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Manekshaw: Indian War Hero Passes On

Sam Hormusji Framji "Sam Bahadur" Jamshedji Manekshaw MC (April 3, 1914 – June 27, 2008) Passed away today in Tamil Nadu, India. He was an Indian Army officer, with his distinct handlebar mustache, and only one of two generals to reach the rank of the Field Marshal in the Indian Army. He was the last of the top commanders involved in Bangladesh war of 1971.



In his long career spanning nearly four decades, Manekshaw rose to be the 8th Chief of Staff of the Indian Army in 1969 and… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 28, 2008 at 9:09am — No Comments

Bunge Coming to Pakistan

By Riaz Haq



Bunge, the third biggest US agribusiness company after

Archer-Daniel-Midland and Cargill, is buying Chicago-based Corn

Products International Inc. for $4.2 billion in stock to add

corn-based sweeteners as demand increases for soft drinks and

processed foods in China, India and Pakistan, according to US media

reports. This acquisition enlarges Bunge's international footprint in

emerging economies to drive its growth.



Corn Products… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 24, 2008 at 5:04pm — 1 Comment

OPEN Forum 2008: Pakistani Entrepreneurs Conference

On June 14, the SAP campus in Palo Alto was the venue for OPEN Forum 2008, probably the world's largest gathering of Pakistani entrepreneurs outside of Pakistan with over 500 attendees. Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs (OPEN) describes itself as "a voluntary, not-for profit organization dedicated to the promotion of entrepreneurship and leadership in the Pakistani-American business community". Only a stone-throw away from Sandhill Road, the home of the big Silicon Valley venture… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 21, 2008 at 10:54am — No Comments

Venture Capital Investing in Pakistan

As the US venture capital investment activity in India and China races ahead, the VC investments in Pakistan are just beginning to show signs of life with two young Pakistani companies receiving funding in late 2006 and middle of 2007.



Venture capital investment in China was up to $719m across 39 deals during the first quarter of 2008 from $492m in the first quarter of 2007, with media and advertising companies accounting for the bulk of deal activity and investment, according to the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 15, 2008 at 7:19pm — 4 Comments

The Long March or the Big Farce?

As the "Long March" by the Pakistani lawyers gets headlines in Pakistan and around the world, it is natural to ask what is all the fuss about? Ostensibly, it is to restore Pakistani judiciary as an independent and powerful institution and strengthen democracy. But is this a realistic expectation that an independent, powerful judiciary supported by lawyers and the media in Pakistan would be good for democracy and the rights of the average citizen? Let's look at the following facts to answer this… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 10, 2008 at 9:30am — No Comments

Karachi: The Urban Frontier

National Public Radio(NPR), an American radio network, is doing a series on a massive wave of urbanization underway in the world's emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India and Pakistan. It has chosen to start with Karachi, which it describes as Pakistan's "economic lifeline" and financial "powerhouse" that produces 25% of Pakistan's GDP, and calls it "one of the largest and most crowded cities of the world". It has a segment on Shehri, the activist group fighting big-money… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 5, 2008 at 1:00pm — 3 Comments

OPEN Forum 2008 in Silicon Valley

Along with Howard Dean, Steve Westley and Mike Moritz, several

prominent Silicon Valley NEDians are speakers and/or panelists at the

OPEN Forum 2008, the annual conference organized by Organization of

Pakistani Entrepreneurs (http://www.opensiliconvalley.org). It is

scheduled for Saturday, June 14, 2008 in Palo Alto, CA.



Mike Moritz, the Iconic Venture Capitalist who saw YouTube and Google

coming, will tell you what the next major trends are in high tech… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 2, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Should Pakistanis be Proud of Their Country?

On the day of our departure for Jeddah, with our bags packed and goodbyes dispensed with, our group found itself together at the coffee shop of the hotel. There each one of us talked about whether this trip had changed our opinions of Pakistan and its people.



This is a country of about 160 million people scattered about four provinces and Azad Kashmir. As the world's fifth largest democracy, Pakistan has had its share of questionable leadership, but there is enough evidence that the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 26, 2008 at 6:45am — No Comments

Sharia in Swat: Is This Appeasement?

Under a peace deal signed by the NWFP provincial government, the authorities say they will withdraw security forces and allow the pro-Taliban militants to impose Sharia law in Swat in return for promises to close training camps and end attacks. This is particularly astonishing as it involves secular nationalists of the Awami National Party that trounced the right wing JUI party in the last elections.



This announcement by Senior Minister of NWFP Bashir Ahmad Bilour followed a… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 21, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Sixty Years of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Yawm al-nakba (The Catastrophe) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (The Independence Day) occur on May 14 each year. But this year is the 60th anniversary of the events of May 14, 1948 that the Israelis celebrate as their independence day and the Palestinians recall the horrors of massacres of Palestinians and expulsions from their homes in what is now the state of Israel.



For a long time, the Israeli textbooks have either not mentioned or completely denied any violence and forced expulsions of…

Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 17, 2008 at 8:30am — 5 Comments

Food Crisis: Opportunity For Entrepreneurs

As the world food crisis becomes acute, entrepreneurs see opportunities to tackle it and make big money. Such efforts could give a much-needed boost to feed the growing population of the world. For years, big agribusiness companies have used new seed and fertilizer varieties to push yields higher. But as technology gains have slowed, the search for additional arable land has intensified. That's created an opening for entrepreneurs with visions of re-collectivizing the land in former communist… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 14, 2008 at 11:30am — 1 Comment

Mobile Internet in Pakistan

When Intel puts its weight behind an initiative, it automatically gets a boost. But when Google and Intel together join forces, no one in their right mind can bet against such a combined force. Mobile Internet with broadband access has achieved that inevitability with Google backing a Wimax joint venture between wireless veteran Craig McCaw's Clearwire and Sprint-Nextel. In addition to Intel and Google, this venture is also supported by Comcast and Time-Warner.



As the world goes… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 8, 2008 at 10:03pm — No Comments

India Racing Ahead in Space

"The mission was perfect," said G Madhavan Nair, chairman of the state-run Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Mr. Nair was celebrating the latest successful launch by India of a mission with 10 satellites from the Sriharikota space center off India's east coast.



This latest success by ISRO makes India a serious contender in the fast growing $2.5B commercial satellite launch business expected to grow rapidly over the next several years. The BBC is reporting that the rocket… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 28, 2008 at 8:00am — 6 Comments

Food Price Inflation Hits Silicon Valley

Food Price Hikes Hit Silicon Valley

By Riaz Haq

www.riazhaq.com



The prices of rice, chappati, besan, daals, spices and almost all staples consumed by silicon valley South Asians have experienced triple digit price inflation during the last year. After reading about food price inflation and shortages of staple foods in their home countries, Pakistanis and Indians are now feeling the pinch in Silicon Valley as Basmati rice is in very short supply even with a 300% price jump.… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 26, 2008 at 10:03pm — No Comments

Pakistan's New Era of Unchecked Corruption?

As Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and Mr. Nawaz Sharif together consolidate their power in Pakistan, there are renewed fears that a new era of of unchecked corruption is about to hit Pakistan. Let's hope that these fears are unfounded. Unfortunately, the history tells us otherwise.



In the past, Pakistanis have had to withstand plunder from only one of them at a time. The question now is: Can Pakistan survive a combined assault by both of these "gentlemen" and their cabinet ministers in… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 18, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Lawyers Movement Gone Awry!

"If they demand that the Afghan refugees be returned to Afghanistan, we demand that they (the Urdu-speaking Karachi-ites) be sent back to India" so says Mr. Latif Afridi, the President of Peshawar Bar Association. This outrage from Peshawar followed the clashes between the lawyers in Karachi which were triggered by the violence of the lawless lawyers of Lahore earlier.



The lawyers movement started well and helped bring about a positive change in Pakistan as a manifestation of the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 14, 2008 at 6:20pm — No Comments

Indian Sports Flush With Money

Indian Sports Attract Big Money, Stars

By Riaz Haq

http://southasiainvestor.blogspot.com



As India's economy, business and industry experience rapid growth, large amounts of sponsorship dollars are flowing into the various sports including cricket, football and golf. At first, most of the attention was on the big cricket stars such as Sachin Tedulkar grossing million of dollars a year. Then came the Indian Cricket League(ICL) and Indian Premier League(IPL) drawing the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 13, 2008 at 8:32am — No Comments

Lawless Lawyers of Lahore

The criminal behavior of the lawyers in Lahore has shocked the nation and the world. They not only kidnapped and injured former federal minister Dr. Sher Afghan Niazi but they threw rocks and flattened the tires of the ambulance that was taking him to the hospital for treatment. Mr. Aitezaz Ahsan, the leader of the lawyers movement, has resigned from his position as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.



While some may be tempted to call it an isolated incident, the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 8, 2008 at 10:42am — 2 Comments

Benazir Bhutto's Life on Silver Screen

A Pakistani film company is rushing into the production of a movie based on the life of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto in collaboration with noted Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, according to a news report in Pakistan Link.



Given the multi-dimensional significance of Benzair Bhutto to Pakistan and the world, it is not surprising that Lollywood and Bollywood together see her as an interesting subject to put on the big screen. What is surprising is the following statement by… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 7, 2008 at 9:32am — 1 Comment

US Poll: 81% Americans Unhappy

Eighty-one percent of Americans believe the US is headed in the wrong direction, says the latest NY Times/CBS poll conducted recently. This is the worst ever reading of dissatisfaction since this particular poll began in the 1990s. Although the public unhappiness has been rising since the early days of the Iraq war, it has taken a new turn for the worse in the last few months, as the economy has seemed to slip into recession. There is now nearly a national consensus that the country faces… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 4, 2008 at 3:32pm — No Comments

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    Blog Posts

    The WWF Championship Belt: From Canvas to Canvas

    The WWF Championship belt, beyond its status as a coveted prize in the world of professional wrestling, has also transcended the ring to become a source of inspiration for various art forms. Its iconic design elements and rich history have served as a muse for painters, sculptors, and even digital artists, transforming the championship belt into a canvas for artistic expression.



    A Champion's Canvas: Paintings and…

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    Posted by Ben Qadeer on May 17, 2024 at 5:38am

    Global Baby Bust: Pakistan is A Rare Bright Spot Among Most Populous Nations in Asia

    There is an alarming rapid decline in fertility rates in both developed and developing nations, according to the United Nations.  Here is how the Wall Street Journal describes it: "The world is at a startling demographic milestone. Sometime soon, the global fertility rate will drop below the point needed to keep the population constant. It may have already happened". …

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on May 14, 2024 at 9:30am

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