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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

A missive for Sir. Riaz Haq

Respected Sir Riaz,



Your prompt response reflected your ruly, kempt and neat disposition. It indeed gives me an alloyed emotion of pride and mirth to have earned the honour of interviewing a man of your stature. Certainly, it would add a new moon to our magazine. Thank you for granting us the access.



Afterwards, I would like to brief to you a little about the magazine I have been working for, for the last four years.



Sir, in my mail prior to this, I mentioned… Continue

Added by Haad-Bin-Tariq on June 6, 2008 at 2:15am — 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

A message for SIr. Riaz Haq

Respected Sir,



I hope to make my acquaintanceship with you won't be a breach of manner. Sir, I am a Final year student at NED University, graduating under the discipline of Electrical Enfgineering, which, I gather, is the same faculty that has engendered an emerald like you.



Sir, I have heard a lot about you and all in good words, that I assure you. I had been intending to join this Alumnus for sometime, but alas! levity and lethargy kept me from doing so.



I… Continue

Added by Haad-Bin-Tariq on June 4, 2008 at 9:20am — No Comments

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Added by Siddique on June 3, 2008 at 8:31am — No 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

AuthenTec acquires Software Assets of EzValidation

Prior to co-founding Precept (www.preceptglobalaccess.com), I founded and ran a software company named EzValidation (as CEO) for about 5 1/2 years. With my development team in Karachi, Pakistan, we developed state-of-the-art software for the cutting-edge fingerprint security applications. We worked with top-notch companies such as, AuthenTec, Fujitsu, Atrua, Validity Sensors and Computer Associates. Most recently, AuthenTec, a Florida-based publicly traded company on NASDAQ, has acquired all… Continue

Added by Shoieb Yunus on April 20, 2008 at 9:45pm — 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

Precept Productions' Shoieb Yunus Directs 1st Film, "Streets of Karachi"

Drama Tells the Story of a Pakistani Who, After Success in the United States, Returns Home





SAN FRANCISCO, CA and KARACHI, PAKISTAN--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 24, 2008 -- Precept Productions, an entertainment and media production firm focused on developing entertainment content for television and film, announced today that Shoieb Yunus, Managing Director, will make his debut as the director of its first feature film, "Streets of Karachi," a contemporary drama illustrating the culture… Continue

Added by Shoieb Yunus on April 17, 2008 at 10:28pm — 1 Comment

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

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    PFX to Advance Pakistan Air Force Modernization

    Pakistan has unveiled its PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental) program as a significant upgrade to its JF-17 joint program with China. The new upgrade will have a number of stealth features ranging from the use of radar-absorbing composite materials and diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) to internal weapons bay (IWB) which will significantly reduce the aircraft's radar signature. It is targeted for completion by the end of this decade. In addition, the PFX's twin-engine design will improve…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on January 20, 2025 at 1:00pm

    Pakistan to License Multiple LEO Satellite Internet Service Providers

    The Pakistan government is preparing to license three low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operators for space communication services in the country, according to media reports. The companies whose applications are pending include London-based OneWeb, China's Shanghai Spacecom and US headquartered Starlink.  They operate tens of thousands of small mass-produced satellites in low orbits that communicate with designated (mobile and stationary) ground stations.  Each LEO satellite circles the earth…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on January 15, 2025 at 1:30pm — 2 Comments

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