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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

Added by Riaz Haq on October 8, 2009 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

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… Continue

Added 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 initiated by Dr. Ata ur Rahman, adviser to President Musharraf, in 2002. This reform resulted in a 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

Added by Riaz Haq on September 5, 2009 at 7:30am — 3 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… Continue

Added 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 Technology (IITs), are often compared with world-class schools, but the American investors and businesses have finally learned the hard way that there is huge gap between the few tier one schools and the large number of tier two and three schools in India. Other than about 5000 graduates from the… Continue

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

Pakistan's Dietary Habits and Sugar Crisis



World raw sugar futures hit a 28-year high of 23.52 cents a pound last week as the fears of a bad sugarcane harvest grew stronger. The key background factor is the continuing scarce supply scenario in the global market because of weather factors, particularly in India, the second largest producer of sugarcane, according to the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 2, 2009 at 10:00am — 29 Comments

NY Times Fires Harpoon at Heart of Pak Aid Bill



The New York Times is quoting unnamed senior Obama administration and Congressional officials as claiming that the United States is accusing Pakistan of illegally modifying American-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles to expand its capability to strike land targets, a potential threat to India.



American military and intelligence officials reportedly say they suspect… Continue

Added 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… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 28, 2009 at 4:30pm — 1 Comment

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… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 19, 2009 at 8:55am — 8 Comments

Three Summer Days in Beijing



My family and I arrived on a Saturday evening in late July at Beijing's international airport's beautiful and spacious terminal 3, the new massive glass and steel structure that was opened just prior to last year's Summer Olympics in the city. I did not see it when I visited Beijing… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2009 at 9:05am — 6 Comments

Karachi in July 2009





Arrival in Karachi



My family and I arrived at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport on Tuesday in mid-July, 2009, after a short flight from Dubai in the afternoon. Our arrival was an hour later than scheduled. The disembarkation from the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 5, 2009 at 8:44am — 3 Comments

Dubai in July



My family and I stopped in Dubai for a three-day vacation in July on our way to Pakistan from the United States. As I was planning the Dubai stopover, a friend of mine who maintains an apartment in Dubai for his frequent business trips there heard about it, and offered to me the use of his apartment and his driver for the duration of our stay. This friendly gesture… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on August 2, 2009 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

Science, Discovery and Daydreams



Much is often made of logic, methodical reasoning and rationality in Science, but it seems from the latest research about human mind that the actual process of… Continue

Added 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… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on June 10, 2009 at 10:01pm — 2 Comments

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



The Human Development Foundation (HDF) held its sixth annual benefit dinner at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose, CA, yesterday, May 30, 2009. The dinner attracted about 500 attendees. In spite of the down economy and rising unemployment in the high-tech valley, the event exceeded… Continue

Added 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

Added 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 had been artificially enhanced. Pakistan has many dangerous diseases and pathogens under its control. The Nunn-Lugar program can help secure the pathogen strains to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands. Equally important, the U.S. can assist Pakistan in establishing a system… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 16, 2009 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

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.… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 11, 2009 at 10:00pm — 4 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… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on May 5, 2009 at 8:45am — 6 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… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on April 29, 2009 at 4:00pm — 4 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    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 — 1 Comment

    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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