By Mahir Ali It is hardly likely that Bashir’s description of a previous dossier as ‘literature’ rather than evidence went down well among his hosts. –Photo by Reuters There is precious little risk of anyone putting too much store by last week’s talks between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan. Although Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir parted on a vaguely civil note by agreeing that the channels of communication would remain open, there has thus far been little indication of plans for further meetings. It has been speculated that Rao could visit Islamabad this month, ahead of the opportunity … Continue reading Mature Diplomacy in the subcontinent?

Dawn Editorial It is condemnable that bureaucratic hurdles are preventing more than 3,000 jackets from reaching the NWFP police; who are targeted on a regular basis. –Photo by AP Dawn.com It is unfortunate that matters have come to such a pass that the lackadaisical attitude displayed by Pakistani officialdom does not take anyone by surprise. But when this approach puts lives at risk then those guilty of inaction must be taken to task. The NWFP police force has been among those at the forefront of the battle against militancy. From suicide attacks to bombings of schools to assaults on convoys … Continue reading Bullet-proof jackets lie unused at Islamabad Airport whilst Mullahs kill

Land mafia and the law By Rafia Zakaria If success against the collusion of land mafias, political conglomerations and capitalist profiteering is solely at the discretion of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, then chances of ordinary citizens prevailing against the domineering tactics of land mafias are minimal. –File Photo In the outskirts of Lahore lies the village of Bagriyan, a once rural enclave of farmland and livestock that was of little interest to developers. This has changed in recent years as the population of Lahore catapulted to nearly 10 million and the village became part of the city district of Lahore. Property … Continue reading The vermin that is called The Land Mafia!

Want to seduce a man? Smile at him 35 times every hour: The bizarre but true secrets of attraction By Andrew Trees Relationships should be so simple. You meet someone, you fall in love. If all goes well, you live happily ever after. But finding Mr or Ms Right is rarely that straightforward. As author ANDREW TREES reveals in his new book Decoding Love, science and statistics can offer the best help with our quest for romance. HOW TO GET AN ELIGIBLE MAN TO COME AND TALK TO YOU You’ve seen a man you like across a crowded room – … Continue reading How to seduce!

Murder most fowl: Three hens and cockerel named Dude peck fox to death after it breaks into coop By Luke Salkeld Last updated at 12:48 AM on 03rd March 2010 Being chickens, they probably didn’t put too much thought into it. But somehow a flock of four birds managed to kill a fox that had slunk into their pen hoping to gobble them up. Their owner Michelle Cordell, 43, had the shock of her life when she went to collect the eggs on the weekend and instead found a heavily pecked pile of fur lying dead in the corner. Dude … Continue reading Chickens kill fox in UK!

The VIP vice Anjum Niaz The writer is a freelance journalist with over twenty years of experience in national and international reporting Last Sunday on a PIA flight from Karachi to Islamabad, we had a VIP travel in the first-class cabin. When the flight landed in Islamabad, we were made to wait until the VIP was safely seated in his waiting Mercedes flying two flags – the Pakistan and perhaps the PPP flags. The wait for us was not long, but what was shocking was to see the car drive up to the apron, as close as it could get … Continue reading Is it shitting down with V.I.Ps in Pakistan?

Talat Farooq Several rallies and protests have been organised by various religious political parties and their supporters in the aftermath of the Aafia trial in New York, demanding her release and return to Pakistan. Members of some non-conservative educational institutions have also joined in this flurry of emotional outbursts. The media has highlighted her ordeal without debating the downside of her story in objective detail. A whole generation of Pakistanis, grown up in an environment that discourages critical analysis and dispassionate objectivity in its educational institutions, has more or less allowed their emotions to be exploited. The Aafia case is … Continue reading Daughter of god?

The seven wonders of the solar system We’re living in a new golden age of exploration where we can marvel at the icy oceans of distant moons – and value Earth’s rarity, says Brian Cox. By Brian Cox telegraph Prof Brian Cox witnessing the 2009 total solar eclipse in Varanasi, India Photo: BBC When we think of the golden age of space exploration, our minds turn back to those black and white images of Apollo astronauts, the beeps of Sputnik as it broadcast from space. Today, space seems something of an afterthought: only this month, the pressures of the recession … Continue reading LIFE on Jupiter’s frozen moon, Europa?