional
social inequalities and cul-
tivate frustrations over
poor expectations about
future economic choices?
Will these dynamics affect
the terrorist organizations
thinking to recruit highly
educated individuals?
Observations drawn
from this empirical evi-
dence base deserve a cau-
tionary note in relation to
home-grown terrorism,
as they are built primar-
ily upon an understanding
of international terrorism.
Some researchers have
argued that the repeated
focus on international ter-
rorism is irrational, as in-
cidents of domestic terror-
ism are far more numerous
than international terrorist
incidents (less than 20% of reported attacks). In fact, some suggest that
domestic terrorism incidents outnumber international terrorist incidents
by eight to one. Others believe that countries with higher levels of eco-
nomic development experience more terrorist attacks than those with
lower economic development. Debates in this area suggest efforts to
refocus the analytical lens onto domestic terrorism and, thus, home-
grown terrorism to truly understand the similarities and differences be-
tween these two types of terrorism. This refocus is likely to have lasting
implications for national and international policy and practice, and may
open the window to a new understanding of the relationship between
socio-economic factors and home-grown terrorism.
Analysts are still unable to provide a definitive response to these
questions but the evidence suggests that, whilst not creating a perfect
storm, the current economic crisis has created a weather alert worthy
of observation.
Dr Fawad Kaiser is Professor of Psychiatry and Consultant Forensic
Psychiatrist with the Huntercombe Group in UK.
Osama Bin Laden and the
9/11 hijackers came from
comfortable backgrounds
and one third of suicide
bombers are reported
to come from middle-
class backgrounds. Thus
forwarding an interesting
hypothesis that higher
levels of education,
combined with poor
economic opportunities
have the potential to
increase the appeal of
terrorist organizations to
disgruntled individuals.
ECONOMY
Dont forget
the mountains
M
ountains are the water towers and
storehouses of energy for our world,
yet very little thought is given to the
mountains and the people who live
in mountain areas. Especially con-
sidering this years theme of Water and Energy, this is a
big mistake. Take for example the Hindu Kush Himala-
yan (HKH) region which is the source of ten large Asian
river systems and provides water, energy, and ecosystem
services to more than 210 million people directly and
indirectly to 1.3 billion people living in downstream ar-
eas. This region also has a huge hydropower potential of
500 GW, of which only a fraction has been developed so
far. Yet, benefits of providing water and energy to down-
stream users rarely reach mountain dwellers, though they
often bear the costs of the un-sustainable use of both.
It is obvious that water and energy are intercon-
nected in more ways than one. The most obvious con-
nection is hydropower the production of energy using
water. But an equally important, but often overlooked,
aspect of this nexus is the use of energy to produce wa-
ter. This is exemplified by the pumping of groundwater.
Groundwater is now the most important source of irriga-
tion in the region South Asia has roughly 25 million
wells and tube wells, all used for agriculture. In Ban-
gladesh and the plains of Nepal, much of the population
depends on groundwater, which is often pumped with
relatively expensive diesel fuel due to lack of electric-
ity. The same holds true in the neighboring Indian states
of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. Both water
and energy are needed to produce, process, and transport
food the third dimension of this nexus. The approach
of looking at water, energy, and food within an intercon-
nected nexus is now widely accepted and used to im-
prove our understanding of their inter linkages at global,
regional and local scales. I would like to highlight how
this important nexus plays out in a mountain context.
From a mountain perspective, there are at least three dif-
ferent, yet interrelated ramifications of this nexus.
Aditi Mukherji
First is the issue of upstream-downstream linkages
within a shared, trans boundary river basin. Mountains
are the source of water, which then flows downstream
to be used for various purposes, the most important of
which is food production. Given the scarcity of land and
uneven and often inhospitable terrain in the mountains,
mountains cannot grow enough food to meet its needs,
often sourcing its food from the plains. The plains, on
the other hand, derive energy security from the hydro-
electricity generated in mountain areas. This energy is
used for many things, including the pumping of ground-
water to grow crops. One key issue here is: how do we
ensure that mountain communities are able to derive
benefits from the services (water and energy) that they
provide to downstream users? This calls for an integrated
approach that spans entire river basins where nexus prin-
ciples have been internalized by all key decision makers.
This also needs to be underpinned by a framework for
regional cooperation that ensures that energy and other
services derived from the mountains are adequately paid
for by downstream users.
Another issue is that of the seasonality of water and
energy demands. How does one meet the energy needs
of dry season irrigation in the plains at a time when river
water levels are running low? The obvious answer is to
construct hydropower dams with storage. While such
dams are indeed needed, the inherent fragility of moun-
tain ecosystems makes them environmentally problem-
atic. Here again, the nexus approach provides a less
obvious, but equally appealing solution. The transition
zone between mountains and plains happens to be an ac-
tive recharge zone for groundwater. In the plains just be-
low this transition zone, say in parts of Nepal Terai and
in Indian Bihar, there is a large unmet irrigation demand
during the summer season a demand that is unmet even
though groundwater is available in plenty. This is due
to the lack of access to affordable energy. Electricity
produced through hydropower schemes upstream can
be used to exploit groundwater and bring down ground-
water levels in the summer season and then the aqui-
fer storage can be effectively recharged using monsoon
flow. Again, this requires an integrated approach where
surface and groundwater are co-managed.
Finally, there is the issue of water, food, and en-
ergy security at a local scale in mountain regions. This
calls for local solutions. Solar pumps are increasingly
used in the mountains to transport water up from streams
to settlements, which are often located on ridges high
above deep river gorges, for household use. Further-
more, there are examples of dedicated small hydropower
plants being used to generate electricity locally to pump
up surface water from rivers to irrigate farms in the flat
lands, or tar, in the mountains.
Himalayan river systems play a significant role
in downstream agriculture and food security in South
Asia. The global community must look to mountains to
resolve issues of energy, water, and food security, and
to help people cope. To date, the conservation efforts
of mountain people remain unrewarded, yet we have all
reaped the benefits. Institutional mechanisms need to
be established and strengthened to secure payment and
reward mechanisms for mountain ecosystems services
including surface and groundwater, water storage, and
others relating to energy and food security. What hap-
pens to the mountains is of global concern whether
or not there will be enough food and energy for all will
depend partly on what happens in mountain regions.
Mukherji (amukherji@icimod.org) is Theme Leader of
Water and Air at the Internatonal Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu.
ENVIRONMENT
The defence cooperation between Rus-
sia and Pakistan couldnt be fastened because
of two reasons. Firstly, Russia isnt inclined
towards Pakistan due to its long-lasting rela-
tionship with India and secondly Russians be-
lieve that some Chechen commanders who are
at war with Russia are harboring in the tribal
areas of Pakistan bordering the Durand line,
said Senator Mushahid Hussian Syed in an
exclusive interview with monthly Economic
Affairs.
As a matter of fact Pakistan itself is a
victim of external intervention, facing the
backlash of global war on terror going on in
neighboring Afghanistan, said Mr. Mushahid
and added, if any Chechen fighters are hiding
in tribal areas, it is against the will of the state
and Pakistan has already lodged war against
the foreign elements hiding in the tribal belt.
It is very clear that Pakistan is not going to
tolerate or harbor any elements which desta-
bilize its relationship with neighboring coun-
tries. However, the mistrust caused due to
these non-state elements is a minus factor in
Pak-Russia relationship.
The legacy of cold war still overshad-
ows the relationship. Both the countries
missed a lot of opportunities to grow together
due to this mistrust only as they do not have
any other fundamental conflict of interest, he
continued.
During the cold war era, India
successfully remained aligned with
the Soviet Union as well as with
the United States, whereas Paki-
stan kept itself limited to rela-
tions with the US. If India had
maintained equal relations with
the Americans and Russians
then why couldnt Pakistan do
that? he questioned.
After the disintegration of Soviet Union, a
new phase of friendship started amid Pakistan
and Russia. In 1992, the Russian Vice Presi-
dent, Alexander Rutskoys visit to Pakistan
was a step forward, showing Russias willing-
ness to foster relations with Pakistan. Unfor-
tunately, Pakistan didnt respond positively
as there should be a follow-up visit from her
side therefore missing the opportunity to turn
its relations with Russia friendly, which could
also bring in economic benefits.
However, Mushahid said, President
Musharraf and Zardari made good attempts to
bring Pakistan and Russia back on track. In
my opinion, Pakistan should nurture its rela-
tions with Russia as it would be beneficial to
both countries. Having Russians as allies can
help in various fields that could be helpful in
strengthening Pakistans economy. For ex-
ample, Russia can provide technology as well
as financial assistance to revamp Pakistan
Steel Mills, it can help Pakistan in oil and gas
exploration, as you may know Russias, Gaz-
prom is one of worlds biggest oil companies,
he said. However, said Mushahid, all this re-
quires shift in our foreign policy and political
will.
While reconciling relations with Rus-
sia, Senator said, our foreign policy managers
should keep in mind that the Indo-Russian re-
lationship is very strong and could be a major
factor hampering development of relations
between Pakistan and Russia. Particularly,
India may resist the defense
cooperation between
the two countries, he
said.
We should
remember that
during President
Ayubs regime
in 1968, India
got very upset
when Soviet
Union decided to sell arms to Pakistan. So,
I am sure that if Pakistan moves forward to
develop good political and economic relations
with Russia, the phase will come when we
buy arms from her, he said.
After the disintegration of Soviet Union
and particularly after the incident of 9/11,
policies of both countries have changed sig-
nificantly with regards to regional context.
Recently, Pakistan has been able to develop
good relations with President Karzai while
the Russians also have some communication
with the Afghan Taliban, which they didn't
have before. "I don't foresee any conflict in
the policies of both countries with regards to
situation in Afghanistan after the US draw-
down", he said.
Russia has political interest in stability
of Afghanistan, but they would be unconform-
able with the export of any sort of terrorism
from Afghanistan to Central Asia and the re-
gion falls under its immediate sphere of influ-
ence, he said. Russia has troops in Tajikistan,
bases in Kyrgyzstan, and they have lot of eco-
nomic interest in Central Asia. Russians are
worried about the situation in Afghanistan and
increasing influence of Taliban and their pos-
sible relation with fighters in Chechnya, Dag-
estan and other Muslim areas of Russia could
have adverse effects on the region, he said.
Suggesting the way forward in Pak
Russia relations, Mushahid recommends that
Pakistan should move through the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO), and should
seek Russias help in becoming a member of
SCO which would be helpful in order to im-
prove relations with Russia.
Almas Haider Naqvi is an Islamabad based
Journalist currently pursuing M. phil research
on Pak-Russia rapprochement, challenges
and prospects.
Prospects of
Pak-Russia ties
M
ushahid
H
ussain S
ayed
is a journalist, geo-strategist,
politician, an avid writer
and reader. Currently, he
is member to the Senate
of Pakistan and also the
Chairman of Senate Standing
Committee on Defense and
Defense Production. He is
the Secretary-General of the
Pakistan Muslim League (Q).
Almas Haider Naqvi
I
N
T
E
R
V
I
E
W
O
wing to the sagacious polices of PML government, we
are entering into the new era of latest information and
communication technology: said Anusha while chairing the
high level meeting at the Ministry of Information Technology.
The meeting was convened to review the progress of different
projects, which are being carried out under the direct supervision of Ministry of IT,
Federal Secretary IT Mr. Ahklaq Ahmad Tarar, Additional Secretary IT Mr. Azmat Ali
Ranjha and other high officials of Ministry of IT were also present in the meeting.
The Minister said that the government has assigned utmost priority to the
development of ICT sector and put in place all possible measures to accelerate the
development of technology in the country. The inception of 3G and 4G technology
would definitely bring economic growth and prosperity, which would help to provide an
opportunity of millions of new jobs to the educated youth of the country.
The Minister has further said that youth should not only use latest technology for
entertainment purpose but also must explore the technology for development of database
purpose and software. The government attached great priority to the E-government system,
which is being implemented in all federal ministries and their attached departments to create
less paper environment and to ensure efficiency, transparency and good governance so that
efficient and cost effective services could be provided to the people of Pakistan.
The State Minister said that the establishment of 500 UTCs (Universal Tele-centers) in rural
and remote areas throughout Pakistan would work as resource centers which would facilitate the
people by offering them services of birth registrations, e-commerce, e-health, e-learning, registration
and verification of SIM cards/ID cards through NADRA. She stressed that the objective behind the
establishment of Tele-centers was to create job opportunities amongst the youth and to enhance ICT
awareness in the remote and neglected areas of the country.
The Minister of IT further added that the government is vigorously pursuing the project of technology
parks, which will be established in three metropolitan cities of Pakistan (Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore
respectively) in order to provide conducive technological environment and to facilitate the companies working
in the ICT sector.
PML-N leading country to new era of ICTs: Anusha
REPORT INTERVIEW
T
he Emirates Center for Strategic
Studies and Research (ECSSR),
UAE organized its 19th Annual
Conference titled Technology:
Impacts, Challenges and the Fu-
ture on March 18-19 2014.
It was staged under the patronage of His
Highness, General Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dha-
bi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE
Armed Forces and President of ECSSR.
Dr Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidis
Welcome Address
Dr Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, Director
General of the (ECSSR) presented welcome
address in the opening session of the confer-
ence. He said that technological progress has
led to qualitative leaps forward in all areas of
life, accompanied by radical changes in think-
ing and it is the main tool for globalization.
Importance of Good Planning
We believe that a good planning will
allow us to use the technology as a tool to
achieve our aims and overcome the challenges
that may be experienced by other societies,
he added.
Combination of HRM and
Technological Development
He said all individuals, institutions and
decision makers need to work closely to ex-
change their ideas in order to reach a develop-
ment plan that can maximize the use of human
resources and technological advancements in
the best possible manner.
Royal Highness Princess Rym
Al Alis Key Note
It was followed by the keynote speech
by her Royal Highness Princess Rym Al Ali,
the founder of Jordan Media Institute in the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. She spoke
highly about the research book titled, From
Tribe to Facebook: The Transformational Role
of Social Networks written by H.E. Dr. Jamal
Sanad Al-Suwaidi. She elaborated the role of
media technology in the regional countries.
She pinpointed many impacts of emerging
media in terms of knowledge societies in the
region. She quoted American entrepreneur and
TV producer Frederick Sieberts six stages of
the technological phenomenon.
Different Media Scenarios
It seems like some countries are in the
middle of the phase with increased government
control while others are struggling to preserve
the value of this new and improved channel of
communication; all still far from the level of
balance she further added.
Importance and effects
of the media outlets and
communications platforms
She highlighted the importance and ef-
fects of the media outlets and communications
platforms these days. She had serious reserva-
tions about quality of these tools of persuasion
and communications. She talked about elec-
tronic media, social media and importance of
message and news.
Media as an effective tool
At the end of the day media is a tool
we are dealing with the full effects of which
are still unclear. We are not victims or passive
users. We have largely become passive users
of this tool and each of us use information that
travels through the internet in different ways
she explained.
Social Media in the Middle
East
She said that in the Middle East, social
media has produced a parallel world. The sub-
ject whether they have triggered uprising has
been overanalyzed, and in my opinion, exag-
gerated. There is a limit to what technology
can do. There is still need for more dialogue.
The influence of the media should be har-
nessed for this purpose.
Question of Privacy
She raised the question of privacy.
Snooping with the personal information and
lives of the customers should not be encour-
aged. According to her it might disturb societal
fabrics and culture of tolerance in the world.
This was followed by four separate
panels that discussed the regional and global
impacts of current and potential technological
advances against a backdrop of growing global
interconnectedness and globalization.
Day One: Responsibility and
Values
The first panel of the conference mainly
discussed the responsibility and values of us-
ing technology rather than technology itself.
While the speakers highlighted the growing
role of technology, they called upon govern-
ments, institutions, parents and society in gen-
eral to encourage responsible thinking towards
using technology as a tool.
Panel Chair
The panel chair, Mohamed Nasser Al
Ghanim, director-general of Telecommunica-
tions Regulatory Authority (TRA), UAE, ex-
plained the countrys leadership focus in creat-
ing smart cities that are more people-centric.
Mohamed Ghanim said the UAE intends to
add services never seen or heard of before be-
cause of the countrys aims of using various
innovations in technology.
Smart Government and
Smart Cities
We have started to engage in Smart
Government and Smart Cities at the same
time, said Mr Al Ghanim. He rated it as the
most important challenge that involves co-
operation and responsibility between all the
institutions involved. He said we need to
create efficiency to transfer existing processes
to become smart. We need to tailor the ap-
proach to those who are using the technology
the citizens. We need to work with hundreds
of agencies and prioritize the goal in question.
This is not a government centric issue, but it is
about what the user wants, and what the people
who live in our cities want, he added.
Statistical Data
Professor Philip Howard from the Uni-
versity of Washington, USA said for the last 5
years and in particular during the Arab Spring,
mobile phones are a big part of the story.
Today, some 75 billion apps have been
downloaded for smartphones, and there are
some two billion smartphones out there. If
the average phone has 38 apps on it, and the
apps ping a server three times a day, the net-
work generates 226 billion location points, he
added.
Role of new innovations
Professor Linnar Viik, Former Director
of Skype Technologies Ltd and Associate Pro-
fessor and Member of the Board, Estonian In-
formation Technology College, Estonia, said
that innovation can emerge from new tech-
nologies and non-technological knowledge.
He said that non-technological innovations
are closely related to the know-how, skills and
working conditions that are embedded in or-
ganizations.
Development of information
technology and Perspectives
We have reached a point in the devel-
opment of information technology where our
perspective of our current position and our
future prospects are both too small and too
large. We have a right to be interested in both
aspects of the technology because our current
position should tell us whether we are using
the technology profitably and our vision of
the future should help us prepare ourselves
and our society for the next generation, said
Professor David Alan Grier, Associate Profes-
sor of International Science and Technology
Policy and International Affairs, The George
Washington University, US.
Day Two
Prof Alfonso Gambardella from Boc-
coni University in Italy said the problem with
ideas is that many are worth nothing, but very
few are worth a fortune.
Winning Ideas
We do not know which are the winning
ideas, so we have to try many before we find
the ones that will be successful, he said.
Prof Gambardella said that large compa-
nies must invest in new ideas when it comes to
technology, as often the person with the blue-
print of an innovative idea cannot finance the
project himself.
In the division of labour there is room
for investors, producers of ideas and the buy-
ers of ideas. The division of labour is not
something that enables some companies and
not others; because it is a division that enables
many parties to do many things.
Smarter Technology
Martin Ford, president of Acculant
Technology in the US, said that as technology
gets smarter, machines could soon replicate
the repeatable tasks of many human workers.
If you look at the workers out there,
millions of them, for the most part, are doing
jobs that on some level are routine and predict-
able, he said.
Prof Nayef Al Rodhan, from the Univer-
sity of Oxford in the UK, explored the chang-
ing face of technology and its relationship with
ethics and biology.
Main Message
The ECSSR conference concluded with
the message that companies in the UAE need
to take more risks and invest in innovative
ideas and technologies. During the conference
the ECSSR called on companies to increase
their support for innovators. The question of
privacy, innovation, big data management,
eco-system and the last but not the least dawn
of smart era was the main area of discussion
during the two international conferences at
ECSSR, the jewel of genuine research provid-
ing philosophical answers and practical solu-
tions to all the policy makers, businessmen,
economists, scholars and above all, rulers.
Technology: Impacts,
Challenges and the Future
Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
The writer is a research scholar, specializes in
geopolitcal issues of the GCC, CIs and South
East Asia. He has keen interests in cross cultural
dialogue and confict resoluton.
ECONOMY
T
hey conquered Everest in their spare time &
crafted empires; their names were featured in
Forbes 30 under 30. Somewhere along the
way they had reset the bar. Their contributions
had not gone un-noticed.
The people who had made the list included trailblazers,
trendsetters, risk-takers & crusaders, seen at the 6th LADIES-
FUND Annual Womens Awards. An event to salute an un-
likely band of heroes who left
a legacy of courage and com-
passion also acknowledged ex-
ceptional women on the rise.
LADIESFUND
launched by Dawood Global
Foundation (2007) & headed by
Tara Uzra Dawood, celebrates
these achievements by adding
powerhouse women and their noble
causes to their wall of fame. It also
makes its core mission - Educate
1000 Girls, the lynchpin & encourages
the entrepreneur within our ranks. The
talented Alycia Dias, who performed the anthem & walked away with a
musical scholarship, would be joined by other hopefuls, awarded with fel-
lowships, grants or monetary support to kick-start their fledgling careers.
The ceremony, held at Mohatta Palace (Karachi), home of Fatima Jin-
nah, opened with an Indonesian Cultural Welcome Dance, but its glitzy tap-
estry would be inlaid with sombre undertones. Women, who make empower-
ment as a motif, do so at great personal risk. The Khushhali bank Idol Award
awarded to those who had fallen in the line of duty like the families of brave
polio workers (Anita Zafar Jumani & Akbari Juman). There were sympathetic
sponsors on hand to take care of the special needs of children they left behind.
The audience would catch brief glimpses of Pakistans impressive philan-
thropy record and its largest orphanage SOS Childrens Village which has 2000
projects in 133 countries. Outside Europe it is reportedly the largest self financing
charity.
The (late) Parveen Rahmen, director OPP (Orangi Pilot Project) the biggest
poverty alleviation scheme worldwide that helps 3 million people and serves as a
model project would be posthumously awarded the Courage Award along with (late)
Zahra Shahid Hussain (PTI). While their struggles underscore the volatile landscape &
successes often get eclipsed by tragic headlines, these are the voices capable of overrid-
ing the prevalent narrative of despair.
There were a
few brave men on
hand including Faisal
Qureshi (PTV host -
Perspectives) who had
graciously agreed to
host (but had to leave
midway), & British
/ Indonesian Council
Generals who acted as
presenters.
6th
Momentum
Award
Angie Marshall
Award winning
makeup artist who
styled 3rd runner up
Miss Universe 2011
2014
Ladies
Fund
Womens
Awards
Trailblazer
Award
Khalida Brohi
- Founder
Sughar Program that
empowers village
women & honor
killings
Alycia Dias
Families
Of Parveen Rahman
& Zahra Shahid
Hussain (PTI)
Indonesian Welcome Dance
Afrah Jamal
Nazneen Tariq Khan (Fundraising Chair) (R)
KARACHI DIARY

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