The Londoner

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

Washington has temporarily halted military supplies moving by ground out of Afghanistan along a key route through Pakistan , according to news agencies, citing safety concerns for its truck drivers. Activists have been staging protests along  key NATO supply routes  in Pakistan since November, after a drone strike killed the leader of the  Pakistani Taliban shortly before peace talks between the militant group and the government began. Some protestors have been detained for allegedly harassing truck drivers, according to  reports . Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan , head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been leading the protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province , where his party is in power. On Dec. 3, Khan  told the  Express Tribune  that PTI is also considering blocking supply routes that run through Punjab province and Balochistan. Read the full story here.  Related Posts: 1. Russia and America's New Arms Race - J. Michael Cole, Flashpoints

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday ceremonially broke ground on a $9.59 billion nuclear power complex to be built in Karachi with China’s help, seeking to ease Pakistan’s long-running energy crisis and signaling a new step by China in becoming a top nuclear supplier. The deal, which officials said was still being finalized, is a major new advance in energy cooperation between the two countries, dwarfing previous reactor projects built along with China at Chashma , in Pakistan’s interior. And it establishes a growing counterpoint to a nuclear axis between the United States and India in recent years that Pakistani officials have seen as an irritant and Chinese officials have seen as a geopolitical challenge. “The beginning of the 2,200-megawatt power project is indeed a proud moment in the energy history of Pakistan,” Mr. Sharif said at the ceremony, adding that the construction was to be completed in six years. The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, and officials fr

Pakistan ’s outgoing envoy to New Delhi said on Monday he saw “light at the end of the tunnel” in diplomatic relations and predicted the improvement would survive next year’s Indian elections. High Commissioner (ambassador) Salman Bashir said calm had returned to the neighbours’ de facto border in disputed Kashmir after a deadly flare-up earlier in the year and both sides were committed to improving ties. “I do not want to sound over-optimistic or exaggerate but what I am saying is that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Bashir told a farewell press conference in the Indian capital. “We have constantly worked for the improvement in relations between the two countries and at this point of time I am personally optimistic that we will be on the upward trajectory in the coming months.” Read the full story here. Related Posts:  1.  Indian Intelligence RAW, Mullah Fazalullah & Terror In Pakistan 2.  Deadly Anti Muslim Riots in north India 3.  Indi

MUMBAI, India — India’s economy is showing signs of a gradual recovery as gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 4.8 percent in the three months that ended in September. The growth surpassed the expectations of analysts , who projected a 4.6 percent rate, and was faster than the 4.4 percent pace seen in the previous quarter, which was the slowest growth in four years. “The Indian economy has bottomed out on growth, and I think we are definitely seeing signs of a mild, moderate recovery — not just the gross domestic product numbers but in the results of individual companies,” said Saugata Bhattacharya, chief economist at Axis Bank . “However, in order to resuscitate growth, the government must improve investment channels, take measures towards fiscal consolidation , decontrol diesel prices and simplify the tax structure.” The pickup in the September quarter was driven primarily by a good monsoon, which helped the agriculture sector expand at a 4.6 percent annual