Dawn.com In a country where extended family is important and most middle-class women rely on servants for household work and child-minding, Ambreen and Nadia may be saved some of the problems faced by women in the West. —AFP Photo ISLAMABAD: Ambreen made Pakistani history by becoming one of the country’s first female fighter pilots, but on Sunday she was due to swap her flight schedule for an arranged marriage. “It’s all set and planned, but I haven’t talked to him,” she admits, her face scrubbed clean and wearing a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jumpsuit – a far cry from the … Continue reading Sky is the limit for Pakistan’s women fighter pilots!

High drama in the sky Reviewed by Muhammad Ali Siddiqi Dawn.com October 12, 1999: Pakistan Army takes control of Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International Airport —Photo courtesy of http://www.historyofpia.com/forum Of the two principal characters involved in the nerve-racking drama on the evening of Oct 12, 1999, when the fate of 198 passengers on board flight PK 805 hung in the balance, one was supposed to be a paragon of virtue, the other a scoundrel. Author Aminullah Chaudry has tried to prove that both were great scoundrels. One was a household name, Nawaz Sharif; the other name would hit world headlines when he … Continue reading High drama in the sky – Musharraf and Sharif

Is there anybody out there? Scientists believe there could be 10,000 civilisations in our galaxy and millions are being spent trying to find them the sunday times uk <!– Remove following to not show photographer information –> (Christopher Lamarca/Redus for The Sunday Times Magazine) The Allen Telescope Array in California. These dishes are being used for radio observations of our galaxy and beyond, and could detect signals from alien civilisations I am nervous about meeting Jill Tarter. This is not just another interview. In another world we were lovers. I was Palmer Joss, she was Ellie Arroway. Tarter has the … Continue reading Aliens are already here and we accidently beamed hardcore porn to their home planets – Scientists!

Malthus’s disciples —Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur There are some 23,300 nuclear weapons, made and maintained at enormous cost and enough to destroy the earth a thousand times over, in the arsenals of eight states. A-bombs neither alleviate poverty nor raise literacy rates. There should be total nuclear disarmament The inexorable worldwide slide into the quagmires of poverty, social upheavals and environmental disasters is not only being ignored but positively speeded up by the powers who, blinded by their enormous profits from arms sales, have relegated peaceful conflict resolution to a very secondary position and allowed rulers to squander and spend … Continue reading There are some 23,300+ nuclear weapons on Earth

New dimensions of counter-terrorism —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi A major shift has taken place in the disposition of the Pakistan Army and the intelligence agencies towards the Pakistan-based Afghan Taliban in January-February 2010. Some of the well known Afghan Taliban leaders and TTP activists have been arrested in different cities, especially from Karachi Pakistan has gone a long way in countering terrorism over the last one year. Its civilian government and the military top brass are in harmony on dealing effectively with the Taliban and other groups that are directly challenging the writ of the Pakistani state. The army authorities have … Continue reading Pakistan has gone a long way in countering terrorism over the last one year.

Smokers’ Corner: Realpolitik Nadeem F. Paracha The recently concluded by-election in Rawalpindi’s NA-55 constituency, the interest and voter turnout it generated, was a healthy sign for the democratic process. It clearly reflected the fact that democracy is alive and kicking. Much has been said about the contest, but whereas the media’s focus remained on the main contestants — PML-N’s Shakeel Awan and former PML-N heavyweight, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed — a look at the performances of some other contestants went missing. There were a total of 22 contestants in the constituency, a contest that was left wide open when the country’s … Continue reading Imran Khan needs to cease being a mullahs whore

The ultimate Asian ‘phone clones’ The weird and wonderful world of knock-off mobile phones can produce the occasional pleasant surprise By Hunter Skipworth The BlueBerry is such a good imitation of the BlackBerry Bold that it fooled thousands of people The SciPhone is almost indistinguishable from a genuine Apple iPhone China – famous for its knock-off versions of games consoles, software and electronic devices – is excelling itself with its latest array of imitation handsets. The huge success of the Apple iPhone, and our love affair with smartphones, means Chinese companies have seen an opportunity to make a fast buck. … Continue reading Pakistanis build better copied iPhones than Apple! Seriously! (I am ordering my iPad from Pakistan who else?)

Germans tell Greeks to rise earlier and work harder to avoid financial crisis A German tabloid has advised Greeks to adopt a more Germanic work ethic – by rising earlier and working harder – in order to solve the country’s financial crisis. telegraph.co.uk Newspaper claimed that Germany sends thousands of tourists and money aplenty to Greece Photo: Alamy On Thursday, two German politicians told their Greek counterparts that the country should sell off its assets – art, historic buildings and islands – before accepting international aid. George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, was dispatched abroad, to seek the help of … Continue reading Germans tell Greeks ‘Get up off ze backzides ze lazy tozzers!’

Gean Hodsdon: OAP, 90, celebrates birthday by white water rafting down rapids A Scottish grandmother, Gean Hodsdon, celebrated her 90th birthday on Friday by white-water rafting, after her doctor refused to allow her to go skydiving. By Andrew Hough Published: 8:00AM GMT 06 Mar 2010 90-year-old Gean Hodsdon, centre, rafting on the River Tay in Perthshire Photo: SCOTIMAGE The daredevil grandmother, who has had two replacement knees, lives in a nursing home and normally walks with two sticks, embarked down the white-water river rapid in the icy River Tay. She paddled the River Tay at Aberfeldy, Perthshire on Friday, to … Continue reading On her 90th birthday – an Elder takes to WATER RAFTING 😀 (Love it!)

By Imtiaz Gul The Dawn.com The majority of Afghans seem united in suspecting Pakistan of playing. — File Photo World No school for almost half of Afghan children ACCESS TO EDUCATION No school for almost half of Afghan children The well-planned assaults around the City Centre shopping complex and the Safi Landmark hotel in Kabul on Feb 26 delivered yet another blow to the Pakistan-Afghanistan-India confidence-building process. This was the third attack on Indian interests — apparently — in Afghanistan during the past 20 months. Condoling the deaths of nine Indians that included members of a medical team serving at … Continue reading Challenges in Afghanistan and projecting a positive image of Pakistan