The Londoner

By Sikander Hayat Indian army has today fired shells on Pakistani army in the Shakargarh region and has injured 2 Pakistani soldiers.  As usual both sides have blamed each other for starting the firing. BJP is trying to form government in Indian Administered Kashmir and this could be a ploy to concentrate minds in PDP camp. This is not a new tactic and has been deployed in the past. At the moment BJP is fighting hard to not only be part of government in Kashmir but have the post of chief minister at least on the rotation basis. BJP does not have a single seat in the Kashmir Valley & Ladakh as both of these areas are Muslim majority. All of BJP's 25 seats have come from Jammu which has a Hindu majority. BJP's hindutwa politics have worked their magic in Kashmir and have divided the state on religious level by making Kashmir & Ladaakh voting for Muslim candidates & Jammu entirely going for Hindu candidates. Few years ago Pervez Musharaf forwarded an &qu

By Sikander Hayat Who is responsible? There are major fires in all major cities of the world but the frequency of such incident in Pakistan is extraordinary. Some of the reasons are as follows: 1. The role of money in granting permits to have industrial waste in close proximity to housing 2. Not near enough investment in the fire fighting equipment 3. No adequate training for the fire fighting staff 4. Corrupt nature of the political class which does not care enough for people and has no sense of public duty 5. Regional political rivalry between MQM & Pakistan Peoples Party as both parties are quick to claim Karachi as their own but where good government is required, none of these two take responsibility. People like Sherjeel Memon & Farooq Sattar were quick to apportion blame on each others parties but PPP being in the government should have taken responsibility instead of wasting time in press conferences while Karachi was on fire. Following steps nee

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By Sikander Hayat   1.  Pakistan must not be governed by family dynasties like that of Zardari Bhuttos & Sharifs 2.        Merit must be the only qualification for getting into government posts  3.        Everyone must declare their assets (held inside Pakistan & in foreign countries) before they come into public office. These figures must be verified by election commission and when that leader leaves office, he/she must declare what they have acquired in terms of wealth during their stay in office.  4.        Election commission must be free and able to hold free elections without pressure from anyone 5.        Pakistan army must never interfere in the government’s work  6.        All corrupt government officials must be brought to justice  7.        Education must be free and of good quality uptill the primary level so that everyone can read & write  8.        Health services must be revampe

By Sikander Hayat Sri Lanka has beaten Pakistan in the 2nd T20 and has leveled the series 1-1. Pakistan lost the match in the first innings as Pakistani bowlers were unable to contain the Lankan batsmen who played brilliantly and with freedom that is associated with vintage Lankan batsmen of the previous generation. J ayasuria, Aravinda & Rana Tunga were the torchbearers of the older generation but the current generation has proved that baton has been passed to the correct people. Pakistani batsmen made a valiant effort to chase the score and in the end were 20 odd runs short of the target. This is good practice for Pakistan for the coming T20 world cup as Pakistan has not been very good at chasing good totals and on odd occasions when Pakistani bowlers failed in their quest to restrict the opposition, Pakistani batting has been found wanting. In the end it was a very good effort by Pakistani batsmen like Sohail Tanweer ( who is turning into a bit of an all

Abdul Quader Mollah, 65, was hanged Thursday night for war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. The case has exacerbated the explosive political divide in Bangladesh, an impoverished country of 160 million. Even as violence swept through parts of the country Friday, hundreds of people rejoiced in the streets of the capital, Dhaka, and said justice had been served. In an editorial, Bangladesh's English-language Daily Star newspaper congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for trying and executing Mollah "40 long years" after he committed his crimes. Mollah, a leader of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, was the first person to be hanged for war crimes in Bangladesh under an international tribunal established in 2010 to investigate atrocities stemming from the independence war. Following the execution, Jamaat-e-Islami activists on Friday attacked ruling party supporters and minority Hindus in parts of Bangladesh

India-Pakistan nuclear war could 'end human civilisation' Even limited nuclear exchange would devastate food production around the world, according to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War A nuclear war between India and Pakistan would set off a global famine that could kill two billion people and effectively end human civilization . Even if limited in scope, a conflict with nuclear weapons would wreak havoc in the atmosphere and devastate crop yields , with the effects multiplied as global food markets went into turmoil, the report said. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Physicians for Social Responsibility released an initial peer-reviewed study in April 2012 that predicted a nuclear famine could kill more than a billion people. In a second edition, the groups said they widely underestimated the impact in China and calculated that the world's most populous country

By Sikander Hayat Pakistan has beaten Afghanistan in the only T20 which was played in Sharjah, UAE. Hafeez was the captain of Pakistan and apart from running Sohaib Maqsood out, played well & took Pakistan home. Afghanistan played really well and proved that they are the worthy qualifiers for the ODI & T20 world cup . Afghanistan have some really good players and have the potential to beat any side in world cricket.  Following websites have more details about this match. 1. AFG vs Pak, Only T20I, Sharjah 2.  Sharjeel debuts, Afghanistan bat 3.  Pakistan win thriller against Afghanistan in only T20 at Sharjah 4.  Pakistan vs Afghanistan T20 in Sharjah: Pakistan register thrilling six-wicket win HOME

By Sikander Hayat  Balochistan Elections have been a total success with 7000 seats being contested. Results are not out yet but overall peace has prevailed throughout the province. Out of 7000 seats, 500 seats were in the insurgency hit areas and elections may have to be held again in these areas. This is a successful show by the provincial government as these were the first local government elections after the 18th amendment which has given the provinces the power to have their own local bodies which are suited to their own local needs. Whats good for Sindh and Karachi may not work for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa . Provincial government of Mr Maalik must be congratulated on conducting an overall successful election. There were minor problems where voters at some polling stations voters names were not on the lists but these problems were few and overall satisfactory elections took place. Following websites have relevant information about the Balochistan elections: 1.

The Balochistan government has chalked out a comprehensive security plan to ensure peaceful local government elections in the volatile province. Local bodies’ elections, scheduled for Saturday Dec 7, appear to be a major challenge for the provincial government in Balochistan, led by nationalist Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. The May 11 general elections witnessed violent attacks by separatist armed groups in the capital Quetta and other troubled parts of the province. Asad Gilani, the Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Department in Balochistan , said 55,000 security personnel including 5,000 personnel of the Pakistan Army would be deployed across the province to make the polls peaceful. Around 18,000 candidates are testing their muscle to win 4,168 seats. Baloch, Pashtun nationalists, religious parties and mainstream political parties including the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) are contesting the elections