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ADB Projects Need Reviewing

ADB projects need reviewing

THE Asian Development Bank has agreed to lend $600 million to Pakistan for the enhancement of private sector participation in infrastructure development. Assuming large private investments in housing, manufacturing and…

A Sip Of Water

A sip of water

The news reports say it was a spat. Aasia Bibi, a 45-year-old woman in the village of Nankana Sahib, was sent to fetch water. When she brought it, some of…

Filthy Business

Filthy business

What on earth did Aasia Bibi do to merit the dubious distinction of becoming the first woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to death for blasphemy? Basically, she, a Christian,…

Of Good And Bad Taliban

Of good and bad Taliban

Two widely reported events in recent days struck hard at Pakistan’s strategic depth policy in Afghanistan and Central Asia. The first event occurred when the Swat Taliban and Afghan Taliban…

Tough On The Peace Lobby

Tough on the peace lobby

From President Barack Obama to US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, the one message that is being drilled is that terrorism can destabilise the countries in South Asia. People and governments…

Information

Information

Sweden passed the world’s first freedom of information (FOI) law in 1766. Pakistan enacted one in 2002, thanks to the conditions imposed on it by the Asian Development Bank’s $350m…

Strengthening Relations

Strengthening relations

I grew up with the notion that the only good Indian is a dead Indian and I mean the South Asian variety. However, as I grew older, a number of…

Trade without growth

Pakistan has a lesson to learn from its misplaced priorities. Efforts towards trade liberalisation and regional integration would be meaningless without addressing structural problems first, including prolonged energy crisis, decline in foreign investment, high inflation, weak infrastructure and precarious security issues. Else we would be another sub-saharan region which boasts many more trade agreements than Pakistan narrowed down to zero without adequate economic growth!

Shale Gas Solution?

Shale gas solution?

The shale gas revolution is upending global energy, and could hold the promise of alleviating South Asia’s energy woes. But so mired is the region in strife, scams and vested…

Need For A New Paradigm

Need for a new paradigm

Pakistan is an economic mess. It is well behind other large Asian countries. In 2010, the Chinese economy is likely to expand at the rate of 8.8 per cent and…