The Londoner

By By Aftab Maken With all the skepticism about the Gwadar Port becoming fully operational, the political will of the PPP government has made the strategic port handle 37 shipments of imported commodities and their disbursement to far-flung areas of the country. After satisfactory handling of recently imported shipments of wheat and fertiliser, the federal government entrusted the Gwadar Port with the task of handling more imported fertiliser, as the TCP has accepted bids for 255,000 tonnes for the Kharif season. The Gwadar port has handled 37 ships without any delay including one ship carrying 73,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Nasir Mehmud Khosa told The News during an informal talk the other day on his visit to Islamabad. Khosa said that the cost of transportation would be further reduced after the completion of Gwadar-Rato Dero section. Read the full story here .

By Sikander Hayat A few weeks back, I wrote an article about the necessity for more provinces in Pakistan and in response to that I received a lot of emails from you that it is not the issue of more provinces that will resolve the problems of Pakistan but making Pakistan a true federation will cure the ills of our country. I see this as a viable alternative solution and lately I have heard many notable politicians especially from Pakistan Muslim League (N) like Shahbaz Sharif and Khwaja Asif talking about the need for a new social contract in Pakistan where all six federal components namely Punjab, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir & Northern Areas be given equal representation in Parliament and Senate and each provincial assembly have sweeping powers in terms of tax collection, spending and other issues. Federal government must only have its jurisdiction in Defence, Foreign affairs, Currency and Communications ( air, sea and land ports should be under federal jurisdict

“Politics of fear” is in f full swing in United States of America these days. We the people of Europe are overwhelmingly in the column of Mr Obama but our votes do not count and the people who matter in this contest (the American Citizens) are in two minds. Should they vote for Obama to get that feeling of deed well done and free themselves of any guilt that they might have about the treatment of Blacks in America throughout her history or vote for a steady hand like John McCain and get blamed as a racist nation built on the bones of Native Americans. Both these assertions are a bit extreme as neither Mr Obama is as naïve as being portrayed by the rightwing media like Fox nor Mr McCain a hawk who wants to stay in Iraq for hundred years as being picked on by the Obama team. Both know that America is a nation built on free market capitalism and democracy, although not the founding stone of the nation, is now firmly rooted among its people. America is a juggernaut which will only change c