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The Arab factor THIS was a few years before the break-up of the Soviet Union, but after Mikhail Gorbachev had launched the reforms of which he was to lose control later. About a dozen Muslim ambassadors, mostly Arabs...		Pak troops not required yet THE Saudi government sees the growing Pakistan-US relationship “as a source of strength” for its relations with both the countries. Pointing to the existing high-level of military cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan...
Moot at Gutter Baghicha THE vagabonds, street urchins, ignorant and foolhardy of Karachi gathered in a moot at Gutter Baghicha to discuss the enigmatic LFO. Later on, the moot was joined by two deranged thinkers — one each from Ramswami and Bhimpura, the old localities of Karachi....		A nation pitted against history DAWN Magazine (Aug 10, 2003) carried an interview of lawyer, politician and author, Aitzaz Ahsan, in which he discussed the issue of the making of the ‘Pakistan nation’, and the role...
Help keep the hills green THERE are several national parks in Pakistan and probably the most popular and most frequently visited is the Margalla Hills National Park. Spread over an area of more than fifteen thousand hectares, this national park is situated on...		Searching for the Indus Civilization WHAT came first...the chicken or the egg? This question seems to baffle all and sundry. Some say it’s the chicken, while some agree to the egg coming first....
Sincerely colourful RIAZ Rafee, an artist of varied interests, is associated with Actionaid as a consultant on children’s art. He, along with his team of artists, visit rural Pakistan in a bid to...		Pearl of the valleys WHEN a European tourist got up on a fine morning, he saw dewdrops adorning every leaf and petal. His excitement knew no bounds and he exclaimed loudly: “Oh! This is the Pearl Valley....
Take care of the female heart HEART diseases have become a serious global issue. Pakistan Cardiac Society, in collaboration with World Heart Federation (WHF) has been celebrating the World Heart Day for the past few years....		Re-living the past AFTER many summers, forty-seven summers to be exact, and equal number of winters, I decided this summer to go back to Ratti Gali, just to check whether those dreamy lakes do...
Heredity and DNA LIFE lives as an indivisible unit whole. It is established by the fact that the characteristics of each species remain firmly preserved in the heredity material of DNA, which exists in the nucleus of each cell of the organism, and the same characteristics without any variations are passed on to the offsprings....		Inscriptions on tombstones TO BURY the dead is an ancient practice. Believing that the dead may one day rise again and come to life, relatives and community people buried personal belongings that could be used in the next life. These included pottery, food, jewels, ornaments, and weapons....
Maulana Salahuddin Ahmad recalled WHILE talking about Maulana Chiragh Hasan Hasrat last week, I was reminded of a number of maulanas belonging to the world of literature and journalism. Out of them, I have, at...		Hot Seat NAEEM BOKHARI inherited the love for films from his parents, both fond of watching films in a cinema. The entire family going to cinemas with a’loo wale parathey was a regular...
Look, who is saying that! TOURING Pakistan has never been as life threatening and as dangerous as it has been made out to be in the aftermath of attack on the twin towers in New York and a bomb blast in front of the Pakistan and New Zealand players....		Proteas deserve to be condemned SO, the South Africans are finally coming. The sad manner in which the United Cricket Board of South Africa preferred to conduct itself in connection with the tour, I will be...
A shot at the gold AS happens with most of the columns that are written during the course of a tournament, you would know the contesting finalists of the Asia Cup by the time these lines appear in print. All I know at the time of writing is that Pakistan has qualified for the...		The development paradox ONCE in a while, I visit Islamabad to keep myself abreast with the latest scams and political shenanigans — who is doing what and making how much in the bargain. There I meet my bureaucrat friends who are...
Randomly speaking I WAS busy throughout the day. It was a hectic one, as all clients had chosen to visit my office same day. My luck! So bad, I was in no mood to sit in front of the computer and use my fingers anymore. Having reached home, my tired body didn’t know....		Malignant malady WITH reference to the three stories in the September 7 issue, Malignant malady touches very relevant aspects of maladministration in the health sector. However, it drags us through inconsequential quotes from...
MOSAIC: Natural resources and poor policies WILD natural resources in the two fragile ecosystems in Pakistan-productive and protective-are depleting due to government’s poor management policies. The abuse of wild natural resources has resulted in extensive desertification in the arid land and erosion in the high altitude regions....		Newsmaker FOR THE rich and famous, it is not easy to remain unnoticed for long, particularly if one is a notorious international criminal too. Charles Sobhraj, accused of murdering and robbing scores of tourists around Asia, was recently...