All praise is due to Allah. May His prayers and blessings be upon his Last Messenger and on all those who follow the path of righteousness until the Last Day. Not just Muslims, but every single human being has to answer the most fundamental question at some point in his or her lifetime: “Why was I created? Why am I here? What am I doing in this world? Why did God create me?” These questions are questions which each and everyone of us reflects on at some point during their life. We have some answers, which are given generally but … Continue reading Why were we Created? – One Muslims view

By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – The move to change the name of restive North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa – meaning “Khyber side of the land of the Pakhtuns” – to reflect the majority ethnic Pashtun population of the province has stirred a violent backlash that adds another layer to the myriad problems Pakistan faces. More than a dozen people have been killed in the past week in clashes between the security forces and non-Pashtun protesters in NWFP. After a two-day debate, the senate on Thursday passed the 18th amendment to the 1973 constitution that instituted the name … Continue reading All change in Pakistan

By Hewad KABUL – Recent operations by foreign and Afghan government forces in Helmand province had little impact on Taliban capabilities ahead of the summer fighting season, an insurgent commander has claimed. Despite February’s assault by 15,000 troops on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, its ranks are unhurt, uncowed and poised to retaliate, Abu Hamza, who claims to command 300 rebel fighters operating in southern Afghanistan, told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in a telephone interview. “We will inflict heavy casualties on the foreigners this year,” Abu Hamza, who is well known in the region, said. “We have … Continue reading Taliban defiant following Marjah operation

By Mohammad Ilyas Dayee HELMAND – The people of Marjah, the focus of a major military operation in recent weeks to oust the Taliban, say they are still waiting for the promised security and reconstruction and many are afraid to leave their homes. Operation Moshtarak (Dari for “Together”) combined 15,000 Western and Afghan troops in a sweep across the southern Afghan province of Helmand that began in mid-February. But, it seems, ordinary life has yet to resume. While government and Western forces are present at all the major road intersections, locals are still afraid of the Taliban. The operation was … Continue reading Residents wait in fear for aid

Pakistan halts $25bn GDF Suez contract By Syed Fazl-e-Haider KARACHI – The Pakistan government has delayed an energy deal, due to be signed on April 15, with French company GDF Suez after the Supreme Court took a suo moto notice (that is, on its own initiative) of irregularities in the award of a multi-billion-dollar contract to the foreign firm. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources in February awarded a contract worth up to US$25 billion to GDF Suez, the highest bidder, to import 3.75 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for up to 20 years. The … Continue reading Pakistan halts $25bn GDF Suez contract due to possible $1billion scam

Terrorism: The nuclear summit’s ‘straw man’ By Shibil Siddiqi American President Barack Obama gathered 47 national delegations for the first Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington on April 12 and 13. It was the largest gathering of world leaders in Washington since the close of World War II. The scale of the summit was meant to impress the gravity of the subject matter. In Obama’s words, “This is an unprecedented gathering to address an unprecedented threat”: the prevention of nuclear terrorism. In trademark style, Obama offered rhetorical flourishes to fit the occasion: “Two decades after the Cold War we face … Continue reading Terrorism: The nuclear summit’s ‘straw man’

Kyrgyz leaders start treasure hunt By Asyl Osmonalieva Of the challenges for Kyrgyzstan’s new leadership in the wake of the overthrow of president Kurmanbek Bakiyev last week, the country’s dire economic situation surely tops the list. As it struggles to meet the expectations of those who brought it to power, the interim government is trying to identify what money it has available and is asking Russia for emergency funding. Soon after taking over following the popular unrest of April 6-7 that swept president Bakiyev from power, the new administration began getting to grips with the numerous urgent problems facing the … Continue reading Treasure hunt in Kyrgyz!

By Peter J Brown Last September, China announced that it had finished what it described as the most accurate and highest resolution 3-D map ever created of the lunar surface. A seemingly unrelated event invited close scrutiny of this accomplishment. Enter a missing Russian moon rover. Lunokhod-2 slipped out of sight 37 years ago, and then sat quietly on the surface of the moon waiting to be found. Lunokhod-2 was a remarkable machine, and it is most famous for its 35 kilometer trip across the lunar surface in 1973. This was a great achievement at the time, and it remains … Continue reading China’s map leaps over the moon