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Three paths to nowhere EDUCATION in Pakistan is at present passing through a critical phase. This is natural because national life as a whole, of which education is an integral part, is also passing through such a phase. The most dangerous fallout of our existing...		A fresh approach is needed DR Atta-ur-Rehman, who heads the government’s Higher Education Commission, and is the coordinator of the OIC Committee on Science and Technology, says the late start made by President Pervez Musharraf’s government to take Pakistan...
Puzzled children of Khuda-ki-basti FOLLOWING is a chapter from the personal diary of my mystic friend, Jogi. I reproduce it with his permission: Wonder boy Selani, the wanderer of Khuda-ki-Basti came along with the gang of his friends in tatters, and asked, “Uncle Jogi, what happened to Khuda?...		Hibernation of many kinds HIBERNATION is one of nature’s most fascinating processes. The word hibernation means “winter sleep”. However it is more than simple slumber. Hibernating animals may appear to be dead when they are in a deep state of hibernation. However, some hibernating animals....
Of moots, meetings, seminars and... THE chief executive of an NGO was running from pillar to post, trying to seek the approval of the concerned department for launching an awareness campaign on a sensitive social subject. As he had already obtained “generous funding” for this most noble cause...		Searching for Sars THE year is barely six months old and already we have at least two stories in contention for the slot of News of the Year. The first of course is American...
Going for an overkill “EVERYONE is ignorant but on different subjects.” I came cross this one-liner in the Reader’s Digest. I must clarify that I didn’t read the Reader’s Digest but since I travelled so...		What price freedom? IT is only when a woman is brought to the brink, and as a last resort, will she seek refuge outside her home. Who wants to leave home just for the heck of it?” explains Ayesha Mir, programme coordinator at Shirkat Gah, Karachi....
Cardiac surprises can be prevented ISCHAEMIC Heart Disease (IHD) is rated as the No.1 killer of adult population worldwide. Epidemiological studies have found South East Asia (Pakistan included) as the high risk region for IHD....		A dream within a dream NOW we were very close to our destination of the formidable Ratti Gali peak, for which we had been travelling under all kinds of conditions all these past many days. Though...
A wasted genius MY heart sinks in grief — and in shame. Another man wasted — Jaun Elia died on 8 November 2002. But who was Jaun Elia? In a society where cast, creed, religion, and ethnic background is the primary determinant of one’s...		Justifying wars is nothing new THUCIDIDES, the Greek historian, writing on wars of his time, points out that the main motive of war was to loot and plunder and not occupation of other’s territory. In the later period, when nations developed agriculture and trade and accumulated wealth and resources, victors not only....
Nazir: an enchanting poet NAZIR Akbarabadi was an alluring and enchanting poet of masses. His expressions comprise of folk phraseology and are garbed in unique humour. Yet it is not all about him. He had a deep sense of studying the minutest of details of anything. His insight did not leave anything unnoticed from a basic thing like the blade of a grass...		An impatient soul THIS is perhaps my fifth introduction to the impatient soul known as Athar Tahir as I am trying to acquaint myself with his calligraphy. He has now made his appearance as...
Rain rules the cricket CRICKET and rain have had a long relationship. Rain is an important factor in determining the outcome of a match. Ever since the South African tragedy in the 1992 World Cup semi-final, we have seen more than once, teams robbed of victory...		Pakistan cricket going nowhere THE last few days have been quite eventful for anyone who follows cricket with any degree of seriousness. First it was that remarkable and historic victory that the West Indies registered...
Discipline at all costs THE decision of the Pakistan Hockey Federation to sideline Nadeem ND, who was captain of the national team that recently clinched the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, is bound to set...		Clinton comes to dinner FACE-to-face with the 42nd President of America! Does one shoot a question or take his photo? The gut-wrenching decision makes the brain waves move at supersonic speed. “Mr President, what do you think of Pakistan?” is all I can muster, while missing....
Windows of opportunity AS a consequence of the events of 9/11, tourism in Pakistan suffered a great deal. And, in addition to this, the periodical negative travel advisories issued by the G-8 countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat did not help matters for the local tour operators and hoteliers. The cumulative impact of it all is that the...		Kashmir: a festering wound IN Asghar Khan’s interview, in the April 27, 2003 issue, he has suggested that Kashmir should become an independent state. Later Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan, in a letter, criticized that suggestion,...
MOSAIC: The news that didn’t make it PAIN, suffering, injustice and terrorism. We are living in a world fraught with fear and insecurity. But life goes on and almost everybody in the world is trying to live their lives as normally as possible. Still that doesn’t mean that all of us have accepted the current harsh realities of life.....		Newsmaker SUCH has been his dominance of the cricketing world and such has been his resilient, never-say-die spirit that many are still wondering if Wasim Akram has really called it a day. After all, he has returned from the brink several times, only to prove himself even...