January 1, 2006

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Earthly blow, enduring pain WHAT will be remembered for long as Pakistan’s “earthquake year” has ended, but the suffering and pain it caused will continue for years to come. The October 8 earthquake, which killed...		A year of traumatic trial THE year 2005 severely tested Pakistan for its capacity to deal with unusual crises. The most traumatic of these was the greatest natural disaster in its history....
Showcasing Pakistan’s image SOON after President Pervez Musharraf seized power in October 1999, Pakistan found itself in a state of isolation in the world community. In an age when respect for human rights and...		Doing the right things the wrong way THE October 8 earthquake and some of the right things done the wrong way in the outgoing year put to a severe test the sustainability of the recently acquired growth momentum....
A year of positives THE year 2005 will be remembered in Punjab — and elsewhere in the country — as one in which the assemblies entered the fourth year of their five-year constitutional term, escaping...		United against Kalabagh MATTERS related to the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and the construction of the Kalabagh dam seemed to dominate the political scene in Sindh, taking up considerable space in the print and electronic media during 2005....
A year of much turmoil BALOCHISTAN remained in crisis much of the year facing political as well as financial crises. The failure by the federal government — for yet another year — to announce an NFC award meant that the province’s finances continued to be shaky....		A grim year for the Frontier FOR the Northwest Frontier Province, the year 2005 was like no year before. Beset by heavy snow to massive floods and then by a killer temblor that left thousands dead and...
Those who left us PAKISTAN: Raheem Baksh Soomro, 85, former sindh minister and prominent politician, died Jan 24. Feb 1, Ishrat Hashmi, veteran television actress, Acting in famous dramas including Shama, Afshan, Ashiana, Aroosa, Khala Khairan and Tipu Sultan...		Social change, a far cry THE year 2005 saw a continuation of lack of commitment to social uplift. From human rights to crime, from corruption to inflation, from tragedy to abuse, from violence against women and...
America vs. the world ON THE face of it, a year bookended by a pair elections in Iraq doesn’t sound too bad. It’s got to be a sign of progress, doesn’t it? Well, not everyone appears to think so....		Peace prospects in South Asia PEACE prospects in South Asia receded somewhat during the course of 2005. The peace process between India and Pakistan, launched in January 2004, lost some of its momentum during the year....
Around East Asia THE year 2005 entered our lives in the wake of the devastating tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Somalia....		Turbulent times FOR the first time in three decades, 2005 was a year in which the Middle Eastern drama was played without one of its principal characters — Yasser Arafat....
Bad for some, good for others THE European Union ended 2005 on a more upbeat note than expected as leaders clinched a last-minute budget deal in the early hours of December 17, ending months of growing acrimony and bickering among the bloc’s 25 governments....		A long year in Afghanistan DOES a country like Afghanistan whose history is riddled with decades of conflict have much to show for this past year? Newspaper reports abound on the on-going military strife, suicide attacks, kidnappings and rampant crime....
Africa’s glimmer of hope WHILE there was no let-up in Africa’s human suffering brought on by several decades of conflict, death and disease, the year 2005 presented a ray of hope on at least two fronts....		Quality of economic growth MEASURED in nominal terms, Pakistan’s GDP in 2005 is put at $116 billion. However, calculated on the basis of purchasing power parity, the figure jumps up to $421 billion....
National January: 1 Pakistan and India exchange information on nuclear facilities and installations. 2 Pakistan releases 268 Indian fishermen arrested for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters...		International January: 1 The Asian tsunami of 2004 overshadows New Year celebrations throughout the world with several major cities cancelling festivities and others calling for moments of silence to mourn the dead....