Syed Mohammad Ali Pakistan has failed to give disaster risk management national priority, with almost no separate budget line and allocations in the sector. Disaster risk management-related departments are said to be surviving on donations from the international community Despite being prone to a variety of natural and man-made threats, our decision makers have traditionally chosen to contend with these threats only after disasters have occurred. Subsequent to the October 2005 earthquake, which badly hit the northern areas of the country, it was, however, realised that disaster is not always best dealt with in a reactive manner, and that developing … Continue reading Contending with inevitable disasters

Ishtiaq Ahmed When Field Marshal Ayub Khan introduced the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, he was assailed by all the reactionary ulema because it regulated polygamy, introduced a minimum age for marriage and gave a share in property to grandchildren from their grandfather’s property even when their own father had passed away My recent op-ed, ‘The French burqa ban’ (Daily Times, February 2, 2010), has elicited spirited responses in the Pakistani English-language newspapers. That is a sign of healthy exchange of views. As always the liberal-left defence of reactionary practices is the most hypocritical because it derives from not some deeply … Continue reading Burqa championwalas

The beautiful ‘assassin’: ‘Hit squad with British passports accused of executing senior Hamas leader By Mail Foreign Service Claims that British and Irish passport holders are among an alleged 11-man hit squad wanted in Dubai for the apparent assassination of a Hamas commander are tonight being investigated by London and Dublin. Dubai police say the main suspect is Peter Elvinger, 49, who holds a French passport. He was the gang’s logistical co-ordinator and the one who booked room 237 in Al Bustan Rotana, down the corridor from the victim’s room – 230. The other suspects were identified as Irish nationals … Continue reading Dubai hit squad with British passports – here are their pictures!

Alton Towers theme park has been forced to ban a daredevil squirrel from one of its rides as its antics pose a health and safety risk. Telegraph The squirrel is now banned from riding on the Sonic Spinball ride at Alton Towers theme park Photo: PA The rodent was said to be causing headaches for operators at Alton Towers by getting in the way of improvement work on an attraction at the resort. Workers noticed it riding the revamped Sonic Spinball roller coaster as it was tested in the mornings and joining visitors who were offered an early go on … Continue reading Extremist Squirrel banned from riding rollercoaster at Alton Towers

Hugh Tomlinson in Dubai and Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem The Times (Reuters) Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was found dead in his Dubai hotel room Six suspects in the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai entered the country using British passports, it emerged yesterday. Police in the Gulf state announced that they were hunting for 11 suspects, including a woman, for the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a top Hamas commander, who was found dead in his Dubai hotel room on January 20. Six of these suspects were travelling on British passports and three were carrying Irish passports, including the woman. The … Continue reading ‘Mossad assassination squad used British passports’

Saudi Arabia by the Numbers To achieve an accurate measurement of Saudi public opinion, pollsters must pull some tricks out of their sleeves to overcome the roadblocks thrown up by one of the Middle East’s most conservative societies. BY DAVID POLLOCK The very concept of public opinion in highly secretive Saudi Arabia is almost an oxymoron. Hard data are difficult to come by, and even rarer is information about controversial and strategically critical current issues: views about military action against Iran, corruption and the state of civil liberties within the kingdom, religious extremism and al Qaeda, and donations to other … Continue reading Saudi public opinion

The Akbar Zeb story: too good to be true Posted By David Kenner I wrote last week about Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada Akbar Zeb’s reported rejection as ambassador to Saudi Arabia due to the unfortunate Arabic translation of his name as “biggest dick.” Alas, the story turns out to be false: Mr. Zeb has responded, saying that the press reports are nothing more than “a practical joke someone played on the Internet.” Zeb denies that he was ever considered for an ambassadorial position in Saudi Arabia; lending credence to his account, he has only been stationed in Ottawa for … Continue reading Ambassador Akbar Zeb and Arabs

By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Asia Times Online has received a message from top guerrilla commander Ilyas Kashmiri, whose 313 Brigade is an operational arm of al-Qaeda. The message arrived on Monday morning, shortly after the deadly weekend bombing of the German Bakery in the western Indian city of Pune. The message does not specifically claim responsibility for the bombing, but implies the Brigade’s involvement. The text of the emailed message reads, in rough translation: “We warned the international community to play their role in getting the Kashmiris their right of self-determination and preventing India from committing brutalities in … Continue reading Al-Qaeda chief delivers a warning

Dawn Editorial A pragmatic approach is needed to make young minds realise their potential as productive members of society. — File Photo Every now and then we get stark reminders of just how miserable the plight of education is in Pakistan. The Sindh Assembly was told during question hour on Friday that Jacobabad was the province’s least literate district, with only a third of its population able to read and write. Though the news is depressing, it should prompt us to think about what can be done to set things right. There is much that is wrong with Pakistan’s system … Continue reading Menace of illiteracy and Mullahism

By Ahmad Faruqui Azad Kashmir’s future is as murky today as it was in 1947. — File Photo by AFP Azad Kashmir was created within two months of Pakistan’s independence with high expectations. Nestled in the mountainous western region that abuts the vale of Kashmir, it forms an archer’s bow that is about 100 miles long and about 20-40 miles wide. The Pakistani security elite hoped that an arrow fired from the bow would bring about the instant liberation of the vale of Kashmir from Indian occupation. The first arrow was fired almost within days of creation. It plunged the … Continue reading Azad Kashmir today?