Riaz Haq's Blog

Volunteer Programmers Contribute to Google Maps For Pakistan

After painfully watching the heartbreaking scenes of carnage in Pakistani provincial capital of NWFP on TV screens, it came as a pleasant surprise to see the New York Times mention Peshawar in a different context; volunteer cartographers contributing to digital maps "from Petaluma to Peshawar". It particularly caught my attention because I have had the pleasure of visiting both of these fine cities, and I currently live not t… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 22, 2009 at 10:45pm — No Comments

Remembering Professor Nauman 1951-2009

My good friend and NED University Professor Mohammad Nauman passed away last Sunday. He was a dedicated teacher at NED Engineering University in Karachi. Born on December 19, 1951 in Bahawalpur, Nauman attended Cadet College, Petaro, and then graduated from NED University in electrical engineering in 1974. He attended North Carolina State University for his graduate work. Nauman was a soft-spoken academic and a left-leaning intellectual of high caliber. He was loved by his friends, colleagues a… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 16, 2009 at 8:08pm — No Comments

Life Goes On in Pakistan

The world media are focusing on scores of deadly terrorist attacks in the last four weeks claiming over 300 innocent lives in Pakistani cities, and tracking the military's counterinsurgency campaign unfolding in South Waziristan. However, the Pakistani blogosphere is buzzing with… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 12, 2009 at 5:01pm — No Comments

Social Entrepreneur Fixing India's Sanitation Crisis

Guest Post by Dost_Mittar A simple solution to a disgusting problem "The toilet is a part of the history of human hygiene which is critical chapter in the growth of civilization." [Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak] Anyone who has seen the blockbuster film “Slumdog Millionaire” would remember one scene above all others. I am r… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 28, 2009 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

Pakistan Education Reform: Rehman Fires Back at Hoodbhoy

Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy is a vocal critic of Pakistan's Higher Education Reform initiated by Dr. Ata ur Rahman, adviser to President Musharraf, in 2002. This reform resulted in over fivefold increase in public funding for universities, with a special emphasis on science, technology and engineering. The reform supported initiatives such as a free national digital library… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 24, 2009 at 5:20pm — No Comments

Pakistani IT Industry Overview

Pakistan's information technology industry is quite young. It is in very early stages of development compared to the much older and bigger Indian IT industry, which had a significant headstart of at least a decade over Pakistan. During the lost decade of the 1990s under Bhutto and Sharif governments, Pakistani economy stagnated and its IT industry did not make any headway. However, the industry has grown at 40% CAGR dur… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 22, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

India, Pakistan Contrasted by Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan

There is nothing more basic in terms of human necessities than the adequate availability of roti, kapra aur makaan. Going beyond these bare essentials of food, clothing and housing, one can add sanitation, health care and education. Let's examine how the two biggest nations in South Asia are coping with such fundamental necessities of their population:… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 12, 2009 at 10:04pm — No Comments

Asia Gains in Top University Rankings 2009

The latest edition of the world's top universities from The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) has few surprises in 2009. The top 10 Universities are: Harvard (US), Cambridge (UK), Yale(US), UCL, London (UK), Imperial College, London and Oxford (both UK, joint 5), Chicago (US), Princeton (US), MIT, Massachusetts (US) and California Institute of Technology (US). As always, the top of the list is dominated by American and British Universities this year, together making up about 40% of the en… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 9, 2009 at 10:00pm — 1 Comment

South Asia Lags in Human Development

In spite of the fact that Pakistan's Human Development Index (HDI) has risen by 1.30 percent per year from 0.402 to 0.572 during 1980-2007 period, and it has accelerated to 1.9% increase since 2000 when it was reported to be 0.499, its progress is not yet sufficient to improve the nation's ranking relative to other countries in regions like East Asia, which have been moving considerably faster. Pakistan's index… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 8, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

More on Quality of Higher Education in India and Pakistan

A recent Chowk.com article titled "Indian Technical Recession", written by Sharad Chandra, asks the following basic question about the quality of engineering education in India: "So why Indian engineering education system is not capable of producing quality engineers for the country?" Then the author goes on to answer his own question as follows: "One of the primary answers lies in the fact tha… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 19, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Professor Hoodbhoy's Critique of Higher Education Reform in Pakistan

Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy is a vocal critic of Pakistan's Higher Education Reform i… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 5, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Appraising Higher Education Reform in Pakistan

Here's an editorial opinion published in Nature Magazine on the status of Pakistan's Higher Education Reform initiated under President Pervez Musharraf in 2002: Massive funding for Pakistan's ailing universities holds many lessons for other developing nations. Eight years ago, a task force advising Pakistan's former military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, laid out a bold plan to revitalize the country's moribund research… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 4, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Poor Quality of Higher Education in India and Pakistan

A few top-tier Indian schools, such as the elite Indian Institutes of Technol… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 3, 2009 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments

Pakistan's Dietary Habits and Sugar Crisis

World raw sugar futures hit a 28-year high of 23.52 cents a pound last we… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 2, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

NY Times Fires Harpoon at Heart of Pak Aid Bill

The New York Times is quoting unnamed senior Obama administration and Congressional o… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 30, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Pakistan Launches Production of Falco Drones

At a ceremony held at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, last Thursday, Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan, the chairman of the PAC board, announced the launch of Falco UAV production in Pakistan in collaboration with Selex Galileo of Italy. Speaking on the occasion, the Air Marshal said the UAV… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 28, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Jaswant Acknowledges Quaid-e-Azam MA Jinnah as a "Great Indian"

Jinnah was a great Indian. Gandhi himself called Jinnah a great Indian. Why don't we recognize that? Jinnah stood against the might of the Congress party and against the British who didn't really like him. Jinnah was not against Hindus. Indian Muslims are treated as aliens. Nehru's insistence… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 19, 2009 at 8:55am — No Comments

Three Summer Days in Beijing

My family and I arrived on a Saturday evening in late July at Beijing… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2009 at 9:05am — No Comments

Karachi in July 2009

Arrival in Karachi… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 5, 2009 at 8:44am — No Comments

Dubai in July

My family and I stopped in Dubai for a three-day vacation in July on our… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 2, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Science, Discovery and Daydreams

Much is often made of logic,… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on June 22, 2009 at 9:08pm — No Comments

Obama, Scientific Discoveries and the Muslim World

Speaking to the Muslim world from Cairo recently, President Barack Hussein Obama talked about the contribution of Islamic civilization to the world of science and discovery. He said, “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar University — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenmen… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on June 10, 2009 at 10:01pm — No Comments

Silicon Valley's Pakistani-Americans Support Pakistan's Human Development

The Human Development Foundation… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on June 1, 2009 at 12:19pm — No Comments

Young Pakistanis Lead By Public Service Example

Alongside the usual negative and depressing coverage about Pakistan that fills the electronic media and newsprint in the West these days, I am really happy to see a rare but hopeful and inspiring story from Lahore about public service and volunteerism in today's New York Times. The youth group epitomizes what it means to be a… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on May 18, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Loose NBC Weapons in Pakistan?

"Imagine if the (swine flu) spread were intentional, not natural, and the virus’ lethality ha… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on May 16, 2009 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Shakti Solar Model to Empower Pakistani Villagers

Reliable 24X7 availability of electricity is taken for granted in most of the developed world. Whenever consumers plug their favorite gadgets into the wall socket, it is assumed that the power will be there. Everyone has access to it. Electrical power outages are extremely rare. Electricity empowers consumers by enhancing their lives through better learning and entertainment, higher productivity and income, greater comfort, increased safety, superior health, and improved economy. People in the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on May 11, 2009 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments

Israel Lobby Intimidates American Academia

"Gaza is Israel's Warsaw -- a vast concentration camp that confined and blockaded Palestinians. We are witness to a slow-motion process of genocide," says sociology professor William I. Robinson of University of California at Santa Barbara. As is the norm at universities in America, any criticism of Israel is immediately followed by an orchestrated campaign of attacks and intimidation against the critic. In this case, there has been swift condemnation of professor Robinson, who is Jewish, as be… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on May 5, 2009 at 8:45am — No Comments

Small Entrepreneurs Thrive in Pakistan

A new class of entrepreneurs has emerged in Pakistan during this decade who, in small but significant ways, have challenged the religious orthodoxy. They present a sharp contrast to the rising wave of Islamic radicalism that the U.S. and others view as an existential threat to Pakistan. And with many well-traveled Pakistanis importing ideas from abroad, they are contributing to Pakistan's 21st-century search for itself. The new entrepreneurial outfits range from fashion apparel and cosmetics to… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on April 29, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Remaking Pakistan in Uncle Sam's Image

The $663 billion US defense budget for 2010 announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates emphasizes higher spending on counterinsurgency weapon systems, and cuts back on expensive conventional weapon systems. For example, there is a huge increase in the budget for predator class armed drones, helicopter gunships, surveillance, cyber warfare and special (commando) operations. At the same time, it envisions deep cuts in spending on the expensive F22 Raptor stealth fighter, large navy ships and anti… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on April 12, 2009 at 8:58am — No Comments

Encouraging Social Entrepreneurship in South Asia

Understanding the need to design for extreme affordability is giving birth to a new generation of entrepreneurs. These are entrepreneurs with a social conscience who are motivated by the desire to do good and do well at the same time. They are finding new ways to empower the poor by satisfying their basic needs for safe water and electricity in emerging markets. According to Wikipedia definition, a social entrepreneur is someone… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on April 6, 2009 at 7:05pm — No Comments

Saving Urdu in India--its Birthplace

Popular Bollywood filmmaker MAHESH BH… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on April 3, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

China Signs Power Generation Deals With Pakistan

China has agreed to build several power plants in Pakistan to h… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 25, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Auto Sector in India, Pakistan and China

Tata Motors is set to launch its low-cost Nano minicar Monday, March 23, according to media reports from India. With a starting price of about $1,945, which doesn't include dealer markup and other charges that consumers will pay, the Nano will be one of the world's cheapest cars. This product launch comes at a time when the auto industry is facing a severe downturn, attributed to the worldwide consumer credit crunch amidst a serious global financial crisis.… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 21, 2009 at 4:14pm — No Comments

Overseas Job Opportunities Dry Up For South Asians

As the global economic crisis continues to take its toll in US, Europe, Mid… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 17, 2009 at 7:16pm — No Comments

Vibrant Financial Services Sector in Pakistan

Pakistan has been ranked 34 out of 52 countries in the World… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2009 at 8:58pm — No Comments

Math Function Wrecked Economy

Not unlike Albert Einstein whose equation… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 8, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Pakistan Leads Asian SMS Growth

With cellular phone penetration exceeding 50%, the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 4, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Arms Production Going High Tech in Pakistan

U.S. Army Gen. William Westmoreland is reported to have said: "On the battlefield of the future, enemy forces will be located, tracked and targeted almost instantaneously through the use of data links, computer-assisted intelligence and automated fire control. … I am confident the American people expect this country to take full advantage of its technology–to welcome and applaud the developments that will replace wherever possible the man with the machine." It seems that this vision from the 197… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on March 2, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Solar Power For Sunny Pakistan

Sunny California is leading the way to tap solar energy. Can sunny Pakis… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 27, 2009 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Foreign Students in Chinese Universities and Colleges

China is a country of 9,600,000 square kilometers in size, with a population of more than 1,200,000,000. Chinese civilization dates back 5000 years ago, and her unique culture and tradition attracts more and more international visitors. The past twenty years have witnessed China as one of the fastest growing countries in the world.

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Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 24, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments

Can Slumdog Success Improve Lives of Poor Children?

Not only has the low-budget movie "Slumdog M… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 23, 2009 at 8:26pm — No Comments

Slumdog: Catalyst For War on Child Poverty?

Decried by many as "racist po… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 22, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

China Attracting Foreign Medical Students

If Russia was the destination of choice in the 1980s and 1990s for Indian students who could not make it into medical colleges in India, China has now emerged as the hot favourite. Last year, for instance, nearly 3,000 Indian students took admission in medical colleges in China.

Stil… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 21, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Beheading in Buffalo: Domestic Violence or Honor Killing?

Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan, founder of a Muslim-American TV network, is accused of… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 19, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Pakistani Kid at Cambridge with 22 A's

By Paul Harris and Laura Clark Last updated at 9:27 AM on 31st January 2009 Daily Mail One ambition was fixed in Ali Moeen Nawazish's mind as he made his way through school in Pakistan. He wanted to win a place at Cambridge. Sitting seven A-levels might easily have done the trick, even though he had started to study some of the subjects only three days before the exam. But he was determined to get some good grades. So he sat another three, and three more. Then another nine. Just in case, he t… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 13, 2009 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Renewable Energy Hits Rough Patch

Suzlon, India's wind power giant, has reported a quarterly loss after years of expansion and profit growth. It was hurt… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 5, 2009 at 6:03pm — No Comments

Sustaining America's Competitive Edge Through Education

In spite of America's leadership position in… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 2, 2009 at 3:37pm — No Comments

Developing Pakistan's Intellectual Capital

In the "New Economy", the most important single asset for any nation is the intellectual capital it develops by educating its people well. Investment in education could not be better described than by the words used by the Chinese genius Kuan Chung centuries ago: "If you plan for a year, plant a seed; if for 10 years, plant a tree; if for a 100 years, teach the people. When you sow a seed once, you reap a single harvest; when you teach the people, you will reap a 100 harvests." Here is a piece… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on February 1, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Learning Reasoning Versus Facts

International… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 30, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

2008 Venture Capital Review of China, India and Pakistan

China continued to outperform India as a magnet for US venture capital investment… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 25, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Improving Higher Education in Pakistan

By… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 24, 2009 at 1:30pm — 2 Comments

Follow Haq's Musings on Twitter

In response to readers' requests and in recognition of the popularity of Twitter, you… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 24, 2009 at 9:57am — No Comments

Obama's High-Tech Warfare in Pakistan

Nine people are reported killed in the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 23, 2009 at 10:27am — No Comments

Hindu Nationalists Gang Up on Musharraf at Stanford

The editors of Stanford Daily have criticized the less-than-ci… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 20, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Pakistan Ranks Among Top Outsourcing Destinations

Menlo Park based oDesk has ranked Philippines and… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 16, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Pakistani-American: Mr. Thirty Percent

Most people are familiar with the moniker of… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 16, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Comparing Military Strengths of India and Pakistan

By Air Marshall (Retd) Ayaz Khan of Pakistan Air Force Unfortunately India and P… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 15, 2009 at 12:37pm — No Comments

Satyam: India's IT Scandal

Satyam Computer Services Ltd., considered the poster child of India's informa… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 9, 2009 at 8:28am — No Comments

Is Pakistan Ready for High-Tech Warfare?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 6, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Pictorial Review of Israeli Brutality in Gaza

Death and destruction continued to rain on Gazans as Israel began its ground assault. Here are a few of the horrifying images of the brutality the Jewish state is committing against the innocent Palestinian children: … Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on January 4, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Year 2008 in Review--Pakistan

The year 2008 was a year of great turmoil in Pakistan as the prior year ended with the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 31, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

First Haji in US Congress

"It was an amazingly transformative experience. I'll never forget it. Three million people,… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 27, 2008 at 3:46pm — No Comments

Jinnah's Pakistan Booms Amidst Doom and Gloom

Media reports from Pakistan often portray a picture of doom and gloom, with the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 25, 2008 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

Pakistan Exporting Drones to America

By Noah Shachtman A… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 24, 2008 at 6:00am — No Comments

Pakistan's Internet Outage--Service Disrupted Yet Again

Internet and telephone traffic between Europe and the Middle East… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 20, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

War on Hunger Takes a Back Seat in South Asia

Calls to… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 15, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

Social Networks Bring Blessings, Pose Risks

Of the two recent studies making headlines this w… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on December 5, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Mumbai's Slumdog

Based on Simon Beaufoy's screenplay adapted from a Vikas Swarup's novel,… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 30, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Indian Cricketers Recruited By Major League Baseball

While the Indian Navy is going after the pirates in the Gulf of… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 26, 2008 at 10:30am — No Comments

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India By Riaz Haq … Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 22, 2008 at 4:09pm — No Comments

Aligarians Celebrate Sir Syed Day in Silicon Valley

ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman kaa bulbul huuN sarshaar-e-nigaah-e-nargis huuN, paa-bastaa-e-gesuu-sumbul huuN ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman ka bulbul huuN Prior to the start of the mushaira, the above Aligarh Muslim University Taraana (Anthem) was sung by the Aligarians clad in black sherwanis (long tunics) and white pajamas (trousers) along with a few others dressed in western… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 18, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Obama's Technology Policy

Technology will likely get significant attention by President-elect Barack H. Obama, in spite of… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 10, 2008 at 10:31pm — No Comments

How is NED Doing in 2008?

Is NED Making Progress? Is… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 8, 2008 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

NED Alumni Convention 2008 Draws 400 NEDians

NED Alumni Convention 2008 in Hartford, Connecticut attracted over 400 NEDians and their families and friends this year… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on November 3, 2008 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Powell: So What If Obama Is Muslim?

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a life-long Republican who served George W. Bush in his first term and argued for Iraq war at the UN, en… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 20, 2008 at 10:48am — No Comments

HEC University Rankings Controversy in Pakistan

Summary: Higher Education Commission in Pakistan released its first and only ranki… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 14, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Can US. NATO Win in Afghanistan?

"We're not going to win this war", Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, the UK's commander in Afghanista… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 9, 2008 at 8:57pm — No Comments

Pakistani Scientists "Hunting for God Particle"

Humans have been engaged in the perennial effort to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what th… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on October 1, 2008 at 11:41am — No Comments

US-Pakistan FATA Face Off Fears

"I've been to Waziristan. I can see how tough that terrain is. It's ruled by a handful of tribes", said Senator John S. McCain in a recent presidential debate referring to Waziristan "agency" in Pakistan's FATA region. Often described in the world media as "lawless" and "a terrorists sanctuary", Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area) region, particularly Waziristan, has been the topic of news… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 30, 2008 at 7:59am — No Comments

McCain and Obama Debate Pakistan Policy

By various estimates, there are about 1.5 million to 2 million American Muslim voters, including severa… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 26, 2008 at 10:53pm — No Comments

Renewable Energy to Tackle Pakistan's Electricity Crisis

In June 2007, the power cuts in Pakistan lasted no more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Today, in extremely hot weather, Pakistanis have to endure without electricity for 8 to 10 hours a day. Industrial production is suffering, exports are down, jobs are being lost, and the national economy is in a downward spiral. By all indications, the power crisis in Pakistan is getting worse than ever. E… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 17, 2008 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

Light a Candle, Don't Curse the Darkness

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Adlai Stevenson, 1962 It is important to repeat these… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 11, 2008 at 9:18am — No Comments

Can American Muslims Swing US Presidential Race?

The presidential contest between Barack H. Obama and John S. McCain is now even at 42 percent, accordin… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 8, 2008 at 12:22pm — No Comments

Expect More Economic Woes Under President Zardari

As Pakistan finds itself in the midst of arguably the worst… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on September 5, 2008 at 8:43am — 1 Comment

A Tale of Tribal Terror in Pakistan

Baba Kot, a village 50 miles from Usta Mohammad town of Jafferabad district in Baluchistan, is wher… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 31, 2008 at 7:14am — No Comments

Mobile Internet Revolution in Pakistan

Mobile application developers and high-bandwidth data network operators are being dramatically boosted by latest in… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 27, 2008 at 9:44pm — No Comments

Indian Wind Power Giant Faltering

Indian Wind Power Giant Faltering By Riaz Haq www.riazhaq.com India's Suzlon Energy (SUZL: BSE), with 8% market share of wind turbine in the US, is beset by quality issues at home and abroad, according the Wall Street Journal.

Suzlon Energy, with market cap of INR 270B, is a wind p… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 27, 2008 at 8:52am — No Comments

Zardari Corruption Probe Alive in Switzerland

While the news of President Musharraf's resignation and Asif Zardari's nomination for… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 22, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Stop and Smell the Roses in Pakistan

By Mona Eltahawy NEW YORK -- As an Egyptian whose country’s military dictators are either taken by God or an assassin’s bullet, I envy the Pakistani people their ability to now use the term “former president.” As former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf contemplates how his friends in the U.S. administration dropped him quicker than you can say “hot freedom fries,” for those of us from the Muslim world -- awash in military dictators who have friends in high places in Washington -- his exit… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 20, 2008 at 12:44pm — No Comments

Is This the Dawn of Freedom We Yearned For?

Here are a few lines from Late Faiz Ahmed Faiz that capture the essence of where Pakistanis stand today:

Subah-e- Azadi (Dawn of Freedom) ye daaG daaG ujaalaa, ye shab_gaziidaa sahar (This spotty, stained, dim light after the darkness of night) wo intazaar thaa jis kaa, ye wo sahar to n… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 14, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

India, Pakistan and Olympics Success Model

“Why are the top 10 medaling nations top 10?” Professor Daniel Johnson asks. “It’s not that athletic prowess is completely independ… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 12, 2008 at 7:27am — No Comments

Is India Really " Stable, Peaceful, and Prosperous?

In the past five years bomb attacks claimed by Islamist groups have killed hundreds across the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. An Indian Muslim was even involved in the failed assault on Glasgow airport in July last year. Yet George Bush reportedly introduced Manmohan Singh to his wife, Laura, as "the prime minister of India, a democracy which does not have a single al-Qaida member in a population of 150 million Muslims". To be fair to Bush,… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2008 at 5:29pm — No Comments

Scaling K2, the Ultimate Challenge

Not only is it dangerous, climbing Mount Everest is not cheap, either in terms of lives or dollars. And yet, hundreds are drawn each year to climb it. Commercial expeditions can cost climbers $60,000 to $75,00 each. Nepalese government charges fees ranging from $25000 for one member expedition to $70,000 for seven members. The total cost for climbing is steep, according to CNN. An expedition to the world'… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 5, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Are Muslims the Least Educated in the World?

Courtesy of Ahmed Ali, NEDian in Southern California VERY IMPORTANT TO READ AND THINK ! ! ! Demographics o World Jewish Population. 14 million o Distribution: 7m in America 5m in Asia 2m in Europe 100 thousand in Africa o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion o Distribution: I billion in Asia/Mid-East 400 M in Africa 44 M in Europe 6 M in the Americas o Every fifth human being is a Muslim. o For every single Hindu the re are two Muslims o For every Buddhist the re are two Muslims o For every Jew… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on August 4, 2008 at 7:40pm — No Comments

Turkey, Pakistan and Secularism

As the Turkish Supreme Court prepares to decide on a petition to ban AKP, the ruling party in Turkey, is it reasonable to compare the secular zeal in Turkey with the religious zeal in Pakistan? It probably is. However, the situation in Pakistan is the mirror image of that in Turkey. Just as the religious orthodoxy in Pakistan is strong but limited to a small but vocal, radical minority of Pakistanis, it seems that the secular orthodoxy in Turkey is just as powerful but shared by a small, radical… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 30, 2008 at 8:34am — No Comments

Obama's Presidency Poses Danger to the World

While Senator Barack Obama has been benefiting from his opposition to the unpopular war in Iraq and winning kudos for wanting to unconditionally talk with America's enemies, he has also been sounding more and more hawkish on Pakistan, a US ally. This aggressive stance by Mr. Obama raises some big questions: Is he going to end the war in Iraq and start a much bigger, far more dangerous and longer lasting war in nuclear-armed Pakistan? Does he know that Pakistan, a nation of 165 million people wit… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 25, 2008 at 7:21am — No Comments

Is Democracy Overrated?

"Normally they (Six members of India's Parliament) are in jail, serving time for crimes ranging from extortion and kidnapping to murder. The Indian constitution allows them out on bail to attend important parliamentary votes. But the sight of convicted murderers entering the parliamentary chamber won't be the most edifying of spectacles." So says a BBC report this morning. In the wake of the Communist Party's pull-out from the Indi… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 20, 2008 at 11:30am — No Comments

What Do the Taliban Want?

News headlines from Pakistan's tribal belt proclaim a new "Peace Deal" with "militants" along with an appeal for the Shia victims of the Kurram agency blockade imposed by the Taliban. On the surface, these two developments seem disconnected. The News Headlines: The "Peace Deal" involves a leading militant in Pakistan's Khyber region, Mangal Bagh, and the local administration to end nearly two weeks of fighting, according to the BBC. Another BBC report indicates that doctors in Pakistan's north… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 10, 2008 at 3:04pm — 2 Comments

The Smoking Gun in Pakistan Nuke Transfers

In his first public assertions since Pakistan's disgraced hero Dr. A.Q. Khan was put under house, the nuclear scientist has said, "It was a North Korean plane, and the army had complete knowledge about it and the equipment (centrifuges). It must have gone with [Musharraf's] consent." This marks the first time that Mr. Khan has directly implicated President Musharraf and Pakistan Army in proliferation of Pakistan's nuclear technology. Mr. Khan's latest statements contradict his 2004 confession… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 5, 2008 at 9:33pm — No Comments

Peshawar, Kandahar under Threat of Resurgent Taliban

As the US-led NATO coalition in Afghanistan and the new government in Pakistan find themselves in policy disagreements and total disarray, with Hamid Karzai playing the spoiler, the resurgent Taliban appear to be preparing for the takeover of major cities on both sides of the border: Kandahar in Afghanistan and Peshawar in Pakistan. This is something that would have been considered unthinkable just a few months ago. The concern until recently was focused on the tribal areas of Pakistan. Now the… Continue

Posted by Riaz Haq on July 1, 2008 at 7:19am — No Comments

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