Pakistani Achievers

[MohammedA]

Admin:

Could we please setup a sticky for this thread. Post any news on Pakistanis overseas and in Pakistan who have won awards or been recognised for their services, i.e doctors, scientists, police, military, etc.

[MohammedA]

Pakistani American Among Top Ten US Cops
NCPA
WASHINGTON: Oct 31 - Out of 23,000 police officers in the United States, ten were proud award recipients in 2003, one amongst them being a Pakistani-American, Police Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi of the Houston Police Department.
The ten top cops received the top Law Enforcement Awards at a ceremony held at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Officer Siddiqi represents both what’s good about America and how the Muslim and Asian communities are enriching our lives as Americans,” said Faiz Rehman, President of the National Council of Pakistani Americans (NCPA). Calling him a role model for the immigrant communities, Mr. Rehman said, “In a very short period of time, Officer Siddiqi through sheer hard work and good work ethics has made a name for himself at the national level.”
The Top Law Enforcement Award in the country is given in recognition of exceptional police work.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Parade Magazine have selected Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi from nominations submitted nationwide for recognition in their 2003 Police Officer of the year program. The police officer of the year award symbolizes the highest level of achievement among police officers in the country.
IACP is the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with over 19,000 members in over 89 different countries. IACP’S leadership consists of the operating chief executives of international, federal, State, and local Law Enforcement agencies of all cadres.
Siddiqi is a former inspector at the 'Eagle Squad' of Karachi, and has so far earned a number of distinctions. He migrated to the US in 1989, and is in the Houston Police Department since 1997.
Siddiqi is the first American Muslim and the first of Pakistani descent to earn this high Distinction. The award is a great honor for our community.
He has received numerous awards including Officer of the year in 2000 by Houston Police Department, U.S. Congressional Recognition, State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award by Governor Rick Perry, Four Chief Commendations by former Houston Police Chief C.O.Bradford, Officer Of the Month Award from the American Society of Industrial Security, and the Bravo Award from the City of Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown.
The End.

[MohammedA]

Beacon Fellowship award for 15-year-old British-Pakistani

By Rehan Aslam

LAHORE: Fifteen-year-old British Pakistani vocalist Sarah Francis was chosen from among 765 people, many of them already rich and famous in their fields, to receive the prestigious Beacon Fellowship “Young Philanthropist” award.

She was awarded alongside millionaire entrepreneur Zac Goldsmith, son of the late Sir James Goldsmith. Winners from other sections include giants such as 88-year-old John Profumo, former war minister in Winston Churchill’s cabinet chief advisers. The only other Asian winner was 70-year-old Lord Amir Bhatia of Hampton, who was rewarded for his work on behalf of ethnic minority charities and causes in the United Kingdom.

Sarah was recognised for her philanthropic work to raise the profile of Afghan refugees in Pakistan using her unusual song “Voice of Freedom” as the focal point for a number of fund-raising concerts, as well as CD and calendar sales.

She raised over £12,000 in a year, which she presented in June 2003 to President Pervez Musharraf for the President’s Relief Fund for Afghan Refugees. The song also promotes the central values of Pakistan, faith, unity and discipline, by using a sampled recording of the voice of Jinnah himself speaking those very words in 1948 in Peshawar.

Through this song, Sarah has therefore been able to simultaneously educate her army of listeners (primarily in the English-speaking world), introduce many of them to Jinnah and his message, present Pakistani values in a positive light, and highlight the plight of a largely forgotten two to three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Her pioneering approach to charitable work so impressed the Beacon Fellowship judges, Sarah earned a trip to Downing Street in January 2004, where she will receive her award from the Chancellor of the Exchequer Honourable Gordon Brown. Chancellor Gordon Brown is no ordinary man.

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/Feb04/06/08.html

Physician of the Year’ Award for Pakistani

Washington, DC: Dr. Attique Samdani, a noted physician of Pakistani origin, is to receive the ‘Physician of the Year Award’ says an announcement of the Physicians Advisory Board of the National Congressional Committee.


The selection is based on performance during the preceding year. The Award is presented to outstanding medical professionals at a formal ceremony, where Republican Members of the US Congress and Administration officials along with physicians are invited, followed by a daylong seminar on medical practice, medicare/medicaid reform.

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/Jan04/09/10.html

First Pakistani-American Mayor of Baskin Ridge

New Jersey: Mohammad Ali Chaudry has been sworn in as the first Pakistani-American Mayor of the town of Baskin Ridge in New Jersey State. Formal name of the township is Bernard Township.


The Mayor’s Reception was held at the Bernards Township Community Center, which Ali helped build in 1996-1997.


Ali has been active in local politics since 1988. Sahiwal-born Ali, left Pakistan in 1963 to study at the London School of Economics, and after completing his four-year course, came to the United States in 1967 and earned a Ph. D. in Economics from Tufts University in Michigan State (1972).


He served the long distant AT&T Company for 30 years and retired in 1998. He worked with AT&T from 1968 to 1998 in the Strategic Planning and CFO organizations, and also served as CFO of the Public Relations Division.


Ali entered politics in 1988 . Dr. Chaudry was elected to the Bernards Township Board of Education (1990 to 1995). He worked for the Board of Education long-range projection enrollment plan. In five years he was elected three times.


Ali contested the Township Council seat elections in November 2001, and despite the rise in hatred against Pakistanis after the Sep.11 attacks, secured 59% votes and won the Council seat till 2005.


The council involves rotation among its winning Council members every two years and public chooses five Council members to be elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Ali was elected Deputy Mayor for the year 2003, and Mayor for 2004.He relinquished his Deputy Mayor charge on Dec.31.03.


He is a member of the economics faculty of the University of Phoenix Online and Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Raritan Valley Community College.


Ali is a member of the Board of Directors of Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition and has been appointed to the Family Services of Morris County Board of Managers. Dr. Chaudry is a co-founder of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, one of the first major Islamic centers in the state and served as President of the American Islamic Academy in Boonton for more than 10 years.


Dr. Chaudry served as President of the American Muslim Alliance New Jersey Chapter and led the efforts to educate the Muslim American community in political participation.


Since the September 11 tragedy, Dr. Chaudry has been active in interfaith dialogs and creating bridges of understanding among the American and Pakistani community at large


Speaking with NNI Ali said, “I am delighted to be in a position where I would be seen as an example of Pakistani- Americans. It’s the best way to serve as Ambassador of Pakistan.” He added, “We would be seen in a much more positive light.”

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakdef.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5101

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_24-2-2004_pg2_16

Pakistan’s Zahid in Canadian cricket team

ISLAMABAD: Sargodha-born Pakistani Canadian Zahid Hussain has been included in the Canadian national cricket squad.

According to Voice of America, left-arm leg-spinner Zahid Hussain is the second Pakistani included in the squad. The International Cricket council (ICC) Qualifying Tournament will commence in Dubai and Sharjah from February 29. Besides Canada, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Holland, Scotland, Namibia and USA will also participate in the tournament. Another Pakistani-Canadian Umer Bhatti is leading the Canadian Under-19 cricket team in Bangladesh currently. —APP

[MohammedA]

This is
LONDON
26/02/04 - News and city section

Bashir lured to US by $1m deal
By Tariq Tahir, Evening Standard

Broadcaster Martin Bashir has been lured to the United States by a $1 million deal, it emerged today.

The 41-year-old, who made his name through controversial interviews with the Princess of Wales and Michael Jackson, is to leave ITV for the ABC network.

He will take over from veteran current affairs presenter Barbara Walters, who is retiring from ABC's long-running weekly news show 20/20.

Bashir will leave Granada when his contract expires in July and is expected to fill her role doing confessionalinterviews with high-profile public figures.

His Living With Michael Jackson - an edition of the Tonight show - was named programme of the year at the Royal Television Society's journalism awards on Tuesday.

In it the singer admitted sharing a bed with children at his Neverland ranch - a confession that prompted California prosecutors to investigate allegations of abuse against him. He has since been charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy he was seen holding hands with in the film.

But the programme, which attracted 14 million viewers in Britain and 27 million in the U.S, was dogged by controversy after Jackson claimed Mr Bashir induced him into making comments that were taken out of context.

The singer later released his own video footage of the interview in which Mr Bashir appeared to win his confidence by telling him how impressed he was with the love Jackson has for his children.

Jackson has since called the allegations of child molesting "a big lie," saying he did not share a bed with the boy. He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Jackson has also launched a legal action against Mr Bashir, claiming he was betrayed by the portrayal of him in the programme.

During Mr Bashir's 1995 interview with Diana for the BBC's Panorama, the Princess famously revealed "there were three people in this marriage" - a reference to her husband Prince Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.

That programme has also come under fire, with the Duchess of York last year claiming Mr Bashir duped her former sisterinlaw into giving the intimate answers she did.

Mr Bashir has worked for Tonight since it started in 1999.

Last year his Millionaire - A Major Fraud about the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire cheat Major Charles Ingram - was seen by 15 million people, the biggest audience for a factual programme since 1997.



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Find this story at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/9357102?version=1
©2004 Associated New Media

[MohammedA]

This is
LONDON
27/02/04 - London news section

The first Asian woman MP?
By Ben Leapman, Evening Standard, Political Reporter

When she arrived in Britain she spoke no English and faced racist taunts at school. Today she is in pole position to become the country's first Asian woman MP.

Yasmin Qureshi was nine when she moved from Pakistan to Watford with her family in 1972. She was shocked by the prejudice and the freezing weather.

But she went on from state school to university and a career as a high-flying barrister. Now she could be on her way to Parliament after she was confirmed as Labour candidate for Brent East.

Ms Qureshi, 40, told the Standard she had a lot to overcome when she began her new life in Britain. She said: "I didn't speak any English, although I knew the alphabet. We used to get name-calling, the usual kind of things. Some of the kids would call out 'Pakis'. At that age you don't realise the full significance. I had to work harder to prove myself."

Her teachers were "not particularly encouraging", she said, but she thrived academically - with her engineer father and housewife mother urging her on.

"I would say that my parents have been the anchor and the backdrop," she said.

Ms Qureshi is single and lives with her 71-year-old widowed mother, just down the road from her barrister sister and bus-driver brother.

If she succeeds in ousting Lib-Dem Sarah Teather from Brent East at the next election she will also become the first Muslim woman in the Commons.

Family and religion are the cornerstones on which her politics is built.

She said: "I get pained when I read the way Islam is written about, because I understand my religion pretty well, and all religions - Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism - talk about responsibility to the community at large. We are not just here for our individual selves, we have responsibility to others, and that's the way I have been brought up."

Last week Labour announced that Ms Qureshi had failed by two votes to win selection in Brent East. She was furious and accused the party at the time of "rigging" the result.

Labour's ruling national executive investigated, found that valid votes for her had been wrongly rejected by local officials, and awarded her the nomination.

The officials who rejected the votes were supporters of her rival Robert Evans. But she refuses to endorse claims by her own backers that she was the victim of an anti-Muslim plot.

As a lawyer, she has worked for the Crown Prosecution Service and served a stint with the United Nations in Kosovo.

On the sensitive question of asylum she said: "I'm really sad at the hysterical debate that goes on with immigration."

Asked whether David Blunkett had racheted up tension with hardline policies like housing asylum seekers in accommodation centres, she choose her words carefully. "I don't think he would do anything, actually... to set out to harm anyone..."

In a year or two, Ms Qureshi will be pitched into a tough battle for Brent East - the seat long represented at Westminster by Ken Livingstone. She may find that a stance slightly askew from the Government's is no bad thing.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find this story at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/londonnews/articles/9376032?version=1
©2004 Associated New Media

[MohammedA]

Robbers guilty of murdering man who chased them
By Paul Stokes
(Filed: 03/03/2004)


A father and son face life in prison for shooting dead a public-spirited man who pursued their getaway car from an armed robbery.

Barry Elener, 42, was convicted yesterday of murdering Tasawar Hussain, 36. His father Derek Elener, 65, who was involved in a nine-year crime wave in which he stole £190,000, had earlier admitted the same charge.

Mr Hussain, whose wife was four months pregnant, was "calmly and deliberately" shot at point blank range after following the robbers. The judge at Leeds Crown Court said: "He and his friend Azram Hussain acted spontaneously in the interests of the public and without thought for their own safety."

Mr Hussain's widow Naila, 34, and members of her family were in court to hear the verdict. Adjourning sentence until March 12, Mr Justice Wakerley turned to her in the public gallery as he described her husband as a "brave man" and praised the family for their dignity throughout the month-long trial.

The prosecution said Barry Elener, a former soldier who had just become a father himself, climbed out of the Nissan getaway car, leaned over the roof and shot Mr Hussain through the heart.

Mr Hussain was a passenger in a BMW being driven by Azram Hussain, his best friend and neighbour, when they responded to shouts to follow two men who had just robbed a security guard. The judge said: "It would have been very easy for them to have driven on without a thought, but they did not and that brave man has lost his life."

Mr Hussain was killed minutes after the guard was robbed at gunpoint of £40,000 from Madina Travel in Manningham, Bradford, in January last year. Derek Elener, who once worked for Securicor, also admitted three attempted murders, 12 robberies, 12 firearms offences and three of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A handgun used in the murder had been linked to 12 armed robberies carried out in the Bradford area between November 1994 and January 2002, the court heard. The first 10 robberies involved guards from Securicor and on four occasions shots were fired at guards, three of whom were seriously injured.

Barry Elener was convicted of the robbery in Manningham, another involving £15,000 at a Co-op store in Bradford two months earlier and possessing a firearm at both crimes. He was cleared of the remaining charges.

Neither father nor son had lavish lifestyles - both living in rented council houses in Bradford - and did not have criminal records. Barry Elener, who served in the Royal Artillery, has a wife Yvonne, 30, and baby daughter, Kelsey. His brother Gary is a serving police officer.

Mr Hussain was born in Pakistan, came to England as a boy, worked for a car valeting company and had been married for six years. He had a daughter Haarisah, now six. Mrs Hussain gave birth to their second child Rafia in June.

She said her family had been "ripped apart" by the murder. "The people who did this didn't think twice about taking his life and the ripples of what they have done have ripped through our family."

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_12-3-2004_pg7_10

WHO award for Shaukat Khanum

LAHORE: The World Health Organisation has awarded the United Arab Emirates Foundation Prize for 2004 to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, according to a press release Thursday.

The formal presentation of a $20,000 cheque and plaque will be made at the plenary session of the 57th World Health Assembly in Geneva this May. The award was made on the recommendation of the UAE Health Foundation selection panel.

Previous winners of the award include Medicines Sans Frontiéres. —APP

[MohammedA]

The man who created the Sears tower in Chicago...........


Fazlur R. Khan (1929-1982)
“The Technical man must not be lost in his own Technology. Life is art, drama, music…and, most importantly, people.”

— Fazlur Khan, inscription on a plaque in the lobby of the Ontario Center, the last building he designed.

Fazlur Rahman Khan was “the father of modern-day tall buildings.” His creative yet realistic designs helped make high-rise construction possible in the 1960s and 1970s and are a legacy to today’s engineers. Khan helped create structures such as the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower. (For more information on these innovative structures, visit: www.skyscrapers.com.) These projects utilize a tubular system method of construction that Khan popularized. The Hancock Center features a braced tube and the Sear Tower uses a bundled tube. Both feature shear wall frame interaction systems and composite tubes. Khan’s work also spreads far beyond Chicago to places like Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he designed the Haj Terminal, the building that boasts the world’s largest tent-style fiberglass roof.

Khan graduated first in his undergraduate civil engineering class in 1950 from Bengel Engineering College in India. In August of that year, he began to work for the East Pakistan government as an assistant engineer with the Communications and Buildings Department. There he worked to create reinforced concrete bridges and buildings. The following year Khan began teaching at the Ahsanullah Engineering College. He stayed there until 1952, when the University of Illinois awarded him a Fulbright Scholarship. Khan’s studies led to a Master of Science degree in theoretical and applied mechanics. He also earned a Master of Science degree and eventually a doctorate in structural engineering.

Khan joined the engineering firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in August of 1955, where he oversaw the design of seven highway and railroad bridges for the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1957, he become an executive engineer for the Karachi Development Authority in Pakistan. Khan returned to Chicago and SOM in 1960. Five years later, Khan began work on the John Hancock Center, which was completed in 1969. Khan then set his sights on projects like the Sears Tower, which was completed in 1974, and the Ontario Center, which was not completed until four years after his death.

Khan was recognized for his monumental accomplishments. He was named one of Engineering News-Record’s “Men Who Served the Best Interests of the Construction Industry” in the years 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971 and 1979. The publication also named him “Man of the Year” in 1972. In 1973, Khan was elected into the National Academy of Engineering. That same year, he received AISC’s J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award, the Institute’s top honor. With tall buildings as his trademark, Fazlur Khan set a high standard for generations to come.

To learn even more about this extraordinary man, AISC encourages you to please visit the wonderful website his daughter, Yasmin Sabina Khan, has created in Fazlur Khan's honor at http://www.fazlurrkhan.com. There you will find out more about Fazlur Khan, his innovations, his milestones and his daughter.

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_15-3-2004_pg7_9

Pakistani students get top marks in 14 O Levels, 3 A Levels

LAHORE: Pakistani students got the top marks in 14 O Level subjects and three A level subjects for he June 2003 exams, the British Council said on Sunday.

Dr Fred Burke of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) said the results were “excellent once again”. He said the CIE was introducing two new O Level subjects for next year, Environmental Management and Travel and Tourism.

Over 12 thousand sat the Cambridge General Certificate English O Level examinations this year compared to 10,139 in June 2002. Pakistani students got the highest marks in 14 subjects compared to 13 subjects in 2002.

There were significant improvements in Additional Mathematics, Art, Business Studies, Economics, English Literature, Human and Social Biology, Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies.

For the Cambridge A and AS Level examinations, there were 6,984 students as compared to 5,459 in June 2002. This year, Pakistani students were top in the world in three subjects, one less than last year. The most significant improvement was in Art and Design, Computing, Further Mathematics and Sociology.

The CIE is a division of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). UCLES is part of the world famous and prestigious University of Cambridge. The CIE qualifications are taken in over 150 countries across the world and attract global recognition from educational institutions and employers alike.

The details of the top candidates will appear in the Cambridge publications ‘Brilliance in Pakistan June 2003’, which will be available in October to the 270 educational institutions in Pakistan registered with the CIE.

Top in the world in the GCE O Level Examination in various subjects were Zawar Munawar Saleemi (City School, Karachi), Hooria Munawar (Beaconhouse School, Lahore), Asma Hamid (Karachi Grammar School), Sana Mansoor Mahmood (Beaconhouse School, Lahore), Farheen Masood Baghpatee (Foundation Public School, Karachi), Shaikh Zubairuddin Nizami (Karachi International School), Mirza Omair Baig (British Council, Karachi), Daniyal Hussain (KGS), Hamna Zubair (City School, Karachi), Samuel Abid Nunes (KGS), Sidra Majid (Lahore Grammar School), Anam Farhat (Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore), Naira Saeed (KGS), Salman Gul (Beaconhouse School, Lahore) and Zawar Munawar Saleemi (City School, Karachi).

Mehwish Javed (LGS), Mohammad Asim Maan (Beaconhouse School, Faisalabad), Umar Javed (Crescent Model School, Lahore), Amna Mohyuddin Chaudhry (British Council, Multan), Maleeha Rizwan (Beaconhouse School, Islamabad) and Mohammad Zohaib Naeem (City School, Karachi) got distinctions in the O Level exams.

The GCE A Level global toppers were Saba Shaikh (Beaconhouse School, Karachi), Zara Liaqat (Beaconhouse School, Lahore) and Ayesha Ali (Lahore Grammar School, Lahore).

The Pakistan A Level toppers were Syed Imran Ali Shah (St Patrick’s High School, Karachi), Zahra Hashmat (The Lyceum School, Karachi), Momin Saulat Siddique (Aitchison College, Lahore), Sabreen Aziz Baig (LGS), Seher Niazi (LGS), Maria Kamal (KGS), Roomasa Channa (KGS), Hafsa Ahsan (Foundation Public School, Karachi) and Nida Anwer (Foundation Public School, Karachi). —Staff Report

[uazim]

World record by Pakistani woman cricketer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/sport/story/2004/03/040317_women_cricketrecord_am.shtml

[MohammedA]

Pakistani engineer gets award in uSA:

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/March04/19/04.html

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakdef.info/forum/showthread.php?t=5265

[MohammedA]

Somebody (not me) has setup the same thread and same posts on Pakistanidefence.com website, and also put it up as a "sticky"!

[Gulstan]

An achiever for the wrong reasons:mad: :mad:


http://www.mpacuk.org/mpac/data/de0e62c3/de0e62c3.jsp

Shabana Khan Expose

MP abandons Muslims for Zionists!



It takes very little for anything to shock us at MPAC but even we were left open mouthed when we discovered the unbelievable truth about a particular British Muslim MP.

Regular MPACers will know of our dim views on Khalid Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Perry bar, but the man’s actions in Parliament beggars belief.

During our political research, we discovered that Khalid Mehmood had added his name to an Early Day Motion calling for ant-Semitism to be countered.

So it becomes apparent that the man can add his name to EDMs here and there as he wishes. Fair enough – this is why we began our search for his signature on EDMs against the oppression of Muslim people. And what did we find? Nothing! EDM 328 on the Human Rights of Muslims in Uzbekistan has so far 57 signatures of MPs and includes the all important words:

'no government has the right to use the war against terrorism as an excuse for the persecution of those with a deep personal commitment to the Islamic religion and who pursue their views by peaceful means'

But Khalid Mahmood, the Muslim MP who the Labour Party hold up as a ‘favour’ to us, has failed to add his name to a simple motion which outlines Muslim suffering at the hands of a terrorist state!

In light of this discovery, MPAC again states that we refuse to accept Khalid Mahmood as a representative of the Muslim community in the House of Commons. As far as we are concerned, there is only one Muslim MP in the house of Commons– Mohammed Sarwar.

If you would like to question Khalid Mehmood on his failure on the part of the Muslims yet again, write to him at mahmoodk@parliament.uk (%20mahmoodk@parliament.uk)

I was amused to receive a letter from Brent East Labour candidate Yasmin Qureshi who is the first Muslim woman to be selected.

In her letter, she claims that I was rude to her on the phone. Really? How could that be when I have never spoken to her in the first place?

If Ms Qureshi would take the time to read my diary, (or even pay attention to the name given during a phone conversation) she would discover that it was actually a sister from Muslim Sisters Watch UK who called her up. This was done with the intention of advising Ms Qureshi to stand in solidarity with the two Muslim brothers who had been victims of Islamaphobia by Brent East General Committee.

In our opinion, Ms Qureshi should be grateful to groups like MPAC, IACN and others that took up the campaign against the Labour party. It was our campaign against the Labour party on the first incident of islamphobia with the two Muslim brothers, which probably prompted the Labour’s party’s decision to have her replace the chosen candidate on the night of the selection – when she herself was the victim that was cheated.

As we have said before, not even the Labour party can get away with two Islamaphobic incidents in one selection campaign.

But anyhow, we are prepared to leave Ms Qureshi alone.

As she is a Muslim candidate, we will stay out of her election campaign and let her fight it out with Sarah Teather, the Lib Dem MP whom we helped elect by urging Muslims not to vote for the last Labour candidate.
If Ms Qureshi wins, we hope that she makes us all proud by representing Muslim interests. If however she turns out to be a sell-out like Khalid Mahmood, her face and name will be a regular on the MPAC website.

May we remind you of MPAC’s involvement in the last Brent East by-election of 2003.

Success: MPAC makes History
http://www.mpacuk.org/mpac/data/3697ae11/3697ae11.jsp (http://www.mpacuk.org/mpac/data/3697ae11/3697ae11.jsp)

[MohammedA]

Jang.com.pk

Pak boy wins tennis tourney in Florida

KARACHI: Shaharyar Wali, a 15-year-old player from Karachi Gymkhana, who has been training in Florida for the last three years, won another tournament at Both & Request super series in Sarasota, Florida in U-18 singles event.

Shaharyar had also won the Canadian Nationals in 2003 and was No. 1 ranked junior in Canada in 2003.

In the tournament, he was unseeded, won his first round from the draw of 32 against Toni Todoric 6-0, 6-3, then upset second seed Stephen Danoto from 6-3, 6-3.

The semis was pretty tough against Gcrasiomos Houpis as the match lasted for more than two hours but Shaharyar won the first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 and also won the second set 6-2 while the final set was won easily 6-2, 6-0.

In the final match against Tomas Marek who had upset top seed Aaron Haines on his way to the finals but Shaharyar playing exceptionally well, defeated Marek to win the title.

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/April04/30/04.html


Cal State LA Alumnus Lights the Way


Los Angeles, CA: Do you know how traffic signals or digital clocks light up? Working behind the scenes to illuminate such vital technology are light-emitting diodes (LEDs).


Energy-efficient and durable, LEDs have been replacing incandescent bulbs for several years, and Pervaiz Lodhie’s (‘71 BS) company, LEDtronics, has been leading the way.


“This revolution is growing faster than computer technology,” says Lodhie, alumnus of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECS&T) at Cal State LA, and president and CEO of LEDtronics, which designs and manufactures LEDs for 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies.



Pervaiz Lodhie
LEDtronics has grown from a two-person operation in 1983 to more than 140 employees at its Torrance headquarters. Projects range from lighting on local bridges to walkway illumination on the next-generation space station.

“The variety of markets for which we design is mind-boggling,” Lodhie says.Considered a global pioneer of the LED light bulb, Lodhie has also put this innovative technology to great use in Pakistan.


“Many people there do not have lighting, so they burn toxic kerosene, or rely on candles,” Lodhie explains. “This energy-efficient lighting used with solar panels can help Pakistan.”


Lodhie says that his time at Cal State LA helped him immensely. “I found my first engineering job as a student through the Center for Career Planning and Placement. And, Cal State LA provided me with a hands-on, affordable education, and gave me all the tools I use in the field of mechanical engineering.”


To give back, he established the Pervaiz and Alma Lodhie Scholarship for engineering students at Cal State L.A., and remains active on the ECS&T board. Pervaiz Lodhie is a Rolling Hills Estates resident.

[MohammedA]

Aisamul Haq Qureshi – the best Davis Cupper of Pakistan

Staff Report

LAHORE: Pakistan started participating in Davis Cup competitions in 1948. Legendary Khawaja Iftikhar Ahmed, who was an All India number one before 1947, was the first Davis Cup player of Pakistan. He won the first Davis Cup match for Pakistan by defeating H Huonder of Switzerland in 1948.

Pakistan has played 74 ties in total since 1948 and won 36. The highest elevation has been to Asia Oceania Group I in the years 1999, 2003 and 2004. Khawaja Iftikhar Ahmed, Mehmood Alam, Meer Mohammad Khan, Khawaja Saee Hai, Saeed Meer, Haseeb Aslam, Munawar Iqbal, Mohammad Khalid, Mohammad Khaliq, Hameedul Haq, Rasheed Malik, Omer Rashid, Asim Shafik, Aqeel Khan, Nadir Ali Khan, Haroon Rahim, Aisamul Haq Qureshi, Islamul Haq, Munir Pirzada and Mushif Zia are the notable players who have played five or more matches in Davis Cup ties for Pakistan. Haroon Rahim was the youngest Davis Cup player of Pakistan at an age of 15 years and 107 days.

With the highest success rate of 68 percent, Aisam has won 21 out of 31 matches played by him. Next to him is Saeed Mir, who with a success rate of 65 percent, has won 26 out of 40 matches played by him. With 8 wins out of 13 matches, Haseeb Aslam has success rate of 62 percent. The poorest performance was by Khawaja Saeed Hai who played five matches and lost all of them.

Aqeel Khan has won 12 out of 28 matches and Rasheed Malik has won 14 out of 31 matches while Mohammad Khaliq has a success rate of 58%, winning 18 out of 31 matches. With 43 matches, Hameedul Haq played maximum matches for Pakistan. He won 24 of them at the rate of 56%. Aqeel Khan won 12 out of 28 matches while Asim Shafik won only 8 out of 19.All time best doubles team was Aisam and Aqeel Khan. The duo won 6 out of 7 doubles matches played by them.

The longest Davis Cup tie played by Pakistan was against China in Peshawar in year 2002, which lasted for 14 hours and 24 minutes. Pakistan won the tie. The longest match was played by Aisam and Aqeel Khan against China in the same tie which lasted for 4 hours and 50 minutes. The 1998 match played between Aisam and Paradon Srichaphan of Thailand with 70 games in a match stands as the match with most games in a tie.

[MohammedA]

Yorkshire select first home-grown Asian player

LONDON: Eighteen-year-old Ajmal Shahzad made history on Sunday when he became the first British-born Asian cricketer to play for Yorkshire.

The teenage seamer opened the bowling for his native county in Sunday’s National League match against Worcestershire at Headingley but he remained wicketless with figures of 0-35 from six overs as Yorkshire went down to a 39-run defeat. The only other Asian cricketers to play for Yorkshire have been Indian internationals Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. Tendulkar was Yorkshire’s first overseas player back in 1991 when the Leeds-based club relaxed their age-old policy of selecting only cricketers born within the county boundaries.

In the first division, Lancashire easily reached their target of 211 to beat Glamorgan by five wickets former West Indies skipper Carl Hooper top scoring with 49 from 44 balls. All-rounder Alex Wharf had earlier cracked a rapid 71 in a 61-ball knock, which featured 10 sixes and a four, but was given little support in a disappointing Glamorgan innings. Hampshire skipper Shane Warne starred on his return from Australia’s cancelled Test tour of Zimbabwe by helping his side to victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol. The Australian took four for 27 as his side were set 241 to win. Warne, batting at an unusual number three, hit 48 as Hampshire reached 244 for six with 1.3 overs remaining. Fellow Australian Michael Dighton top-scored for the victorious Hawks with 74 off 64 balls. afp

[MohammedA]

Jang.com.pk

Dr Farooq appointed special ambassador

for World Family Alliance

MESA, Arizona: Dr Farooq Hassan, distinguished international legal authority, political adviser, and attorney, has been appointed by the World Family Alliance as its Special UN Ambassador for the Family.

The World Family Alliance is extremely honoured to have Dr Hassan, serving in this key role, said Craig Cardon, Chairman of the Board of United Families International, the coordinating organisation of World Family Alliance.

Dr Hassan superlative professional credentials and high-level governmental experience, combined with his deep commitment to preserve and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society, make him uniquely qualified to act as ambassador for the family in the international arena.

The World Family Alliance is a coalition of organisations and individuals from diverse countries, cultures and religions, united in the belief that the family is the fundamental unit of society, that marriage is and should remain exclusively between a man and a woman, and that human life, including that of unborn children, is sacred.

During the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, the World Family Alliance is gathering more than a million signatures on its international petition to defend marriage and the family.Educated at Oxford, Cambridge, Lincoln’s Inn, London, Columbia and Harvard, Dr Hassan holds doctoral degrees in constitutional law, international and comparative law, and international affairs.

He has taught at Oxford, London, Columbia, Tufts and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; was a faculty fellow at Harvard’s Law School and Graduate School of Foreign Affairs; and has lectured at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC, the National Defence College in Islamabad, and the Pakistan Administrative Staff College.

He has also taught courses at the Hague Academy of International Law, the Humanitarian Law Institute in Italy, the Henry Dunant Institute in Geneva, and the International Institute of Human Rights in France.

Dr Hassan has authored over 25 books and more than 100 professional articles, and is a syndicated columnist in several leading Pakistani newspapers. He has appeared worldwide on TV and media programmes, including spots on CNN, BBC, and Voice of America, and is listed in Who is Who in America, the Directory of American Scholars, and the Biographical Encyclopaedia of Pakistan.

His notable human rights background, includes service as a delegate to and member of the UN Human Rights Commission and of its prestigious UN Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, the group of experts charged with undertaking studies and making recommendations to the Commission.

He has also served as a member of the Human Rights Programme of the Harvard Law School, as head of the Pakistani delegation to the International Criminal Court PrepComs in New York, as adviser to Unesco’s Division of Human Rights and Peace in Paris, and as a member of the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

[MohammedA]

Pakistani scientist bags German scholarship

By our correspondent

KARACHI: A Pakistani scientist, Safia Khatri, hailing from Karachi, has been selected for a scholarship to join a scientific meeting on regenerative medicine at Rostock University, Germany.

The programme offers an opportunity to the young scientists to meet, listen to, discuss, and interact with the most prominent scientists in the field of stem cell biology and medicine.

The topics covered form the basis cellular biology of stem and neurology of neuro-degenerative medicine focussing on Parkinson’s disease, Chorea, Huntington’s multiple selerosis, and stroke.

Prof A Rolfs of the Rostock University, in collaboration with other universities and the German Society of Neurology, had arranged the meeting which also consisted lectures on, "The use of stem cells in neuro-degenerative diseases: basics and applications" and "electro-physiology and proteomics of developing neuronal stem cells".

"It was a great honour for me as I got a scholarship to attend this 15-day spring school, which provided me an opportunity to benefit from the works and research of prominent scientists on the topic," said Safia Khatri.

Safia said that the researchers all over the world were exploring this ability of the stem cells to get rid of older defective cells and replace them with younger healthy ones.

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_10-6-2004_pg7_27


Bridging generations and geography

* Young British Pakistani promoter plans shows with desi talent

Staff Report

LAHORE: ‘Asian Fusion’, a modeling and production company led by Omar Khawaja, a young UK-based promoter, will organise shows of Pakistani artists in the UK starting next month.

Mr Khawaja held a press conference on Wednesday at a local hotel where he said that next month the company would hold qawali performances in the UK and has plans for a show to celebrate Independence on August 14. In September it would organise a show with the cream of the Pakistani showbiz scene such as Moeen Akhtar, Zeba Bakhtiar and Bushra Ansari amongst others.

Mr Khawaja said he considered Asia family and wanted to hold mixed shows. He said next year he would bring together Indian and Pakistani artists in one big show. He said the UK market was ready to respond to mixed Indian-Pakistani shows.

Asian Fusion was launched three years ago in the UK. The young promoter said he had studied in Pakistan and was from the third generation of Asian families in London.

Mr Khawaja said this was his first visit to Pakistan in 10 years. He said he would take 45 artists with him for the August show and for the qawali performances for which Qawal Asif Ali Khan would accompany him and perform in the UK for two months. He said Asif Ali Khan had struck a five-year contract with Asian Fusion. Mr Khawaja said music was one way to bridge the gap of generation and geography.

Mr Khawaja said he had started out as a student of Law and he began to take his first steps in media when he was 19 when he started arranging shows on a small scale.

He said he had been exposed to many aspects of the media from accidentally walking on to a live television set to working on the fundamentals of a concert and media production that so often went amiss in London when Pakistani artists performed.

He said he had been nominated for an EMMA award in 1990 (Ethnic Multicultural Media Awrads) for a TV program called ‘Youth Zone’ on the Pakistani channel. It was a live TV debate show that discussed issues that affected the British-Pakistani generation in the UK.

In 1990, he organised fashion shows across London. The fashion shows were brought to boutiques on Green St and Southall. He acquired the eastern contract for the movie premier of “Moulin Rouge” in London. Asian Fusion was also selected to provide eastern entertainment for the after-party attended by Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Jemima Khan and other celebrities, Mr Khawaja said.

He has also organised a succession of comedy stage shows from Pakistan such as “Hai maar dala”, “Channa Sachi Muchi” and many others in East London.

[TahirN]

Mahmood impresses in India
By Kate Laven
In Madras, India

I want to play for England as soon as possible and be one of the best bowlers around. The one bright spot on an otherwise gloomy England A tour in India is the discovery of a genuine new fast bowling talent - Lancashire's Sajid Mahmood.

At 6ft 4ins and lean, with an action reminiscent of West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose, the 22-year-old from Bolton has impressed all the experts at the ECB's National Academy in Loughborough.

He has also caused an upset on the dusty flat tracks in India, having already snapped up 13 wickets since England A's tour started.

Mahmood clocked up bowling speeds of 93.6mph when measured at Loughborough which, he boasts, was faster than Simon Jones.

He has unsettled batsmen with his late and reverse swing, which he has developed over the past few months with Academy bowling coach Troy Cooley and his room-mate Jones.

There were whispers at Old Trafford last season a new fast bowler had been unearthed and his 15 first class wickets in six matches drew attention to his potential, and earned him a place at the Academy.

Mahmood learned his cricket from his father who played in the local Bolton League, and for nine years, played for Ashley Bridge, also in the league, as well as Smithill School, where Essex skipper Ronnie Irani was a student before him.

While studying for three A-levels in biology, geography and science, he worked for 10 hours each week for two years at the local Morrison's supermarket in Bolton.

But with a wry sense of humour, Mahmood said he spent most the time trying to find ways of dodging work.

He moved to another club Edgerton for a change but at the age of 17 started to play for the county youth sides.

Mahmood told BBC Sport: "I was not selected in the original squad but one of the bowlers was injured and they asked if I was available.

"I got four wickets and 20 runs and they told me to carry on playing."

As a direct result, he won a year's scholarship to Lancashire, before being offered a contract in 2003.

His success has not come overnight but the next step, playing cricket for England, is a goal he is desperate to achieve within a year.

"When I was 17, I wasn't sure if I could make it in cricket but in the past two years I have really had good self-belief.

"I want to play for England as soon as possible and be one of the best bowlers around.

"People have talked about me going to the West Indies and that would be great but my aim is to play for England in a year so I'm working really hard to achieve that."

He also has a fast bowler's temperament and is not shy in having a pop at his targets.

"Being a fast bowler, you have to be aggressive," he said.

"The other day, one of the batsmen swore at me and wound me up so when I got him out, I told him where to go," he said, referring to JP Yadav's dismissal and Mahmood's petulant gesture towards the pavilion.

But he added: "I knew after I'd done it that it wasn't the right thing to do but I just got caught up in the moment.

"I know I have to do something about my short fuse."

Mahmood is learning fast and showing dramatic improvement, which should delight the selectors as they debate who should the last two bowling places in England's one-day side for the West Indies.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/cricket/3485921.stm

[MohammedA]

Britisher Pakistani elected on European Parliament

LONDON: A Pakistani British national Sajjad Akram was elected member of the European Parliament.

Sajjad Akram, who was born in Blackburn in UK, had contested the European Parliament election on the Liberal Democratic Party platform from the northwest constituency. He had joined the party in 1993 and was getting elected councilor for last eight years.

The family of Sajjad Akram 33 belongs to Mandi Bahauddin. “I will raise local as well as issues related to Pakistan in the European Parliament”, he told Geo in a chat.

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-6-2004_pg7_37

[faraz]

Diplomats: Pakistani May Be Envoy to Iraq

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is now considering Pakistan's ambassador to Washington for the job of U.N. envoy to Iraq, U.N. diplomats said Thursday.

Annan had promised a decision last week, and former Indian Foreign Secretary Salman Haidar had been considered the frontrunner, but diplomats said Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi now appears to have the edge.

The secretary-general, who was heading to Bangkok from Africa on Thursday, wants to speak to government leaders in the countries of the leading candidates before making a final decision, Security Council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier this week, U.N. associate spokeswoman Marie Okabe said she expected an announcement "shortly." On Thursday, she said, "We have nothing to announce as of yet."

The new U.N. special representative to Iraq will replace top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was one of 22 people killed in the Aug. 19, 2003 bombing at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

The secretary-general ordered all U.N. international staff to leave Iraq in October following a second bombings at U.N. headquarters and a spate of attacks targeting foreign workers.

Despite the upsurge in violence in Iraq, Annan has said he expects the new U.N. envoy to be based in Baghdad. But Annan has said he won't allow large numbers of U.N. staff back to return until the security situation improves.

Qazi has been ambassador to the United States since September 2002 and previously served as Pakistan's top envoy to India from 1997-2002, to China from 1994-1997, to Russia from 1991-1994, to East Germany from 1990-1991, and to Syria from 1986-1988.

http://www.gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040708/API/407081167

[MohammedA]

Jersey city swears in Pakistani deputy mayor

WASHINGTON: Jersey City’s first Pakistani deputy mayor Agha Afzal was sworn in at city hall on Monday. The new deputy mayor took his oath of office on the Holy Quran. He was praised by acting Mayor L Harvey Smith for his services to the community. “I know how much we can accomplish as one community working for one cause. When I assumed the responsibility of mayor of this great city, I also began working to unite all of our people and make United States whole again,” he added. Agha Afzal, formerly of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), is now the chief organiser of PML-QA in the United States. In a brief speech, he thanked his constituents and vowed to work for the prosperity and well-being of “this multifaceted community which includes people from all cultures and all faiths.” He also used the occasion to praise President Pervez Musharraf and the role he was playing in the “war against terrorism.: The new deputy mayor is also president of the Jersey City branch of the American Muslim Alliance. khalid hasan

[MohammedA]

Jang.com.pk

Pakistani given plaque of honour
(Updated at 0730 PST)
BOSTON: The senatorial committee of Democratic Party, headed by US Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschale awarded here a plaque of honor to a Pakistani American Shahid Ali khan for rendering great services to the Party.

Shaid Ali Khan who is co-chair of Senator john Kerry's Finance Campaign and member of Board of trustee of the Party received this award from US Senator Tim Johnson in a ceremony attended by a large number of Democrats.

Senator Tim Johnson, while speaking on this occasion said that immigrants particularly Pakistani Americans have been playing a very positive and constructive role in American society. He lauded service of Shahid Khan for the promotion of Democratic party in Asian community.

A number of US senators including Tom Harkins, Corizone and Ackerman were also present on this occasion. It is worth mentioning that Shahid Khan has helped raise about one million US dollars for the presidential campaign of senator John Kerry and he is also member of democratic party's policy making team for South Asia.

[TahirN]

(Updated at 2210 PST)
NEW JERSEY: Association of Pakistani Professionals (AOPP) congratulated Usman Ahmed for successfully completing the MIT/California Tech research programme.

Syed Asif Alam, President of AOPP said, "To be selected for the Research Science Institute is indeed an honor, Pakistani community should be proud of the achievements of Usman Ahmed. He is indeed an inspiration to other teenagers."

It’s rare to find 17-year old high school students devoting their summer vacation time engaged in research at institutions such as MIT and California Institute of Technology under the mentorship of leading researchers in various scientific fields.

But 75 high school students from across the United States and 34 international high school juniors selected by Virginia-based Center for Excellence in Education to participate in the prestigious Research Science Institute (RSI) co-sponsored by the Virginia-based Center for Excellence in Education and MIT did exactly that for six weeks during this summer.

And among them was Usman Ahmed from Lahore, Pakistan. Usman selected a project in telecommunications for his research at the California Institute of Technology. His subject was “A Delay Analysis for Opportunistic Transmission in Fading Broadcast Channels.” Usman worked under the direction of Professor Babak Hassibi of the California Institute of Technology and Mr. Masoud Sharif.

Students from Bulgaria, China, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and United Kingdom and the were among 110 students representing the United States and 16 countries.

The Research Science Institute is more than a summer programme–it is an intense research internship opportunity where the best and brightest minds are engaged in the process of enquiry, probing and seeking solutions to a problem. But more than that it is a community of scholars who work together, conduct rigorous research and still have time to play and have fun.

RSI scholars typically max out the standard testing measures of academic performance. They are selected because the admissions committee believes that they are ready to jump into and write a paper about a substantial research project in six short weeks. After 5 weeks of full time research students present their research papers in front of a critical audience at a research symposium. It is an understatement to call this an intense experience for these young scholars; by design RSI pushes them to the intellectual limits.

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2004-daily/09-08-2004/main/update.shtml#25

[MohammedA]

Six Pakistanis make it into the USA cricket team!

USA reveal 14-man squad
Tournament outsiders the USA have named their party for the ICC Champions Trophy in England this September.
They will be captained by Richard Staple and include former West Indies opener Clayton Lambert.

Four players in the squad represent New York and there are also four from Florida, while coaching comes from two former West Indian internationals.

Faoud Bacchus and Kenneth Benjamin will have the onerous task of trying to beat New Zealand and Australia.


USA squad : Richard Staple (capt.), Nasir Javed (vice-capt.), Charles Reid, Zamin Amin, Howard Johnson, Aijaz Ali, Mark Johnson, Leon Romero, Naseer Islam, Rohan Alexander, Rashid Zia, Steve Massiah, Clayton Lambert, Imran Awan.

[Saad Hasan]

The average age of this squad is around 40.

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/Aug04/20/07.html

[Ahmed Shahjahan]

let us bring/invite all these fine Pakistanis home and put them to work for Pakistan to bring down trodden people some hope and some prosperity.

Let us do it now and do it so that it benefits us not others.

let us stand up for pskistan and rid it from leaches, greedy politicians, selfish and uncaring bussiness people and bring it out of poverty and make it prosper.

we can do it, if we truly beleive in Islam and its covonants.

Just do it.

Late note:- Let Pakistani Bussiness/rich and well to do follow the example set by Operah, the example about her giving free brand new cars to all her audiance, to each and every one,. that is what brave, bright and believing people do. I wish Pakistani leaders set the example and not follow pagan ways.

With the money Pakistni rich have their should be no child, adult, male or female, young or old going to bed hungry. If they do, that totaly is against teachings of Islam.

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_5-10-2004_pg2_1

Equals Dutchman Paul Litjens’ world record of 267 goals: Sohail fires Pakistan to victory over India

NEW DELHI: Penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas equalled the field hockey world record for international goals as he starred in Pakistan’s 3-1 win over India in the fifth match of an eight-match series here on Monday.

Abbas scored off a penalty-corner in the first-half and converted a penalty stroke in the second to equal Dutch legend Paul Litjens record of 267 goals as Pakistan took a 3-1 lead in the series. Forward Kashif Jawad struck the other goal for the winners while Sandeep Michael shot in for India, who trailed 2-0 at half-time.

Michael’s deflection off a hit-in from captain Dilip Tirkey early in the second session gave India hope but Abbas sealed the fate of the match by scoring off the ‘stroke’ a little later. The ‘stroke’ was awarded after Tirkey was hit on the face while defending a penalty-corner and had to be stretchered off the ground.

Abbas was happy to equal the record but said he still had a long way to go. “I don’t want to look at what I have achieved but would rather like to concentrate on what I have to do,” said Abbas, who started the series at 261 goals. “I am still learning with each match,” said Abbas, who finds promise in this Indian team.

“They are playing well and can be a really good side in the coming years. It was just that we made the most of our chances,” said Abbas about the new-look team. India did launch quite a few attacks in the second session but looked a disjointed lot in the first. They conceded an early goal when centre-forward Jawad found the mark with a first-timer in the fifth minute after Dilawar Hussain cut past a couple of defenders and put him in possession.

India struggled to create moves even as Pakistan increased the lead in the 28th minute when Abbas converted his team’s third penalty-corner in the 28th minute. Michael failed to latch on to a long pass from Hari Prasad on the left flank in the best chance that India had in the first session, in which they gained just one penalty-corner. India’s new-look team is without prominent players like Dhanraj Pillay, Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh but surprised many by winning 4-1 in the second match and drawing the last match of the Pakistan leg. The remaining matches of the Indian leg will be held in Chandigarh (October 6), Amritsar (October 8) and Hyderabad (October 10). This is the seventh series between the two countries. Pakistan have won four series, India have won one, while one ended in a draw. afp

[MohammedA]

Abbas passes landmark
Sohail Abbas became the highest international scorer in the history of field hockey as Pakistan beat India 2-1 to secure their eight-match series.
Abbas was tied with Dutchman Paul Litjkens on 267 goals, but converted his team's first penalty corner.

His fierce effort deflected off a defender's stick and appeared to go over, but umpires awarded a goal after being shown a hole in the goal netting.

"It is a proud moment for our team," Pakistan captain Waseem Ahmed said.

Pakistan increased the lead in the 50th minute when an unmarked Rehan Butt came up with a superb reverse-flick from the top of the circle.


India were not bad but we managed to dominate
Pakistan captain, Waseem Ahmed

Arjun Halappa converted a penalty stroke for India to reduce the margin after 53 minutes.

Ahmed continued his praise of Abbas and said: "He has served Pakistan very well over the years."

"We deserved to win this match as we played better from the beginning. India were not too bad but we managed to dominate. It's a great feeling to win the series."

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/other_sports/3726642.stm

Published: 2004/10/08 11:30:26 GMT

© BBC MMIV

[Abbas]

A Brainy Headset for Clearer Sound
Alex Asseily and Hosain Rahman ignored the naysayers and started Aliph to market a cell-phone add-on that's opening ears

By Alex Salkever, Technology editor for BusinessWeek Online
Business Week
Updated: 12:00 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2004


In the late 1990s, starting a new Internet company with a healthy bucket of venture capital seemed de rigeur for engineering undergraduates at Stanford University. Well, most of them. While many of their classmates were out conquering the Internet, Alex Asseily and Hosain Rahman were trying to build the perfect mobile-phone headset.

Their friends, needless to say, were unimpressed. "Some of them were selling companies for hundreds of millions of dollars," Asseily says. "They said to us, 'Don't mobile phones already work? I mean, you talk and people hear you, right?'"

Give the contrarians their due: Asseily and Rahman saw a market few did and weren't fooled by the dot-com carnival. They believed that early mobile tech successes like the first Palm (PLMO) personal digital assistant and Nokia (NOK) cell phones with big screens and loads of features could lead to something more than just a cool gadget. So in 1999, they started a company called Aliph and set out on their mobile adventure.

"THE HARD CALLS." Running in a different direction than the pack is starting to pay off. Asseily, 29, and Rahman, 28, just shipped their first product. Called Jawbone, their $150 headset combines snazzy looks with cutting-edge technology [see BW, 10/18/04, "Space-Age Sound Comes Down To Earth"]. Everyone who buys a cell phone is a potential customer. Market leader Plantronics (PLT), for example, topped $416 million in sales in fiscal 2004.

Aliph's secret sauce? Technology designed for the military that uses sensors to spot bone vibrations created by someone talking. Jawbone combines that data with surrounding sound levels, gathered 500 times per second, and automatically adjusts the conversation's frequency and volume characteristics. The device has won several product awards, including a best-in-class citation at a prestigious mobile computing conference, and is quickly garnering other critical acclaim, such as a silver in the 2004 BusinessWeek-sponsored Industrial Design Excellence Awards.

"They are very creative. They seem to be able to make the hard calls," says B.T. Khuri-Yakub, an engineering professor at Stanford and early investor in Aliph. "If something isn't working, they're not afraid of tackling that. They definitely have a lot of attributes you look for in somebody trying to make a startup happen," he says.

PAYLESS DAYS. Plenty of investors have noticed. Over five years the duo has raised $7.5 million from the likes of Mayfield Ventures and $1 million from their own families. They built a strong technology portfolio and recruited audio experts from famed research centers like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

That money has seen Asseily and Rahman through some tough development years. They nearly went out of business during the dot-com crash and during one stretch couldn't scratch up enough cash to even build a prototype. As the CEO of the Brisbane [Calif.] company, Asseily cut his and Rahman's salary to zero to ensure that his 17-person staff would get paid on time.

Nonetheless, they persevered. It may soon be payoff time for Asseily and Rahman, two guys who didn't even like each other very much when the first met on the rugby pitch at Stanford. "We kept arguing about which side of the scrum we wanted to be on," says Asseily.

"CULTURAL ROOTS." But their similar backgrounds helped them forge a longtime friendship. Asseily grew up in Britain and spent a significant chunk of time in Lebanon, where his family's business is located. Rahman's parents are Pakistani immigrants who run an oil-services consulting company in Los Angeles. But he spent many months of his youth back in Pakistan visiting family.

"We are in California, but our cultural roots were elsewhere," says Rahman. In a nod to their shared heritage, they named their company after the first character of the Arabic alphabet.

Both also combined engineering minds with artistic streaks. Asseily originally planned to study fine arts with an emphasis on sculpture at Stanford before listening to his father's advice that he concentrate on something more pragmatic. Rahman had actually applied and been accepted to the California Institute of Fine Arts, a prestigious arts college in Pasadena near his home, before changing his mind and heading to Palo Alto.

TAG-TEAM APPROACH. Like Apple (AAPL) impresario Steven Jobs, they're channeling their love of art into technology. The sleek Jawbone is Apple-esque in its simplicity, with white plastic molding and matte-metal finishes.

They've also learned to split their tasks at the young company. Asseily is the visionary, while Rahman is the businessMan. "Hosein is more outward facing, and he plays those roles better than I do," says Asseily. Their tag-team approach has yielded what tech experts say is one cool product.

Wonder if they're asking their faux millionaire classmates, "Can you hear me now?"

Copyright © 2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6306327/

[SSAAD]

Pakistani cadet gets French award (old news)

By Our Correspondent


ISLAMABAD, Jan 3: A Pakistani cadet has received a prestigious French aeronautics and space industry award, says a press release issued by the French embassy here on Monday.

It said Cadet Nauman Ahmed Hashmi of Pakistan Army received the award at a ceremony held on Dec 16, 1999, in IAS, the French aerospace industry cooperation agency for international education at Toulouse, France.

The award was given by French aerospace industry association, national air and space academy and the aeronautics and space institute in the presence of the diplomats of China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Russia and aeronautics and space world's personalities.

The honorary FASIA price has been awarded this year to 35 young professionals coming from 20 countries and selected for their scientific and academic qualities but overall for their professional competency and commitment. The award acknowledges the excellence of the winner's work over 18 months. The candidates undertake post-graduate studies at one of the best French aerospace engineering and commercial schools.

[SSAAD]

Pakistani adjudged Sandhurst's best cadet (old news) Aug 6th, 2000

Bureau Report


ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: A Pakistan Army cadet has been adjudged as the "Best Overseas Cadet" among the under-training cadets from 70 countries, by the British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Cadet Affan Ihtasham, son of the Dawn's senior correspondent, Ihtashamul Haq, who is undergoing a Common Commissioning Course at the academy, will be awarded the "Sword of Honour" during the sovereign parade on Aug 11 in Britain.

The other officers of the Pakistan Army, who have so far won this prestigious award, were the late Field Marshal Ayub Khan and Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Quli Khan.

Cadet Affan had earlier topped in 100 Long Course at Pakistan Military Academy.

His parents have been invited by the commandant of the Royal Military Academy to witness the passing out parade. Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz has congratulated the parents of the cadet, saying it is also a great honour for Pakistan.

[SSAAD]

Ayub Khan did not win the sword of honor at Sandhurst...he just attended it...Ali Kuli Khan also attended it but did not win the sword.


Letter to the Editor of Dawn:

Pakistanis at Sandhurst

IT makes me proud to know that a Pakistani has excelled at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. It saddens me to see what a sorry job your Bureau has done of reporting it (Aug 6).

The report says that Pakistan Army cadet Affan has been adjudged the "Best Overseas Cadet". That's great. It then says that he will be awarded the "Sword of Honour". But the "Sword of Honour" is given to the best all-round cadet, not to the "Best Overseas Cadet". The "Best Overseas Cadet" gets a stick.

The report gives the impression that the late F.M. Ayub Khan and Lt-Gen Ali Kuli Khan won the Sword of Honour at Sandhurst. This is not true.

The highest award at Sandhurst is the Sword of Honour for the best cadet. Then there is the Queen's Medal for the cadet who tops the order of merit. The only Pakistani to have won it (1960) is my Sargodhian schoolmate, Lt Gen Malik Ghulam Mohammed. Then there are medals for topping various subjects. Again, Malik harvested a sheaf of these - seven, if memory serves me right. The 'Best Overseas Cadet' award is restricted to cadets from abroad. I know what it looks like (a leather encased stick) since my friend Lt Col Anis Ahmed, won it in 1959.

BRIG (R) M.A. WAHAB

Karachi

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2004/nov04/19/05.html


Pakistan Company Wins “Best Places to Work” Competition

Philadelphia: Philadelphia Business Journal has named Parkway Clinical Laboratories one of the top 40 Best Places to Work in Greater Philadelphia, in its inaugural program. The award recognizes the company’s achievement in creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of benefits, working conditions, and company culture.


The Bensalem PA-based Parkway was one of 150 nominated companies, making the top 3 list based on the strength of its benefits, programs and employee evaluations.


“I like to empower people to be decision makers,” said President & CEO Raza Bokhari, MD. “We entered the award program,” said Laura Violet Slenzak, Business Development Manager, “because we think our culture is unique in the way we treat our employees, customers and strategic partners, and the employees responded. The company is very proud of its employees, and we’re proud to be a winner of this award.”


Dr. Raza Bokhari is a physician-turned-entrepreneur of Pakistani descent, who specializes in turning around and accelerating health care service companies in the Greater Philadelphia area. He has vast knowledge base of developing creative concepts, implementing programs and form strategic alliances. Dr. Bokhari holds many key positions, all with bottom line accountability and responsibility for company wide operations, business development and corporate strategy. He also serves as President & CEO of New Jersey-based Lakewood Pathology Associates, which has presence in at least sixteen (16) different states.


“Employees are proud to work for companies that are about more than business,” said Bernard Dagenais, Philadelphia Business Journal editor. “And, the results show how creating the right work environment can create powerful business advantages.”


The top forty companies are profiled in a special supplement of the Philadelphia Business Journal issued October 29th, and will be entitled to use the 2004 seal in advertising and public relations outreach.


Companies were evaluated on two kinds of information collected. Each completed an overall questionnaire about retirement plans, health insurance, profit sharing or stock options, performance-based reviews, employee training, paternity leave, and perks such as parking, child care, subsidized transportation or tuition reimbursement.


Employees then responded to questionnaires, addressing pride in the company; whether and how the company encourages, supports, and recognizes achievement; open communication; whether compensation is fair; and relationships with co-workers and immediate supervisors. They were also asked to describe their favorite and least favorite things about the company, and comment further if desired.


The results were analyzed and scored by assigning points to each question and weighing them according to emphasis on creativity, flexibility and collegiality.


Common themes among the top companies focused on work-life balance, respect and caring for employees, recognition of accomplishments, feeling empowered, good teamwork and team spirit and commitment to community service.


“The best places to work are companies that don’t cut back their commitment to employees in a down economy, while asking them to work harder and smarter,” said Philadelphia Business Journal publisher Lyn Kremer. “They recognize employees as their best asset, instrumental in maintaining the quality and reputation for services and products. It’s a smart - and winning - business strategy.”


“We remain committed to high professional and moral values, as we continue in our endeavors to constantly reinvent ourselves in response to changing times,” said Dr. Bokhari. “I am proud of my co-workers, and am honored to be recognized by the area’s leading business journal for our efforts, by being named one of the top Three Best Places to Work in Greater Philadelphia.”

[MohammedA]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_25-11-2004_pg7_14

Prof Hameed made dentistry dept head

LAHORE: Professor Dr Waheedul Hameed, 37, has been appointed the head of the dental department at the de’Montmorency Institute of Dental Sciences.

Dr Hameed graduated from Nishtar Medical College, Multan, in 1990. He topped all professional examinations and won gold medals. He is supervising FCPS (Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan), MDS, FDS and RCS courses. He is also member board of studies, faculty of orthodontics at the University of Health Sciences and the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. He is member of the World Federation and American Association of Orthodontics. Dr Hameed has worked for the Punjab University’s board of studies in dentistry education and has conducted several professional examinations. staff report

Home

[Muhammad Hasan]

A Pakistani enigneer in Kwait, who solved a problem in an organization. The company, recognizing his work, gave him a prize of 10 lack rupees. Detailed news in urdu in the link.

http://nawaiwaqtgroup.com/urdu/daily/jan-2005/14/national.php#5

[Aziz]

An Inspiration for Pakistanis
By Ras H. Siddiqui


One can ignore numerous people in Pakistan from a journalist’s viewpoint. But when it comes to the keepers of the welfare of literally thousands of citizens of a relatively poor country (by many standards) no visitor to Karachi at least can forget the presence of Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife Bilquis. Thus my recent trip to our country of origin would not have been complete without a meeting with Mr. Edhi and I made it a point to try and locate him at Kharadar (Salty Gate) or Mithadar (Sweet Gate), some of the most overcrowded and hard to reach parts of Pakistan’s largest city.

These old sections of Karachi are often ignored by its own millions except when they are looking for a bargain on a particular and still surviving craft or rare goods. Minority Hindus and Christians along with the Parsi (Zoroastrians) still do most of the business here. The Makrani Baloch, old Sindhi inhabitants, Gujratis and the more recent immigrants from India as well as the rest of Pakistan still ply there trades here too This is old Karachi at its most crowded and confused. Much violence has been seen here. And it was here that a friend asked his driver to take us.

The Edhi Information Bureau and Edhi Ambulance Markaz Karachi 115 in Kharadar was found in a truly Spartan state. After a brief enquiry by this reporter, the relaxed front desk realized that I did not know Kharadar from Mithadar. They invited a Dr. Sarfaraz to explain to me the activities of the Edhi Foundation here and at its various locations. Orphans, the handicapped (both physically and mentally), widows, the destitute and abandoned, all are helped by these centers around Pakistan.

Upon asking I was told that Edhi keeps an 8 am to 5 pm schedule at his Mithadar office. It was around 4:30 pm already and most of Mithadar (about a mile away) was accessible via foot traffic only, due to its very narrow streets or “gullis.” But when Edhi Sahib was informed via telephone that a certainly “lost and confused” Pakistani-American writer would like to see him, he said that he would wait for us.

We reached his office via our vehicle and on foot within 20 minutes. After a couple of doors and noticing a number of women working at their desks, I was shown into a modest yet impressive office adorned by pictures of the founder of Pakistan M.A. Jinnah, an old photograph of Sattar & Bilquis Edhi, posters promoting a drug-free world and several guidelines in both English and Urdu. And amidst the orderly office sat a distinguished personality with a snowwhite beard and sharp features, who we all know as Abdul Sattar Edhi: a poor man’s last refuge in Pakistan.

Edhi office in Karachi

Edhi Sahib is indeed an oddity. He has won many national and international awards for his humanitarian work amongst the poor and

destitute not only in Pakistan but far beyond. He must have been considered for the Nobel Prize by now, and if not, surely he is being overlooked. He is a simple man with many controversial ideas about social reformation and behavior patterns of many groups in Pakistan. Just spending a few minutes with him will grimly remind one of the very true and sometimes horrible realities of life. In short he is brutally honest and very insightful.
Translating from Urdu can be problematic but here I make an earnest attempt: On religion he said that as Muslims our “amal” leaves a lot to be desired. He said that many educated people in Pakistan cheat the masses, victimize the poor and are not good human beings. He said that people in power do not spend too much time thinking about humanitarian goals. “Where are the (true) Muslims?” he asks. The poor in turn due to neglect and survival issues are also destroying themselves, he said.
I asked him how he survived in this environment in a field where many others have given up a long time ago. “I survive by begging,” he said. He added that many rich people (but not all) and those of the religious right have often boycotted him and his work. He said that they just do not understand the concept of charity. He also said that some of the money that his organization has collected for the poor has even been robbed at gunpoint. Worst of all, some people have not accepted him as a true Pakistani and have even questioned his religious beliefs.

Asked about the abandoned children that have gone through the Edhi welfare system and the future they have, he said that his organization only can try to keep track of them for a maximum of five years (after they leave) as new children come in and need attention.
Edhi Sahib was thankful to all that donate to his charity and especially thanked foreign Pakistanis for their help. He said that he had faced a shortage of good workers who are interested in helping out charitable causes in Pakistan. He added that he saw the best in Europe and America as the system there incorporated “amal”. “The system works there,” he said. He said that many of Pakistan’s religious figures are too busy making trouble (“fitnas” is the word he used). “They did not accept the creation of Pakistan in the beginning,” he added.

Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi with the writer

Asked how long the Edhi Foundation can function beyond him, he said that for at least one more generation his children will carry on this effort but he did not know what would happen after that.
Edhi also did not hesitate to mention his dismay at the six-hour delay encountered at the US-Canada border on his way to New York (after 9/11?). He also mentioned that the authorities there also do not let him take people there to help his charity work in America.

After I made my small donation, Edhi Sahib did give me a signed copy of his book “Abdul Sattar Edhi,-A Mirror to the Blind,” his autobiography narrated by Tehmina Durrani (of “My Feudal Lord” fame).
Upon leaving the premises after about 40 minutes a lot of things came to mind. With ambulances, hospitals, emergency centers, housing, maternity homes and even helicopters plus a lot more (for those who cannot afford it) the Edhi Foundation certainly makes a strong case for legitimate donation gathering.
Abdul Sattar Edhi loves his land and people and shows it with his deeds and not just words like many of us. He is often too frank and sometimes caustic. He may not sound saintly but his work speaks for itself. And for that he commands much respect.

To conclude, one of the reasons for writing this report was because Bakra Eid is coming. One can hope that people will be generous and donate some more funds to this cause which is a huge task by itself, one which cannot be accomplished without outside help. Eid is really a time of giving, so let us try to give to the Edhi Foundation which is devoted to helping suffering humanity wherever it may be. Let us share the care.
(Please contact: USA Edhi International Foundation. 42-07 National Street Corona, New York, 11368 USA Tel: 718 639-5120); Fax: 718 335-1978 for your Bakra Eid needs or your donations. To locate an office near you on the Internet at http://www.paks.net/edhi-foundation/).

Aziz

[MohammedA]

He said that many of Pakistan’s religious figures are too busy making trouble (“fitnas” is the word he used). “They did not accept the creation of Pakistan in the beginning,” he added.


So very true, and no wonder these same people threatened this great man to the point where he was going to leave Pakistan. :mad: :mad:

[MohammedA]

Modesty best policy - top school
Some head teachers, had their school been named the best in England, would be falling over themselves to publicise the achievement.
But not Jane Tiller of Feversham College, the Islamic girls' school in Bradford which tops this year's "value added" table.

It shows pupils' academic improvement during their time in secondary education.

Mrs Tiller is reluctant to allow journalists in.

'Clear guidance'

Such "modesty" is deemed vital to the success of the school, which has 454 students aged 11 to 18.

Feversham's website invokes the "clear guidance on modesty and rules of behaviour for all believers" promoted by the Koran.

But the school is keen to bring out the best from its girls.

In a statement, Mrs Tiller said: "Our added value has increased because we monitor student progress and teaching and learning with a rigorous focus on exam preparation.

"Everyone associated with the college has high expectations for exceptional achievement, including the girls themselves.

"This has reaped rewards and we are delighted with the outstanding performance of our school."

Expansion

Feversham has an unusual history. It has been a state school for only four years.

It opened as a private institution in 1984, after Muslims complained of a lack of single-sex education in Bradford.

At first it charged the families of its 24 pupils up to £700 a year and relied heavily on private donations.

The school expanded over the next few years, moving to bigger premises.

By the early 1990s, the governors decided Feversham should become state-funded, providing free single-sex education for Muslim girls.

The government turned down the idea in 1995 but another application, five years later, succeeded.

Feversham is now jointly run by the local authority and the Muslin Association of Bradford.

Its improved performances are testament to the quiet confidence promoted by Mrs Tiller.

In 2002, 53% of pupils gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE and equivalent vocational exams.

By 2003 it was 61%, and in 2004 it was 70%. The average for England is 53.7%.

Individualism

Feversham focuses strongly on two things - its religion and its single-sex status.

Collective worship and faith-based assemblies are used to "promote and celebrate achievement".

All students, even sixth-formers, wear a uniform.

All staff at Feversham are female and it prefers men not to visit.

Some might argue that academic success is coming at the expense of a broader social education.

However, Mrs Tiller insists she is not looking to produce timid bookworms.

"Our students and staff are talented individuals and in the highly supportive college atmosphere everyone is encouraged to grow to their full identity," Feversham's website says.

Of course, league tables cannot measure this aspect of a school.

But in the area that can be measured - academic success - Feversham must be doing something right.

Not that Mrs Tiller would boast about it.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/4167621.stm

Published: 2005/01/13 00:15:34 GMT

© BBC MMV

[yalman ansari]

Pakistanis are busy making their marks on the horizon everywhere in the world.

Recently, a Pakistani has been named as receipient of the prestigious Irma Bland Award. This has been announced by the American Psychiatric Association who gives this award to psychiatrists who made outstanding and sustaining contributions in resident education in Psychiatary. Dr. Ahsan Khan who is the receipient of this award is currently working as an associate professor at School of Medicine, University of Kansas. He is also a practising psychiarist at Via-Christi Hospital, Kansas.

Irma Bland Award is given based on the criteria of receipient's teaching experience in different settings such as, research, publications, presentations, lecture/didactics, course design, administration, departmental and institutional committees, career counselling and supervision. Selection process includes members of the council on medical education and lifelong learning to serve as the committee and select annually one salaried
faculty member from a teaching hospital, and one voluntary faculty member.


-----------------------------------------------
Aim High!

[MohammedA]

Jang.com.pk

Bestway group takes a giant leap

KARACHI: The shareholders and the Boards of Bestway (Holdings) Limited and Batleys plc have approved acquisition of Batleys Cash and Carry business by Bestway for $275 million with effect from January 28, 2005.

With this acquisition, Bestway would become the second largest Cash & Carry operators in UK.

Bestway Group is one of the largest foreign investors in Pakistan in the cement, rice and financial sectors.

Bestway Cash and Carry, founded in 1976 by Sir Anwar Pervez has grown to a company with thirty-one outlets across UK.

In addition to grocery wholesaling, the Bestway Group operates across a diverse range of activities including property investment and management, rice milling, cement production and banking.

Bestway is one of UK’s largest independent companies with a turnover exceeding £1 billion per annum.

Batleys plc has eighteen depots with its head office in Leeds and annual turnover of £576 million.

The late Lawrence Batley OOBE, who opened Britain’s first cash and carry depot in Huddersfield in 1958, founded the company.

The combination of these two businesses will create a national champion capable of competing well in a highly competitive market.

The enlarged business will be the second largest cash and carry operator in Great Britain with annual sales of over £1.6 billion.

It will trade from 49 warehouses covering over 4.9 million square feet and will be focused on providing the best range of products at the best prices and with the best service to independent retailers and caterers.

It will be providing employment to over 5,000 people.

Both Bestway and Batleys believe that this merger is commercially and financially logical.

The locations of Bestway and Batleys depots are highly complementary; Bestway’s focus is originally in the London areas while Batleys is focused in the north of England.

The opportunity to combine Batleys operations with Bestway would make a great fit and create a dynamic force in UK food wholesaling.

Bestway’s board believes that the Batleys brand name and level of service is an important asset that is to be retained and built upon.

Therefore, it is intended that none of Batleys depots shall be rebranded nor would the operational structure be changed to mirror that of Bestway.

[H Khan]

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LightPath Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:LPTH), manufacturer and integrator of families of precision molded aspheric optics, GRADIUM(R) glass products, and high-performance fiber- optic collimators and isolators, announced the election yesterday of Sohail Khan to its Board of Directors to hold a Class I seat, effective immediately.

Mr. Khan is the executive vice president and chief strategy and development officer of Agere Systems. Agere is a global leader in semiconductors for storage, wireless data, and public and enterprise networks. He provides strategic support across Agere's businesses, identifying new business opportunities and developing technology platforms that can be leveraged across numerous applications. Mr. Khan received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Engineering & Technology in Pakistan in 1976. Additionally, he received a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982.

"Sohail Khan's distinguished career and strong strategic background will be a valuable asset to the board, and we look forward to benefiting from the expertise he brings," said Ken Brizel, LightPath President and Chief Executive Officer.

"LightPath is a unique company that has a variety of solutions for a broad range of optical applications," said Mr. Khan, "I am thoroughly impressed by LightPath's technology and seasoned management team, and I look forward to working with the company."

The Company also announces the resignation from the Board of James L. Adler, Jr., Senior Counsel to the international law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey L.L.P. Mr. Adler and his firm served as outside counsel to the Company from its IPO until the company centralized its operations in Orlando, Florida.

"The board and management of LightPath appreciate Jim's many contributions and will miss the thoughtful guidance he provided as a member of the board," said Ken Brizel.

Mr. Adler continues to be in the active practice of law and serves as a Director of Pantheon Chemical, Inc., a Phoenix-based manufacturer of environmentally pure specialty chemicals for industrial use.

About LightPath

LightPath manufactures optical products including precision molded aspheric optics, GRADIUM(R) glass products, proprietary collimator assemblies, laser components utilizing proprietary automation technology, higher-level assemblies and packing solutions. LightPath has a strong patent portfolio that has been granted or licensed to us in these fields. LightPath common stock trades on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under the symbol "LPTH." Investors are encouraged to go to LightPath's website for additional financial information.
Contact: Ken Brizel, President & CEO; Acting CFO LightPath Technologies, Inc. (407) 382-4003 Internet: http://www.lightpath.com
This news release includes statements that constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed by LightPath Technologies, Inc. in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE LightPath Technologies, Inc

02/10/2005 13:00 ET

[SSAAD]

World school debating championship.

Pakistan overall 3rd. 1st as the ESL team.

Top English as a Second Language Team: Pakistan
(runner-up Argentina - both made the semi-finals, a first for the WSDC)

http://www.schoolsdebate.com/

Final team rankings:
http://www.schoolsdebate.com/years/2005/team_tab.asp

Rank Team Wins Judges

1 Australia 8 23 Champions
2 England 6 17 Runners-Up
3 Pakistan 8 21 Semi-Finalists
4 Argentina 7 19 Semi-Finalists

total teams 31

[pshamim]

And here is another one Pakistani achievers:

Having known Shirin Tahirkheli since 1973 who had been a vocal Pakistan supporter during my Washington D.C. days, has been a source of pride for us Pakistani Americans. She was also a candidate for the post of Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian region, the position currently held by Christina Rocca. The Indian lobby mounted a fierce compaign against her and Bush then appointed her as his special assistant and Senior Director for democracy.


Pakistani appointed adviser for UN reforms


By Anwar Iqbal

WASHINGTON, March 12: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has appointed a Muslim woman her senior adviser on UN reforms.
Shirin Tahir-Kheli is a US citizen of Pakistani origin. The State Department announced on Friday that Ambassador Tahir-Kheli would serve as the secretary's senior adviser and chief interlocutor on the United Nations reforms.

Tahir-Kheli served as special assistant to the president and senior director for democracy, human rights and international operations at the US National Security Council from 2003-05.

Previously, she was a research professor and founding director of the South Asia Programme at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Tahir-Kheli served as head of the US delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2001, and alternate US representative to the United Nations for special political affairs from 1990 to 1993.

She has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Ms Tahir-Kheli previously served on the National Security Council as Director of Near East and South Asian Affairs from 1986-89, and as Director of Political Military Affairs from 1984-86. Earlier, she was a member of the Policy Planning Staff of the Department of State
http://www.dawn.com/2005/03/13/top11.htm

[MohammedA]

http://www.dawn.com/2005/03/15/ebr8.htm


Pakistani engineers doing well in Dubai

DUBAI, March 14: The Pakistani engineers are performing exceptionally well in the electricity sector in Dubai.

A rapid development work is currently going on in Dubai and the engineers especially those from Pakistan have been assigned the task of meeting the electricity requirements of the ambitious projects that are coming up in Dubai.

According to Syed Shah Nawaz Ahmed, an electrical engineer who is working with the Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company's Power Transmission and Distribution, Project Office Dubai, there are currently 18 sub-stations in Dubai and of these 12 are with the Siemens Pakistan.

"The remaining six sub-stations are with the Emirates Electrical Engineering (EEE)-a local trading company", he pointed out in an interview with the APP. Shah Nawaz was of the view that because of the good performance of the engineers from Pakistan, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) showed confidence in Siemens Pakistan by giving the contract of the major chunk of the work.

He said that the construction work has started for what was termed as the tallest building in the world-the Burj Dubai. Shah Nawaz pointed out that the Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company is constructing two electricity sub-station for this very project-the contract for one of these was given earlier while the other one has been obtained recently.

He said that another sub-station is being constructed for the project that has been named as Dubai Mall where a 'Disney World' is coming up. A project in the first phase of the 'Disney World' has been completed while the remaining work is continuing, Shah Nawaz said. -APP

[TahirN]

Zesh Rehman is 1st British Pakistani to play regularly in British Premiership
By Prasun Sonwalkar

LONDON: Zesh Rehman, a strapping center-half at Fulham, has broken through the game’s last glass ceiling by becoming the first British Asian to play regularly in the Premiership.
At only 21, he is valued at between one million and five million pounds and is described as the star-in-waiting who will strive to disprove the theory that Britain’s 2.1 million Asians are not up to much when it comes to football.

The Birmingham-born defender has impressed experts scouting for “the next big thing” during his 17 appearances for Fulham.

Five other British Asians are also playing full-time professional soccer, albeit for clubs three divisions below the Premiership, and a growing number of younger Asians are joining the youth set-ups at England’s 92 clubs.

Rehman, though, is the only one to prove his talent at the highest level –– so far.

“What he’s worth depends on how he develops, but I’d say anything from one million pounds to the much higher price a top center-half would cost you,” said his agent, Otis Roberts. “He has the potential to be a very, very good player.”

There has even been talk of him playing for Pakistan, where his parents, Khalib and Farah, were born. His emergence could broaden fans’ minds, encourage clubs to sign more Asian players and increase the small number of Asians who attend games, according to the Kick Racism out of Football campaign.

“I saw Zesh’s Premiership debut for Fulham against Spurs,” said Leon Mann of Kick Racism out of Football.

“A guy behind me pointed and said to his mate: ‘Is that guy Asian?’ His friend replied, ‘No, he can’t be, he must be mixed race.’ They were amazed when they realized that he was Asian.”

Mann hopes that Rehman’s growing profile will help to banish the misconceptions surrounding Asians, such as they are only interested in cricket and hockey. “When Zesh is playing for Fulham live on Sky Sports, the whole country will be able to see that Asians can play at the highest level. That will help to break down negative stereotypes within football and society,” said Mann.

Rehman disproves another myth: that Asian parents do not want their sons to play football.

Adam Licudi, sports editor of Eastern Eye, said: “Rehman is typical of the third generation Asians in Britain who are interested in football and, unlike their fathers and grandfathers, are playing and watching the game.”

[TahirN]

Premiership sees its first star player rising out of Asia

Denis Campbell, sports news correspondent
Sunday January 16, 2005
The Observer (http://www.observer.co.uk/)

At only 21, he has survived tussles with Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney and is making football history. Zesh Rehman, a strapping centre-half at Fulham, has broken through the game's last glass ceiling by becoming the first British-Asian to play regularly in the Premiership.

Valued at between £1million and £5m, he is being described as the star-in-waiting who will disprove the theory that Britain's 2.1 million Asians are not up to much when it comes to football. The Birmingham-born defender has impressed a growing band of experts scouting for 'the next big thing' during his 17 appearances for Fulham, including games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Rehman could become an idol for the 750,000 Britons of Pakistani origin, and a new British-Asian sporting hero alongside Amir Khan, the teenage boxer from Bolton who won a silver medal at last year's Athens Olympics, and Nasser Hussain, the Madras-born former England cricket captain.

Five other British Asians are also playing full-time professional football, albeit for clubs three divisions below the Premiership, and a growing number of younger Asians are joining the youth set-ups at England's 92 clubs. Rehman, though, is the only one to prove his talent at the highest level - so far.

'What he's worth depends on how he develops, but I'd say anything from £1m to the much higher price a top centre-half would cost you', said his agent, Otis Roberts. 'He has the potential to be a very, very good player.'



There has even been talk of him playing for Pakistan, where his parents, Khalib and Farah, were born. 'He's laid back off the pitch but is tough and increasingly confident on it,' added Roberts.

His progress has led to Fulham being inundated with requests for interviews from magazines such as Four Four Two, national newspapers and Eastern Eye, a newspaper for Britain's Asian communities. But for the moment he is concentrating on playing.

His emergence could broaden fans' minds, encourage clubs to sign more Asian players and increase the small number of Asians who attend games, according to the Kick Racism out of Football campaign.

'I saw Zesh's Premiership debut for Fulham against Spurs,' said Leon Mann of Kick Racism out of Football. 'A guy behind me pointed and said to his mate, "Is that guy Asian?". His friend replied, "No, he can't be, he must be mixed-race". They were amazed when they realised that he was Asian.'

Mann hopes that Rehman's growing profile will help to banish the misconceptions surrounding Asians, such as that they are only interested in cricket and hockey. 'When Zesh is playing for Fulham live on Sky Sports, the whole country will be able to see that Asians can play at the highest level. That will help to break down negative stereo types within football and society,' said Mann. 'Football coaches I've spoken to say Asians aren't interested, but a visit to many parks at the weekend shows that's wrong.'

Rehman disproves another myth: that Asian parents do not want their sons to play football. Both his parents encouraged his career from the start, Farah even agreeing to make him more pasta and fewer curries because he had to eat more carbohydrates.

Rehman suffered racist abuse only when he was a Sunday league player, and not since he began playing for Fulham, a sign of how much progress has been made in eradicating racism at football's top level.

Adam Licudi, sports editor of Eastern Eye, said: 'Rehman is typical of the third-generation Asians in Britain who are interested in football and, unlike their fathers and grandfathers, are playing and watching the game.'

Several sides, such as Sporting Bengal and London APSA, have switched from playing in the Asian League and now hold their own in the lower reaches of non-league football, added Licudi. 'However, I don't think there'll be a flood of Asian players in professional football. They will drip-feed in.'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1391413,00.html

[MohammedA]

Two huge sporting Pakistani heroes in the UK now - Amir Khan and Zesh Rahman. There's also quite a few Pak-British youngsters now on the pro kickboxing circuit - watch channel 5.

[TahirN]

Yep, British Pakistanis are definitley leading the way for British Asians. We also have Kabir Ali (Brummie) and Bilal Shafayat (Nottingham) who have alot of potential, Kabir has played for England a few times.

Traditionally, British Sikhs have dominated sports such as boxing and kick boxing but British Pakistanis are now leading the way for British Asians.

With an increasing representation in British Sports, our participation is bound to increase in the coming years, especially in fighting sports.. all thanks to the experience our boys are provided by pasting British dhotis and conservative Sikhs ;=)

However, one thing to note, i have not come across any dhoti wearing hindus in any fighting sports in the UK... Correct me if i am wrong?

[Fahad L]

Yes u r right Tahir.I have seen dhotis playing holi or such kind of things not any sport.They are busy with their antiPakistani bullshit propaganda.

[H Rehman]

Star newspaper seller gets book deal
A Pakistani newspaper vendor in Paris with a unique selling style has won a book deal to have his life story published.
Ali Akbar, who sells copies of Le Monde on the streets of the French capital's fashionable St Germain des Pres district, arrived in the country as an illegal immigrant more than 30 years ago - leaving behind a tough childhood in Pakistan.

He then made a name for himself by the way he sold the newspapers, shouting amusing slogans, or making up headlines, such as "Monica [Lewinsky] is pregnant by Bush" or "Le Pen assassinated."

His fame became such that a publisher picked up on his life story - now to be published as Je Fais Rire Le Monde, Mais Le Monde Me Fait Pleurer - I Make The World Laugh, But The World Makes Me Cry.

"It's just to make them laugh," Mr Akbar told BBC World Service's Outlook programme.

"I was not working to make money, to become a rich man, but I was just selling this paper to make people happy and to bring them Le Monde."

Long journey

Mr Akbar said that as child he worked as a shoe-shine on a footpath in Pakistan to bring money in for the family - in particular his father, who was abusive to him.




I meet so many interesting people when I sell to the people
Ali Akbar

At the age of six, Mr Akbar was approached by a man who asked him why he was working at such a young age.

When he explained, the man told him "even if you don't go to school, at least you must learn Urdu and English".

"Write every day, and read - write your diary, what happened in your daily life - maybe one day you can become a writer," the man said.

Mr Akbar took the man's advice, noting events from his own life and what was happening elsewhere.


Intrigued

Leaving Pakistan at 18, at first he headed to Greece to work as a waiter on a ship.



He told Outlook that his dream was to settle in an English-speaking country, either the UK, the US or Canada.

However, he had no contacts in any of them and instead he left a ship when it docked in France in 1972 - having seen a number of ethnic minorities as the boat passed Rouen.

At first he slept under a bridge in Paris' Latin Quarter. A chance meeting with an Argentine student, who gave him 50 newspapers, set him up - within a few hours he had sold them all, establishing his unique, humorous style.

It was this style that attracted the publishers, Edition Gawsewitch, who were then intrigued by his life story, and proposed helping Akbar write his book.

Although his memoirs are set to be very popular, Mr Akbar insisted he was still happy selling newspapers.

"I enjoy the public," he said.

"I feel so free when I'm on the street. As I'm not a professional, I had no degree or diploma and I couldn't get another job.

"I meet so many interesting people when I sell to the people."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/4369879.stm

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, April 21, 2005


Akbar Ahmed receives humanitarian award

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Dr Akbar S Ahmed received on Tuesday from a faith-related organisation an award for his humanitarian work.

The award was conferred on him at the American University, where he teaches comparative religion and international relations, by the Key Spiritual Life Centre. Some time earlier, the Pakistani academic and former civil servant was given the Professor of the Year award by the District of Columbia.

Dr Ahmed was praised by a number of speakers, who included both a rabbi and a pastor for the “space of compassion and understanding for all religions and faiths” he has helped create through his efforts emphasising fellowship among the three great Abrahamic religions of the world: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Rabbi Kenneth Cohen said Muslims, Jews and Christians were three sisters who belonged to the same family and though they sometimes quarrelled, they shared a deep, unbreakable relationship. He emphasised the need for love and understanding, pointing out that religion should make men kinder, not angry. Rev, Mark Schaffer said Dr Ahmed has “made us see things in a new light.” He said Dr Ahmed had made an admirable contribution to the starting up of what had come to be known as a “dialogue of civilisations,” as opposed to a “clash.” He quoted the Pakistani academic as having once said that a dialogue without friendship was just conversation. Dr Ahmed, he added, had also compared the world’s great religions and cultures to a great mosaic

In his acceptance speech, Dr Ahmed, a former high commissioner to the United Kingdom, said he realised after 9/11 what stunning ignorance their existed about Islam in the West and the United States in particular and he decided to do what he could to build bridges of understanding and to tell people that Islam is a religion of peace, universal brotherhood and goodwill for all. “I have been on a mission of peace from that time on and I can tell you that there has not been a day of rest for me since that day,” he told the audience, which included a number of diplomats, that Islam was not a religion that advocated or sanctioned violence. He said the God of Islam was in essence a compassionate and merciful God. The challenge facing Muslims today was to present their religion as it truly was, and not as it had been of late projected. He said the message of religion was universal and it was to be noted that today, the most popular poet in America was the Persian poet Rumi, who wrote in the Islamic tradition and advocated the oneness of God’s creatures.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, April 21, 2005


Doctor develops machine to kill allergens

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani doctor has developed a machine, which he claims can effectively treat all kinds of allergies by destroying the allergens.

Addressing a press conference at Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club, Dr Cap (r) Mian Muslim Malana said the new machine’s electro-stabilisation would treat different allergies with electro rays. He said, “Stabilisation is a procedure by which, we steady the surroundings to make them more useful for our health”. Malana said the machine was useful to treat sneezing, watering, nose blockage, pollen, skin, bad throat and epilepsy. He said that such a method was used to stabilise the sliding sides of motorway and riversides to prevent them from cutting into its banks, adding “A voltage stabiliser is used to keep the voltage to a useful level.”

He said that similarly there were many medicines, which were basically forms of stabilisers, citing mood stabilisers and autonomic stabilizers. “Known astotifens and ketotifens are mast cell stabilisers,” he added. He said these delay the rupture of mast cells (bags of h-substance) and were used to treat allergies, asthma and other allergic disorders. He said they only slow down and delay these allergic reactions and could not stop allergens. However, he said he had developed a machine, which killed allergens through rays produced by the electro stabilisers. app

[MohammedA]

Jang

Kabir Ali hoping to cross swords with McGrath

LONDON: England one day specialist pace bowler Kabir Ali said on Wednesday he was hoping to add to his one test appearance for his country this summer and against his former Worcestershire team-mate Australian bowling legend Glenn McGrath.

The 24-year-old told ‘The Independent’ that McGrath had been vey helpful in passing on advice to his younger team-mate.

"The main thing he said to me was: ‘Just keep it simple. Bowl a good line and length and you’ll pick up wickets.’ I’d love to play against him this summer."

Kabir, who has three cousins on the books of county championship sides, admitted he was in awe of the Australian paceman, who is set to reach the magical 500 wicket mark in the forthcoming Ashes series as he enters it on 499.

"The first game I saw him he conceded about eight runs from his first nine overs and picked up a wicket.

"I just thought: ‘What is this guy made of?’ He’s a great
professional. He works very hard."

If Kabir is picked for the tests rather than just the one dayers he faces a stiff task to help England regain the Ashes.

Australia have not lost a Test series against England since 1986-87 and have won the last four series in England since 1989 — 15 Test victories to four losses with four drawn.

Kabir, whose grandfather was born in Kashmir and where he lived from the age of five to 12, said that the sudden flurry of players of Asian origin into the sport was no accident.

"For a long time Asian parents didn’t see cricket as a career for their children," said Kabir, whose father is the twin brother of the father of his cousins and whose mother is sister of their mother.

"They felt there was no way you could make a living out of it. But times have changed.

"Not everybody can become a doctor or solicitor and people have seen good role models like Nasser Hussain, who’ve earned a lot of respect.

"Parents are now happy for their children to become sportsmen, though they’ll still generally want you to carry on with your studies in case things don’t work out.

"You even see a lot more Asian girls — sikhs and muslims — playing cricket than you used to. I think that’s a good thing for everybody."

Kabir, though, is at pains to state that despite coming from an Asian background his and other families loyalties lie firmly with England.

[H Khan]

KARACHI, Pakistan, April 21 (Reuters) - The world's oldest Olympic gold medallist Feroze Khan has died seven months after celebrating his 100th birthday.

Khan, who died on Wednesday, played in the hockey team for the then British colony of India at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

"It is a sad loss for Pakistani hockey," former Olympian and former Pakistan hockey Federation secretary M.H. Atif said on Thursday.

"While he might have only played for India, after partition he played an instrumental role as selector for the Pakistan team which won the 1960 Olympic hockey gold for the first time in Rome."

Pakistan became an independent country in 1947 after end of British rule and the partition of India.

Khan became the oldest Olympian after James Rockefeller of the United States, who won a gold medal in rowing in the 1924 Games in Paris, died last year at the age of 102.

Born in the village of Basti Danishmandan, near the northwest Indian city of Jalandhar in 1904, Khan was a contemporary of Indian hockey great Dhyan Chand and they played together at the 1928 Olympics.

In an interview with Reuters on his 100th birthday on September 9 last year, Khan said discipline in every facet of life had helped him live a long and healthy life.

He also said modern sport had become too commercialised.

"I won the gold medal in Amsterdam because of discipline and commitment," he said. "That is what the present day players have to strive for."

Former Pakistani captain Islahuddin Siddique said: "He was in love with the sport and even at his age he was always keeping tabs on how the national team was faring."

Last year, the Pakistan hockey federation dedicated the first test of an Indo-Pakistan hockey series to him to celebrate his 100th birthday.

04/21/05 10:35 ET

[Awaisi]

Several Pakistanis teen scientists in Intel ISEF.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) is the world's largest pre-college celebration of science. Held annually in May, the Intel ISEF brings together over 1,400 students from more than 40 nations to compete for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prize: a $50,000 college scholarship. Science Service founded the ISEF in 1950 and is very proud to have Intel as the title sponsor of this prestigious, international competition. (see the in the link below).

http://www.sciserv.org/isef/finaldir.pdf

[MohammedA]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2005/May05/27/03.HTM

Pakistani Becomes US ’Varsity’s Youngest Graduate

Karachi: A 19-year old Pakistani student, Owais M. Idris, has been declared the youngest-ever graduate of the University of Michigan Flint, USA. Owais Idris who hails from Karachi, was prominent among 476 fellow graduates at a graduation ceremony held at Perani Arena.
Idris was born in Pakistan and later moved to Canada before his father, Mohammad Idris, a General Motors employee, moved to Michigan. He was enrolled as a full-time student at Mott Community College before passing a semester in early 2002 from Grand Blanc High School. He also took classes at Oakland Community College.
He has graduated as the youngest ever student with a 3.7 graduate-point average.

[MohammedA]

Pakistani Girl Among Top 20 American Students

http://pakistanlink.com/Community/2005/Jun05/10/06.HTM

[MohammedA]

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-daily/03-08-2005/metro/k14.htm

Pakistani shines in international student awards

By our correspondent

KARACHI: A student from Pakistan studying at the University of Bristol has been crowned ‘International Student of the Year 2005’ by the British Council.

Muzzamil Lakhani, 22, was selected from twelve finalists to receive the top gold award and £2,000 in prize money. Another Bristol student, Dionna Tong, 20, from Singapore, won the silver award and £1,000 in prize money.

More than 2,300 students, representing 142 nationalities, entered the awards by writing a ‘letter home’ - as if to their relatives, a former teacher, a business sponsor or a potential employer - describing their experiences of life in the UK.

Physics student, Muzzamil’s inspirational story of ‘triumph over adversity’ won the top award.

His life has been transformed since he began undergraduate studies at the Bristol University. His severe visual impairment meant he was unable to walk even short distances unescorted back home in Pakistan, and his life and academic choices were limited.

Comprehensive support networks at Bristol have helped him to lead an independent life, on and off campus and he has recently secured a work placement with Unilever. Muzzamil said, "My life took a U-turn the day I came to Britain. The university has been phenomenal in helping me, and the city of Bristol has literally stolen my heart."

Law student, Dionna, has laid firm foundations for a career in law.

She found her two mini pupillages in barristers’ chambers in London last summer so inspirational that she hopes to repeat the experience with solicitors this year.

Claire Axel-berg, Head of International Student Recruitment at the University of Bristol, said, "We are delighted with Muzzamil’s and Dionna’s success, both as students and winners of these awards. They have shown extraordinary determination, which has enabled the university to help them find a range and depth of talent.

[pshamim]

I feel very proud today. Great job Jasmine Ali
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2005/Aug05/05/03.HTM



NASA Honors Pakistani-Owned Company’s Role in ‘Return to Flight Program’

Oakland, CA: Less than three weeks before predicting US astronauts would soon be launching aboard the space shuttle Discovery, NASA honored small IT consulting firm Bay Systems Consulting, Inc. (http://www.baysystemsinc.com) for its role in aerospace testing, operations and maintenance at NASA’s Ames Research Center.
The organization also highlighted Bay Systems in a special publication featuring small businesses involved in NASA’s Return to Flight (RTF) program, for which Bay Systems Consulting provided thermal testing.
“We are delighted to have been recognized for our performance and hard work on critical NASA programs,” stated Bay Systems Consulting CEO I. Jasmine Ali. That recognition included a total of eight NASA Honor Awards for year 2005 on three projects. The company received five awards in recognition of outstanding contributions to NASA’s critical space shuttle RTF project, one award for excelling in developing the life sciences payloads for STS-107 Columbia and exhibiting great courage after the Columbia tragedy, and two awards for outstanding accomplishments in the development of a unique thermal protection system for the wing leading edge of the X-37 orbital vehicle.
It is not the first time NASA has recognized Bay Systems Consulting. Last year, the company received two NASA ACC 2004 Excellence Awards, a Jacob’s Safety Award and team recognition from the director of Ames Research Center.
In discussing Bay Systems Consulting’s work with NASA, Jasmine Ali attributed her company’s success to its people. “Our greatest strength is our staff,” she stated. “Bay Systems Consulting, Inc. has a team of accessible, qualified consultants who each have ten to fifteen years of experience and are leaders in their field. We could not have delivered this caliber of work without them.”
Jasmine Ali was born in Lahore, Pakistan. She received her bachelors in Psychology from Lahore College of Women, Pakistan.
Founded in 1997, Bay Systems Consulting is a small, woman- and minority-owned and operated business. The company excels in providing world-class consulting services for applied sciences and information technology. Bay Systems Consulting has successfully teamed with several top companies and is a preferred vendor of leading government and defense contractors for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ImtiazA]

Pakistani Girl Among Top 20 American Students

http://pakistanlink.com/Community/2005/Jun05/10/06.HTM

I can see exactly why they chose her!

[Pracs]

Pakistan's first car


Feroze Khan believes his future was already determined when his homeless mother gave birth to him on a car porch. More than half a century later, he has launched Pakistan's first home-grown automobile.It's been a long road for the boy from a poor Karachi neighbourhood whose life-long fascination with engines, gears and wheels has just driven his native country into the exclusive club of nations designing and producing cars."Every nation in the world has taken a lot of pride in making cars, and I wanted to contribute it to my country," says a proud Khan, whose Adam Motor Company has just rolled out his pride and joy -- the Revo.The compact, five-door 800cc model has made a splash on the roads of Karachi in recent weeks. The snub-nosed model costs 270,000 rupees (about 4,500 dollars), some 30 to 40 percent cheaper than entry-level rivals.The company has orders for 400 cars on its books and plans to manufacture 5,000 units this year, taking 2.5 percent of market share."Everyone has liked the way the car looks," Khan says. "Everyone has liked the engine sound, and the ride is more comfortable than the competitors'."The clients' response is good since it is the first Pakistani car."Khan, 56, is undaunted by the competition he faces from global auto giants from Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States and says that perseverance pays off."It's a marathon," he explains. "I am not running a 100-metre race."Growing up in Aamil Colony, a poor and rough Karachi neighbourhood, Khan learnt to dream big early.By his early twenties he was a graduate engineer, going on to build a major car parts company that supplies the Daihatsu, Toyota, Honda and Suzuki brands."I started on the Revo project seven years ago," Khan says, "four years for preparations of technology, and three years to work actively on the car."In April, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited the Revo's roll-out ceremony in Karachi."This is a red-letter day in the history of our manufacturing sector," the premier told the assembled guests. "With this, Pakistan has joined the club of 16 countries having the capability of designing an original car."Like a proud father, Khan praises the virtues of the little Revo -- a car born and bred in Pakistan with the not so well maintained roads and hot climate of the South Asian country in mind."We have a sounder suspension, we have designed the radiator bigger with a cooling system, and we are very confident of its road performance," said Khan. "But still our team is working day and night to make it even better."He acknowledges that the car may not yet have the long-refined reliability of its Pakistani-assembled but foreign-designed rivals such as Japanese market-leader Suzuki, Daihatsu and South Korea's Hyundai."I am sure that the car is very reliable. I have made sure that we have not cut any corner on the quality. It may not be 100 percent Japanese (standard) ... but functionally it will be a wonderful car."With a top speed of 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour and the option to run on natural gas, the Revo can claim both reasonable performance and economy.The car has been launched into a booming market, where foreign car plants have stepped up production to meet growing demand fuelled by Pakistan's eight-per-cent annual economic growth and the advent of cheap car loans.Khan is confident his tiny newcomer can squeeze into a gap in the market, based on its budget price and what he says is the Revo's advantage on strength and space designed specifically with the needs of Pakistani families in mind.The car's handling and ride are firmer and more stable than its competitors, he says.Pakistan has seen an annual 46 percent growth in car production over the past three years but there is still a gap in supply of 20,000 to 25,000 cars, Khan says.Still, not everyone is excited. Critics have grumbled that the Revo has foreign components, including a Chinese-made engine and transmission. But that is about to change now that Pakistan's Millat Tractor has agreed to build the Revo's transmission, Khan says."And in September we will start setting up an engine assembling plant next to our present plant," he boasts. "By 2007, we will have this engine being manufactured here in Pakistan."

[MohammedA]

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2005-daily/25-10-2005/metro/i20.htm


Volunteer of a different kind

Naveed Ahmad

ISLAMABAD: Muzzafar Feroze was not just another youth quitting his homeland for a better future. He only wanted to go to the best flying schools in the United States and join PIA as commercial pilot upon return.

Flying had gone deep down in his genes. Muzzafar enrolled in computer science in a Texas college and later won the chance of joining the world’s most modern fleets of flying toys. By 2005, he has commanded an aviation squadron on USS John F Kennedy.

Born in 1963 in Karachi, he went to Burn Halls in Abbottabad and then St Mary’s School Islamabad, Muhammad Muzzafar Feroze "Shaka" Khan made his family particularly proud when he earned the distinction of commanding the aviation squadron on US aircraft carrier after 9/11.

Son of a distinguished Pakistan Air Force pilot Wing Commander (Retd) Feroze Zafar Khan, a few days after reaching Chaklala for disaster relief assistance to Pakistan, he attends a daily briefing at a Chaklala Air Base bunker at 4 pm. Once, he catches sight of a big plaque with the insignia of PAF and a list of officers.

Muzzafar feels something unusual about the plaque and glances at the names. To his surprise, the top most is his father’s friend.

Four names below he finds his dear dad’s name inscribed. He reads it twice to be sure of what he just read.

Commander Muzzafar, wearing his military uniform with American flag on the left shoulder and Pakistani on the right, says, "I saw that and thought what were the odds of me being here in Chaklala, sitting in a bunker and seeing my father’s name on the board!"

Of course, the coincidence was incredible.

"I felt like I was home," the US navy commander (equal to the rank of lieutenant colonel) says with pride and accomplishment.

After living all over Pakistan with his pilot father, Muzaffar finally passed his matriculation and intermediate examination and the family decided to send him to the "land of opportunities" from the "land of the pure" in 1982.

Young Muzzafar Feroze Shaka Khan graduated from the North Texas State University with a BS in Computer Science in May 1985. Two years ahead, he got his American nationality in 1987. Shaka Khan was commissioned through the Aviation Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida in December 1989. After completing flight training at Pansacola, Florida, he received his naval flight office wings in May 1991.

"Since my father was a pilot and always wanted to fly so I went to the US with an idea to learn flying and come and join PIA as a commercial pilot," he recalls.

In January 2000, Commander Shaka Khan is a jet pilot flying US Navy’s Vikings and in 2001 reports to the Topcats for VS 31 for his department head tour on board the USS John F Kennedy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Till today, the Pakistan-born Shaka Khan has earned two air medals, two navy commendation medals, three navy achievement medals and various other unit and service awards.

Like father, like son! Wing Commander Feroze’s son Muzaffar has accumulated over 2,900 flight hours and over 708 carrier arrested landings.

His first fleet assignment was with the boomers of VA-165 where he served as ground safety officer, schedule officer and aircraft division officer. He completed one Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment on board the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and participated in Operation Southern Watch (patrolling no-fly zone over Iraq).

Besides, Muzzafar participated in Operation Allied Force (mission to save Muslims against Serbs) in 1999 and is now deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

So far, Pakistan was the only "voluntary" choice in his career where he now serves as Assistant Operations Officer in US Disaster Assistance Center at Chaklala.

"The moment I heard about the disaster and US troops going to Pakistan, I longed to come back and make the difference in whatever capacity I could," Muzzafar Khan said. His American wife and two children Hina (17) and Gibreil (13) pray for Muzaffar’s safe return home. The kids and their mom last visited their grandparents in 2000 before their father got too busy with "missions".

"I came here to help and what they needed was somebody to work in operations and so my role here is to coordinate the US helicopters with the Pakistanis. Thank God we have made it a synchronized effort. We are extremely well-coordinated now," he explains.

Long ago, Muzzafar’s grandparents settled in Peshawar from Afghanistan while his mothers’ family migrated from Hyderabad Deccan after 1947.

While Shaka plans missions for 12 US choppers daily, his father lives a retired life in Karachi. Unlike his mother, Wing Commander (Retd) Feroze opted against becoming an American national and stayed back with his family.

Muzzafar’s younger brother, Lieutenant Jalal Khan, is also a US Navy pilot and flies P3C Orions while their sister lives in Florida.

Like most Pakistanis, Muzzafar too immigrated to the United States with a stereotype of the Americans. "I thought that they were immoral and did not really care for their family ... they come from disjointed families."

Muzzafar could hardly change his views even during his college days where he shared room with his countrymen, leaving little time for interaction with the Americans.

"When I finished my college education and joined the navy that was the first time I started interacting with the Americans and came to the conclusion that the same blood run through their veins too," Muzzafar says, explaining the communication gap between the two peoples and religions.

The US navy pilot says, "The American people too have the same insecurities and worries that other nations do."

Consequently, some of his American colleagues have same stereotypes of Pakistanis and of Muslims.

"As a result of this mission here, what I am hoping for is that the Pakistanis and the Americans will interact with each other and break some of the barriers down that are built up on both sides," he says.

According to Muzzafar, there is a great sense of accomplishment from the American side that they are providing help.

"There is a big misunderstanding with what Islam stands for and terrorism associated with Islam does not necessarily influence the opinion people have in a positive manner," remarks a gifted Pakistani-American whose heart longs for both.

He also hopes that when the Americans interact with the Muslims they would come to realize: "Hey, they are not all about picking up a gun and going out to take a life because that is not Islam."

Regarding equal career prospects for him while being a Muslim and a Pakistani-born, Muzzafar explains, "You know my full name is Mohammad Muzzafar Feroze Khan and Muhammad automatically tells that I am a Muslim." Yet he says he was amongst the two officers assigned to command an aviation squadron. "My turn to command a squadron came two years ago after 9/11," he says.

"I thought that I did not have a chance because of my name and somewhere I came from. Out of 32, I was amongst one or two people selected for command," he remarks.

The US Navy’s senior pilot is hats-off to his Pakistan helicopter colleagues. "This is a very challenging flying, narrow valleys, extreme weather and poor visibility," he admits.

Shaka Khan is proud of Pakistan as "it is doing a lot already which makes me quite happy". He notices that there is a big educational push.

Muzzafar equally loves the country of his parents and the homeland of his children (and of course wife).

For the Pakistani nation, the US navy officer too brings a message: "Don’t judge us by what you read about us in the papers or sometimes see on the television ... judge us by getting to know us ... We have a lot of compassion ... We have huge hearts."

[MohammedA]

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2005-daily/25-10-2005/sports/s16.htm


PFF invites Pak-origin UK player to represent Pakistan

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has in writing invited the Pakistani origin English Premier League player Zeeshan Rehman to play for them in the Asian Cup and SAFF tournament later this year.

A PFF official, Mujahidullah Tareen told ‘The News’ an e-mail had been sent to Zeeshan who plays for the United Kingdom-based Fulham club with the consent of the PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat.

"After a representative of Zeeshan told us he was interested in playing for Pakistan we discussed the issue and have sent a written invitation to him welcoming him to come and play for the country," Tareen said.

"We are still awaiting a confirmation from him but his representative has indicted Zeeshan could arrive to play the home and away matches against Bangladesh on November 12 and 18 immediately after Eid," he added. Pakistan first play in Bangladesh and then at home.

The PFF is currently in the process of selecting a shortlist of 35 players for a national training camp, which will be held under the supervision of a coach from Bahrain in preparation for the coming matches.

Pakistan also hosts the eight-nation SAFF Championship in December in Karachi with Saleh Faisal Hayat scheduled to visit the Peoples Stadium on Tuesday to review the arrangements for the prestigious tournament. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives are taking part in the SAFF event.

Tareen said if Zeeshan did eventually come it would be a big boost for Pakistan soccer. "He is among a rare breed of Pakistani origin players who’ve reached this level of the game. Since Fulham is a well-known side, his experience and talents would be invaluable for us," he noted.

He added the Bahraini coach was constantly supervising the trials in Islamabad and was also involved in the selection process.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Wednesday, November 16, 2005


O and A levels Cambridge exams: Pakistani students get half of 52 top positions

By Tanveer Sher

KARACHI: Pakistani students especially those from Karachi secured outstanding results in the last GCE O and A levels’ Cambridge examinations, as half of 52 top positions in 150 countries across the globe were bagged by Karachi students.

This was stated by Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment, University of Cambridge, while addressing a press conference Tuesday at the British Deputy High Commission, Karachi. Prominent among those present on the occasion were Hamish Daniel, British deputy high commissioner, Karachi; Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of Cambridge International Examinations; Marcus Gilbert, Director British Council, Karachi; and Tom Creig, Director British Council, Pakistan.

Simon Lebus along with Ann Puntis is currently visiting Pakistan to mark the 90th years of Cambridge examinations in South Asia, during which he will also travel to Lahore and Islamabad from November 10 to 16 and meet with high officials of the education department.

Simon Lebus said that the Cambridge system of education has been operating in Pakistan since 1915 when it was introduced at Karachi Grammar School and Convent Jesus and Merry School Lahore. This system of education has fast gained popularity among students seeking quality education, he remarked.

Lebus said the British Council Examinations services have been conducted for more than 50 years in Pakistan, which is the second largest country with regard to the number of examinations conducted every year.

He noted that apart from conducting examinations of GCE O and A levels, the British Council also conducts IELTS as well as examination for professional bodies like ACCA, GMC Engineering Council, CFA, British Computer Society and other educational institutions.

He said that due to its high standard, Cambridge Assessment was largest assessment agency in Europe and was running three separate examination systems – GCS O and A levels, the Cambridge examination system and the Cambridge English-speaking test.

Lebus expressed his sympathy with the October 8 earthquake survivors. Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of Cambridge International Examinations, who was recently appointed to the coveted post, said that after taking charge of her responsibilities, Pakistan was the first country she was visiting mainly due to the level of achievement by students from this part of the world.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, November 17, 2005


Shakilur Rehman given Star Award

BEIJING: Former US president George W Bush Sr conferred the ‘Star Award’ on Mir Shakilur Rehman, chief executive of Jang Group of Publications, at the World Business Forum on Wednesday. Shakilur Rehman was among 25 leading personalities in Asia to be selected for the ‘Star Award’ by the reputed global magazine Business Week. Around 300 chief executives of major business institutions in Asia attended the awards ceremony. According to the magazine’s chief editor, the awards were presented to people in the forefront of change in the region in the recent year. It was also in recognition of their financial, managerial and innovative skills in their respective fields. A senior magazine official said Rehman was the only one among the 25 people who belonged to the media. “Rehman has the distinction of representing a very powerful and influential group in Pakistan,” he added. Rehman said he considered the award a great honour for Pakistan and Jang Group. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and National Bank of Pakistan President Ali Raza were also given the award. app

[H Khan]

US NEWSWIRE
MANHATTAN, Kan., Dec. 23 /U.S. Newswire/ -- It wasn't the biggest story of the year. But Kansas State University distinguished professor of physics Talat Rahman's work on "walking molecules" was big: So big that it has been named by the American Institute of Physics as one of the Top 25 Physics stories for 2005.


Rahman is a condensed matter theorist who investigates the physics of nano-materials and solid surfaces and interfaces. This work is important for solving technological issues such as thin film growth, new materials development, tailoring of properties of nanomaterials, controlling characteristics of catalysis and corrosion. It also is important for the fundamental questions it raises about the nature of the bonding between atoms at surfaces and interfaces and in other regions of low coordination like those on nanocrystals.


In her research, Rahman was able to make a single molecule "walk" on two legs. Ludwig Bartels and his colleagues at the University of California at Riverside, guided by Rahman and Sergey Stolbov, a K-State assistant professor of physics, created a molecule -- called 9,10-dithioanthracene-- or DTA -- with two "feet" configured in such a way that only one foot at a time can rest on the substrate.


Activated by heat or the nudge of a scanning tunneling microscope tip, DTA will pull up one foot, put down the other, and thus walk in a straight line across a flat surface. The planted foot not only supplies support but also keeps the body of the molecule from veering or stumbling off course.


In tests on a standard copper surface, such as the kind used to manufacture microchips, the molecule has taken 10,000 steps without faltering. According to Bartels, possible uses of an atomic-sized walker include guidance of molecular motion for molecule-based information storage or even computation.


"I find this work to be an excellent example of how theory, experiment and computer simulations can go hand-in-hand in developing functional materials for a variety of applications in nanotechnology such as nanomaterials for drug delivery," Rahman said.


Rahman is a pioneer in delineating the impact of atomic vibrations on the characteristics of materials. She is recognized worldwide for her contributions in the area of surface dynamics. One area of recent focus is establishing the theoretical framework for multiscale modeling of materials which allow an understanding of the macroscopic properties of materials from information obtained at the microscopic level.


Her efforts to model and visualize complex phenomena prompted her to seek funding from the National Science Foundation to expand the scientific and technical computing capability at K- State. The NSF grant and matching funds from the university established K-State's Center for Scientific Supercomputing, a facility that served the need for faculty across campus for a number of years.


Rahman's research programs have been continuously funded by national funding sources throughout her tenure at K-State, beginning in 1983. Rahman's work on the walking molecule is funded by a collaborative grant of $1.5 million from the Department of Energy under its special initiative "Catalysis Science Future."


Rahman has been an invited scientist at many of the world's most important research labs. Her awards include the UNDP Fellowship and the CNR-Italy Research Fellowship and Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and research prize. Rahman is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. In 2002 she received the $10,000 Higuchi/Olin Petefish Award for research achievement in the basic sciences from the University of Kansas.


She also has received K-State's University Distinguished Graduate Faculty Member Award and was named University Distinguished Professor in 2001.


She has published hundreds of research articles, many of which have been accepted by Physical Review Letters, one of the most prestigious of the peer-reviewed publications in the physical sciences. Rahman received K-State's William L. Stamey Teaching Award in 1992. A faculty senator for several years, she is a former president of Faculty Senate. She was instrumental in establishing the K-State Developing Scholars' Program, which aims to enhance the retention and graduation rates of students from historically under-privileged groups.For the past several years Rahman has been funded by the National Science Foundation to organize scientific activities at the international summer college in Nathiagali, Pakistan , where is she is originally from, on "Frontiers in Physics and Contemporary Needs of Developing Countries." Currently Rahman is serving a three-year term on the executive committee of the Division of Materials Physics, American Physical Society.


According to Dean Zollman, head of the department of physics, Rahman's research is "an excellent example of the collaboration of an outstanding group of K-State faculty and students with researchers elsewhere."


"Dr. Rahman and her colleagues at K-State provided the theoretical foundation so that Dr. Bartels at University of California-Riverside could create molecules that moved in a walking pattern," Zollman said. "This type of collaboration enhances the reputation of K-State and provides unique opportunities for our students."


The complete list of the Top 25 stories can be found on the institute's Web site at:


http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/757-1.htm

[zeeshan]

Pakistani-US scientist’s lecture at DUHS on 5th

KARACHI: Dr Hameed Khan, a renowned scientist of Pakistani origin, currently associated with
the National Institute of Health, Maryland, USA, will deliver a lecture on "Human Genome Project" at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Jan 5.

Theme of his presentation is ìThe Impact of Genetic Revolution on our lives during 21st Century and Beyond, in general and in particular, "The Human Genome Project and the Discovery of AZQ".

Dr. Hameed Khan is the recipient of "NIH Scientific Achievement Award 2004", one of US highest awards in medicine for his discovery of AZQ, a novel class of drugs designed to prevent genes that cause cancer.

Mr. Khan has been in the center storm of genetic revolution for the last two decades. He was elected to the American Science Advisory Board and is also a Fellow member of the American Institute of Chemistry.

He has conducted over 500 experiments which have resulted in 200 novel anti-cancer drugs. 45 of them are considered valuable enough to be patented by the United States Government. One of them is AZQ, now used for treating brain cancer for which Dr. Khan was honored with one of the America’s most prestigious awards.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Wednesday, March 01, 2006


Golf wonder kid – Mohymin

LAHORE: Mohymin is almost 6 years old. He started playing golf at the age of 3 years. Mohymin practices at Royal Palm Golf and Country Club. He joined his first summer junior coaching camp organised by Lahore Gymkhana in 2004 at the age of 4 years and played that tournament in the Under-9 category. Last year at junior golf summer coaching camp, organised by Union Bank at Gymkhana Club, Mohymin won all his matches. The boy is highly talented and needs international level coaching.

[ImtiazA]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-2131383,00.html

April 13, 2006


The Queen took the salute at the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst yesterday.

The Overseas Sword was awarded to Junior Under Officer Ahmed Raza Khan of Pakistan.

[zeeshan]

Pakistani awarded




By Our Reporter

ISLAMABAD, April 12: Drug Information Association of the United States confers a highly prestigious Award upon a Pakistani Canadian.

At its December 2005 meeting, the DIA Board of Directors voted unanimously to confer upon Mohammed Razdar Khan the DIA Outstanding Service Award. It is a highly prestigious award given to a select few each year out of the 30,000 or so DIA members world wide.

Announcing the Award, the president of Drug Information Association Ms Theresa Musser wrote to Mr Khan, “This Award is in recognition of your many sustained and significant contributions to DIA in leadership role. DIA has a reputation among members and nonmembers for offering very high quality meetings, courses and publications. This reputation is due in large measure to the high quality level of your contributions”.

Mr Khan will receive this award during a public ceremony at the DIA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, June 18-22, which will attract in excess of seven thousand attendees from the pharmaceutical and related industries, academia and regulatory agencies the world over.

Mohammed Razdar Khan immigrated to Canada in 1974 and is currently Director of The Synergex Group Inc, a pharmaceutical consulting organization based in Unionville, Ontario, Canada. His earlier affiliations were with Schering AG in Marketing and Sales, and subsequently with DuPont Pharmaceuticals in Canada, where he directed the Manufacturing, Distribution, Quality Assurance and Compliance operations.

He has also served as a Director of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada/Plant Operations Section, and more recently on the Board of the Physicians and Nurse Practitioners Alliance of Canada.

He has presented extensively both nationally and internationally on pharmaceutical Quality, Manufacturing and Marketing topics, including at the Drug Information Association and PDA Congresses. He is currently on the DIA’s Advisory Council of North America and is also the Chair of the DIA’s Canadian Programming Steering Committee.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Friday, May 05, 2006


Sir Anwar Pervez is 12th richest Asian in UK

KARACHI: Renowned Pakistan-origin businessman in the UK Sir Anwar Pervez has been ranked as the 12th richest Asian in Great Britain.

He is the first Pakistan-origin person to achieve this distinction.

According to the Sunday Times, Sir Pervez is the richest of all of the Pakistani diaspora in the UK with assets valued at 390 million pounds sterling. After a comprehensive research, the Sunday Times has published a list of 50 richest Asian businessmen in the UK wherein Indian steel giant Mittal’s owner, Lakshmi Mittal, stood first. The list includes Sri Hinduja and Gopi Hinduja, Anurag Dikshit, Anil Agarwal, Jatania brothers, Naresh Goyal, Vikrant Bhargava, Gulu Lalvani and Tom Singh. Sir Anwar Pervez is positioned at No 12 among top 15 richest Asians in the UK, according to a press release.

The Sunday Times report states that Sir Pervez owns the second largest cash and carry wholesale network in Britain and has illuminated the name of Pakistan by sheer hard work, dedication and honesty. He lives in London and has converted his tiny business into Bestway Group of UK, an empire with assets of hundreds of millions pounds. He was the first-ever Pakistani knighted by Her Majesty the Queen of Britain.

The media further reported that Bestway was one of the fastest growing business groups in the UK operating in diverse sectors from cash & carry business, real estate to banking. Sir Anwar Pervez founded the Group in 1976 by establishing a modest store and with his hard work and vision, he has taken Bestway Group to the heights of fame and stability. Bestway is currently establishing one of the most sophisticated cement plants in Pakistan and is a major shareholder in United Bank. The Group is already operating two cement plants as well as a rice-processing unit.

[MohammedA]

City gets first Asian Lord Mayor
The city of Leeds is expected to elect its first Asian Lord Mayor on Monday when councillors meet for the first time since the local elections.
Mohammed Iqbal represents the City and Hunslet ward in the south of Leeds.

Three of the London bombers came from neighbouring Beeston and Holbeck and Mr Iqbal led the local Muslim community's condemnation of the 7 July attacks.

During his year in office, he said he would work to bring together people of different faiths and cultures.

Thrilling opportunity

"I am delighted to have been chosen and thrilled to have this opportunity to be the first Asian Lord Mayor of Leeds," Mr Iqbal said.

"I will work hard during my year of office to promote this wonderful city and bring together people of different faiths and cultures.

"Leeds has a great tradition of welcoming and embracing people from all over the world. It welcomed my family and it is a great honour and privilege to be given the chance to represent it in this way."

A self-employed businessman, Mr Iqbal came to Leeds in 1970 when he was nine years old.

He is married to Fatima and the couple have two children, 22-year-old Sayeka and Mohammed Awais, aged nine.

Sayeka, a Leeds University law student, will be Lady Mayoress.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/5003612.stm

Published: 2006/05/22 07:14:24 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[A Khan]

Pakistani student honoured for research in Chemistry



By Bureau report

ISLAMABAD: Hamza Sheikh, 15, a student of grade 9 (O-Level-1) at the Headstart boys branch, was honoured for his brilliant presentation and pioneering research in Chemistry at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, held in April 2006, a press release said.

Hamza Sheikh was awarded second prize in the Chemistry category. He also received US$1,500 cash prize for his project and experiment on the effectiveness of pea flour as a cheap environmental-friendly insecticide against stored grain.

Hamza competed with millions of students in grade 9-12 worldwide. About 1,500 student from 47 different countries were picked as finalists and flown to Indianapolis, Indiana USA. The contest was supervised and judged by world-renowned scientists, engineers and eminent professors from the top universities of the USA.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=7993

[A Khan]

Pakistani to receive award




By Our Correspondent

NEW YORK, June 5: A Pakistani-American, owner of a furniture chain in the East Coast, has been chosen to receive the Business Humanitarian Award according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) and the Business Humanitarian Forum.

Farooq Kathwari, the owner of Ethan Allan, has a long involvement in humanitarian activities and most recently provided material support for reconstruction in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and sponsored dialogue between Indians and Pakistanis seeking a peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute. He will receive the award at a ceremony in New York on June 21.

“Mr Kathwari exemplifies the humanitarian spirit in business,” said BHF President John J. Maresca. “His actions demonstrate that humanitarian endeavours can not only help build communities and goodwill, but can promote private enterprise and often make business sense.” In February, he was responsible for a major in-kind donation of manufacturing equipment from Danbury, Connecticut-based Ethan Allen to BHF.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/06/top18.htm

[Awaisi]

from today's daily times

Pakistan beats Australia in debating round

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Pakistan debating team defeated world champions Australia in the opening rounds of the Worlds Schools Debating Championship, ending Australia’s 3-year streak of consecutive wins.

The issue under debate was ‘This house would treat captured terrorists as prisoners of war’, with Australia proposing. Pakistan in opposition won in a unanimous (3-0) decision, cleverly arguing that the existing criminal justice system was capable of dealing with suspected terrorists and would provide them more suitable protections.

Pakistan went on to defeat last year’s runner-up team, England. Pakistan’s team has an excellent record in the championship and is currently ranked third in the world out of the 34 participating countries, which include England Australia, Scotland, the USA, Ireland and Canada.

The team had twice reached the championship finals, and had each year won the trophy reserved for the countries with English as a Second Language. This year’s Championship is currently underway in Cardiff, Wales. The team members are Adeel Shahryar from Beaconhouse School Systems Defense campuse, Maryam Suleman Khan from Lahore Grammar School Defense campus, Ansar Aftab from Lahore College of Arts and Sciences, Ahmad Agha and Auun Raza from Aitchison Collge. Team coaches Sameer Khosa and Sabeen Sheikh and adjudicator Ahmad Mujtaba Siddiqui are also

[MohammedA]

Musharraf urges expatriates to remit part of earnings to home
ISLAMABAD (August 01 2006): President Pervez Musharraf has urged the overseas Pakistanis to step forward and remit a part of their earnings to motherland and help develop Pakistan's economy.

Speaking at the inauguration of Bestway Cement in Chakwal on Monday, the President hailed the Bestway Group's decision to direct their foreign investments to Pakistan. Noting the services and honour of prominent Pakistani, Sir Anwar Pervez, he said that Sir Pervez had set a worth following example for his compatriots living abroad.

Earlier, in his briefing, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bestway Group of UK, Zamir Chaudhry, said that Pakistan is fast emerging as an ideal place for investment in all industrial sectors. Bestway's investment in Pakistan has exceeded one billion dollar and the group is still exploring many other ventures to steadily expand the investments in other sectors, he said.

The Bestway Group has already contributed to establishing the University of Engineering and Technology, Chakwal Campus and also provided financial assistance to the District Government to reconstruct the Choa Saidan by-pass road into a dual carriageway for faster communications. The group has already established many educational and health facilities for the people of the surrounding areas to help improve their living standards.

It is not worth mentioning that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had performed the groundbreaking ceremony in April 2005 and the plant has been constructed according to the plans in record time. The commissioning of the project will make the Bestway Cement the second largest cement producer in Pakistan.

President Musharraf is also expected to perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the fourth cement plant to be built by the Group with an initial investment of 180 million dollar.

With an additional investment of 235 million dollar, the group is also entering the power sector and will soon establish three power plants with a total generation capacity of 264 megawatts at three locations.

Governor Punjab, Lieutenant General Khalid Maqbool (Retd); Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Ilahi; Federal Minister for Industries Jehangir Tareen and District Nazim Chakwal Sardar Ghulam Abbas also attended the ceremony.-PR

[H Khan]

Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, August 17, 2006



LAHORE: US space agency NASA has selected a Pakistani woman for a mission starting in January 2008, Geo TV reported on Wednesday. The woman, Numara Aslam, is from Lahore and is currently living in France. If the mission goes ahead, she would be the first Pakistani to fly into space. An artist by profession, Aslam has been selected as part of a six-member team made up not of astronauts, but people from other professions. daily times monitor

[Rasheed]

Canada PM names Pak's ex-military officer as Adviser on South Asia

New Delhi, Aug. 24 (PTI): Canada has appointed a former military officer of Pakistan as Special Adviser on South Asia to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Wajid Khan, currently Member of Parliament in Canada, is expected to visit India as part of his tour to the region next month to explore medium and long-term opportunities.

However, prior to his visit to the region, Khan has raised hackles in the government here by reportedly saying that he would try to broker peace between India and Pakistan.

New Delhi has maintained that India and Pakistan are capable of solving all their issues and disputes and there was no need for any mediation by anyone else.

This sentiment would be conveyed to Khan also, an official told PTI here.

Khan, a prominent voice of the Pakistani community in Toronto, was born in Lahore and has served in Pakistani Air Force before moving to Canada in 1974.

Harper appointed him as his Special Adviser on the region considering his "significant contacts, experience and cultural familiarity" with South Asia.

Khan will also advise Harper on Middle East.


http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200608241760.htm

[wasimr]

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=39405

Student in U.S. Became Voice for Islam



Arsalan Iftikhar toiled in near-anonymity as head of a St. Louis Muslim-rights organization before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks thrust him into the national spotlight.

Within days, his comments condemning the acts appeared in many of the nation's newspapers, including The New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, USA Today and the Post-Dispatch.

Those initial comments started a media ride for Iftikhar that would lead to dozens of appearances on local, national and international broadcasts, publication of his letters, interviews and commentary in media as diverse as The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone magazine and inclusion of one of his essays in an award-winning book.

Iftikhar, 25, graduated earlier this month from Washington University's law school and is heading to Washington, where he will become lead lawyer for the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group.

He grew up in Downer's Grove, Ill., just outside Chicago. His father, an orthopedic surgeon, arrived in the United States 30 years ago after graduating from medical school in Pakistan.

Iftikhar's activism started early. As a high school student, he attended human rights rallies and sit-ins over places like Rwanda, Bosnia and the Palestinian territories.

"Wherever I thought there was unnecessary human suffering and we weren't paying attention to it," he recalled.

As an undergraduate at Washington University, Iftikhar studied political science and Middle-Eastern studies and was active in the school's Muslim Student Association. When he began law school three years ago, several elders in the Muslim community approached Iftikhar about opening a local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. At the time, it had only a half-dozen or so chapters nationwide.

"We had tried to get a chapter started the year before, and it didn't go anywhere," said Jim Hacking, who will take over for Iftikhar. "He was just so energetic and hyped up on it, he helped us get it started by his will."

Iftikhar incorporated the local group in September 2000 and served as the volunteer executive director. The chapter has grown to about 1,000 members.

He spent most of his time with the group dealing with civil rights, employment discrimination and workplace issues, such as women not being allowed to wear head scarves at work or Muslims who wanted an extra hour for lunch on Friday to attend prayers at the mosque.

"We served as a sort of clearinghouse between the aggrieved party and the employer," Iftikhar said. "It was good experience in that it really honed my negotiation skills to go in and talk to executives as a 22-year-old, first-year law student."

He also began writing letters to the editors of major newspapers, typically commenting on what he considered unfair portrayals of Muslims and pro-Israeli bias in news coverage.

Then came Sept. 11.

"It was probably two hours after the planes had hit the towers," Iftikhar recalled. "Our entire community was in shock and disarray. After it was pretty well established that it was Muslims who were responsible for the act, I started writing a 1,000-word piece. I thought it was important to get it out to the papers right away."

Within minutes after he released the e-mail condemnation of the attacks to most of the nation's major newspapers, the media barrage began, he said. It's barely let up since.

Clearly for many in the media, Iftikhar became Islam's "it guy," a sought-after interview or commentator for those seeking the American-Muslim perspective.

"All the Muslim organizations are run by my dad's generation, who were Muslims who came to America," Iftikhar said.

"If someone goes on TV without an accent, I think that in the eyes of the average American, unfortunately, it tends to give them more credibility. Especially in the current climate we live in."

In November 2001, two dozen newspapers published an essay he wrote called "I believe in Allah and America."

Editors included the essay in a collection published in "Taking Back Islam," which won the Religion Communicators Council 2003 Wilbur Award for best religion book.

Demands for his service led him to become a free-lance opinion writer for more than a dozen newspapers, including the Post-Dispatch.

"For a law student trying to get away from eating Ramen noodles, it wasn't bad," he said.

He appeared on ABC's "World News Tonight" and "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox Network.

On the anniversary of Sept. 11, a BBC World Service radio reporter interviewed him for a broadcast and for stories published on the news organization's Web site.

He also spoke locally at more than 100 schools, civic groups, churches, synagogues and other houses of worship about "our faith, our culture and what we believe in."

"I felt my goal in life was to try to help my community and my home in America by educating my fellow Americans and fellow Muslims about things they may not understand or have a skewed vision about."

[MohammedA]

Muslim becomes Navy rear admiral
A 48-year-old senior officer who joined the Royal Navy in 1977 has been appointed rear admiral and becomes the highest ranking Muslim in the service.
Commodore Amjad Hussain, who lives in Hertfordshire, will head the defence logistics organisation in Bath.

His last posting was at Portsmouth where he was the naval base commander.

He is an outspoken supporter of ethnic minorities joining the armed forces and said at a recent awards ceremony: "It is a wonderful life."

'Value equality'

The engineering and business administration graduate from Durham University has served in fishing protection vessels and as a weapons officer on an aircraft carrier.

He said: "If you are working in a part of the world where your life is in danger, you need a great team. We value equality for that very reason.

"In many countries, the armed forces are often the last bastion of traditional thinking. If my example gives encouragement to young British Asians to sign up then I will be a happy man."

Commodore Hussain has also had two spells working in Whitehall in equipment and resource planning.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/5301000.stm

Published: 2006/08/31 07:54:32 GMT

© BBC M

[Aziz]

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2006/Sep06/01/01.HTM

Aziz

[MohammedA]

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT SOHAIL KHAN

Flight Lieutenant Sohail Khan has been awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for his relief efforts in Pakistan, the country of his parents' birth, following the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005.


Flt Lt Khan commanded the forward element at the Pakistani Air Force Base Chaklala and his team was involved in supporting the movement of UN aid, using three RAF Chinook heavy lift helicopters to the affected northern areas.

Along with his primary role of assisting with the coordination of aid tasking, Flt Lt Khan's language skills allowed him to take on the role of liaison officer with the Pakistani military.

"I am deeply honoured to be awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for my involvement in Operation Maturin," he said.

"I feel it as an honour to be able to accept this award on behalf of the RAF Odiham Team."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/5326694.stm

Published: 2006/09/08 11:11:01 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[MohammedA]

Moeen joins cousin Kabir at Worcs
England under-19 batsman Moeen Ali has joined Worcestershire.
Moeen, whose cousin Kabir also plays for Worcs, moves from Warwickshire in a three-year deal.

Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton said: "Moeen is one of the outstanding young players in English cricket at present.

"We believe several counties have shown an interest in him. I am sure he will be challenging for a starting spot from the start of next season."

Warwickshire chief executive Colin Povey said the county was disappointed Ali had turned down a new contract.

"He has come up through our age group and academy structures and looked set for a long career here at Edgbaston," said Povey.

"He is a talented and ambitious cricketer and feels he might develop quicker in a new environment. Time will tell whether he has made the right decision but we wish him well."

Ali captained England under-19 in their 2006 World Cup campaign.



Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/5355630.stm

Published: 2006/09/18 09:03:38 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[M Abdullah]

Students from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) won the Stockholm Challenge Award 2006 for a relief information system for victims of the October 8 earthquake, Daily Times learnt. Nuzhat Kamran, head of Management and External Relations Department, said the award was considered the “Nobel Prize in Information Technology” and the project was a great help to earthquake victims.


A group of Computer Science Department students and faculty had developed a software information system called Risepak to manage detailed information on demographics, locations and indicators of earthquake-hit areas and its notice boards for each area featured announcements, comments, opinions and requests from relief workers and victims. The software also enabled information-sharing by telephone, SMS, fax, email and website. The project was organised by a network of students and faculty from LUMS, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and Pomona College and economists from the World Bank. The LUMS team consisted of Sadaf Aziz, Dr Ali Cheema, Moeen Cheema, Yasser Hashmi, Dr Furrukh Khan, Dr Sohaib Khan, Miguel Loureiro, Milal Minto, Shandana Mohmand, Osama Siddique, Dr Sarah Zaid, Sana Faraz, Ahsan Kamal, Ahmad Abdul Karim, Nizar Nadir, Syed Ali Asjad Naqvi, Dr Sadia Qadir, Najam Tariq and Batool Zaidi.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\10\09\story_9-10-2006_pg13_9

[MohammedA]

From Pakistan to the playing fields of Eton in 12 months
By Graeme Paton, Education Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:17am GMT 09/11/2006



Zulqarnain Majid had been all set to study at a relatively anonymous sixth form college in Greater Manchester.

The 16-year-old had been in England for only a year after moving from Islamabad with his family, and thought that the Holy Cross Sixth Form College in Bury would be the ideal place to sit his A-levels.


Zulqarnain at Eton: 'A very friendly, inclusive place'


But when the gifted teenager achieved some of the best GCSEs in the country, his family decided to send a speculative e-mail instead to England's best-known private school, Eton.

Now Zulqarnain has been admitted to the alma mater of the royals after teachers recognised his potential and handed him a full two-year scholarship in the sixth-form.

His mother, Aqila, 40, said: "I was on holiday back in Pakistan with the children, but his dad had to stay in England to work. He went down to Zulqarnain's school to pick up his exam results, and we were delighted with how well he had done.

"As a young girl I had read a lot about Eton, about how the royals and so many politicians had been educated there, and I never thought a child of mine would get in. My son had a place at Holy Cross but when we saw how well he did in his GCSEs we just thought, well, let's give it a go. I couldn't believe it when we were told he had a place. "

advertisementHis family contacted Eton, which charges up to £25,000-a-year, and lists 18 British prime ministers, including the Duke of Wellington, Horace Walpole and Harold MacMillan, among its former pupils, only in late August. They were told that one scholarship in the sixth-form was still unfilled and the teenager won a place following an interview, joining the school in September.

Zulqarnain, who gained nine A*s, two As and a B in his GCSEs at Swinton High School, and wants to study medicine at Oxford or Cambridge after Eton, said: "I loved being in Manchester but the tradition and history surrounding a place like Eton is just amazing. I do miss home but everyone here has just been so nice to me since I arrived. It is a very friendly, inclusive place. I have not met any famous people yet but I am aware of how many members of the royal family have been here, so I am very privileged."

The teenager, a keen cricketer, who has a 13-year-old sister and brother aged seven, lived with his family in an affluent area in the centre of Islamabad, attending Bahria college, a fee-charging international school owned by the Pakistan navy, before moving to Manchester last November.

His cardiologist father, Irfan, whose own father is a retired general in the Pakistan army, brought his family to England after securing a £30,000-a-year job as a GP in hospitals in the Greater Manchester area on a permanent, high-skilled migrant visa.

His mother, who is an English language teacher, and whose own family are wealthy professionals, among them doctors and engineers, said that the education of their children was one of the main motivations behind the move.

"My husband got a job in Rochdale and we saw it as a great opportunity to give our children a first-class education," she said. "We looked into coming to England and, as my husband is a doctor, it seemed like quite a straightforward thing to do.

"We had a good life in Pakistan and our money does not go as far in this country as it did in Islamabad, but we made the right choice."

She added: "All our children are very bright, but it was hardest for our eldest son to settle in. It is easier for younger children to adapt, but I think he found it hard being away from the friends he has lived and grown up with. He had to adapt to a new culture, new environment and new teachers, which is why we were so surprised that he did so well in his GCSEs."

Zulqarnain is now studying A-levels in maths, further maths, biology, chemistry and design.

Tony Little, the headmaster of Eton, said: "What attracted us to him was that he is a bright, intelligent boy. He has a thirst for learning and an appetite for achievement, and with those qualities we think the sky is the limit."

Publishers wishing to reproduce photographs on this page should phone 44 (0) 207 538 7505 or e-mail syndication@telegraph.co.uk

[AAdresi]

Amid bias and gloom, a Pakistani success story


A view from America

By Shaheen Sehbai


The writer is a senior Pakistani journalist based in Washington DC

How many times has a beautiful and charming Hollywood super star asked a Pakistani to turn around at a public place because she would like to give him a shoulder massage?

And how many times can it happen that two globally known and respected public figures like former president Bill Clinton and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan turn up to disrupt that massage, because they are guests of the same Pakistani.

And what does it mean when a Pakistani finds himself at the centre of all this action in a city and a country where every Pakistani-American is looked at with suspicion, as if he is a suicide bomber, a plane hijacker, a terrorist or at least a first cousin of all of them.

All this and much more did happen last Friday, December 8, in the 9/11 city of New York when the Pakistani-American president of the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA), created waves by organising and holding the most successful ever annual ball of the association, bringing together not only the outgoing UN Secretary General but the incoming one as well, Mr Ban ki Moon.

The UNCA is the apex body of all journalists posted at the UN from around the globe and has acquired the distinction of being the conscience of the world, with every top leader mercilessly questioned by its members, whether he be Jacques Chirac, Hugo Chaves, Ahmedinejad or General Musharraf. It has about 300 members dominated by those from the west and Japan. But 25 Arabs, 10 Chinese, four Russian and three Pakistanis besides one or two from almost every country make up its general body. Three Pakistani journalists, Iftikhar Ali, Azim M Mian and Masood Haider have been elected as presidents, with Mr Haider elected unanimously for 2006.

Haider, with years of journalism at the UN behind him, was the key organiser of this year's annual ball and when it was proposed by him that he should invite both Kofi Annan and Ban Ki Moon, most UNCA members were sceptical that a Pakistani could actually pull off the event. There were so many protocol hurdles to overcome including huge egos of UN officials. But when Haider added Bill Clinton to receive UNCA's Citizen of the World Award for his work as UN Secretary General's special envoy for Tsunami, everyone, particularly members of the western press, feared that he would fall flat on his face.

At a time when every bit of news in the US media about Pakistan is either negative or devastating, the fear of the UNCA journalists was grounded in reality. It was thought that a Pakistani would not only drag UNCA to the ground, his presence may embarrass even UN officials. But Masood had big plans and the bigger support of his colleagues who had elected him unopposed last year but wanted him to contest the election again for 2007, which he had declined.

UNCA thus invited not just Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan and Ban-ki Moon, celebrities like Angelina Jolie, the star of "A Mighty Heart" and Julia Ormond, the British super star of films like "Legends of the Fall" (opposite Brad Pitt) and "Sabrina" (with Harrison Ford), who admired Fidel Castro, is now appearing in a film on Che Guevara and is also a UN's goodwill ambassador.

While Angelina could not make it, Julia flew from Los Angeles especially for the event and it was she who offered to massage Masood Haider's shoulder when he received her for the event at the UN. "Why are you so tense, what is wrong with you?" she asked the UNCA president. She was told that it was a tension filled job to handle people like her and 300 world journalists at the same time.

"Turn around," she ordered and when Masood did, she started to give him a shoulder massage. It could not last long as soon Bill Clinton and Kofi Annan arrived. Clinton must have felt an immediate sense of jealousy seeing Julia give Masood a shoulder rub but he was also the guest of the UNCA president.

Everyone including Annan, Ban ki Moon, Clinton and Julia were in high spirits and in an expansive mood. Masood welcomed them all, calling Kofi Annan a diplomat of diplomats. "This is a momentous occasion," he said. "We are meeting on the eve of the change of the United Nations' leadership from a son of Africa to a son of Asia."

His words for Clinton were equally generous. "Your policies and programmes made you exceedingly popular in the US and you still maintain your popularity. But your hard work and travels to the difficult, Tsunami-battered areas endeared you to the peoples of the world. Indeed, you were the angel of mercy for the traumatised people. You touched the lives of millions of people in south-east Asia. They will certainly miss you when you leave the humanitarian assignment early next year."

In turn Annan and Moon cut jokes about their job. Annan made a tickling speech roasting the journalists who went after him doggedly in the aftermath of the oil for food scandal earlier this year. Julia entertained the crowd with hilarious comments.

Moon lampooned himself. "My name is Ban, but not James Ban," said the tuxedo-clad South Korean Foreign Minister. "I take office in (2)007. I am not shaken, but you will be stirred. I am known in the UN as "the slippery eel" and the "Teflon diplomat." He celebrated the Christmas spirit in a parody of the song "Santa Claus is coming to town" by singing "Ban ki Moon is coming to town." When he said he was also making a check list, to see who was naughty and who was nice, worried UN officials were seen visibly bristling with fear and concern.

Clinton made a thoughtful speech about Tsunami and later offered his thanks to UNCA by putting his arm around Masood Haider and asking, "I think that went well, do you agree?" "Yes Mr President I wish you could have stayed," Masood responded. Clinton, shrewd as he always is, smiled graciously and left, knowing well that if he had stayed on neither Kofi Annan nor Ban ki Moon would get the attention they deserved.

But as a compensation for leaving early, Clinton's security staff did ask his host to make sure that two baked chicken dinners were packed and given to them so that the former president, who had just returned from a trip to South Asia, would eat on his way back home to Chappaqua in Westchester County. The second pack may have been for wife Hillary, but she was in Washington attending the Senate session, and not waiting for her husband or the chicken.

The icing on the cake was the six figure amount raised by the event. From a $50,000 debt, because the 2005 ball did not generate enough money, UNCA not only became debt free but richer and viable. It was accepted by all that the 2006 ball was the most successful ever in the history of UNCA. In a town fearful of Pakistanis, at least one had made amends for many.
Source (www.jang.com.pk)

[Alam]

Pak doctor nominated Irish member of ECRI

DUBLIN: Dr Mazhar Bari was nominated as Irish member of the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) by the Government and replaces the previous Irish member Chris Flood. The Tanaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform of Ireland, Michael MCDowell TD, congratulated Dr Mazhar Ali Bari on taking up his position. Dr Bari is a member of the strategic monitoring group that oversees implementation of the National Action Plan Against Racism. As a member of this group, he works with government bodies, social partners, expert bodies and representatives of the Traveller community and minority ethnic communities. He is also a member of the Protection working group, a subgroup of the strategic monitoring group, which is concerned with effective protection and redress against racism.

The News.

[Abbas Naqvi]

Pakistan became intellectually poorer in 2006
By Farman Ali

In the deaths of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Shaukat Siddiqui, Munir Niazi, Khalique Ibrahim Khalique and Prof Nadir Qambrani during 2006, we have lost some of the most powerful men of letters who stood up against injustices, poverty and discrimination of all kinds.

Their departure becomes more unfortunate as we find no one capable of cultivating progressive thinking in the country with their commitment to humanity and honesty of purpose.

Pakistan, given its size with the sixth largest population in the world, does not fare well in any intellectual, academic, artistic or cultural area. Martial laws, undemocratic measures of the civilian rulers and limited or no freedom of expression over the past 60 years discouraged the youth to take up philosophy, humanities or social sciences for higher studies and the society has become superficial and shallow.

We lack a vision for the future and have no understanding of the link between culture and development. Sportsmen are awarded millions for setting records which are broken in no time but we have no money to save intellectuals like Qambrani and Khalique. Their relatively affluent children had to struggle to sustain the provision of expensive drugs their illustrious fathers needed.

Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi was an era in himself. The great writer, poet, publisher, editor and intellectual who died in the ripe old age shaped the minds and hearts of many young writers for more than six decades.

His writings bring forth the pains and misfortunes of the common people. Some of his short stories are rated among the best of world fiction.

Likewise, Shaukat Siddiqui was a class of his own. Some of his novels were dramatised and televised drawing millions of viewers. He was also committed to highlighting the plight of masses with both objectivity and compassion.

Munir Niazi was a quintessential poet whose works take you to another world. He addresses social and existential issues with such ease and respect for his fellow beings that no one can be compared to him today. As a publisher, he also brought out progressive, philosophical and literary books when young. At least the prime minister should have been at the funeral if it were a civilised country.

Khalique Ibrahim Khalique was a writer, poet, progressive thinker and founder of documentary film making in Pakistan. Being one of the most awarded and decorated film directors in the country and acknowledged for penning the social history of the progressive movement in the subcontinent, he never compromised on either art or his political views. Just recently, Karafilm Festival forgot to mention his death.

Prof Nadir Qambrani served the cause of education in Balochistan and democracy and socialism in Pakistan for decades. He was jailed, exiled and then finally recognised as an outstanding human being by the state. He refused to accept an award before his death in protest to government’s high handedness in Balochistan.

None of the five men had achievements of spectator sports which earned name and money to others. But they would be remembered for the enlightenment they brought to us for decades through their written words, commitment and passion for social change.

[A Khan]

Five Pak whiz kids win top US science honour



By Naveed Ahmad

ISLAMABAD: Computer giants Intel Corporation is taking the five winners of the National Science Olympiad, one of the world's largest pre-college science competitions, to New Mexico (United States).

This year's winners from Pakistan include the team of Waqar Ahmed, Shoaib Ahmed and Mufaddal Mansoor of Aga Khan Higher Secondary School while individual achievers are Fatima Shami of Headstart School and Kulsum Bilal of Government Kinnaird High School for Girls, Lahore.

These winners will join about 1,500 high school finalists from across the world. These finalists were chosen from a field of around one million students and will compete for approximately $4 million in awards.

Over 210 students from all over Pakistan participated in the Olympiad which concluded Wednesday. The event is affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in May.

The International Science and Engineering Fair, sponsored by Intel since 1997, is the world's largest celebration of science, showcasing the world's most promising young scientists and inventors.

Student finalists, in grades nine through 12, emerge from a field of approximately one million students who compete in more than 500 regional Intel ISEF-affiliated science fairs around the world. The National Science Olympiad is a joint effort between Intel Pakistan Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Education.

"The youth in Pakistan is very talented and the National Science Olympiad provides an ideal platform for the next generation of brilliant scientists," said Shahzad Aslam Khan, the country manager of Intel Pakistan Corporation. "It is heartening to see such an overwhelming interest from the students. We are extremely appreciative of the support extended to this programme by the Ministry of Education."

Students participated individually or in groups in five major categories -- mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics and computer sciences. A total of three projects -- two individuals and a team consisting of three -- were short-listed.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=39392

[A Khan]

Omar Ayub figures in WEF list of young leaders




By Afshan Subohi

KARACHI, Jan 20: The World Economic Forum has named Omar Ayub Khan, the Minister of State for Finance, among 250 `Young Global Leaders 2007’. The WEF released the list on Friday. Salman Iqbal, CEO of ARY Digital, is the other Pakistani to have figured in the list.

Of 28 South Asians in the list, two are Pakistanis, one Bangladeshi and the rest Indians. Leaders from India include members of parliament, professionals and businesspersons, besides two showbiz icons – actress Aishwarya Rai and film director Karan Johar.

The list `recognises’ the top 250 young leaders -- below the age of 41 -- from around the world for their `professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world’, according to a press release..


http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/21/top18.htm

[uazim]

Pakistani firm to export sugarcane crushing mill to USA
LAHORE (February 07 2007): History will be made on Saturday, February 10, by Pakistan by exporting one of the world's largest sugarcane crushing mills, 'SKODA 55"x95"x 4' to Louisiana, USA.

According to Engineering Development Board (EDB) sources, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Federal Minister for Industries, will be the chief guest at the unveiling ceremony arranged by the manufacturer being held in this connection.

Senior government officers, including the State Bank governor, the CBR chairman, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Federal Secretary, Industries, Chief Executive Officer, Engineering Development Board (EDB), foreign diplomats, leading engineering sector manufacturers, and prominent figures of sugar sector will also be present on the occasion.

The sugarcane crushing mill has been manufactured by QadBros Engineering, a Lahore-based private sector company, which has specialised in manufacturing of bigger sugar mills.

Besides being the leading manufacturer for most of the 85 sugar factories in the country, QadBros Engineering has for the last 5 years been exporting heavy plants & equipment for sugarcane crushing to customers spread over all five continents of the world including North America, Central & Latin America, Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.

The rapidly intensifying energy crisis that grips the world today has generated tremendous world-wide interest in alternative energy sources. One of the major sources of alternative energy is the world's cane processing & distillation industry, which produces ethanol as a by-product or as its main product.

Accordingly, the world's cane processing & distillation industry is witnessing an upheaval in terms of new capacity addition. With Brazil leading the increase in sugarcane crushing & distillation capacity world-wide, this scenario has led to an unprecedented increase in the demand for cane crushing plants & equipment. According to a conservative estimate, the world's sugarcane crushing capacity will have increased by more than 200 million tons by 2012.

This tremendous increase in the demand for cane sugar factory plant & equipment is shaping up at a time when most of the few remaining recognised European, American and Australian manufacturers of sugarcane crushing plant & equipment have closed shop, thanks to long years of recession within the world cane sugar industry resulting from depressed sugar prices, high cost of heavy equipment manufacture, and environment issues confronting the metallurgical foundry sector in the West. Over the years, that situation forced the world's major cane sugar equipment manufacturers & technology companies to seek technology partnership with Asian manufacturers.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=525906&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=

[A Khan]

Top physician enters House of Lords

LONDON, Feb 15: Dr Khalid Hameed, the High Sheriff of Greater London, has been appointed to the House of Lords, says a press release. Dr Hameed is currently chairman of the Alpha Group of Hospitals in the UK and is chairman and chief executive officer of the London International Hospital, being created as a speciality hospital for cancer, heart and brain. Earlier he worked for 15 years as the CEO and executive director of the Cromwell Hospital in London.

His main interest is interfaith harmony and dialogue among various faiths, and he was awarded the Sternberg Award in 2005 for his work.

He is awarded Sitara-e-Quaidi-Azam and Hilal-i-Quaid Azam by the President of Pakistan for his services in various fields.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/16/nat4.htm

[MohammedA]

http://www.publicsectorpower100.co.uk/muslimpower100/

Alot of British-Paks in the list and you can nominate your own.

[zeeshan]

Pakistani children stun world academia




By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Building on their brilliant performance, Pakistani boys and girls brought laurels to their country by outshining international students in the recent O and A level examinations of the University of Cambridge.

The University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), acknowledging the distinctions, presented awards to 45 high achieving students from Islamabad here on Thursday.

The High Achievers Award Ceremony, which was organised by the British Council Islamabad, recognised the phenomenal success of the young and talented Pakistani students by giving away awards to them under the categories of ‘Top in the World’, ‘Top in Pakistan’ and ‘Top in Islamabad’.

As many as 55 O level students from all over Pakistan topped in the world in June and November 2006 Cambridge examinations. Compared with three A level students who topped in 2005, nine A level students from Pakistan were among the high achievers in the world in 2006.

Students from Islamabad, who rose to heights in an individual Cambridge International O level examination were Ali Moeen Nawazish, (St Mary’s Academy) in Computer Studies, Myra Ejaz (Islamabad Preparatory School) in Economics, Sameena Najam Butt (Islamabad Headstart School) in History: World Affairs Since 1919, Alyna Ahmad, (Khaldunia High School) in English Literature, Farhan Shaukat, (St Mary’s Academy) in Mathematics, and Aqdas Nida (Beaconhouse School System) in Physics.

A level student Fahad Mahmood from The City School topped in the world in Physics and Thinking Skills and also topped in Islamabad with 3 and 4 AS levels. Fahad Mahmood also topped in Pakistan in Chemistry.

Two cash awards of 500 pounds each sponsored by Cambridge International Examination were given to Hira Yousaf for the top O level student in Islamabad and Syeda Saba Zehra Zaidi for the top A level student in Islamabad.

CIE Chief Executive Ann Puntis and Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment Simon Lebus presented the prizes to Islamabad’s exceptional students who achieved high marks.

The percentage of Pakistani students getting grades “D” and “C” was the same compared with students from almost 100 countries, said Ann Puntis.

“The picture changes when Pakistani students leave the rest of the world behind in scoring As and Bs. In 2006, 18 per cent non-Pakistani students got grades A and B compared with 26 per cent from Pakistan. This means that one in four Pakistani students achieved the highest grades.”

She said the brilliant results demonstrated the high quality teaching and commitment on part of both teachers and students.

“Students who have excelled in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting and Commerce have demonstrated potential for current market trends. And those who topped in Literature and Urdu and other such subjects demonstrated respect for educational values,” Ms Puntis said.

“Staggering nine A level top students are a fantastic achievement. It is the fantastically good record of teachings that bring unbeatable results,” said Simon Lebus.

This was followed by an equally spectacular award ceremony to recognise GCE, ACCA and University of London High Achievers.

dawn.com

[MohammedA]

TO GO WITH FRENCH STORY BY CHRISTIAN CHA...
AT SEA, -: TO GO WITH FRENCH STORY BY CHRISTIAN CHAISE Pakistani-born Mohammed Khan, poses for a picture in front of his aircraft on board the USS John C. Stennis in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Pakistan, 23 February 2007. The 45-year-old pilot is about to become the first Muslim commander of a squadron in the history of the US Navy. AFP PHOTO/ADAM JAN (Photo credit should read ADAM JAN/AFP/Getty Images)

[SSAAD]

Here is the story:

Sky’s the limit for Karachi-born US pilot

ON BOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS, off the coast of Pakistan: As a child growing up in Pakistan, Mohammad Khan always loved to play with models of fighter jets, one of which carried the emblem of the US Navy.

About 40 years later, not only has he managed to fly a real fighter jet belonging to the US Navy, but he said he is also on the point of becoming the first Muslim commander of a whole squadron.

“I am hoping I can serve for another 10 years,” 45-year-old commander Mohammad Muzzafar “Shaka” Khan told AFP on board the US aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, which has been anchored since February 19 in the Gulf of Oman, off Pakistan’s coast.

The nuclear-powered Stennis is on a mission to provide support for ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, although its presence in the Gulf region is also seen as a warning to US archfoe Iran over its nuclear drive.

Khan said he was 18 years old when he left Karachi, where his father used to be a pilot in Pakistan’s airforce, to join one of his aunts in Denton, Texas, with the aim of continuing his studies at the North Texas State University.

“Before I emigrated, I had a stereotype of Americans,” he admitted. “I thought they didn’t have the same family values as I had. But I realised they are no different. I broke down the barrier,” he added, explaining his decision to stay in the United States and become an American citizen.

Khan who is passionate about military aircraft, was inspired after watching the 1980s cult movie “Top Gun” about the exploits of a US naval fighter pilot. He said to himself: “hey, I would love to do that,” and so he enrolled. His decision did not please everyone in his family. His father initially was “very upset”.

“For two years, he didn’t talk to me,” he said, adding that their relationship did eventually return to normal, and his younger brother followed his example and joined the navy.

In 2004, Khan was promoted to become second in command of the squadron 31, which comprises six S-3B Viking aircraft, which specialise in attacking submarines. In May he said he should become the commander of this unit. “I will be the very first Muslim to command a squadron.”

Asked if he had any fear his appointment may have been arranged for political reasons, to show that Muslims do not face discrimination, he answered: “No, I don’t have that doubt, because I have a very strong record. “That did not cross my mind,” he admits. “I was competing for two slots. I was one of 32 (candidates).”

And when asked if being Muslim makes him feel uncomfortable about taking part in attacks on Afghanistan, which is a Muslim country, he said: “It bothers me when people die anywhere, when innocent civilians get killed.”

Like most Muslims in the United States, the attacks of September 11 in 2001 have considerably affected his life. “I have been harassed at airports because of my name,” he said, adding that even his US military documents are no use in such situations. “That’s one of the things that really makes me mad,” he said.

But he said that at work he has not felt ostracised, having the freedom of speech and the right to practise his belief. “During (the Muslim fasting month of) Ramadan, I pray five times a day. I’ve prayed in my aeroplane. I try to pray on Fridays,” he said.

Asked what he could hope for in terms of his career, he said: “The sky is the limit,” suggesting his aim was to become the first Muslim admiral in the history of the US Navy.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2007_pg12_8

[Zishan]

Assalam-O-Alaikum,
This is an exceptional effort by some of the Muslim Doctors in L.A. who are rendering their services for 10 years now to one of the most impoverished segment of society in United States. Their work is making a difference not only in the lives of people they serve but is also promoting a positive image of Muslims that has been smeared so often by the media. This truly is the best that Muslims can offer to the society through devotion and dedication to their faith and the teachings of Islam.

UMMA website:
[URL="http://www.ummaclinic.org/"]

Promotional Video:
[URL="http://www.ummaclinic.org/?cls=Our_Story&sbcls=10th_Anniversary"]

UMMA Recognized at U.S. House of Representatives
Congresswoman Maxine Waters Recognizes UMMA Community Clinic At a Session of the U.S. House of Representatives
[URL="http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/ca35_waters/FS060726
_UMMA.html"]

[A Khan]

Pak woman hoists national flag at North Pole



ISLAMABAD: Pakistani woman Namira Salim won laurels for the nation when she hoisted Pakistani flag at the North Pole on Saturday morning at 0530 hours Pakistan time.

Namira, who also awaits her space flight during the next couple of years, is the first Pakistani to reach the top of the world - the Geographic North Pole.

“It is a great honour to represent my country as the first Pakistani citizen at the Geographic North Pole during the ‘International Polar Year’,” Namira told APP by satellite phone.

“As I hoist the national flag at the pinnacle of our planet; I convey a universal message of peace and to assert to the global community that Pakistani nation is peace loving and tolerant nation,” she added.

Based in Southern France, Namira has deep affiliation with innovative art and multi-dimensional mixed media, some created around poetry, she writes and some are musical she incorporates into songs in her own voice.

Namira created a specialised line of musical art objects with built-in messages in the voices of renowned altruists, first unveiled at the United Nations in May 2002.

“As a humanitarian artist and a truly global citizen I have also come to hoist a flag of universal peace at the Pole," she said, adding that the peace flag bears the theme of her United Nations exhibition ‘Peace-Making with Nation-Souls’.

She sees the war and conflict with pain and hopes that tolerance can be inspired through the arts and understanding for the peace and progress of the world.

“The North Pole bears an amazing resemblance to Pakistan’s scenic Northern Ares,” said Namira, expressing her sentiments of joy and happiness.

“As Pakistan’s Honorary Ambassador of Tourism, I would like to invite the world to experience Pakistan’s rich culture and to touch the world’s top most mountain peaks, like the K-2,” she stated.

Namira also praised the 2004 Polar expedition of Anouskha Kachelo, a Pakistan born UK citizen, who is the youngest woman to have reached the North Pole.

“My Polar mission is that of a peace ambassador, while Anouska’s expedition was that of a true adventurer, which is a source of inspiration,” she said.

Namira had also attempted to hoist Pak flag at the North Pole on April 14, but could not succeed due to bad weather.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=52387

[Aziz]

Coffeehouse competitor brewing
Cafe Descartes owner ready to take on Starbucks

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 7, 2007


Growing up in Pakistan, Arshad "Sony" Javid's family roasted their own coffee beans.

When Javid arrived in the United States in 1979, he wrote his papers in coffeehouses and spent his Sunday mornings there. When he traveled through Europe, Asia and Central and South America, he stopped at every coffeehouse he could.

So it was only natural that one of his first jobs was at a start-up operation in Seattle known as Starbucks.

Javid eventually ended up in Chicago, with his own espresso cart opposite the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.

Cafe Descartes, a play to both his training in philosophy and the chain's beginnings with a single cart, now has nine indoor locations and is gathering its own loyal following of latte lovers. With a new location that opened on Michigan Avenue last fall, the 49-year-old businessman is poised to become one of Chicago's few homegrown challengers to his former employer.

"If I open three to four of these on Michigan Avenue, then I will be running around these big franchises," Javid said. "I want to be able to take this company very far."

That is just one part of his strategy in the espresso war with Starbucks, which recently mounted an aggressive effort to double its stores in Chicago. Starbucks has a store just north of Javid's Descartes on Michigan Avenue, and a location less than a block away, inside the Marriott Chicago. The coffee giant plans to add another dozen stores in the Loop alone, as well as a location inside the InterContinental Chicago hotel on Michigan Avenue.

Javid said he is not worried. He believes people will keep coming to sit in his chic cafe and sip their mugs of coffee, not coffee in a paper cup.


Campus beginnings

The small-time coffee entrepreneur's story begins more than two decades ago when he arrived in the United States. He enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle. Then, he moved to Chicago in 1985 and studied business at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a college student, he fixated on the local cafes. That was where he worked on papers. Some mornings, the daily caffeine fix was the only way to open his eyes before class.

"Coffee was my passion," he said.

After graduation, he decided to pursue what he knew best -- coffee. He said he approached downtown office buildings, hoping to convince someone to let him open an espresso cart in their lobby. No luck. He tried the same at various college campuses. Still, no luck.

He finally got his break in 1991, when a priest in charge of a Catholic student center at UIC let him rent a spot on the front sidewalk for $250 a month. Students and faculty skipped the college cafeteria and shelled out $1 or more for espressos and cappuccinos from Javid's cart.

Within a year, Javid was offered a spot in the Behavioral Sciences building and then later in the college's medical school. With business picking up, he opened a cart in the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and later Northeastern Illinois University.

College students became familiar with the Cafe Descartes logo: "I drink, therefore I am." His fans grew addicted to his oatmeal latte -- a breakfast mix of a double shot of espresso, steamed milk, oatmeal, cinnamon and honey.

Evelyn Lehrer, a UIC economics professor and a frequent customer of Javid's in those early days, would notice that he changed around his prices quite a bit, clearly assessing the "price elasticity of demand."

"I often joked with him about the fact that he was clearly benefiting from the good education he received in our program," she said.


A philosophical bent

He had learned a few other things as well. At first, his logo was a man walking on the moon, holding a cup of coffee inside a green circle. From afar, it looked like the green-and-white logo of that other coffeehouse. Eventually, Javid would change it to a brown circle with French philosopher Descartes in the middle, enjoying a cup of coffee.

Soon, it came time to branch out and open a store. He opened a cafe in Lincoln Park in 1996, beginning to microroast his coffee beans on site. He said that is the reason why his coffee is not as bitter as the others. Then came locations in Rogers Park and Lincoln Square.

The stores have allowed him not only a chance to offer philosophy lectures in some locations, but also an opportunity to spiff up rundown sites with his own flair of blending old and new. The Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Square sites are furnished with rich velvet curtains, antique mirrors, dark wooden tables and a rounded bar.

The only hint at his Eastern roots are the photos of great philosophers and thinkers on two walls in the Michigan Avenue location. Snuck in between Aristotle and Plato you will find Khalil Gibran and, on the opposite wall, Indian Muslim poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal.

Since Javid opened on Michigan Avenue, he said, visitors drop by and say that they've seen his other cafes in Lincoln Square or on college campuses. It's music to his ears.

"That's exactly what I wanted -- the visibility," he said. "I wanted people to recognize the name."

Last year, Chicago Magazine's dining critic reviewed the local fare of daily brew. The critic said Cafe Descartes' dark roast "handily trumps the national chains."

For Javid, it was the nod he needed. He is ready to take on Starbucks.

Starbucks officials say they welcome any competition.

"We believe there is room for many coffeehouses in the marketplace that meet different customers' needs," said Carrie Cawdrey, Starbucks marketing manager for the Midwest region.

But last fall, a business manager from Starbucks, wearing a jacket with the company logo, and the regional license manager for Seattle's Best Coffee, a 2003 Starbucks acquisition, took a seat at Javid's Michigan Avenue store. They ordered an Americano and black coffee, and after exchanging some pleasantries and remarking on the "very nice coffee," they took their leave.

"I'm in a Cold War," Javid said. "They're here to check me out."

Aziz

[H Khan]

Navy News | Lt. Nathan Christensen | May 15, 2007

USS John C. Stennis, At Sea -- Cmdr. Muhammad Muzzafar F. Khan relieved Cmdr. Timothy Langdon as commanding officer of Sea Control Squadron (VS) 31 during a ceremony held at sea aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) May 13.

Khan is the first Muslim to take command of an operational aviation squadron in the U.S. Navy.

The “Topcats” of VS-31 are assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, embarked aboard Stennis, and currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO).

“I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be placed in that position of stewardship,” said Khan.

As a child in Pakistan, Khan grew up around aviation. His father served in the Pakistani Air Force for 21 years and then flew commercial airplanes for 24 years.

“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a pilot,” he said. “There is a Naval Aviation Museum poster with a little boy holding a toy airplane and looking up at the sky. That little boy was me.”

Some 40 years later, Khan has surpassed his ambitions of being a pilot: He not only flies jets almost daily near his native Pakistan, but he now commands an aviation squadron responsible for six aircraft and more than 200 personnel.

Khan came to the United States from Pakistan in 1981 to live with his aunt in Texas. His goal was to learn to fly, as well as earn a degree from North Texas State University.

Although Khan said life was good in Pakistan, he made the decision to stay in the United States for college and eventually become an American citizen, a decision he does not regret. His decision to become a naval aviator, however, did not please everyone in his family at first, he said.

“My father initially was opposed to the idea of me joining the U.S. Navy because I am the oldest son,” said Kahn. “My father wanted me to return home and follow in his footsteps and fly with the airlines for him. So, when I told him I was joining the Navy, he wasn’t initially happy.”

Since then, he and his father have grown very close, sharing the common bond and passion for aviation.

Khan’s younger brother even followed his example joining the Navy as a P-3 pilot, and is currently stationed in Whidbey Island, Wash.

In 2004, Khan was selected to enter the command-at-sea pipeline and became VS-31’s executive officer shortly thereafter. Khan was competing for one of two spots against 32 candidates, he said.

“The fact that I was selected for command after Sept. 11 is a good indication that the Navy is an equal opportunity organization and that we don’t discriminate on race, religion or color,” said Khan.

While many Americans may not have known much about Islam prior to Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks that day changed that completely.

“After Sept. 11, pretty much the entire American nation knew about Islam, and the image they had was not the right one,” said Khan. “I read an article, which I believe to be true, that Islam was basically hijacked. The Islamic teachings were turned around or taken out of context so that they could be used for political gain and to incite violent behavior. Suicide and killing innocent people is strictly forbidden in Islam.”

Khan is flying missions over Afghanistan as part of CVW-9 to bring stability and security to the region. CVW-9, assigned to the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, entered the U.S. 5th Fleet AOO on Feb. 19 to conduct maritime security operations in regional waters, as well as to provide support for the International Security Assistance Force, comprised of more than 35,000 troops with contributions from 37 nations, on the ground participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.

“As far as the mission is concerned, I hope and wish the same things I wish for my fellow Americans. I hope there’s peace. I hope there’s stability. I hope for all people in the region that they can go to the market as freely as I can and let their children play on the street or get a job and be able to provide for their family,” he said.

Khan said while flying missions over Afghanistan from Stennis, he flies over Pakistan and catches a glimpse of his native country.

“It is awesome to look down to be able to see Pakistan knowing I lived 18 years of my life there,” he said.

After 20 successful years in the Navy, this day marks the pinnacle of his career as he assumes command at sea. However, Khan has no intention of retiring anytime soon.

“I have completed 20 years, and I absolutely love the Navy,” he said. “I’m still having a lot of fun, and I don’t see myself getting out anytime soon."

[Aziz]

It is not just the 'big' people who make Pakistan proud:-

Pakistani gets $13,600 punctuality award

DUBAI, May 16: Dubai awarded a Pakistani gardener $13,600 for never being late and for always showing up to work on time during the 28 years he spent working in the emirate.The bonus Mohammad Nazier, 63, received was the equivalent to 49 months' pay from his job with the Gulf Arab state's municipal authority, Emirates Today newspaper said.

“I had to take some loans to pay for my children's weddings and education. Now I will repay my debts ... and keep some money for the future,” said Nazier, who took sick leave only once to undergo surgery.

“This award means a lot to me. It is because of God's grace that I received it,” said Nazier, a former soldier.—Reuters

Aziz

[SSAAD]

It is not just the 'big' people who make Pakistan proud:-

Pakistani gets $13,600 punctuality award

DUBAI, May 16: Dubai awarded a Pakistani gardener $13,600 for never being late and for always showing up to work on time during the 28 years he spent working in the emirate.The bonus Mohammad Nazier, 63, received was the equivalent to 49 months' pay from his job with the Gulf Arab state's municipal authority, Emirates Today newspaper said.

“I had to take some loans to pay for my children's weddings and education. Now I will repay my debts ... and keep some money for the future,” said Nazier, who took sick leave only once to undergo surgery.

“This award means a lot to me. It is because of God's grace that I received it,” said Nazier, a former soldier.—Reuters

Aziz

said Nazier, a former soldier.

As they say once a soldier always a soldier...being on time is something that the entire Pakistani nation needs to improve upon...at least its something that is deeply ingrained in the minds of the soldiers/officers....sorry for diverging here, but this reminds me of a funny story about my brother's wedding...having been in the Army and then living in the US, my father has never lost his "timeliness" habit ingrained in him over 26 of service. So for the wedding the family goes back to Pakistan and on the day of the wedding, my family leaves with the groom (my brother) and gets to the venue of the wedding reception at exactly 7:00 p.m. This is despite the fact that our local relatives in Pakistan kept on telling my father that its way too early..but not being used to the "desi standard time" and sticking to his Military Standard time :D, they showed up at the right time and there was not a soul at the venue of the wedding reception....the hosts were just checking out the arrangements at the time we showed up and not even dressed in their shaadi gear...:D

So much for timeliness in Pakistan...:D

[SSAAD]

Not sure where the EQ thread went, but a nice perspective from an American-Pakistani helping out with the EQ relief efforts

For me, as an American-Pakistani, it was comforting to see the Pakistani and American military work hand-in-hand. I was impressed with the Pakistani military. Their passion, initiative, determination, support, and warmth were incredible. Every flight we took, there was a Pakistani military safety pilot who was a part of the crew. They guided us. I made many PAKMIL friends, and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/jan06/story1.htm

Responding to Pakistan quake was emotional experience

By Maryam Khan
Afghanistan Engineer District

I have forgotten about the outside world for the past three weeks. Haven’t had much of an interest in getting on the Internet or checking e-mail. How can I write an e-mail about the earthquake relief effort in Pakistan? There is too much to share.

I arrived in Rawalpindi at the Chaklala Air Force Base in Pakistan on Oct. 13 with my team of six. Before putting foot in Pakistan, we did not have much information on the mission. There were a lot of unanswered questions. How long would we stay? What were we going to do? Where were we going to stay? So I tried to prepare myself for anything.

My parents are from Pakistan, and I still have extended family there. We go back to visit every few years, and I speak fluent Urdu, so I had a lot of interaction with the Pakistani people, and with their news media.

Being in Pakistan for almost three weeks, I felt a spectrum of emotions from sadness to anger to frustration to guilt to happiness. It has been difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that my team did not come here to pull people out of the rubble or to drop supplies or to bring injured persons to care. We came here to do engineering work -- to assess structural damage to roadways, bridges, schools, and clinics. I think of the mission in three phases -- the relief effort, assessing the damage, and reconstruction.

Obviously, my work has been with phases two and three.

Engineering aspect

During our first week in Pakistan, my teammates and I conducted aerial reconnaissance of the affected areas near and around and epicenter of the earthquake. The assessments were conducted in support of the U.S. Disaster Assistance Center (DAC). We called it DACPAK.

The overall purpose of these missions and assessments was to determine if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could facilitate humanitarian relief operations in Pakistan. The primary focus areas were roads and bridges leading to the areas needing disaster relief. USACE coordinated with the Pakistani government through the Pakistani military and our U.S. Navy admiral’s staff to identify focus areas.

We flew on UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters in conjunction with humanitarian supply and casualty evacuation flights. The aircraft flew from Chaklala Airbase where we were staying in Rawalpindi through the Muree Hills to Muzaffarabad, the Pakistani capital of Kashmir.

We would land in the Muzaffarabad stadium to unload relief supplies and load injured persons onto the aircraft. This was one of the most significant initial collection points for the earthquake relief effort with several organizations providing their services to the local population.

We observed a massive mountain collapse southeast of Muzaffarabad. This landslide blocked a significant portion of a smaller valley and created a dam. Loose rock and dirt piled up to form massive dunes. We saw remnants of houses in the debris, and I felt awe and fear. I had a difficult time comprehending how this could have happened.

Overall, the weather in Islamabad and surrounding areas was beautiful when I was there. It got cold at night, though. There were a few days where we could not fly due to rain and fog.

One day we tried to push the limit to reach two cities pretty far north, Batgram and Ughi, but we encountered fog and freezing rain on the way to our destination. We did not push all the way through, and I was glad. We could not land even south of Batgram due to the terrain and harsh weather, so we did a supply drop. It was heart-wrenching to see the villagers below running with all their might to catch something, anything from our helo.

Below there was complete devastation. The homes were severely damaged. The walls had turned to rubble and the roofs were level with the ground.

The most severely damaged area I saw was about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southeast of Muzaffarabad from Garhi Dupatta to Chakothi. It is completely closed off to ground traffic. The one main road running along the valley floor (about 40 kilometers, about 25 miles) is cut by landslides, damaged bridges, or culverts virtually every kilometer. Some sections of landslide are hundreds of meters long.

Chakothi is 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from the Indian border. We landed in both cities, Garhi Dupatta and Chakothi. This area along an arc from Muzaffarabad to Chakothi is devastated. This route has sustained significant damage such as landslides, large cracks from shear failure, and in places the shelf has completely sheared off by landslides. Extensive reconstruction will be required. This area generally has 80-90 percent of structures flattened by the earthquake.
Maryam Khan with a group of Pakistani army medical trainees. "For me, as an American-Pakistani, it was comforting to see the Pakistani and American military work hand-in-hand. I was impressed with the Pakistani military."

People to people

Our biggest challenge was access to the mountains. There were people trapped for weeks, injured and need medical care. The best method was airdrops. Many of the roads will take time to clear, and many of the roads are completely gone.

My most overwhelming moment was on day two of my trip when we landed at the Muzaffarabad stadium and were loading injured children in the back of our Blackhawk. All of a sudden I felt intense emotions and before I knew it, I was a wreck.

You see helplessness all around. You sense the fear and mental instability of the people in these places. I talked with old university professors who were absolutely shaken and close to tears, who were rattled, who were frazzled. They were terrified of going inside buildings in the fear that they would collapse in on them.

One professor clutched his heart and almost fainted when my camera flashed inside one of the damaged buildings. Then he started talking about how his sister died in a building, but he never finished the story. I think it was too painful for him, and I couldn’t ask further.

It is normal to hear people say, "Oh, my kids are dead," or "Oh yeah, my mom died and my dad is injured." Sometimes you see no tears, because they are simply stating facts. How much can you cry? People are numb. They are terrified that another earthquake will kill them and their families, and it doesn’t help that there are tremors every day.

I met children who followed me around as I walked in the rubble of what used to be the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and went in buildings for assessments. The kids did not crack a smile, just followed me quietly. I would talk to them, and they understood every word I said, but they were mostly unresponsive. They were still in shock from the tragedy.

When we went on our road mission, we had a Pakistani driver named Imran. It was Ramadan, and he was fasting. I asked him why he was still fasting after so much devastation. He told me that there wasn’t much to eat anyway, so he might as well fast.

Even when he ended his fast, there was nothing to eat. No restaurants were open in Muzaffarabad, and no fresh food was making it up. You could find a fruit or two or some biscuits… but that was mostly it.

I tried to send my halaal MREs from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, but they didn’t make it. I still think about him and hope he is well. (Halaal MREs are a pork-free version of the military Meals, Ready-to-Eat that are approved by both Jewish and Muslim authorities.)

I met an old baba (Urdu for grandfather) in Muzaffarabad. He was so incredibly old and helpless. I just pulled out some money, gave that to him, and asked him to pray for me and my family.

Then he started rattling off in some language I couldn't understand, so I asked Imran what he was saying. Imran said, "He's giving you lots of blessings." He was a sweet old man. I actually felt good in a long time, like I really helped someone, like I did something real.

Engineering work at times just didn’t feel rewarding because it lacked the "people" aspect that I craved the whole time I was in Pakistan. My favorite times were conversing with the common folks in Urdu.

I can't adequately explain the intensity of emotion I felt. You feel so helpless. Flying through the ruined towns, I felt nauseous from the smell of death. Obviously, I did not fast.

I thought about the people who were inside their homes or schools or shops when the earthquake struck. They must have felt their entire home, ceiling and walls, fall in on them. They did not even have time to move. They were buried under rubble while the earth shook violently, and many of them never made it out.

Massive coordination

One of the many rewarding parts of this trip I want to take time to mention is the coordination effort between the different groups in Pakistan. Everyone was there for the same reason, to help in whatever capacity they could. People brought different expertise to the table and took initiative. They took pride in their work, too.

For me, as an American-Pakistani, it was comforting to see the Pakistani and American military work hand-in-hand. I was impressed with the Pakistani military. Their passion, initiative, determination, support, and warmth were incredible. Every flight we took, there was a Pakistani military safety pilot who was a part of the crew. They guided us. I made many PAKMIL friends, and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

What now?

The immediate need in Pakistan right now is shelter. The cold months are approaching rapidly. So far, we’ve been lucky because normally it’s cooler at this time of year in northern Pakistan. It has started to snow in the mountains, and more than anything else organizations are trying to secure shelter for the people now. There are organizations on the ground also thinking long-term. Reconstruction of roads, schools, and clinics will be next.

In the first few days after the ‘quake, there was an outpouring of emotion around the world, and people far and wide embarked on all kinds of relief drives in a genuine display of solidarity. Please don’t let this passion die. The displaced Pakistanis, Kashmiris, and Indians still need your monetary help, your physical help, and your prayers. There are many ways to help.

As for me, I have returned to Kabul. Our mission is over, for now. Things here change so quickly that it’s hard to say if we will return or not. It was an honor for me to work in Pakistan, even for a short time. I thank God for the opportunity, and I thank the Afghanistan Engineer District for adding my name to the team so I could help my parents’ homeland. I would not have traded this experience for anything.

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, May 24, 2007


Pakistan bodybuilder wins five titles in England

Staff Report

LAHORE: A Pakistani bodybuilder has set a new record by winning five titles in England in the competitions organised by the National Amateur Bodybuilding Association (NABA). “Top musclemen from Europe and other countries participated in these events held in various parts of England from April 21 to May 13 this year,” bodybuilder Masoom Butt told reporters during a press conference here Wednesday.

The titles won by Masoom included Mr International, Pro-Am Oscars, Mr Titan Show, Sci-Mentor Pro-AN Classic and Caledonian Pro Am Classic. “No Pakistani has ever won that number of titles before and it is a great honour for me and my country,” he added. Masoom said he won the Mr Asia title at the age of 21 in 1993 in Singapore and in the same year he finished fourth in the World Championship.

He said he gave up bodybuilding in 1995 owing to financial constraints as this sport involved huge finances for diet and preparations. “In 2003 I again started bodybuilding and did training abroad on and off and it was the result of sheer hard work that finally I was able to win a record number of five titles,” he said. Masoom said he was now preparing to compete in Mr Universe competition which would be held later this year in England. 34-year-old Masoom said his ultimate dream was to win the title of Mr Olympia in next three to four years’ time.

[MohammedA]

Age 23 - Is This Banker The Youngest VP Ever ?
02/06/2007
Each year thousands of graduates / MBAs find work in the financial markets. All start at (or near) the bottom of the ladder, and hope that one day they will make it big. Few do. And those who eventually achieve success usually face a relatively long wait. Not so one young man who, at 23, just might be the youngest VP ever to attain that position in a major investment bank.

Click Here to E-Mail this article to a Friend >>

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But Zain Latif is no ordinary young man. Graduating with a Masters from Cass Business School at the tender age of just 19, Latif secured internships at both Goldman and JPMorgan, before joining HSBC's graduate program in 2004, which led to stints in trading in New York and Hong Kong. He returned to London early last year, joining the bank's newly formed Illiquid Assets Group. Finding it tough operating in more established emerging markets (where competition is fierce), Latif decided to scour for opportunities in Africa, and particularly Nigeria. And he didn't have to wait long for his first major success - bringing the first unrated Nigerian bank, FCMB, to the international markets in a debt / equity hybrid structure with a combined facility of $125m.

The publicity surrounding Latif's coup clearly gave him a high profile, and it wasn't long before headhunters came after him to tempt him away with promises of untold riches. Turning down lucrative offers from a number of other financial institutions, Latif recently resigned his position at HSBC. Well placed headhunting sources say that he is joining Merrill Lynch later this month, coming in at VP level to help build their illiquid assets business. He will have prime responsibility for Africa.

Although a recent survey of bankers undertaken by eFinancialCareers found that 45% of respondents didn't plan to retire until they were between 45 and 50 years of age, young bulls like Zain Latif are clearly storming the barricades. Adrian Ezra, founder and CEO of global search firm Execuzen, said that 'although the financial markets still benefits from wise and experienced heads, there are huge opportunities (and financial rewards) for talented young professionals who can demonstrate that they are capable of bringing in revenue streams. Age is no barrier to success (at either end of the spectrum). If you can show you can deliver, you will prosper'. And although it is difficult to work out how much Latif will earn at Merrill (he may well have been brought in with a guaranteed bonus), industry sources speculate that, if he is as good as he appears (and brings home the bacon), the young banker could well earn between $650,000 - $1m in his first year.

Our attempts to contact the talented Mr Latif have so far proved unsuccessful.

Is Zain Latif the youngest ever VP to hold that position in a major investment bank ? Do you know of anyone younger ? Are there any other stars out there who made it big at relatively young ages (at Director, or Managing Director level) ? Let us know - send in your posts in confidence to news@hereisthecity.com

[pshamim]

Way to go. Proud of this Pakistani American as I am of any Pakistanis who achive a earn a name for themselves and the country of Pakistan they came from:


Pakistani-American US Navy’s crack flyer

WASHINGTON: Commodore Muhammad Muzzafar F Khan has become the first Pakistani-American to take command of an operational aviation squadron in the US Navy.

He took charge of the Sea Control Squadron (VS) 31 during a ceremony held at sea aboard USS John C Stennis last month, currently deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations, says an official press release.

“I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to be placed in that position of stewardship. It’s an honour and a tremendous feeling,” Khan said. As a child in Pakistan, Khan grew up around aviation. His father served in the Pakistan Air Force for 21 years and then flew commercial planes for the next 24 years. Not only does Khan fly jet planes almost daily near his native Pakistan, but also now commands an aviation squadron responsible for six aircraft and over 200 personnel. His younger brother has also followed his example joining the US Navy as a P-3 pilot, and is currently stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington state.

In 2004, Khan was selected to enter the command-at-sea pipeline and became VS 31’s executive officer shortly thereafter. Khan was competing for one of two spots against 32 candidates, he recalls. Khan is flying missions over Afghanistan. He said, “As far as the mission is concerned, I hope and wish the same things I wish for my fellow Americans. I hope there’s peace. I hope there’s stability. I hope for all people in the region that they can go to the market as freely as I can and let their children play on the street or get a job and be able to provide for their family. That is what my hope is - that in the end there will be stability and everyone will be able to enjoy the same freedoms that I enjoy in the United States.” khalid hasan

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C05%5Cstory_5-6-2007_pg7_13

[Rafaqat]

PA men at their best. As ever, they make us proud.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6758251.stm

Pakistan pilots get bravery award

It was one of the most daring rescues carried out by the air force
Two Pakistani pilots who carried out a daring rescue of a mountaineer are to be given Slovenia's top award for bravery, Pakistani officials say.
Slovenian Tomaz Humar got stranded on the western end of the 8,125m Nanga Parbat mountain in the Himalayas two years ago.

He remained for around a week on top of the world's ninth-highest peak.

The helicopter pilots plucked the 38-year-old from an icy ledge 6,000m up the peak known as "killer mountain".

The Slovenian president will present Lt Col Rashid Ullah Beg and Lt Col Khalid Amir Rana with the Golden Order for Services in the country's capital, Ljubljana, this month "for risking their lives during the rescue mission", a Pakistan army statement said.

Isolated

Correspondents say that Mr Humar - climbing alone - was saved in one of the most daring rescue operations carried out by the Pakistani air force.

He was unable to get off the mountain after slipping onto an isolated icy ledge, and was further constrained by a combination of altitude sickness and poor weather, the army said in its statement.

He was further endangered by falling rocks and avalanches.

At the time the rescue operation was "unprecedented" at such a height, the army said.

The statement said he would not have been rescued if it had not been for the pilots' "incredible professional skills and undaunted courage".

[MohammedA]

Daily Times - Site Edition Friday, June 22, 2007


Aisam qualifies for Wimbledon main draw

Staff Report

LAHORE: Pakistan’s tennis star Aisamul Haq Qureshi Thursday created history after qualifying for the main round of the Wimbledon Championships at Bank of England Sports Ground, Roehampton. Aisam, the only Pakistani, hit the limelight after winning third and final qualifying round against Canadian number one Frank Dancevic in a four-set thriller that lasted for 2 hours and 50 minutes. The score line was 4-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). “The Canadian has been playing very well for the last three years and broke into top 100 in the world. He has also been playing the Wimbledon main draw regularly. Frank was the 4th seed of the Wimbledon qualifying draw and a favourite to qualify, but the Pakistani prodigy had other plans and managed to defeat him,” a spokesman for Aisam told Daily Times. “I am very happy that I have done it. It is all due to prayers of my parents, my family and all the tennis loving people of Pakistan,” said Aisam in a statement. “I request all Pakistanis to keep praying that I continue to earn laurels for my country,” he added.

In the good old days, the players were entered in the Wimbledon by invitation or country nomination. Aisam has previously played in the doubles event of the Wimbledon twice. Aisam is also perhaps the only player to participate in both the singles and doubles events of the Wimbledon which is a great moment for Pakistan tennis.

[MohammedA]

3 Gentlemen's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK)
v. Lee Childs (GBR)


The match is today but looks like typical London weather i.e. rain is going to delay things!!:rolleyes:

[MohammedA]

http://www.ispr.gov.pk/Multimedia/Acievements/TomazHumar/index.htm

[Rafaqat]

If anyone wants to give some encouragement to Aisam, his email is :

asiam4u@hotmail.com

[MohammedA]

Barnsley's teenage spin sensation
By Oliver Brett



It's difficult to think of anything more ludicrous in sport than earmarking a 16-year-old as a future international star.
But, if nothing else, the rise of Barnsley off-spinner Azeem Rafiq is another encouraging marker for the future of spin bowling in England.


And what is likely to get many people excited is that Rafiq bowls a mean 'doosra'.

While a leg-spinner has a googly, the doosra is the off-spinner's version of a ball that spins the other way.





It has brought Muttiah Muralitharan countless victims, and a good doosra bowler would provide England with the sort of "mystery bowler" England have sought for years.

Rafiq, a former England under-15 captain, bowled at Michael Vaughan and co in the nets at the Headingley Test - and was said to have caused them problems.

"It's probably an exaggeration to say he caused them difficulties," warned David Parsons, England's spin-bowling coach.

"But he bowled well. He's a decent bowler for a 16-year-old and is generally quite an orthodox bowler.

"But like a lot of off-spinners nowadays he's looking to develop a ball that goes the other way."

He's not the first English bowler to have tried.

Alex Loudon, who played a one-day international last summer, whiled away long summer evenings at his school, Eton, practising the delivery.


Rafiq will benefit from targeted coaching from both his county Yorkshire - he is currently on their academy - while getting back-up from Parsons and the national academy set-up in Loughborough.

But how important is the doosra?

Parsons told BBC Sport: "With any young bowler you want them to develop a stock delivery and Azeem has a very good off-break which will be his bread-and-butter.

"But having the option of having a ball that spins the other way, from an action as similar as possible as his normal action, will be an advantage."

There has been talk that coaches should not over-encourage the doosra because it can lead to illegalities in the action.

Currently a 15-degree straightening of the arm is permitted for spinners, and Parsons says those 15 degrees give some leeway to work with.

"You have to be conscious [of the legality issue].

"I had a long chat with [former Pakistan spinner] Saqlain Mushtaq and he says it's a skill you need to develop over a long period of time.

"There's a lot of time needed developing the delivery and training your body to bowl it.


"You have to be aware you only have 15 degrees to play with, but on the other hand you can use those 15 degrees if it enables you to do something someone else cannot do."

Yorkshire, of course, already have one hugely talented teenage spinner on their books.

Adil Rashid, 19, broke through last summer with some significant performances in the County Championship and subsequently toured Bangladesh with England A.

Of his prospects, Parsons urges a patient approach: "I would urge caution - he needs to be looked after.

"But there's no doubt he's an exciting prospect and a genuine all-rounder - not one of these bowlers seeking to improve his batting."

Parsons, who is also acting national academy director while a full-time successor for Peter Moores is found, is rightly thrilled with Monty Panesar's continued success.

But he insists he and other coaches have plenty of work still to do.

"What we need is four of five Monty Panesars all competing for the same spot, and three to four spinners at every county all competing after the same spot. In that way standards will be raised."

There is no time-frame in place - Parsons believes most spinners cannot learn a full spectrum of "tactical subtleties" until their late 20s.

But if the future is this rosy for England spin-bowling, then those problem tours of Sri Lanka and India will no longer be such a daunting prospect.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/yorkshire/6234852.stm

Published: 2007/06/26 06:55:03 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[MohammedA]

Asim is 6-3, 6-4, 3-3 up!

[Usman S.]

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi has won 6-3 6-4 7-6

[Rafaqat]

Great news. Aisam is now in round two and I think he will play Safin. He's guaranteed a prize of 16000 pounds now. Thats bigger than some of the championships he has won over the years.

[faraz]

He has a good chance against Safin who is not on song at the moment. Past that and he may find himself playing Federer!

[SSAAD]

He has a good chance against Safin who is not on song at the moment. Past that and he may find himself playing Federer!

Yep quite possible, however one match at a time guys. Best of luck to Aisam, he has already done Pakistan plenty proud!!!!!

[Aziz]

He has a good chance against Safin who is not on song at the moment. Past that and he may find himself playing Federer!

Safin's a great player but he's also a bit of a nut job and you're right, he's not on song at the moment.

Does anybody know if you can watch Aisam's matches on the BBC?

Aziz

[ndad]

A short summary of the the game is the second vidoe on the following link!

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=wimbledon&scope=all&edition=d&tab=av&recipe=all

ndad

[Rafaqat]

Aziz,

I dont know if you can watch it on BBC but you can definately watch it on Wimbledon website but you have to pay for it.

[MohammedA]

Pakistani becomes UK’s first Muslim minister




By Rauf Klasra

LONDON: Shahid Malik, a Gujrat born riots hero, made history by earning the honour of becoming the first-ever Muslim minister in the centuries-old historical parliament of Britain.

Malik, 39, shot to fame across the UK, after he was beaten, handcuffed and arrested by the London police during the riots of 2001. He consistently targeted Tony Blair’s decision to support invasion of Iraq. Shahid has been appointed as a parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for International Development (DFID).

The story of Shahid's rise to the coveted position is fantastic. He migrated to the UK, attracted national prominence in June 2001 during the riots in his hometown, Burnley, Lancashire. His father, Rafique Malik (former mayor), was deputy mayor of the town.

In a bid to calm a crowd of irate British Asian youths confronting the police over BNP demonstrations in his town, Shahid was beaten by the police, handcuffed and arrested. Television cameras showed his face covered in blood across Britain. He argued why someone attempting to diffuse the tension was treated so aggressively. This individual act of bravery made him popular in the whole country.

Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi told The News that she had congratulated both Shahid Malik and Sadiq Khan on breaking the mould by entering the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which is a significant and impressive achievement for the Pakistani diaspora in Britain. She said both are remarkable role models for the community, exemplifying how opportunities can be seized here to reach such senior slots in the British government. “We are proud that they are of Pakistani heritage.”

[Gulstan]

Pakistani becomes UK’s first Muslim minister




By Rauf Klasra

LONDON: Shahid Malik, a Gujrat born riots hero, made history by earning the honour of becoming the first-ever Muslim minister in the centuries-old historical parliament of Britain.

Malik, 39, shot to fame across the UK, after he was beaten, handcuffed and arrested by the London police during the riots of 2001. He consistently targeted Tony Blair’s decision to support invasion of Iraq. Shahid has been appointed as a parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for International Development (DFID).

The story of Shahid's rise to the coveted position is fantastic. He migrated to the UK, attracted national prominence in June 2001 during the riots in his hometown, Burnley, Lancashire. His father, Rafique Malik (former mayor), was deputy mayor of the town.

In a bid to calm a crowd of irate British Asian youths confronting the police over BNP demonstrations in his town, Shahid was beaten by the police, handcuffed and arrested. Television cameras showed his face covered in blood across Britain. He argued why someone attempting to diffuse the tension was treated so aggressively. This individual act of bravery made him popular in the whole country.

Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi told The News that she had congratulated both Shahid Malik and Sadiq Khan on breaking the mould by entering the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which is a significant and impressive achievement for the Pakistani diaspora in Britain. She said both are remarkable role models for the community, exemplifying how opportunities can be seized here to reach such senior slots in the British government. “We are proud that they are of Pakistani heritage.”

I suppose if you kiss enough arses and have no principles, you will get scraps thrown at you now and again.
This guy represents a large Muslim population but has done nothing for the betterment of his electrorate or reflected their views and opnions in
parliament.

[ndad]

Have to agree and disagree with you on this issue mate.

Granted he has followed the party line on a number of controversial issues, primarily the 90 day detention proposals. This said he has previous experience with the international development board and therefore the appointment was not a great surprise!

As for not reflecting the views and opinions of his electorate, the simple answer is that he has raised issues when pressed. He has raised the following issues in the commons: Palestine (I emailed him requesting he sign a number of EDMs re the Palestine issue and he did). He also raised the issue of the Lebanon and made speeches which went contrary to Blair’s position at the time. He has also raised the issue of the Gujarat massacres in the commons

In addition to the above Gordon needs to tick that box and therefore he has been given this post!

ndad

[zia ul haq]

Asalamo-a-laikum.

Well, I'm not sure. He is a bit too much of an 'Uncle Tom' in some respects. He is not proactive enough to make the most of his position.

Incidentally he's in a position to do great things for Kashmir, and lot of his electorate are Mirpuris so in theory they should be enthusiastic about raising the profile of the issue.

I don't hear too much though.

I'm sorry, but I am not too much of a fan of this guy.

[MohammedA]

Cameron appoints first Muslim woman
By Andrew Pierce and George Jones
Last Updated: 2:52am BST 03/07/2007

Have your say Read comments


Your view: Has Cameron helped or hindered the Conservative cause?
Have your say: What must Cameron do to regain the initiative?
David Cameron yesterday stepped up the Tories' modernising drive by becoming the first party leader to appoint a Muslim to an Opposition shadow cabinet.


Cameron hopes Sayeeda Warsi will be able to reach out to ethnic communities
Sayeeda Warsi, 36, a British-born Muslim of Pakistani origin who has been nominated for a peerage, was named the 10th most influential Asian woman in a poll this year. At the 2005 election, Mrs Warsi, who is married with one child, was the first Asian woman to be selected by the Tories to fight a parliamentary seat. She will be responsible for community cohesion.

But Mr Cameron's attempt to regain the political initiative with a wide-ranging reshuffle is undermined by the release of a poll today which shows that 40 per cent of Tory activists are dissatisfied with his performance as leader. In January Mr Cameron's approval rating was 82 per cent.

The survey of 1,300 party members on the Conservativehome.com website shows that Mr Cameron, with a satisfaction rating of 58 per cent, is paying a heavy price for the row over grammar schools and the failure of his front bench to land any blows on Gordon Brown.

By contrast David Davis, the shadow home secretary, and William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, have the highest approval ratings at 86 per cent in the survey. In his reshuffle, Mr Cameron, like Mr Brown last week, reached beyond the parliamentary party with the eye-catching appointment of Dame Pauline Neville-Jones as the shadow security minister.

advertisementDame Pauline, the former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, was also director of the Foreign Office.

The 67-year-old, who headed Mr Cameron's national and international security policy review, will also sit in the House of Lords. Mr Cameron said in a statement: "These changes strengthen the shadow cabinet team and harness new talent within the party.

"Two of the big challenges facing this country today are security and community cohesion and we now have two leading experts in these fields in Dame Pauline Neville-Jones and Sayeeda Warsi."

Caroline Spelman, who was shadow communities secretary, was also given a major promotion. She takes over from Francis Maude as the Conservative Party chairman.

Mr Maude, who stays on in the shadow cabinet, had a remarkably low profile as chairman. But the telegenic Mrs Spelman will become a regular feature on television.

David Willetts was stripped of responsibility for schools in the wake of the controversy over grammar schools, but becomes spokesman for innovation, universities and skills. The sideways move will be seen as evidence that Mr Cameron botched his policy U-turn, backing the Government's city academy programme rather than maintaining the Tories' traditional support for grammar schools.

The Conservativehome.com survey also makes grim reading for Mr Willetts.

He has the lowest approval rating of any shadow cabinet member at 36 per cent.

Michael Gove, a rising star of the Tory Party who became an MP in 2005, is brought into the shadow cabinet as secretary for schools and children.

George Osborne remains as shadow chancellor, despite misgivings among some Tory MPs. He has also been given the role of general election campaign manager.

Other MPs from the 2005 intake who have been promoted include Nick Herbert, shadow justice spokesman, and Jeremy Hunt who has the culture brief. Eric Pickles is promoted to the shadow cabinet as shadow secretary for communities and local government.

In the Conservativehome.com poll, optimism about the outcome of the next election has slipped. Only 52 per cent think that Mr Cameron will be prime minister after the next election compared to 72 per cent six months ago.


Have your say

Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright

[MohammedA]

Some figures on doctors in UK NHS from Times newspaper today:


Even to ask the questions is to misunderstand to a degree what the National Health Service is: not, in fact, the essence of Britishness but to a large extent foreign. Nearly four in ten doctors registered to work in the UK (they are not necessarily all working here) qualified overseas, in 150 countries from as far afield as Ecuador and Ethiopia, Somalia and Singapore. By far the highest number are the 27,558 who qualified in India, but the list includes 6,634 who qualified in Pakistan, 2,581 in Egypt, 1,985 in Iraq, 819 in Bangladesh, 488 in Iran, 155 in Malaysia, 64 in Afghanistan and even 5 in Indonesia.

Among the nurses and midwives newly registered in 2005-06, a quarter were from outside the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area. We have nurses from India and Nigeria, the Philippines and Botswana, Pakistan and Ghana. (Meanwhile, UK-based nurses and midwives are fleeing overseas, mainly to Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada.)

To assume that all these doctors and nurses are happy to be working in Britain is naive. Many will guiltily have left home countries that paid for their training and which need them far more than the NHS does. Male life expectancy in Ethiopia is 50, in Nigeria 47, in Botswana 42. In Pakistan it is 61, in Iraq 51; in the UK it is 77.

[Gulstan]

Have to agree and disagree with you on this issue mate.

Granted he has followed the party line on a number of controversial issues, primarily the 90 day detention proposals. This said he has previous experience with the international development board and therefore the appointment was not a great surprise!

As for not reflecting the views and opinions of his electorate, the simple answer is that he has raised issues when pressed. He has raised the following issues in the commons: Palestine (I emailed him requesting he sign a number of EDMs re the Palestine issue and he did). He also raised the issue of the Lebanon and made speeches which went contrary to Blair’s position at the time. He has also raised the issue of the Gujarat massacres in the commons



In addition to the above Gordon needs to tick that box and therefore he has been given this post!

ndad
Well that really is a surprise to me, I've looked through Hansard copies online and couldn't find any early day motions he hgas raised, but i may have missed it.
http://mpacuk.org/ you can search for just how much he has done or lack off. Now compare him and Khalid Mehmood to Jewish MP and their unfliching support for causes dear to their hearts.

[ndad]

Well that really is a surprise to me, I've looked through Hansard copies online and couldn't find any early day motions he hgas raised, but i may have missed it.
http://mpacuk.org/ you can search for just how much he has done or lack off. Now compare him and Khalid Mehmood to Jewish MP and their unfliching support for causes dear to their hearts.

Just to clear things up. He hasnt raised any EDMs but has signed a few re palestine. I wrote to him after MPAC mentioned that he hadnt signed them. Afew days later MPAC wrote on their website that he had signed the motions!

He isnt the most proactive, but does raise a number of questions. I regulalrly receive updates from 'Theyworkforyou' regarding his speeches.
To sum up 'a lot of room for improvement'

regards
ndad

[A Khan]

President confers award on five scientists



ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf has conferred the President’s Medal for Technology on five scientists.

The newly constituted medal awarded for the first time to encourage technological innovation in the country. The gold medal, given as part of the Civil Awards on the occasion of the Independence Day, includes a certificate and cash prize of Rs 100,000.

Nominations were invited from research organisations, universities and ministries. Scientists were selected by a committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology from 51 nominations after careful consideration of the achievements of the candidates.

These include Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission for his work on chloroplast biotechnology for the development of Greencane-TM seedlings, which can lead to commercialisation of a new sugarcane species in 3-5 year rather than 15-20 years that are otherwise required. Dr Mazhar Mehmood of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has been awarded for his work on corrosion-resistant nano-crystalline alloys.

Dr Ghulam Habib of NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, has been given award for his work on animal-feed technology. He developed mulberry-based feed blocks for improving the livestock productivity in the mountainous areas of Chitral.

Muhammad Javed Iqbal of PCSIR laboratories, Lahore, has been awarded for his work on the development of strategic chemicals for the defence sector. Prof Dr Najma Sultana of the University of Karachi has been given award for her work on Pharmaceutical Sciences with five patents to her credit. The awards conferred by the president will be given by Nouraiz Shakoor Khan, Minister for Science and Technology, at a special investiture ceremony soon.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=68904

[A Khan]

Majid Khan wins London Open Squash

Updated at 1310 PST
LONDON: Pakistan’s Majid Khan beat Englishman Alex Strait in the final showdown of the London Open Squash at the Cumberland Club here and won the title.

Majid Khan beat Alex Strait 3-2 in a tough contest of five games. The 23-year-old qualifier from Peshawar beat his rival 11-8, 9-11,9-11,11-4,11-7.

Squash legend Jansher Khan and another compatriot Shahid Zaman were crashed out of the contest in the first round of the tournament.

“Majid Khan was sent London under special sponsorship of PSA,” Secretary Pakistan Squash Federation Shamsul Haq told Geo News. “The federation has decided to sponsor the players in future seeing positive results of the step,” he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=30627

[Ash]

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/11/14/national3.htm

Pakistani scientists win SAARC Science Awards
Pakistan Times National News Desk

KARACHI: Dr. Ghulam Rasul and Faisal Saeed of the Pakistan Meteorological Department have received the senior and junior scientist awards of SAARC for the year 2006 as per unanimous assessment of all the member states.

This was stated in a statement of Meteorological Department on Tuesday.

It said that the SAARC Technical Committee on Science and Technology announced these awards in a meeting held in Dkaha.

Dr. Ghulam Rasul, the statement added, was also the winner of the SAARC young scientist award in the year 1994.

His research work has recently been published by Elsevier Publisher in a book on development in earth surface processes entitled “ Mountains witness of global changes”.

Dr. Ghulam Rasul is also the author of 13 research papers published in the national as well as international journals of repute, the statement further pointed out.●

Salaam

Ash

[MohammedA]

WINNERS OF JANE'S POLICE REVIEW GALA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
London, 23 November 2007 – The winners of the prestigious Jane’s Police Review Gala Awards were announced in a glittering ceremony in London last night. The centre of attention was a police officer from West Yorkshire, who won the Community Police Officer of the Year Award for his work at the forefront of easing Asian community relations in the aftermath of the London suicide bombings on 7 July 2005.

PC Mohammed Aziz patrols the Dewsbury area, which became infamous as the home of Mohammed Siddique Khan, the ringleader of the London bombers. Following the bombings, Dewsbury found itself in the eye of a storm as the media from across the world converged. There were raids and arrests. Community cohesion was stretched to breaking point.

Himself a Muslim, and with a distinguished ex-serviceman record, PC Aziz was the ideal person to communicate with both sides when there were subsequent Terrorism Act 2000 arrests in the area.

“When the raids took place there was a lot of worry and panic in the neighbourhood,” says
PC Aziz. “I had to persuade people that they were not being targeted or picked on, that the raids were happening for a reason. Being a Muslim I’m part of the shared culture. People feel they can trust me and speak to me.”
The annual Jane's Police Review Gala Awards highlight the work of bobbies on the beat who are not attached to high-profile units or squads and who rarely make the headlines. Nominees for the five award categories are judged by a high-profile panel which looks for examples of excellent practice that has made a real difference to the lives of the communities these officers serve.

[msalman]

WINNERS OF JANE'S POLICE REVIEW GALA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
London, 23 November 2007 – The winners of the prestigious Jane’s Police Review Gala Awards were announced in a glittering ceremony in London last night. The centre of attention was a police officer from West Yorkshire, who won the Community Police Officer of the Year Award for his work at the forefront of easing Asian community relations in the aftermath of the London suicide bombings on 7 July 2005.

PC Mohammed Aziz patrols the Dewsbury area, which became infamous as the home of Mohammed Siddique Khan, the ringleader of the London bombers. Following the bombings, Dewsbury found itself in the eye of a storm as the media from across the world converged. There were raids and arrests. Community cohesion was stretched to breaking point.

Himself a Muslim, and with a distinguished ex-serviceman record, PC Aziz was the ideal person to communicate with both sides when there were subsequent Terrorism Act 2000 arrests in the area.

“When the raids took place there was a lot of worry and panic in the neighbourhood,” says
PC Aziz. “I had to persuade people that they were not being targeted or picked on, that the raids were happening for a reason. Being a Muslim I’m part of the shared culture. People feel they can trust me and speak to me.”
The annual Jane's Police Review Gala Awards highlight the work of bobbies on the beat who are not attached to high-profile units or squads and who rarely make the headlines. Nominees for the five award categories are judged by a high-profile panel which looks for examples of excellent practice that has made a real difference to the lives of the communities these officers serve.


One person we could definitely use in Pakistan

[ndad]

Glad someone posted the link. Below is the link from our local newspaper. The chap has done wonders!

http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news/Dewsbury-cop-is-best-in.3527457.jp

ndad

[Aziz]

Web-site of Pakistani Businessman who has recently found fame on the BBC's Dragons Den.

http://www.james-caan.com

Aziz

[MARK]

Web-site of Pakistani Businessman who has recently found fame on the BBC's Dragons Den.

http://www.james-caan.com

Aziz

Wow, I thought he was Indian...

Here are some excerpts.

Truly inspirational.

I’m not a fan of chequebook philanthropy – I believe in getting out of my comfort zone and going to see what needs to be done, I think this kind of work makes the greatest difference all round.

I bought a plot of land in my native Lahore, in southern Pakistan, and built a school there. I was thrilled to be able to invite the local children who could not afford education to attend for free. The adrenaline I get from doing this is greater than any deal and it is something I plan to devote much more time to in the future.

In 2000 I visited Kosovo with Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) and was appalled by the suffering I saw there. I chose to adopt a village where 600 children lived and gave the families a monthly allowance which helped them rebuild their lives. After Kashmir’s devastating earthquake of 2005 I helped provide relief by building houses.

[A Khan]

Nur Ali to debut in Daytona race



Thursday, January 24, 2008
By our correspondent

KARACHI: Nur Ali, Pakistan’s former A1GP driver, is set to compete in the upcoming ARCA Series Daytona 200 Race on February 9 in Daytona, Florida (USA).

The ARCA Race Series is the “Developmental program for NASCAR” or the junior league to the American based NASCAR Series, America’s top racing league. During the December 2007 practice session at the world famous Daytona International Speedway, Nur not only drove a stock car (NASCAR style race car) for the first time, but also became the first Asian to step into a stock car.

In December’s practice sessions, remarkably Nur logged the most laps and miles over the three days of testing than any other driver. He concluded Sunday afternoon’s test with a weekend total of 171 laps for a driving distance of 427.5 miles, which is more than two ARCA RE/MAX Daytona 200 race events.

Nur plans to compete in all 21 ARCA race events in the 2008 season. The schedule includes several key markets where the Pakistani community has an opportunity to witness and enjoy an ARCA event in person by attending the race and supporting our very own. An ARCA race has also been added this year to the Greater Toronto, Canada Area slated for this summer.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=92618

[ndad]

Anyone watch the fight last night? I thought Khan was good, still falls for the right over the top but a very good display.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7216010.stm

ndad

[MohammedA]

Thought it was a very classy display - he won every round!
His workrate was not as high as it usually is though - probably been told to conserve his energy and make every punch count. Consequently not as many flashy fast combinations from different angles. His defence is alot better, although still hangs his jaw out sometimes, and perhaps could parry some punches a bit more rather than going toe to toe. Looks like Amir will be the second British-Pakistani to win a world title - Inshallah later this year.

[Aziz]

Thought it was a very classy display - he won every round!
His workrate was not as high as it usually is though - probably been told to conserve his energy and make every punch count. Consequently not as many flashy fast combinations from different angles. His defence is alot better, although still hangs his jaw out sometimes, and perhaps could parry some punches a bit more rather than going toe to toe. Looks like Amir will be the second British-Pakistani to win a world title - Inshallah later this year.

Who was the first? I hope you're not counting Javid Khaliq...he was a capable boxer at European level but never really got to test himself against the best - he got screwed out of a fight with Vernon Forrest who was Welterweight Champ at the time.

As for Amir Khan, he rates very highly for footwork, handspeed, heart, stamina, punching power and ring craft. The doubts remain about his dropping of the left hand (and sometimes both hands) and the viability of his chin. As Ndad commented, he appears very susceptable to the right hand over the top especially when he stepping back. Also, i do not know how long he will stay at Lightweight..he appears massive for the weight.

Unfortunately for Amir Khan he is currently in a weight division where 3 of the 4 major belts are held by Juan Diaz - whom Amir should steer clear of for at least 18 months.

The other belt is held by David Diaz - who may soon be stripped of the title, it will be awarded to the interim champ - an Australian called Michael Katsidis (this is the man who beat Graham Earl to win the interim champinship - Khan knocked out Earl in the first round of his last fight).

Khan will most likely fight Katsidis for a 'World' belt.

Before that happens he most likely going to fight for the European Title. Khan is also being accused of avoiding Jon Thaxton who is the British Champ - he should fight him next in my opinion.

Aziz

[ndad]

Good analysis (Aziz and Mohammed). I agree, and Frank Warren hinted that he may fight for the European Title in April or go to America - who holds the european title? Thaxton? If its him then Khan should fight him. Like Aziz says, he has been accused of trying to avoid him. This said some of his doubters will have to swallow their pride after last nights performance.

A fight agaisnt Kastidis would also be good - he is a very good fighter, but i doubt he has the chin/defence the ghanaian/australian had last night.

That hand speed is still their, and yes he does look massive compared to the olympics. After a world title at this weight he will certainly move up, he cant keep getting bigger and keep to the same weight without affecting he pre-fight buildup, if he has to lose loads of wight before every weigh-in.

ndad

[MohammedA]

Aziz,

I think Khaliq won an IBO world title - not one of the better recognised ones, but a world title nevertheless and as such a first for Pakistanis anywhere. He was a decent fighter, but probably not in Amir Khan's class. I think Khaliq deserves recognition and publicity for achieving that.

[ndad]

Aziz,

I think Khaliq won an IBO world title - not one of the better recognised ones, but a world title nevertheless and as such a first for Pakistanis anywhere. He was a decent fighter, but probably not in Amir Khan's class. I think Khaliq deserves recognition and publicity for achieving that.

I once saw him fight at the Harvey Hadden Centre in Notts agaisnt some Eastern European guy in Sep 2001. He was good, had a decent jab and hand speed. His footwork wasnt too great though. A good figher nonetheless. He won that fight via a knockout.

ndad

[Aziz]

Aziz,

I think Khaliq won an IBO world title - not one of the better recognised ones, but a world title nevertheless and as such a first for Pakistanis anywhere. He was a decent fighter, but probably not in Amir Khan's class. I think Khaliq deserves recognition and publicity for achieving that.

He did win the IBO title, but this really doesn't mean much.

He was definitely a top ten fighter and was recognised by the Ring Magazine and Boxing Monthly as such.

I liked the guy and thought he should have continued his career with the chance of winning a 'genuine' world title. He was unlucky in that he was to fight Forrest who chose to fight a guy called Ricardo Mayorga and lost...they then had a re-match and Javaid got hit by a succession of injuries etc.

One thing about Javaid Khaliq was that he had a true fighter's heart and would get off the floor to win (as Ndad evidenced).

Aziz

Aziz

[Aziz]

Good analysis (Aziz and Mohammed). I agree, and Frank Warren hinted that he may fight for the European Title in April or go to America - who holds the european title? Thaxton?

Ndad,

Yuri Romanov is the European champion.

Jon Thaxton is currently the British champion.

Both are good boxers. The importance of fighting Thaxton is that he is a reasonably big hitter and he is the last real domestic opponent left for him.

My view is that he should fight both of these guys and then have 1-2 more fights before challenging for a world title.

Inshallah he will be a world champion and be a good advert for Britan and Pakistan.

Aziz

[A Khan]

First Muslim player in Aussie cricket

Updated at: 1645 PST, Tuesday, February 12, 2008
SYDNEY: A Pakistan-born player is in line to become the first Muslim to play first-class cricket in Australia when he plays for New South Wales in their top-of-the-table match with Victoria here on Friday.

Usman Khawaja, the 21-year-old son of Pakistani immigrants, has been named for the first time in a sport traditionally dominated here by Anglo-Saxons.

"There are a lot of guys out there and a lot of young cricketers and a lot of subcontinental people in Australia too now," Khawaja said Tuesday.

"So I expect over time there to be a lot more multicultural teams." His selection comes a month after a furious row about race and sportsmanship exploded during the Sydney Test between Australia and India.

India's Harbhajan Singh was suspended after allegedly calling Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds a monkey. The International Cricket Council's appeals commissioner John Hansen later overturned the suspension, citing a lack of evidence.

But Khawaja, who came to Australia when he was four, said he had not encountered any problems on the field because of his background.

"I have never come across anything that could be classified as racial vilification, so it is pretty good I think, and I have played club cricket for over seven years now full time and no problems," he said.

In Sydney club cricket this season, Khawaja tops the batting figures, with 907 runs at 60.47. He has been invited to the Australian Sports Institute's Cricket Centre of Excellence.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=37312

[A Khan]

52 Pakistani students achieve distinction in Cambridge examinations

Updated at: 2230 PST, Tuesday, February 26, 2008
KARACHI: Twenty three students from Karachi have achieved top positions in the world in O’ and A’ level examination held under Cambridge University and all over 52 students achieved distinctions.

This was stated by Regional Manager South Asia, University of Cambridge International Examinations, William Bickerdike while addressing a news conference at the British Deputy HighCommission here on Tuesday.

Director Examination Services Pakistan of the British Council, John Gildea, Provincial Director British Council Sindh and Balochistan, Syed Mashood Rizvi, and Director Examinations Karachi of the British Council, Asim Saeed Khan, were also present on the occasion.

Bickerdike pointed out that 52 students from Pakistan achieved the highest examination result in the world for a Cambridge O- level, an international AS level or an international A- level.

Of these, as many as 23 were from Karachi, he further stated.

"Pakistani students have been consistently performing very strongly", Bickerdike remarked.

"I have always been impressed by the high standard of the marks which they achieve in their examinations", he added.

Bickerdike said that to achieve the highest global marks in the face of so much competition from the rest of the world is all the more commendable.

John Gildea also praised the performance of the students from Pakistan in the CIE examinations.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=38556

[MohammedA]

China recruit Pakistan player as coach for Asian Games
KARACHI, Mar 6 (Reuters) China have recruited a former Pakistan test player to coach the national cricket team for the 2010 Asian Games in Beijing.

Rashid Khan, who played four tests and 29 one-dayers for Pakistan, has been coaching China's junior and women's teams since 2006 and has now been appointed coach for the Games.

''To prepare a cricket team for the Asian Games is a big challenge but the Chinese have a lot of pride in what they do,'' Khan told Reuters today.

His appointment came after the Chinese cricket association sought help from the Asian Cricket Council and Pakistan cricket Board to provide them with coaching expertise.

''I have been given this responsibility now,'' Khan said.

China, the world's most populous nation, has recently started taking an interest in cricket and the sport has been included in the Asian Games for the first time.

[Rafi]

Mir Zafar Ali along with his colleagues picked up an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for The Golden Compass
Maheen Sabeeh
Karachi

Oscars 2008 were, well, a yawn to watch. But the prestige associated with the gold statues is still unsurpassed in cinema. And this year was significant in that a Pakistani managed to work on a film that not only picked up a prestigious Academy Award nomination but also won!

The man is Mir Zafar Ali, a visual effects specialist, and the film he worked for was the high-profile flick, The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and "Bond" man Daniel Craig.

The Golden Compass picked up the award for Best Visual Effects and Mir Zafar Ali was one of the 'Effects Technical Director' at Rhythm and Hues, the US-based company that worked on this particular film. Those of us who've seen the film do not recall a Pakistani man up onstage picking up the Oscar. And the only reason for that is that only the main four supervisors went and picked up the trophy.

However, Mir Zafar Ali is actually mentioned in the full credits of the film.

Academy Award isn't his only accomplishment. The Golden Compass also managed to pick up a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award as well.

About The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass is the first book in the best-selling trilogy His Dark Materials. Widely acknowledged as a scholarly Harry Potter, the trilogy is set in Oxford College where the author Philip Pullman spent many years teaching. It covers the adventures of Lyra, an orphan growing up on the grounds of Oxford and this is a very magical Oxford where science, theology and magic are closely intertwined. When children start disappearing, Lyra gains a new mentor in Mrs Coulter, played by Nicole Kidman in the film. And then she discovers the Gobblers who are taking the children and the organization that is responsible for them.

The film has won praise for the Special Effects that require a flow of magical creatures alongside the actors to recreate the magical world of His Dark Materials. And it was this breakthrough that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized this year. That a Pakistani played a key role in this achievement is a high for us.

Who is he?

Mir Zafar Ali is a not a naturalized American. Rather, he is a homegrown Pakistani. He studied computer sciences right here in Pakistan from BCCI FAST in Karachi. He then worked for quite a few companies here Sharp Image, Nucleus Studios and Carrot. His forte was always computer graphics and to refine it further he also did a course in sculpture from the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture in Karachi. He finally went to the US of A in 2000, where he enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia and specialized in Visual Effects. And the rest, as they say, is history.

America is a country where talent is recognized. In 2003, soon after completing his BFA in Computer Animation, Mir Zafar Ali was offered a position at Digital Domain, which is known for its Visual Effects on films such as Titanic, Fight Club and The Fifth Element to name just a few. The first film he worked on there was The Day After Tomorrow on which he ran most of the water simulations.

Mir is the first Pakistani to have worked on a film to win an Oscar for the Best Visual Effects. Still at Rhythm & Hues, the big project he's working on these days is The Incredible Hulk, featuring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler. It will be a big summer blockbuster, so watch out for it.

Mir Zafar Ali plans to continue working in the Visual Effects industry and intends to delve further into the development side and work in other areas of visual effects such as CG pipepine, shader writing, lighting and compositing.

The importance of being a brilliant behind the scenes man

With the emphasis on Special Effects in Hollywood, Mir Zafar Ali has followed his passion to a place where he can be at the cutting edge of technological breakthroughs. Indeed, the Oscar won by The Golden Compass validates the fact as to how far he has come to realizing that dream.

The unfortunate bit, however, is the fact that even as Mir Zafar Ali remains a well-known name in the digital business in the United States of America, his success story is one that many in Pakistan are simply unaware of.

When Indian filmmakers make it in Hollywood, their stories are written about and hyped to the skies in India and consequently abroad. But when it comes to a Pakistani success story such as Mir Zafar Ali, they remain in the shadows.

Part of the problem is the fact that it is only now that media has grown in Pakistan. What the growth of media does is that it causes a coming together of talent. So many Indian films employ Westerners to help them get the technicalities right. It is hoped that with the revival of cinema in Pakistan, there will be Pakistani films that will employ the talent of Mir Zafar Ali.

While it is important that talent like him hone their skills in the West, it is equally important that films in Pakistan are one day strong enough to claim him as our own.

Here's to Mir Zafar Ali for making Pakistan proud. Now that The Golden Compass has won, maybe the Western media will realize that there are people in and from Pakistan who are talented and this country has a lot more to offer than it is credited for.



Mir Zafar Ali's

most prolific work

includes…



The Golden Compass

Effects Technical Director

Surf's Up

Technical Director

Spider-Man 3

Technical Director

Ghost Rider

Technical Director

Open Season

Digital Effects Artist

Monster House

Visual Effects Technical Director

Stealth

Visual Effects Animator

The Day After Tomorrow

Digital Effects Artist

-The News

[zeeshan]

Safe Behind Their Walls
Security and luxury drive sales at an unlikely gated community in Pakistan.

By Joe Cochrane | NEWSWEEKMar 3, 2008 Issue | Updated: 11:32 a.m. ET Feb 23, 2008


Nestled in an idyllic neighborhood where children play in the streets and homeowners stroll to the local health club or mini-mart, the park and its manicured grass overlook a sliver of a vast gated residential development of the sort you might see in southern California. But the area, named Bahria Town, is located just outside Islamabad. At 45,000 square acres it is, according to splashy international ads, the largest private development in Asia, and despite Pakistan's well-publicized political and security problems, people are signing deals for six-figure houses, condos and apartments faster than they can be built. "These are changing times for Pakistan," says Salman Ahmed Khan, the development's director of marketing and operations, whose main job is to court prospective buyers away from Dubai and to Bahria Town. "Pakistanis are traveling, they're seeing nice things abroad and we want to provide that for them at home."

This unlikely playground for wealthy Muslims is the vision of Khan's boss and father-in-law, Malik Riaz Hussain, a 59-year-old billionaire Pakistani contractor. Set between the capital Islamabad and its sister city Rawalpindi, Bahria Town is the "masterpiece" of his 40-year career, a $6 billion project he has funded solo to avoid having to deal with outside investors. Its nine phases, too vast to fully appreciate without standing on one of the plateaus that overlook them, will one day mesh together into a planned residential city for 1 million people. The project broke ground in 1996, and already, many of the 50,000 luxury properties in the development are owned by wealthy Pakistan expatriates who swooped into Bahria Town after 9/11 to buy second homes amid fears they would be driven out of places like London, New York and Los Angeles. Equally important was the security and serenity that Bahria Town provides, which drew Pakistan expats and a smattering of wealthy Arab Muslims away from places like Dubai.

The complex offers amenities (24-hour armed security, schools, hospitals, a fire department, retail shopping, restaurants and entertainment centers) that go above and beyond those in many of the gated communities that have become so popular in countries from the United States to Brazil. Given the nation's security issues, it's especially easy to understand why the rich here want to cloister themselves. Rival Pakistani developers, including one owned by the military, have begun copying Hussain's vision, constructing their own gated communities in the suburbs of major Pakistani cities such as Karachi. Hussain himself is developing a second such site in Lahore, where former prime minister Nawaz Sharif already lives in a gated community called Model Town.

Hussain's original inspiration for the mega-community came from the pre-planned town of Reston, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Materials and design inspiration have been imported from everywhere. In the center of roundabouts sit giant Spanish fountains costing $500,000 a pop; the main streets are lined with palm trees brought in from Thailand; grass for the local golf course comes from the U.S. state of Georgia; the education expert for the 1,100-acre university being built is from Seattle. "When I see America, when I see Britain, when I see Turkey, when I see Malaysia," Hussain says, "the only thing I think is, 'Why not Pakistan?' "

This is Hussain's key notion—that Bahria Town is a world away from Taliban and Qaeda militants, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and weekly suicide bombings. "This is the real Pakistan," Hussain told NEWSWEEK.

But the real Pakistan also has violence. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, at least 1,523 civilians were killed in terror-related violence in 2007 and more than twice that number injured. An additional 441 Pakistanis were killed in sectarian violence last year. While most of the carnage occurred in the volatile North-West Frontier Province, where Islamic militancy is strong, there were also suicide bombings in Islamabad and Lahore that killed dozens of innocent bystanders. It's no wonder those who can afford it are drawn to places like Bahria Town, which has retired Army officers as security advisers and former foot soldiers on its police force. And independent power supply and private street cleaners also save residents from maddening daily electricity shortages in cities like Islamabad and garbage fouling the streets.


Hussain's focus and energy toward providing all this are limitless. He's up at his Islamabad residence by 6 most mornings, receiving project managers, local politicians and friends for breakfast before driving out to the project site in a heavily armed motorcade. He spouts off facts and figures about the development with encyclopedic knowledge, and says he frequently changes plans for the phases still being developed to make them better. He added an exact replica of Trafalgar Square at the Bahria Town development in the city of Lahore.

Hussain is familiar with reinvention. Although born into a wealthy family, his father's contracting business collapsed, and he was forced at the age of 19 to start his career as a lowly clerk in Islamabad. He remembers vividly, three years later, having to sell some family silverware just to buy medicine for his sick 2-year-old daughter. "I've never forgotten being poor," Hussain says, pointing out that Bahria Town also includes thousands of low-cost prefabricated houses. Still, there's no missing the fact that Hussain's dream city is mainly for upper-class Pakistanis who "want the good things in life," says Khan, the marketing manager.

Hussain says Bhutto's death has only increased his motivation to push forward his groundbreaking development projects. He claims that Pakistan's instability has not affected sales at Bahria Town. Pakistani economists like Qaisar Bengali aren't so sure: "There are many housing schemes stuck in the middle because real-estate prices have dropped in the last year or so." Nonetheless, Hussain says he's optimistic about the future, especially given that last week's national elections were more peaceful and transparent than people had expected. A new civilian government will take charge in the coming weeks after more than eight years of military rule, which has stymied Pakistan's economy (it grew about 7 percent last year, trailing neighboring India by nearly two points). Corruption, kickbacks and red tape are rife.

Hussain himself maintains close ties to the military establishment; his early business success was due in large part to construction contracts with the Pakistan Navy. ("Bahria" is Urdu for "naval.")

But he and others hope the country is at a turning point—one that will fuel private projects like Bahria Town. Pakistan certainly has no shortage of natural resources or cheap labor; now that elections are settled, economists believe FDI will flow back into the country. Investors from the Middle East (including regional giant Damac, based in Dubai) have already been knocking on Hussain's door, looking to put money in joint ventures here. With the return of civilian government and the removal of the shackles of stringent, military-led development, Hussain is free to ponder his next megaproject: digging a traffic tunnel through the Margalla Hills on the northern outskirts of Islamabad, and putting up a new bedroom residential community in the valley on the other side. If he builds it, says the developer confidently, they will come.

© 2008

[AjmalMahmood]

Couple of days ago, I saw an amazing documentary about snow leopards in Pakistan on Discovery's Animal Planet . Pakistani journalist Nisar Malik and wild life cameramen really captured all the beauty of this amazing animal and its really beautiful habitat, the Chitral mountains

http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/wildkingdom/episode/episode.html

[SSAAD]

Thanks Ajmal, just in time for me to watch it. I have heard good things about this documentary.

[ndad]

Not the greatest fight but he won nonetheless. Looking good for a title fight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7322996.stm

ndad

[Zain Abbass]

I wish Amir Khan would represent Pakistan instead of Britian but still a good job.

[ndad]

[QUOTE=Zain Abbass;124172]I wish Amir Khan would represent Pakistan instead of Britian but still a good job.[/QUOT

Nothing wrong with representing the country that gave him the opportunity - he would also fail the 'Tebit Test'.

ndad

[Zain Abbass]

[QUOTE=Zain Abbass;124172]I wish Amir Khan would represent Pakistan instead of Britian but still a good job.[/QUOT

Nothing wrong with representing the country that gave him the opportunity - he would also fail the 'Tebit Test'.

ndad
I could personally care less for the "Tebit Test", your home is your home. You can't change your heritage no matter how gora you try to be.:D

[ndad]

[QUOTE=ndad;124174]
I could personally care less for the "Tebit Test", your home is your home. You can't change your heritage no matter how gora you try to be.:D

I was being slightly flippant about the 'Tebit Test', but with all due respect, his home is England. He doesnt have to be a 'gora' to be english. He still has his religious and cultural beliefs and chooses to fight for England. They are not something he has to forsake to fight for england. His family is at all the fights and he even says the dua in his corner before each fight (something which the commentators often equate to his religious beliefs).

At a time where life for muslims and pakistanis in england is difficult because of the affiliations with terror and accusations of being the 'fith column', he is an excellent example of what good, honest muslims and pakistanis can do in england and for what its worth, i have a great deal of respect for the chap - and no, he is not a relation!!!!

ndad

[Aziz]

Pakistan-born journalist wins Pulitzer Prize

NEW YORK, April 8: Adrees Latif, a Pakistan-born photojournalist, has won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for “Breaking News Photography”, according to media reports.

Latif of Reuters, who is based in Bangkok, won the prize on Monday for his dramatic photo of a Japanese videographer being attacked in Myanmar.

The graphic photo shows the man, sprawled on the pavement, continuing to shoot with his camera after what turned out to be a fatal injury sustained in shooting that followed a street demonstration as troops attacked protesters.

Latif has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Houston. After working for Reuters in the US, he moved to Bangkok in 2003 where he covers news across Asia.

The Pulitzers are journalism’s highest awards and given annually in various categories by the Columbia University.

They are named after the newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, who died in 1911.

This year, The Washington Post won a record six Pulitzers, including for its coverage last year of the Virginia Tech massacre, in which a mentally-ill student killed 32 people and committed suicide.—APP

Aziz

[Aziz]

Does anyone know how many PhD's Pakistan is producing now compared to a decade ago?



25-year-old woman is Pakistan’s youngest PhDPublished: Thursday, 8 May, 2008, 05:07 AM Doha Time

LAHORE: A 25-year-old gold medalist from Punjab University, Shaheen Nazir, a female, has become Pakistan’s youngest PhD degree holder in mathematics as Government College University’s Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences declared the results of its third batch of five successful candidates here this week.
The other four PhD holders, all male candidates, are: Zahid Raza of Hafizabad, Imran Ahmad of Lahore, Hani Shaker of Faisalabad and Khurram Shabbir of Lahore. The two earlier batches included three and five PhD scholars.
The theses of the third batch candidates have been evaluated by foreign mathematical scientists specially engaged by the school.
They included Prof Dr Alexander Suciu from the US, Prof Dr Andras Nemethi from Hungary, Prof Dr Stefan Papaelidima from Romania and Prof Dr Laurentiu Paunescue from Australia.
The school’s director-general, Dr Raza Chaudhry, while declaring the results said in a statement that each of the PhD candidates had several papers accepted for publication in international journals and the quality of their research could be compared with top universities of the world.
He said that Nazir was the strongest and most versatile young female mathematician of Pakistan. — Internews

Aziz

[Aziz]

This is all to US Pakistanis:-

Article published Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pakistanis among the most philanthropic people in the U.S.


A CIVIL society depends on the generosity of its citizens for the support and strengthening of its basic fabric. Charitable giving adds to the beauty and durability of the warp and weft of this fabric.

Americans, considered the world's most generous people, give away $240 billion a year to charitable causes and a full 75 percent comes not from big corporations or foundations but from individual donors. About 86 percent of American households share their blessings.

America is not a monolith but a sum total of its numerous ethnic groups. Among this mosaic is a relatively small group, 500,000 by some conservative estimates, who lead the pack in charitable giving. They are the Pakistani-Americans.

There is a general assumption that immigrants in general and recent arrivals in particular tend not to give as much or as often as the established ethnic groups.

This assumption also considers Pakistanis as more clannish, more inward-looking and thus not inclined to share their money with others in the society.

Not true, says professor Adil Najam, director of the Pardee Center for the Study of Long Range Future at Boston University. Mr. Najam shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore and the scientists who served on Mr. Gore's International Climate Council.

Recently Mr. Najam discussed the findings of an extensive survey of Pakistani expatriates in the United States that was published in his 2006 book, Portrait of a Giving Community: Philanthropy by the Pakistani-American Diaspora (Published by Global Equity Institute of the Asia Center at Harvard University).

Taking the colors and hues from the pallet of his methodical and extensive research, Mr. Najam paints a flattering picture of Pakistanis in America.

There are approximately 500,000 people of Pakistani origin in America who give away $250 million in cash and kind every year. In addition, they contribute more than 43 million hours to volunteer work which, when translated in monetary terms, come to $750 million, making the total giving an impressive $1 billion.

Forty percent of this giving goes to charities in Pakistan and an additional 20 percent to Pakistani causes in this country. Forty percent is donated to causes that have no connection with Pakistan.

In the post 9/11 climate, support of causes in Pakistan has declined because of fear of sending money abroad and a relative lack of clarity about restrictions on foreign remittances.

The most striking finding, however, was that Pakistani-Americans give 3.5 percent of their estimated household income to charity, whereas the national average in America is 3.1 percent. And yet, the researchers found, Pakistani-Americans suffer from what Mr. Najam calls a misplaced sense of philanthropic inferiority.

Somehow, Pakistanis believe that they do not give as much as some other ethnic communities in America. They also think that people living in Pakistan give proportionally more to charities than they do.

The study also found some interesting idiosyncrasies. Most Pakistani giving, for example, has a faith-based motivation. Pakistanis also tend to give to individuals in need rather than to charitable organizations. This, in part, is the result their general distrust of charitable organizations, here in the U.S. but particularly in Pakistan.

Though they do appreciate and trust faith-based charitable organizations, Pakistanis still prefer to give to individuals rather than to organizations. They just have no confidence in the Pakistani government and the myriad nongovernmental organizations to use their donated money wisely and prudently.

It is a shame that because of historic distrust of the government and other organizations, Pakistani-Americans are not helping institution-building in their native land. Giving to individuals and families in need is commendable and gratifying in the short term. One can see the results immediately and in real time. But the future direction of a country or people is set not by feeding a hungry person but by building and nurturing institutions.

I met Mr. Najam last week in Detroit, where he spoke at a fund-raiser for the Human Development Foundation. The foundation, based in Chicago, works in Pakistan to ameliorate poverty by improving literacy, providing micro-credit and vocational training for women, and other activities in rural and so-called backward areas of the country. In one evening the group, true to Mr. Najam's research, raised $250,000.

Philanthropy is an attitude that is not dependent on the amount of wealth one has. People give because they want to spread the blessings around for the greater good of the society and humanity. Pakistani-Americans, to their credit, are trend setters in this arena.


Aziz


source?

[pshamim]

This is all to US Pakistanis:-

Article published Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pakistanis among the most philanthropic people in the U.S.

source?

Toledo Blade. Author Dr. S. Amjad Hussain

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/COLUMNIST12/805200315/-1/NEWS11

[Aziz]

Toledo Blade. Author Dr. S. Amjad Hussain

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/COLUMNIST12/805200315/-1/NEWS11

Thank you Shamim Sahib.

Aziz

[SSAAD]

[QUOTE=Zain Abbass;124175]

I was being slightly flippant about the 'Tebit Test', but with all due respect, his home is England. He doesnt have to be a 'gora' to be english. He still has his religious and cultural beliefs and chooses to fight for England. They are not something he has to forsake to fight for england. His family is at all the fights and he even says the dua in his corner before each fight (something which the commentators often equate to his religious beliefs).

At a time where life for muslims and pakistanis in england is difficult because of the affiliations with terror and accusations of being the 'fith column', he is an excellent example of what good, honest muslims and pakistanis can do in england and for what its worth, i have a great deal of respect for the chap - and no, he is not a relation!!!!

ndad

ndad sahib,

I am with you on this. He has been a role model for all including Pakistanis and despite his English background, people still know him to be of Pakistani origin. Living in the US, I am proud of the guy.

[Aziz]

Taxi driver earns praise and reward for returning 9.5kg of gold, $40,000
By a staff reporter

3 June 2008




DUBAI — Honesty has earned Pakistani taxi driver Rameen Khan praise from all quarters as well as more money in rewards than he had ever hoped for.


In March this year, a Chinese passenger left a bag containing 9.5kg of gold and $40,000 in Khan's taxi. Khan promptly returned the booty to the shocked passenger who did not even recall the kind of taxi he had hired, let alone, details of the number plate. Since then, Khan has been lauded for his honesty and dedication. Recently, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presented Khan with Dh50,000 for his honesty. Earlier, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) had given him a certificate and an unspecified amount. Khan, who earns Dh3,000 a month by driving a taxi, has received Dh70,000 in total as rewards. Yesterday, Pakistan Consul-General in Dubai Abdul Hameed also honoured the driver and thanked him on behalf of the nation. "It is with a great sense of pride that I congratulate you on behalf of the government of Pakistan and as the representative of the Pakistani community in the UAE," he told Khan during a function held in his honour. The consul-general also announced that Khan's name would be nominated to the Pakistan government for outstanding Pakistani achievers' award next year.

He also ordered Khan to be immediately made a member of the Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) through which he would be entitled to land on a priority basis.

"Not for a second did I think about keeping the money for myself," he explains. "In fact, when I saw the unlocked bag full of gold and money in the car boot, I thought: 'what kind of person has left this behind'," said Khan who has been driving the taxi for two years but has been in the UAE for over 10 years.

His dreams are as simple as he is. "I will continue my job as a taxi driver, and use the reward money to build a house in Pakistan and get my four daughters married," he said.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/June/theuae_June77.xml&section=theuae&col=


Aziz

[ndad]

Good fight and a good win. Must agree with frank warren though, still a while to go before a world title fight.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7464444.stm

ndad

[Gaf]

Good fight and a good win. Must agree with frank warren though, still a while to go before a world title fight.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7464444.stm

ndad

He is good, but i do worry about his chin. Khan looked very shaken up, after the end of that fight... like "what the hell happened" there. I think it highlighted alot of his strengths, but also a lot of weakness.

[Aziz]

He's been knocked down three times now, unfortunately all three knockdowns were against light hitters who were stepping up to lightweight.

He has a poor chin - there's no doubt about it, but that's not his main problem (Lennox Lewis had a poor chin). His main problem is that he as he steps back he continually drops his hands and leaves his chin in the air, he also sometimes steps back with his feet parallel to each other which does not help his balance.

He is looking for a new trainer now and he is still only 21 so hopefully he still has time to rectify these defensive problems. I would say that he should enlist the services of Buddy Mcgirt who is the former trainer of Mike Tyson and Arturo Gatti...the latter he turned back from a brawler into a box puncher and this is something I feel Amir could benefit from.

Aziz

[ndad]

He's been knocked down three times now, unfortunately all three knockdowns were against light hitters who were stepping up to lightweight.

He has a poor chin - there's no doubt about it, but that's not his main problem (Lennox Lewis had a poor chin). His main problem is that he as he steps back he continually drops his hands and leaves his chin in the air, he also sometimes steps back with his feet parallel to each other which does not help his balance.

He is looking for a new trainer now and he is still only 21 so hopefully he still has time to rectify these defensive problems. I would say that he should enlist the services of Buddy Mcgirt who is the former trainer of Mike Tyson and Arturo Gatti...the latter he turned back from a brawler into a box puncher and this is something I feel Amir could benefit from.

Aziz

Gatti was an excellent brawler. Rememeber his two fights with micky ward, fantastic.

Agree with all other points. Time is on his side.

ndad

[Gaf]

He is looking for a new trainer now
Aziz

That bold bloke he was sitting next to, during the interview, was his "new" trainer.. he fired his last one, after his last fight.

[Aziz]

That bold bloke he was sitting next to, during the interview, was his "new" trainer.. he fired his last one, after his last fight.

That guy is his interim trainer, his name is Dean Powell and he works for Frank Warren. You will see that he is the second in a lot of Frank Warren promoted fighter's corners.

Amir Khan will now be looking for a long term coach to take him forward.

Interesting this was the last fight which Amir Khan was contracted to Frank Warren and ITV so he can go anywhere now.

Aoz

[zeeshan]

WB expert notes Pakistan's efficient financing system for quake reconstruction, rehabilitation BEIJING, June 26 (APP): A World Bank expert has cited Pakistan as an example of effective reconstruction and rehabilitation of earthquake devastated areas, referring to the country’s efforts following the 2005 earthquake that severely affected the northern parts of the country. The comments were made during an interview by Cristoph Pusch, the World Bank's South Asia regional coordinator for disaster risk management. Push is one of the experts in a World Bank workshop on how to rebuild China's quake-affected areas. In Pakistan the government had established a financing system where all the funding was tracked and accounted for, so that everybody can put money into the system and be assured their inputs would be accounted for, Pusch said. Special partnership arrangements are an integral part of the Pakistan earthquake reconstruction program, he noted, and suggested that a similar model be introduced for the reconstruction process in Sichuan province. (Posted @ 18:18 PST)

[zeeshan]

Trailblazing Pakistani surgeon dies in US




By Our Correspondent

WASHINGTON, July 12: Dr Ayub Khan Ommaya, a neurosurgeon and inventor, has died, his family announced in Washington.

Dr Ommaya, who invented the Ommaya Reservoir was a long time resident of Bethesda, Maryland.He was born in Pakistan in 1930. He was the national champion swimmer in 1953 and received the Rhodes Scholarship in 1956. Dr Ommaya was also a trained opera singer and was known widely as the “singing neurosurgeon”. He often sang before and after surgery for the delight of his patients, their families, and hospital staff.

He received his MBBS from the King Edwards Medical College in Pakistan and his MA from Balliol College, Oxford University in England.

In the medical school he trained as an amateur boxer and at Balliol he was a member of the rowing team.

Dr Ommaya was Chief of Neurosurgery at NINDS, NIH, and Professor of Neurosurgery at George Washington University, Washington, DC.

He developed courses and lectured on philosophy of mind, theories of consciousness, and the connection between emotion, religion, and science.

Dr Ommaya vigorously pursued research to better understand and develop treatments for brain tumours, traumatic brain injury and diabetes.

Before Dr Ommaya’s work in the 60s there was no effective way to deliver chemotherapy treatments to those with brain tumours. He invented the Ommaya Reservoir to treat patients with aggressive brain cancer; the reservoir was also the prototype for all medical ports now in use.

Dr Ommaya also developed the centripetal theory of traumatic brain injury, which allowed for scientific understanding and modelling of the role of forces and their contribution to injury and outcome in the brain.

His model for brain injury led to the improved development of design and safety devices in motor vehicles which have resulted in reducing injury and preventing death for thousands of individuals around the world.

Until he began his work in the early 60s, it was unclear as to how the results of very different fields of research (neuropathology, engineering, and crash analysis) should be joined to create a better understanding of traumatic brain injury prevention and control.

Few investigations have bridged the gap among these disciplines and employed a truly multidisciplinary approach.

Dr Ommaya’s work was instrumental in laying the foundation for injury prevention and improved linkage of this field to biomechanics.

As the chief medical adviser to the department of transportation in the 1980s, Dr Ommaya commissioned a report, Injury in America, from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1985. This report and efforts by Congressman William Lehman and Dr Ommaya led to the creation of the Centre for Disease Control’s National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control which began to provide synthesis, direction, and funding for the field. Congressman William Lehman and Dr Ommaya became friends when Dr Ommaya cared for his daughter. They had many discussions focusing on the need for a centre that focused on injury prevention and research.

Congressman Lehman, then chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommi-ttee on Transportation, was responsible for the initial $10 million awarded to the CDC to establish a new Centre for Injury Control.

Because two of his children suffer from type I diabetes, he also conducted research and developed an artificial organ for diabetes. This device was used successfully in animals but research progress slowed when Dr Ommaya started to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. He also invented an inflatable collar (like an airbag) that would attach to motorcycle helmets to protect against spinal injury.

While in practice Dr Ommaya was consistently ranked as a leading neurosurgeon. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and the Ommaya reservoir is widely used in the treatment of brain tumours.

Dr Ommaya is survived by his wife, Ghazala N. Ommaya and has six children: David, Alexander, Shana, Aisha, Iman, and Sinan. He is also survived by three siblings, Jan, Jacob and Nadine. He has five grandchildren — Jacob, Braden, Henry, Samuel and Nicholas.

[pshamim]

Inna Lillahe Wainna Alehe Rajion. How funny that I am getting this news on Pakdef Forum.
He was a great man. He served as the Chief of Applied Research in Neuro-surgery at NIH when I first met him. All medical books used today for teaching Neurosurgery contain a separate chapter named after him as "Omayya Techniques">

He was my neighbor on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland during Mid 1970s. Thogh he was many years older than me, he and his former wife Kay became very good friends of mine after I moved onto the same street he lived on. His sister was married to a former PAF Officer who one day just disappeared in blue, only to be seen one day in USA. They say it was some CIA related issue. We looked for him and finally found him and the family met him after many years

Dr. Omayya also operated on my monther in law who developed a malignant brain tumor. That was the last time I had met him,.

Though he was not religious first, he bacame one and grew a beard about 8 yrears ago. May God bless his soul and Sabar to his family.

[zeeshan]

3 Indians on Booker longlist this year
30 Jul 2008, 2148 hrs IST, Rashmee Roshan Lall ,TNN

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LONDON: A first-time Indian novelist and two other Indian writers, Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh, will compete for this year's 50,000-pound prestigious Booker Prize.

The White Tiger , a debut novel by a software engineer from Karnataka, Aravind Adiga, has received considerable attention in western capitals for its clear-eyed view of India's economic coming of age.

But as almost always the case with Rushdie, his Enchantress of Florence was immediately described as the favourite to win, just weeks after he achieved a remarkable hat-trick with Midnight's Children by winning Best of Booker.

The 40-year-old Booker Prize, technically called Man Booker because it is sponsored by the alternative investment management business, the Man Group, announced its 13-strong longlist on Wednesday.

The longlist was culled from 112 books, of which nine, interestingly, were called in to read by the judges by special demand. The final shortlist will be announced in September, just a month before the prize-winner is feted at a gala dinner here.

This year's longlist is seen to have a marked sub-continental flavour, as it also features another first-time novelist, this time from Pakistan, Mohammed Hanif. His blistering political satire, A Case of Exploding Mangoes , is about the mysterious air crash that killed General Zia-ul Haq.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo, who chaired the Booker's panel of judges, said he was “pleased with the geographical balance of the longlist with writers from Pakistan, India, Australia, Ireland and UK. We also are happy with the interesting mix of books, five first novels and two novels by former winners. The list covers an extraordinary variety of writing. Still two qualities emerge this year: large scale narrative and the striking use of humour”.

The longlist's other strong contenders include previous Booker-winner John Berger for his WWI love story A to X and Joseph O'Neill's post-9/11 New York saga Netherland .

[H Khan]

Ambassador Munir Akram bids farewell

UNITED NATIONS (September 04 2008): Pakistan's outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram gave a largely attended farewell reception at the Pakistani Mission on Tuesday night. United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) President Srgjan Kerim led a distinguished line up of guests, including head of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations, senior UN officials, prominent citizens and journalists attending the event.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was not in the city as he was travelling from Madrid to New York. Akram, a well-known figure at the UN, will be replaced by Abdullah Hussain Haroon, a former speaker of the Sindh Assembly who is arriving in New York on Wednesday afternoon.

An expert at multilateral diplomacy, Akram was appointed as Pakistan's chief delegate at the UN in 2002 after serving as ambassador to the world body's European offices in Geneva for seven years.

During his long-term at the UN, Ambassador Akram occupied almost every important position. He was twice the President of the Security Council in May 2003 and again in May 2004; President of the Economic and Social Council in 2005; Chairman of the Group of 77 and China (developing countries) in 2007; Facilitator on UN Administrative Reform in 2006. For the last 12 months, he also chaired the Islamic Conference Group of Ambassadors in New York.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2008

[ndad]

Can this damned day get any worse? Amir Khan just got destroyed in the first round- poor defence and far too open for the first round in my (boxing novice) opinion.

ndad

[Aziz]

To cap an awful day for Pakistan: -

__________________________________________________ ________________________


Khan knocked out in first round

Amir Khan was knocked out inside the first minute of his WBO intercontinental lightweight title defence by Colombia's Breidis Prescott.

Khan was put down for the first time after just 30 seconds when he was hit by two lefts in quick succession.

The 21-year-old managed to regain his feet but was clearly struggling.


Aziz

He resumed after an eight count but Prescott unleashed another flurry of punches and Khan hit the deck once more before being counted out.

[zia ul haq]

Asalamo-a-laikum.

Pakistani prince does it his way

Life on the Edge: The Prince of Ratrian

By Steve Bradshaw
Executive Producer, Life on the Edge


The prince reclines on the couch. He addresses the silent villagers.

"A group of the world's nations," he says, "have come together and agreed on eight basic targets for development that all countries should achieve. We can achieve these targets."

Familiar? Yes it is another sonorous and well-meaning statement about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

What is different is that the prince, Rafeh Malik, has decided to try to achieve the MDGs in one Pakistani village. He has taken the lead himself, and right now, nothing is going to stop him.


It does help that he owns Ratrian, a poverty-ridden village in the north of Pakistan. On his 18th birthday he inherited the village from his vast family estate. It has been in their keeping for generations.

The villagers have never heard anything like this before. How did their Prince come to make this startling announcement?

Like many weird, revolutionary ideas, it began in a cafe. Not in Paris, or Vienna but this time in Islamabad - where Rafeh and his old friend Shehryar Mufti, a Dawn TV journalist, often discuss the big political and social issues.

In an age of globalisation, Shehryar reckons, Pakistan's old landowning classes need to change their game. They cannot go on presiding over villages like Ratrian without improving the lives of the villagers, he says.

One night they started discussing the MDGs, and Rafeh had the idea he could try to implement them in Ratrian. He would need some outside resources, ideally from the government, maybe even from NGOs, and they might not be willing to help.

But why not try?

When Shehryar told me this story at a meeting about the MDGs in Amsterdam in 2007, I asked if he would persuade Rafeh to let him film what happened next. And so when they met earlier this year, Shehryar had brought a camera crew along.


THE EIGHT GOALS
1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2 Achieve universal primary education
3 Promote gender equality and empower women
4 Reduce child mortality
5 Improve maternal health
6 Combat HIV/Aids, malaria, and other diseases
7 Ensure environmental sustainability
8 Develop a global partnership for development

"I am scared," Rafeh told Shehryar, "but I'm willing to take the risk."

"First you've got to get past your dad," Shehryar pointed out. "How do you think that's going to happen?"

"Well, I'll sell him the idea, tell him how it is. It'll be quite difficult."

At a meeting of local leaders organised by his father, Malik Atta Mohammad, Rafeh does indeed find the MDGs a hard sell. His father is a fair-minded man, but still there is suspicion that the Goals - not to mention our film - are alien and intrusive.

"What the West is projecting," Malik Ata Mohammad says, "I don't know what they have in their mind when they are trying to propagate this policy."

And he has a specific example:

"I met a lot of NGOs, so they say: 'We have told them how to wash hands, and how to…'. In Islam, you see, we are supposed to wash hands five times a day! We call it ablution, 'wuzu'. So we do it five times. So who the hell are they to tell us how we should keep ourselves clean? We know how to keep ourselves clean!"

It is easy to imagine conversations like this across the world - local sensitivities inflamed by assumptions that the MDGs are a contention-free zone.

After discussion, Rafeh has the go-ahead from his family.

But there are still the villagers themselves to convince.

Basic needs

Apart from an erratic electricity supply, life has not changed much in Ratrian for centuries. Occasionally, there is water from a hand-pump. But some prefer to ride a donkey cart for three hours, filling old chemical containers with slightly less murky water.

A young man strolls around in the middle of the school day: there is a school, but the teacher, an older man who was crippled after a fall, is unable to teach and cannot afford the two-hour drive to a local clinic for treatment.

They do not blame Rafeh's family for their poverty - at least not on camera. And they don't complain.

"Why cry before someone who can't dry your tears?" one villager says. "Malik Atta Mohammad is our king, yes. But it's not his job to solve our problems. It's the people in the government who are paid to do it."

At first even the villagers are wary of Rafeh's plan. But soon they open up.

"We need a hospital," one man says, "and a school for girls. If something could be done about the drinking water, we'd be grateful."

Women speak openly of their worries for their children.

"One day it's diarrhoea, the next day it's fever, the next day, vomiting."

Encouraged but still hesitant, Rafeh gives a lot of thought to involving NGOs. The last thing he wants is a bunch of intrusive Westerners telling everyone what to do.

Finally, he is persuaded to accept help from an Islamabad-based group. As a start they are helping him "map" the village - drawing up a grid of houses, water, services - the first time it has been done.

Later, it'll be possible to see how life in Ratrian compares with the MDG targets - and which of the goals Rafeh can realistically hope to fulfil here.

And there may of course be cultural sensitivities he does not want to breach.

Getting on with it

The MDGs are often written up as unilateral promises made by the rich countries to increase aid. In fact, they were commitments made by all the nations who signed up - rich and poor - to eradicate extreme poverty.

Both wealthy and developed nations have to work together to meet certain clearly defined targets. The commitments were made by world leaders - the UN is there to assist and monitor and progress.

So folks like Rafeh do not have to wait before they do something. But in years of reporting what is actually happening on the MDGs, Rafeh is the first person I have heard of who has simply got on with it.

It is a long haul, and his father may be right to be a little sceptical.

"Unless you see something happen before you - something concrete - only then will you believe it," he says. "At present, it is all in the air."

Rafeh has plenty of work still to do.

This story has always had a fairy tale quality. Let's hope it ends like one.

Life on the Edge is broadcast on BBC World News on Tuesdays at 1930 GMT. The films were made for the BBC by TVE.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7641995.stm

Published: 2008/09/30 11:44:52 GMT

© BBC MMVIII









Not sure if this guy deserves to be featured on this thread all things considered. I mean he is partly responsible for the state they are in. He wouldn't have had an expensive education otherwise would he?

If he succeeds though, I guess he would.

[ndad]

Now this guy may not be a pakistani or of pakistani heritage, but his name sure does sound pakistani - all said and done, its certainly an interesting research area and he is obviously a samrt cookie.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1076646/The-lurker-bomb-hover-hours--strike-target-space-minute.html

ndad
p.s. I am NOT a Daily Mail reader!!

[affendi]

Dr Rehman tells AQ Khan he set up 47 new universities
Monday, October 20, 2008
News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Higher Education Commission Dr Attaur Rehman has issued a long rejoinder to nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan, who had recently criticised the performance of the HEC and Dr Atta for not using billions of taxpayers’ funds properly.

In his rejoinder, Dr Atta thanked Dr Khan for not doubting his integrity but said his statement appeared to be based on some serious misunderstandings as not one but 47 new universities had been established in the last six years.

“As many as 47 new universities have been established and 18 new campuses of universities have also been set up during the six-year period of the HEC’s existence,” he said, adding: “University enrolment has almost tripled from 135,123 to 363,700 during the period, thereby providing far more opportunities of our youth to acquire higher education.”

“It has been alleged that six foreign universities were planned to be set up in Pakistan but not a single one has been established. Actually, it was only in February 2008 that four projects for the establishment of universities in collaboration with Germany, Italy, Austria and China were approved. Subsequently, the new government established a cabinet committee to review the programme and to consider if funding could be made available for it. The cabinet has yet to make a final decision in this respect and so the programme has been essentially frozen, largely due to the serious financial situation of Pakistan. How could money have been wasted for this programme when not a single new building for these universities has so far been built or faculty hired?‚” he questioned.

He regretted that the need to establish foreign universities had been questioned. “It needs to be understood that without a good number of world class engineers and scientists, Pakistan cannot hope to compete in the highly competitive global economy. Our students would be exposed to high quality faculty from foreign countries, follow their curriculum, pass their examinations and get degrees from top universities from Germany, France etc,” he said.

“They would, therefore, reach international standards of education, science and engineering in a very short period. India produces over 400,000 engineering graduates annually while Pakistan produces only about 8,000. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) set up in 1960s helped to transform India and ushered in an IT revolution — as a result India presently earns tens of billions of dollars in exports of software. India has also decided to expand its present programme of IIT and also significantly increase the number of Indian institutes of science so that it could compete with advanced countries.

“It has been claimed that the HEC programmes have not had any major impact on higher education. This is completely incorrect as proved by the following facts:

(a) In a recent USAID report (still in draft form), it is stated that: “We are very impressed with the breadth, scope, and depth of the reforms implemented by the HEC since 2002. No other developing country we know has made such spectacular progress.”

(b The world’s top science journal Nature, in an editorial published on 28th August, acknowledged “the solid foundations” built by the HEC during the last 6 years under my chairmanship and urged the new government to continue to support this important sector to prevent us from going back to the Stone Age.

(c) The World Bank was asked by the Government of Pakistan to carry out the performance audit of the HEC. A 128-page report published by the World Bank has praised the excellent initiatives by the HEC.

(d The British Council in another recent comprehensive report published earlier this year has praised my own leadership as chairman HEC in the these words: “I have worked in many countries in South America, the Middle East, North Africa, and in Russia and India over the last six years. None in my view, with the exception of India, has the potential of Pakistan for the UK university sector, largely because of the dynamic, strategic leadership of the chairman HEC.”

(e) Science Watch, published by the Thomson Reuters group, has recently given Pakistan the rising star status in five fields of science and engineering, the highest number achieved by any country in the world.

(f) The enormous emphasis laid by the HEC on research has resulted in 400 percent increase in research output in international journals from Pakistani universities. The research output in international journals originating from Pakistani institutions has grown from only about 600 research articles in the year 2002 to over 1,714 by the year 2006 and 2,407 articles in 2007.

(g) During the 56-year period (1947-2003), not a single Pakistani university could qualify to reach the ranks of the top 600 universities in the world.

Today, three of Pakistani universities are in this category with the National University of Science and Technology standing at a very respectable number 376.

(k) Previously, our degrees were not recognised internationally as we had only 16 years of study programmes before students obtained the Masters degrees. The HEC introduced a 4-year undergraduate programme, which is being implemented in a phased manner over a three-year period. This will result in international recognition of Pakistani degrees.

(h) A huge emphasis has been placed on quality of education. National rankings of our universities were published, thereby generating competition. Quality assurance cells have been established in different universities and student evaluation of teachers’ performance introduced.

(i) Video-conferencing facility has been provided in 28 universities with the key feature of live interactive lectures from technologically advanced countries.

(j) A major national research grant programme was launched. The National Research Programme for Universities (NRPU) facilitates research pursuits of researchers. The year saw the approval of 195 projects in agriculture, food sciences, archaeology, biological sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics and pharmacy for funding over a maximum period of three years. There is tangible excitement in the air where faculty members are working in their state-of-the-art and well-equipped laboratories.

(k) Strict financial discipline is maintained by the HEC. All its programmes have been regularly audited by the government auditors as well as private international auditors. It is also the first government institution which fully implemented SAP accounting system, thereby being completely transparent in all transactions.

(l) A major programme of post-doctoral training in top foreign universities has been initiated which has already benefited some 200 faculty members.

(m) A strict project monitoring system was introduced and quarterly reports are sent to Planning, Finance and the chancellors of public sector institutions.

(n) A transparent process of appointment of Vice-Chancellors was introduced based on open advertisement and final recommendation by a search committee comprising eminent scholars.”

Dr Attaur Rehman rejected the media reports that too much money has been spent on the higher education at the cost of lower-level education.

“This is incorrect. Less than 15 per cent of the entire education budget is spent on the higher education. According to international norms, at least 25 per cent of national budget should be spent on the higher education. During the last two years, per student expenditure has actually gone down by about 30 per cent due to inflation and the tripling student enrolment,” he added.

He said one should talk with a vice-chancellor of a public sector university or visit hundreds of new institutions established during the last 6 years to judge the performance of the HEC.

“One is at liberty to turn a blind eye to the HEC’s achievements, but they will not cease to exist. What is presented above are undeniable facts and in the final analysis what matters is not what my supporters or critics say, but the opinions of neutral international experts mentioned above who have carried out a detailed analysis of the higher education sector in Pakistan and paid glowing tributes to our achievements,” he further said.

He added that it was not appropriate to identify him with former president Musharraf. “However, I must acknowledge the tremendous support provided to the HEC by General Musharraf. I am a scientist and not a politician. I received four civil awards (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Nishan-i-Imtiaz) from successive governments of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Mohatarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Mr Shaukat Aziz. I have tried to serve my country honestly and to the best of my abilities and will continue to do so Inshallah in the years to come,” he concluded.

LINK (http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=141942)

[H Khan]

http://www.legacy.com/WashingtonPost/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=92538277&PageNo=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lu0WXw5BxM

4.10 min

[ahmednajam92]

(e) Science Watch, published by the Thomson Reuters group, has recently given Pakistan the rising star status in five fields of science and engineering, the highest number achieved by any country in the world.

http://sciencewatch.com/dr/rs/

http://sciencewatch.com/dr/rs/08sep-rs/

[zeeshan]

Assalamaoalukum,

How low we are going to sink? Dr. Atta perhaps the most honest and brilliant Pakistani has to answer this ******* of a liar. Pakistan has reached the lowest point in its history. True that after nuclear tests we had hit rock bottom and were at the point of default but at least there were sanctions and pride of having nuclear bomb. Today we have absolutely no reson other than the lack of trust on our leaders and their horribl mismanagement. While they are stashing away money in forign banks, they expect Chinese and others to pay into foreign reserve so they can travel more and steal more. Pakistan is suffering from confidence meltdown and hopelesness never before seen in our history. I have no doubt that six more months and we will see army stepping in to save the country again.
I have completely lost any hope for this country for as long as Zardari is in control. Hell even Nawaz would be a billion time better alternative to that crook.
May Allah have mercy on us and Pakistan.

[H Khan]

Daily Times - Monday, November 10, 2008

Mustafa Kamal ranked 2nd best mayor in world

ISLAMABAD: In its report, a reputed journal, Foreign Policy, declared Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal the second best mayor in the world for 2008.

Foreign Policy report titled `The Mayor of the Moment' stated that Germany's Berlin City Mayor Klaus Wowereit, 55, topped the best mayors of the world for 2008 list and Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal, 36, placed second on the basis of his performance in the last three years.

The Global Cities Index complied the report that assessed the performance of the world's major city mayors and created a better investment and planning opportunity for the cities they govern.

The journal praised Kamal for his hard work and said the he was making a difference in Karachi with his innovative ways of city planning. The report stated that Kamal is not only playing a key-role in strengthening international ties, promoting foreign investment and tourism but has also managed to change the outlook of Karachi in a short time.

The magazine said no city globalises on its own but with shrewd investments and smart urban planning, a mayor can help turn a regional city into a global powerhouse.

The magazine wrote that the mayor of Karachi is an unlikely poster child for innovative urban planning. Kamal governs a city that's more often in the news for religious violence than cosmopolitan ways but the hard-charging Kamal is looking to change it all. He's courting foreign investment, encouraging international ties, and boosting the city's tourism.

Kamal thanked God for this appreciation and congratulated his party leader Altaf Hussain. In a statement from London on Sunday, Kamal said that all the credit should go to his party leader Altaf Hussain who has selected representatives from the lower and middle class, who represent 98 percent of Pakistan's total population. He said that in the past there was no concept of owner ship in Karachi, however now we own this city and carry out development work on a large scale. He added that despite all the work that has been done, a lot still remains to be done and the city is still far from being an ideal city.

He said that provided the Haq Parast continues helping the city government, all problems will also be solved in the near future. Kamal said that despite all the obstacles, different challenges and difficulties faced by his team, it has never let the people of Karachi down.

Citing the absence of one command and controlling authority of the city, Kamal said that at present 13 organizations are controlling the city's municipal affairs this has made developing the city difficult. He said that Karachi is no ordinary city it is the backbone of Pakistan's national economy. Developing Karachi can develop the rest of the country and can help the people of Pakistan get the fruit of prosperity. Kamal said that his whole team from the peons and drivers to the top city government officials, City Naib Nazim, town nazims, union nazims and all elected representatives of Karachi played an important role in the recognition of my performance on an international level. agencies

[abaig]

Well done Mustafa Kamal ! Good to see a Pakistani being mentioned ! Indian newspapers also highlighted this.

[ndad]

A good comeback - the guy was no prescott but khan seemed much better, especially when going backwards, kept his guard up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7767297.stm

The de la hoya and paquacio fight was also very good, although one sided - de la hoya was never in it.

ndad
p.s. anyone watch the audley harrison fight - he got his butt kicked and the post fight interview was more comical than the fight itself.

[popalzai]

Web browser by a Pakistani teenager



A 19-year- old resident of Karachi, Sheikh Imran Ahmed, has designed a web browser 'Xtravo Explorer' which is powered by Microsoft Internet Explorer.

A statement here on Friday said that the beta version of Xtravo has grabbed the attention of the Internet users within few days of its release on www.jawoco.com and has been picked up/reviewed by international software websites such as www.softpedia.com.

It said that the browser by the Pakistani teenager is being downloaded on a massive scale and is receiving good reviews from its users who claim it to be very user friendly.

According to the users of Xtravo Explorer, even though it's powered by IE shell engine, it is comparatively better in performance, offers handy options which no other browser offers to date and is faster.

It offers tab browsing, image grabbing and a secure environment which blocks pop-ups and unwanted pages.

Imran has just completed A level and is interested in pursuing further studies abroad.


Download:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/B … orer.shtml

[AjmalMahmood]

www.dawn.com

ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Pakistani students made their country proud after they won laurels at an international competition designed to inspire imagination.

The competition was organised by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

Pakistan is the only country which had winning students in every prize category – essay writing, photography and short film making – in a competition that tested the creative ability of more than 450 Cambridge students from around the world.

The Cambridge competition asked students to write an essay in English, make a short film, or take photographs which show an aspect of their school life.

According to the Cambridge International Examinations office in Islamabad, there were three winners in the Short Film category, including Shaheer Shahid, from Pakistan’s Roots Montessori High School. His film, Life in Roots, was shot on the day of school elections.

Maaz Ahmed, from The Fahims Schools System A-level, Karachi, won a prize in the Photography category. His photos had a strong visual impact, in particular a stunning image of a student flying a kite.

Rayyan Aziz Ansari, from Beaconhouse School, was a winner in the writing category. Students were asked to write a short article on ‘The best thing I learned this year.”

Rayyan concluded his reflections with the comment: ‘I have learned that hard work has no substitute, anyone who thinks differently is in for a rude awakening.’

[wasimr]

http://www.euromoney.com/Article/2023813/ChannelPage/0/AssetCategory/15/Meet-Mr-Pakistan-Mian-Muhammad-Mansha-Yaha.html

Mian Mohammad Mansha, Pakistan's richest man.


Perhaps one day not too far off in the future HKhan will be Pakistan's richest man.:D

[H Khan]

Dr Tasadduq selected for ‘French Science Tour’
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Islamabad

Dr Tasadduq Khan, renowned Pakistani scientist has been selected as second lecturer under ‘French Science Tour in Pakistan’ by the French embassy.

According to French embassy, Dr Tasadduq Khan was the author of around 100 publications in international journals, and holds 14 patents on high temperature materials. Dr. Tasadduq is senior advisor to President of the French Aerospace laboratory (ONERA) and Scientific Director for Materials and Structures Division.

He is the inventor of three materials currently being used in M88 engine for the Rafale Fighter and advanced Turbomeca engines of helicopters. Dr Khan has played a prominent role in a wide range of scientific activities covering high temperature materials and structures including superalloys, intermetallic compounds, rapidly solidified materials and mechanical behaviour of materials. His responsibilities include medium and long term strategic planning of the research activities, promoting partnership with industry and the academia and establishing a vision for technology breakthroughs.

Dr Khan was granted knighthood in October 2001 and received the prestigious National Order of Merit by the French Government, for rendering exceptional services and his pioneering work in the field of structural materials used in advanced civil and military aircraft engines.

During his stay in Pakistan, from 4th to 19th December 2008, Dr Khan visited and delivered lectures at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore and then at various institutions in Islamabad including Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), National Centre for Physics (NCP) and National University of Science and technology (NUST). Dr. Khan was also the guest speaker of the seminar on “Nanotechnology and Material Sciences” organised by Institute of Space Technology (IST) last week.

It was a real pleasure for Dr Khan to come back in Pakistan for an official visit and to interact with more than 300 scientists.

He has been very impressed by the level of technology developed in some of the laboratories he visited. He already pre-selected a young IST scientist to work with ONERA team for a while in the field of nanomaterials. His fellowship will be supported by the Cultural and Scientific Section of the French Embassy in Islamabad.

[SSAAD]

Get this guy over to PAC. Great achievement MashaAllah.

[Aziz]

The boy so set on getting to Cambridge he got 22 A-levels

By Paul Harris and Laura Clark

Last updated at 9:27 AM on 31st January 2009


One ambition was fixed in Ali Moeen Nawazish's mind as he made his way through school in Pakistan. He wanted to win a place at Cambridge.
Sitting seven A-levels might easily have done the trick, even though he had started to study some of the subjects only three days before the exam.
But he was determined to get some good grades. So he sat another three, and three more. Then another nine. Just in case, he took a couple of AS levels along the way.
Enlarge Qualified success: Ali Moeen Nawazish
The result? The remarkable young student, who modestly explains he has 'quite a thirst for knowledge', secured 22 A grades, one B and a C.
When he filled out his university application forms at home in Rawalpindi there was barely enough space to list his qualifications.
His Cambridge dream came true four months ago when he embarked on a computer science degree course at Trinity Hall. Now he is due to win another place - in the Guinness Book of Records.
Yesterday Ali, 18, explained, perhaps superfluously, that he rather enjoys hard work. He's got even more qualifications in his sights to fulfil another ambition.
'I'm doing my current degree because I love it,' he said. 'But what I want to do for the rest of my life is to be a doctor, so I hope to go on to study medicine.'
Ali, who speaks Urdu, English and Punjabi, sat all the exams within 12 months at Rawalpindi's Roots College International. His entry was organised through accredited boards Ed-Excel and Cambridge International Examinations.
Ali also achieved a top score in the U.S. admissions test and was accepted by most Ivy League institutions, including Harvard and Yale. Apart from core science subjects he is almost entirely self taught. He studied for up to 12 hours a day, using energy drinks to help concentrate.
The 18 year-old boy genius took the long list of exams within 12-months netting himself 22 A grades, one B and one C
He still managed to keep up his leisure pursuits, however, playing the guitar, cricket and table tennis, and editing his school newspaper. He even found time for a trip to America to attend a Harvard leadership course.
But it wasn't always like that.
Ali's incredible talent began to emerge only at the age of 15. He was a chubby boy and rather solitary and many of his early results were mediocre.
He said: 'Then one day it all clicked. I needed to prove to myself, and to others, that I could do it.' At O-level - still an internationally recognised qualification - he got nine A grades.
Then came the A-levels. His mother Nisar Malik, 48, father Zaka Ullah, 51, both doctors, though worried about his workload, were very supportive. 'They always said that if I was happy, they were happy,' he said. 'Now they love the fact that I've done so well.'

So just how does he manage to achieve so much? One teacher described him as having 'a mind like a scanner' but Ali says he does not have a photographic memory.
He simply enjoys learning. 'The way I work is by spending ten minutes on one subject, then switching to another, then another. It's a bit haphazard but it works.'
He retained the knowledge by linking facts to funny anecdotes he invented, and by reading around the subjects.
Hardest part was the exams, which he described as 'a mental endurance battle'. For two weeks he had a minimum of four every day, sometimes from 8am to midnight to avoid timetable clashes.
Dr Nick Bampos, senior tutor at Trinity Hall, said the first time he and his colleagues saw Ali's application they found it hard to believe.
Dr Bampos said: 'But not only is he really bright, he is really charming. He might be a computer scientist but he shatters all the stereotypes. We're delighted to have him.'


Aziz

[ndad]

Thats bloody good going - took me two years to get 4.

ndad
p.s. Do you guys thing Bilawal will offer him a room?

[H Khan]

Renowned journalist, author Khalid Hasan passes away

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (APP): Khalid Hasan, a veteran Pakistani journalist and acclaimed author of several books who also worked as APP Washington correspondent, died of cancer at a Northern Virginia hospital Thursday night. He was 74. Khalid Hasan breathed his last at 10:15 p.m. (Washington Time). He had been undergoing several medical tests and procedures since Jan.19. His condition sharply deteriorated over the past three days.

A number of Pakistani-Americans, several Pakistani journalists working in the United States received the news of his demise with a heavy heart.

Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani expressed his deep sorrow over the

demise of Khalid Hasan and said his death was a massive loss for Pakistan.

A number of US-based Pakistani journalists who had long association with Khalid Hasan including Akmal Aleemi, former VOA Producer, Iftikhar Ali, APP Correspondent in New York, Khwaja Salahuddin, VOA Producer and several other journalists expressed their condolences over the loss of their colleague.

Lately, Khalid Hasan worked for Daily Times and The Friday Times, Lahore, out of Washington. A brilliant writer, he contributed two columns per week to the publications in addition to daily spot coverage. He was at his best in political satire. His writings appeared in almost all leading Pakistani English newspapers.

After graduating from Murray College, Sialkot, he taught at Lawrence College, Murree, joined the Income Tax Service, worked for The Pakistan Times, served as the press secretary to Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and carried out diplomatic assignments in London, Paris and Ottawa.

He will be best remembered for his English translations of the short stories of Saadat Hasan Manto and lyrics of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. His death will be mourned by his innumerable friends and admirers, among them senior journalists and writers of Pakistan and India.

His correspondence with Qurat-Ul-Ain Hyder appeared in book form.

Khalid Hasan was born in Srinagar. His father, Dr. Noor Hussain, who hailed from Jammu worked for the Jammu & Kashmir ministry of Health. His older brothers Brig.Bashir Ahmad and Colonel Saeed Ahmad, both deceased, served the Pakistan Army with distinction. His younger brother, Masud Hasan, also a columnist, runs a business in Lahore.

His sister Surayya was married to K.H. Khurshid who served Quaid-i-Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah as his private secretary, later became president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and finally died in a traffic accident.

In the late 1960s, Khalid Hasan travelled to Washington for the Congressional Fellowship sponsored by the American Political Science Association and married Juanita. The couple had a son, Jeffrey and a daughter, Jehan, both married and working in the United States. The family was with Hasan as he lay in hospital.

He will be buried in Vermont, the native state of his wife.



I had the pleasure of talking to him for quite sometime. He was an exceptional person with great a penmanship for political satire. He has gone but his work remains for the generations to benefit from.

[ndad]

Some good news on an otherwise crap day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7940138.stm

The columbian and then a title attempt?

ndad

[A Khan]

Shahbaz hosts reception in honour of Ali Moin

Updated at: 2235 PST, Wednesday, March 25, 2009
LAHORE: Former chief minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif hosted a reception in honour of Ali Moin Nawazish for his brilliant achievement in O-level exams.

Nawazish got his name written in the Guinness Book of World Cup for passing as many as 21 subjects which is a new world record.

The PML-N president hosted a reception at his residence in Defence area.

Lauding the achievement of Nawazish, he said that the whole country is proud of Ali Moin Nawazish for achieving this milestone. Shahbaz presented a bouquet to the student and felicitated him.

On this occasion, Khawaja Imran, Imran Goraya and Ms. Noreen, former coordinator of Shahbaz Sharif, were also present.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=72659

[A Khan]

p.s. Do you guys thing Bilawal will offer him a room?

Could be interesting to know, if Bilawal has passed any A-levels (or anything else) during his home schooling, or if he has followed daddy's footsteps....

[Ghias Arshad]

Fahad Shiftra (born 5 May 1980) is a Pakistani self-taught mathematical physicist. The notable achievements in his career have included studies into the role of the Higgs boson in the grand unification theory and the moment of inertia of objects moving in a Bose Einstein condensate. It is hoped his equation will reveal the secret of how a sub-atomic particle behaves when placed under extreme conditions.

Born in Karachi, Fahad Shiftra grew up in one of the poorest regions of Pakistan. Unable to go to University, Shiftra worked as a shoe cleaner until the age of 12 in order to support his family. However, by the age of 15, and with a family now able to care for itself, he began to purchase math and science textbooks from local scholars. In fact, it was one of the scholars that he bought the textbook from who recognised his potential as a mathematician. Prof. Rana Khalid Naeem of Karachi University wrote in 1996 that[1]

"I have rarely seen such an enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics. Fahads curiosity is a gift that could bring him great knowledge"

This prediction seemed to come true in 2000 when he presented his first paper to the physics professors and lecturers at New Delhi University. In his presentation Shiftra successfully displayed an understanding and ingenious ability to combine existing problems in the physics world in order to explain the behaviour of sub-atomic particles when under extreme conditions. One lecturer claimed that it was a miracle that a man without a university education behind him could understand and explain in such detail the complex world of quantum mechanics. At present, Shiftra is currently living with his wife Sasha in Karachi, Pakistan with their two sons Henry and Lennon.

Check out his profile, this guy created a Physics law which is known as "Fahads law":cool:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahad_shiftra

[masood]

quite interesting. The article does not mention what he does now. The reference/publications in the Wikipedia are not valid and probably do not exist. It is highly unlikely that Dr. Mubarakmund will co author such papers when he is not even in karachi. has a son named Lennon, yeah right!

[A.A. Khan]

Pakistani doctor ‘breaks world record’
Conducts successful laparoscopic surgery of 107-year-old woman

Thursday, April 16, 2009
Rawalpindi

Renowned Pakistani Laparoscopic Surgeon Dr. Naeem Taj broke the world record in Laparoscopic surgery of oldest patient by operating upon a 107-year-old woman at Capital Hospital in Islamabad, says a press release issued here Wednesday.

The previous record for the oldest patient Laparoscopic surgery was of Dr David D Dan of West Indies who operated a 92-year-old patient.

Talking to media in the ICU of Capital Hospital Islamabad on Wednesday, Dr Naeem said that with the blessing of Allah Almighty, and assistance of Anaesthetists Dr Arshad Ali, Dr Tauqeer, Dr Saba Yousaf, Dr Nadia, Dr Naheeda, and Dr Fazal this landmark was achieved, in which 30 stones were removed from the gallbladder of the old woman.

The Executive Director of Capital Hospital, Dr Hamid Zaib, congratulated the team of doctors and para-medicals who had worked hard to make it possible.

He said it was pride moment for their hospital that such a complicated and risky operation was conducted in a smooth way. He said that Pakistani doctors once again proved their professional capabilities and skills and set a new record in the medical history.

It was informed that Chanan Jan was born on 1902 and according to the available world record she was the oldest woman who had yet been operated in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion Anaesthetists Dr Arshad Ali said that it was very difficult to administer anaesthesia to the patient who was 100-year-old, but it was done successfully.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=172787

[Ghias Arshad]

quite interesting. The article does not mention what he does now. The reference/publications in the Wikipedia are not valid and probably do not exist. It is highly unlikely that Dr. Mubarakmund will co author such papers when he is not even in karachi. has a son named Lennon, yeah right!

I think he's a christian Pakistani.

[masood]

What has his being a christian got to do with anything? I didn't mention his other son's name, Henry, because it is a common name but how many lennons does one see outside russia? Unless one is a leftist-socialist/communist, no one names their kids Lennon.

I checked the references at the end of the article. They cannot be found, I don't think they exist. the article doesn't mention what he does now? I think the whole thing is fictitious.

[Ghias Arshad]

What has his being a christian got to do with anything? I didn't mention his other son's name, Henry, because it is a common name but how many lennons does one see outside russia? Unless one is a leftist-socialist/communist, no one names their kids Lennon.

I checked the references at the end of the article. They cannot be found, I don't think they exist. the article doesn't mention what he does now? I think the whole thing is fictitious.

Lennon is a common name, not as common as Henry but its not something totally obscure. References really don't have any link. Maybe you're right. We wont know until we check the Euro-Asian Journal of Applied Sciences June 2007 edition. I'll try to get a hold of it and post the scans here.

[Gulstan]

What has his being a christian got to do with anything? I didn't mention his other son's name, Henry, because it is a common name but how many lennons does one see outside russia? Unless one is a leftist-socialist/communist, no one names their kids Lennon.

I checked the references at the end of the article. They cannot be found, I don't think they exist. the article doesn't mention what he does now? I think the whole thing is fictitious.
Dont think you will find many Lennons in Russia:) Lenin perhaps but not Lennon;)

[Hameed I]

Irtiza Haider, a Pakistani student of class 8 from Faisalabad has been crowned to be the world’s youngest Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). He did it by answering 80 percent of the questions correctly in 2 hours, in order to pass the CCNA test. The CCNA, is a certification that emphasizes on the technology and skills needed to work with networks of 100 nodes or fewer, covering both IP and non-IP networks including IPX and AppleTalk. Irtiza had already enrolled in the CCNA classes back in June of 2007 however he, his father and teacher went to Islamabad to attend the Cisco Academy Awareness Day in Islamabad on June 19, 2007 to learn more about the prospects of the program. In order to pass the CCNA, you need more than a good teacher and a supportive family. One needs to grasp key networking technologies and concepts. Further levels of certifications will extend towards the CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional) and the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internet Export), which will place Irtiza amongst an elite group of Networking Professionals around the world. The 12-year old boy’s teacher and mentor is Rizwan Dastgir, Curriculum Lead and Academy Instructor at Ahad IT Services (a Cisco Local Academy), in Faisalabad, a city of about 3 million people.

(another forum)

[Shah Khan]

Pakistan writers making mark

Country experiencing literary renaissance, including author who reads here tonight
May 13, 2009
Vit Wagner
Publishing Reporter

A new rivalry is emerging between Pakistan and India that has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, competing territorial claims in Kashmir or even cricket.

After watching India assert itself as one of the contemporary world's prolific sources of literature – beginning with Anita Desai and hitting full stride with Salman Rushdie's 1981 epic Midnight's Children – Pakistan is experiencing its own literary renaissance.

Kamila Shamsie, the 35-year-old, Karachi-bred author of this year's Orange Prize-nominated Burnt Shadows, is part of a generation of celebrated young Pakistani writers that also includes 2007 Man Booker nominee Mohsin Hamid, Nadeem Aslam, Mohammed Hanif and Daniyal Mueenuddin.

"It's not as if there were no Pakistani writers until the last two years," says Shamsie, who will read tonight at Harbourfront Centre's Lakeside Terrace. "But it does feel like we've reached a critical mass that wasn't there before. There is a lot of exciting and interesting work coming out."

Add rising Bangladeshi star Tahmima Anam to the mix and the generic term "South Asian fiction" starts to lose its meaning.

"For 30 years, Indian fiction has been one of the dominant Anglophone fictions. And full credit; it's a wonderful body of work," says Shamsie, who has lived in London for the past two years. "But when you say `South Asian fiction,' you're putting that together with Pakistani fiction, which is a completely different creature.

"For one, we don't have 30 years of success and Booker Prizes and all those kinds of things. Also, the two nations have had such different political histories. Indian writers didn't grow up in a world where politics felt quite as pressing."

That close proximity between large, world-changing events and ordinary individuals figures prominently in Burnt Shadows, Shamsie's fifth novel.

The story follows its central character, Hiroko, from the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in 1945, to the independence and partition of India in 1947, to Pakistan during the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in the early 1980s, to New York in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

"If you grew up in Pakistan in the '70s and '80s, you always knew that what was happening politically had a very direct bearing on all kinds of aspects of individual lives," says Shamsie, who left Karachi to study creative writing at upstate New York's Hamilton College in the 1990s.

"One of the surprises for me of going to America for university was that people lived as if their lives had nothing to do with a grander, political narrative."

The continuing war in neighbouring Afghanistan and the Taliban's incursion into Pakistan has once again made the country a lightning rod for global attention, a circumstance that at least partly accounts for growing international interest in its authors.

"Fiction writers are getting attention because people want to know about Pakistan beyond the headlines," says Shamsie, who visits Karachi at least once a year and writes columns on Pakistani affairs for the U.K.'s Guardian.

"Things are very bad in Pakistan right now. There is a need for a lot of social change. At some point somebody needs to figure out that you can't spend all your money on the military and debt repayment. You need to build up the nation's infrastructure.

"But Pakistan is being discussed as if it's already a failed state, as if it is a given that the Taliban will take over and nuclear weapons will fall in the hands of madmen. Nothing is inevitable. We're not there yet."

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/633350

Kamila interview clip;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBZQIs4HTY&feature=related

[zeeshan]

Assalamaoalukum,

He was also in the movie iron man .

Pakistani stars in Hollywood
American born Pakistani actor Farhan Tahir has risen to become a star today after he performed in one of the leading roles in Star Trek.

Very few Pakistanis have made it to Hollywood and Farhan Tahir is among those actors who could not get much recognition in the country’s entertainment industry...however, moving on in Hollywood might change that now.

Maryiam Pervaiz takes a look at his career.

http://65.175.69.168:91/dawnanimation/pak_actor/

[Zain Abbass]

Yeah, his part was very small but he played it pretty well and the movie by the way was excellent. Makes me proud there was a Pakistani captain in the Federation.:D

[TahirN]

http://www.defencetalk.com/pakistani-immigrant-leads-air-department-aboard-carrier-19162/

[A Khan]

Pak physician selected for ‘WHO World No Tobacco Award 2009’

Updated at: 1450 PST, Saturday, May 30, 2009
KARACHI: A Pakistani physician, Prof. Javaid A Khan would be one of the recipients of 2009’s World No Tobacco Award, sponsored by World Health Organization.

The prestigious award is conferred upon individuals who may have tremendously contributed towards tobacco control in their respective countries.

“You have been a great source of inspiration in tobacco control advocacy and research at national level,” said a WHO communication received by Dr. Javaid. A Khan, Chairman, National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Section Head of Pulmonary and Critical, Medicine Department, Aga Khan University.

WHO Representative to Pakistan, Dr. Khalf Bille Mohammad in his letter of felicitation to Dr. Khan said, “the award speaks for itself of the recognition of your services at international level.”

Dr. Javaid Khan will receive the WNTD international award - 2009 and certificate of appreciation at an impressive WHO ceremony in Islamabad on May 31.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=79110

[A Khan]

Khan becomes transport minister
Sadiq Khan
Mr Khan's father drove the number 44 bus for 20 years


Muslim Labour MP Sadiq Khan has been promoted to minister of state for transport in the government reshuffle.

He will attend cabinet for transport policy discussions and be the lead transport speaker in the Commons. He will also become a Privy Counsellor.

He is the most senior Muslim politician in the country and the first Muslim to join the Privy Council or attend Cabinet, his website said.

His father was a bus driver and he grew up on a council estate in London.

In 2008 an inquiry found Mr Khan was bugged on two visits to see a constituent at a jail in Milton Keynes.

No suspicion

The report, by chief surveillance commissioner Sir Christopher Rose, confirmed that Mr Khan was secretly recorded when he met terror suspect Babar Ahmad on 21 May 2005 and 24 June 2006.

It also found that senior police officers who ordered the recording of the conversations did not know who Mr Khan was, but five junior officers did.

The then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said at the time that Mr Khan was not a specific target of the surveillance operation and that there was no suggestion that he was under any suspicion.

Mr Khan made his name as a human rights lawyer before becoming an MP.

He was voted "newcomer of the year" in the 2005 Spectator parliamentary awards, within months of being elected to the south London seat of Tooting.

Rapid rise

In 2007, he was appointed a government whip. Then, in October 2008, Mr Khan was promoted to under-secretary of state in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

He had special responsibility for community cohesion, the fire and rescue service, preventing violent extremism, the valuation and tribunal service and planning and local government.

In his new job Mr Khan will report to the new Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, who also gained his new post in the reshuffle.

Lord Adonis replaces Geoff Hoon, who resigned from the government on Friday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8087602.stm

[popalzai]

I dont know if this has been posted before or not. I was sifting the internet about CERN and what was happening to the LHC and stumbled on this page. I think we should promote physics and maths a lot more for a better and developed future.

I did not know that there were 27 Pakistani scientists working on this project. Mashallah.


http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/28934

http://press.web.cern.ch/public/en/People/Hoorani-en.html

[Awaisi]

http://www.hpcwire.com/offthewire/Computer-Scientist-Named-One-of-Brightest-Engineers-49434307.html

HPCwire >> Off the Wire
June 29, 2009

Computer Scientist Named One of Brightest Engineers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLACKSBURG, Va., June 25 -- Ali Butt, assistant professor of computer science at Virginia Tech, has been named one of 88 of the nation's brightest young engineers.
Butt has been selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 15th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium.

His colleague, Naren Ramakrishnan, also a professor of computer science at Virginia Tech, is one of the organizers of this year's event. He was recently named an award recipient in HP's 2009 Innovation research Program and, in 2007, one of Computerworld's 40 innovative information technology people to watch who is under the age of 40.

Engineers ages 30 to 45 who are performing exceptional engineering research and technical work in a variety of disciplines will come together for the two-and-a-half-day event. The participants -- from industry, academia, and government -- were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations and chosen from approximately 240 applicants.

"In today's challenging economic times, we look more than ever toward our engineering innovators," said NAE President Charles M. Vest. "The U.S. Frontiers of Engineering program brings together a diverse group of this country's most promising young engineers, and gives them a forum to discuss multi-disciplinary ways of addressing the issues that will carry us into tomorrow's economy."

Butt is a 2008 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award recipient for his research in high performance computing power. The goal of his research is to address the increasing performance gap between computing power and storage technology, especially for high performance computing (HPC) environments.

The symposium will be held Sept. 10-12 at the National Academies' Beckman Center at the University of California, Irvine, and will examine engineering tools for scientific discovery; engineering the health care delivery system; nano/micro photonics and new applications; and resilient and sustainable infrastructures. A featured speaker will be Bradford W. Parkinson, Edward C. Wells professor of aeronautics and astronautics emeritus at Stanford University. Parkinson is credited with being the father of the Global Positioning System and is a recipient of the prestigious Draper Prize and a member of the NAE.

Sponsors for the 2009 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering are The Grainger Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Department of Defense (DDR&E-Research), the National Science Foundation, Microsoft Research, and Cummins Inc.

The NAE is an independent, nonprofit institution that serves as an adviser to government and the public on issues in engineering and technology. Its members consist of the nation's premier engineers, who are elected by their peers for their distinguished achievements. Established in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863.

-----

Source: Lynn Nystrom, Virginia Tech

[Rafi]

No one has apparently woken up to the fact that a overseas Pakistani has become a World Boxing Champion - Well done Amir son, you have done Pakistanis proud the world over. A good role model for the youth of Pakistan to follow, also a very clean cut, clean living fella.......Not many people also know that Amir is a Janjua from District Rawalpindi and he has many relatives in the Pakistan Army.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGI6DExmOZQ&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86UahfifnI&feature=channel_page

[SSAAD]

Come on Rafi, every Pakistani who knows anything about boxing knows Amir Khan. He is even popular amongst the Pakistani population (those who are aware of boxing) in the US!

Great kid and a great flag bearer of Pakistan and his adopted homeland! May he continue towards ever higher goals! Ameen.

[ndad]

He is big in the UK, and massive amongst the pakistani community, has done wonders for the image of pakistanis also. Fought really well and deserves the win - ricky hatton next?

ndad

[Gaf]

I met this guy, a few months back in passing. He came across as a very quiet/reserved guy. Totally straight. Very different from Naseem Hamid, when I met him [ well, he did have his arm wrapped around two blondes at the time ;) ]....

[Shah Khan]

Pakistan Philanthropist Cares For Karachi's Forgotten

by Julie McCarthy, July 28, 2009
NPR (National Public Radio-USA)- www.npr.org

Abdul Sattar Edhi has personally washed tens of thousands of corpses that he has rescued from gutters, beneath bridges and from the sea. The 82-year-old Pakistani has devoted his life to the destitute of Karachi, burying the city's forgotten and giving fresh life to its abandoned newborns. His pioneering social work has drawn comparisons to Mother Teresa's.

His mission is synonymous with this sprawling port city, where rickshaws bearing veiled women, scooters spewing smoke and drivers pressing palms to horns all squeeze in the narrow streets through spaces as thin as a ray of hope.

Amid the chaos, in an aging building, is the room Edhi bought nearly 60 years ago to use as a dispensary. He arrived with the mass migration of Muslims from India six days after Pakistan's independence. Edhi was barely 20 when he began the work that would make him arguably the most respected figure in Pakistan.

"I saw people lying on the pavement," he recalls. "The flu had spread in Karachi, and there was no one to treat them. So I set up benches and got medical students to volunteer. I was penniless and begged for donations on the street. And people gave. I bought this 8-by-8 room to start my work."

The single room has grown to a three-story headquarters. Donations, mostly from ordinary Pakistanis, have already topped $36 million this year. The vast philanthropic network offers Karachi's poorest what could be called cradle-to-grave service.

Women's Suffering Starts At Birth

The Edhi Foundation runs two maternity wards in Karachi. Since 1948, 1 million children have been delivered in Edhi facilities — virtually for free, according to Edhi.

His wife, Bilquis, runs one of the maternity wards in Karachi. She has a sunny disposition that contrasts with the suffering there. Just 40 minutes after delivery, one mother, grimacing in pain, gets up to leave.

"In the past, they would stay for three days," Bilquis Edhi says. "But now, even if they have stitches, the women don't linger."

The mother says this was her third child; Bilquis Edhi suspects it is her sixth.

"Islam is driving this," she says. Conservative clerics call family planning haram, or forbidden. As a result, she says, "Women keep producing babies, and these women are dying in the process."

A bright pink veil is placed carelessly across Bilquis Edhi's head. At 62, her skin still glows. Despite bypass surgery, she continues a marathon schedule devoted to helping impoverished women.

In this conservative society, women's problems start from birth, she says.

"When a baby girl is born here, the man storms out cursing his wife. But whenever there is a male born, the men celebrate and offer us tea," she says.

"Most of the babies who are left in the cradle at our doorstep are girls," she adds. "Sometimes the babies are tossed in garbage heaps, gagged and wrapped in plastic bags. In one week, we can get as many as 11 dead babies."

Death With Dignity

The babies are brought to the Edhi morgue, where the acrid smell of embalming fills the air. Employees who are paid a small stipend load a corpse into an ambulance to be taken to the cemetery. It is a long slender body prepared for burial. It bears a number, but it bears no name. The Edhi Foundation buries bodies that cannot be identified.

The makeshift hearse snakes its way to the Edhi Foundation's cemetery on the outskirts of the city. Mohammad Saleem has been a driver for the Edhi ambulance service for 24 years. The service now operates throughout the country. Saleem recalls his first assignment.

"Mr. Edhi sent us to collect a dead body, and the stink was so unbearable I couldn't stand it. We all ran," Saleem says. "We came back with Mr. Edhi, who showed us how to pick up a dead body and transport it."

"We work long hours," Saleem adds, "but we're at ease. We have a kind of spiritual peace because somehow we're serving humanity."

The two young men being laid to rest this day will be interred in a place as bleak as their lives likely were. The van bearing their bodies bumps along the potholed unpaved streets. Little boys rush to sneak a peak through the window, while babies sit like Buddhas in the endless debris.

Gravediggers cover the corpses that have been slipped into the earth of this forlorn field with nothing but a white sheet. In Karachi, death comes without pity.

Finding Homes For Unwanted Children

There is not an area of social need that the Edhi Foundation has not touched, even raising money for the families displaced by the fighting in Swat Valley and pleading with judges to reform the prisons.

The group also has placed more than 19,000 abandoned babies with adoptive parents.

Karachi lawyer Tahera Hasssan wanted a baby girl and approached the Edhi Foundation. Not long after, Bilquis Edhi took her utterly by surprise when she called to say that her baby was ready. But her husband wasn't. He was away.

"So I called him up," Hassan says, "and I was like, 'The baby's come!' He said, 'How will we know? How will you know it's the right one?' I said, 'Well, the baby's there. It's the right one! It's there.' So I went and got her."

That baby, Maya, is now 3 — and looking forward to having a baby sister from the Edhi Foundation. Mother and daughter visit Bilquis Edhi regularly so Maya will have a connection to the people Hassan calls "phenomenal."

She says they are able to look at the positive side of things, despite the misery they deal with on a day-to-day basis.

'I Feel Happy God Made Me Different'

Adbul Edhi, bearded and slight, calls himself a "pragmatic humanist." He also has been called a communist for his belief that the rich enslave the poor. In fact, Edhi says, poverty is spreading terrorism.

"Almost all of our leaders are involved in looting and plundering, and the Taliban are a reaction to that," he says.

Bilquis Edhi says of her husband, "Everyone said I was crazy to marry him. Friends joked that while they'd go on picnics, he'd take me to graveyards."

But the man who built Pakistan's biggest social service network with no formal education says he does feel a bit crazy, and he revels in it.

"I feel happy. There's so much craftiness and cunning and lying in the world. I feel happy that God made me different from the others. I helped the most oppressed," he says.

Bilquis Edhi says three or four more people like her husband could change the destiny of Pakistan.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111102319#commentBlock

[H Khan]

Not that I believe in the nobel prize but one person most deserving on the face of this green earth, without any iota of any doubt, is this brilliant and magnificent person.

[Gulstan]

Contrast with that the behaviour of our "Leaders"

Sharif tiger sparks Pakistan row


Siberian tigers are not naturally suited to Pakistan's hot and humid summers


By Syed Shoaib Hasan
BBC News, Islamabad


The family of Pakistan's main opposition leader says it has handed over a tiger obtained in contravention of local laws to the government.
The Siberian tiger was imported by Sulieman Sharif, nephew of former PM Nawaz Sharif and son of Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minster of Punjab province.
News of the imported tiger led to an outcry because it was to be kept in its own air-conditioned compound.
Pakistanis are currently enduring sweltering heat amid severe power cuts.
Cooled compound
Sulieman Sharif obtained the tiger from Canada on 23 July despite a ban on the private import of large cats into Pakistan since February 2009.
The tiger was set to be housed in an electrically-cooled compound on the family estate of Raiwind, a few kilometres outside Lahore, the Punjab capital.
But a huge hue and cry was raised by the press and public after it emerged the compound would run on local electricity.
Pakistan's nationwide power shortages are so severe that daily outages last 10-12 hours.
Subsequently, Shahbaz Sharif is said to have ordered the tiger to be taken away immediately.
The World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Pakistan chapter says the Sharifs have now agreed they should no longer keep the tiger.
"We understand it has now been handed over to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government," Ali Hassan Habib of the WWF told the BBC.
It is not clear why NWFP has been chosen, but one possibility is that it is cooler there than in Punjab.
"After the matter came into the press, the Sharifs approached us themselves for help," Mr Habib said.
"We don't have the facilities here to keep the animal, but we willing to help relocate him elsewhere. The question does arise as to how the tiger got in, as the environment ministry had recently banned its import."
It is expected the tiger will either be housed in a public zoo in Pakistan, or relocated abroad.

[ndad]

Rauf Klasra of The News has just reported an exclusive - the tiger was bought by the Sharifs for personal protection and was kept in case Musharaff came back and picked a fight with NS - so in summary, this is also Mushraffs fault!

The CJ has also taken suo moto notice of the musharaffs actions.

ndad

[zeeshan]

Pak's first Hindu diplomat to present 'tolerant' image
PTI 9 August 2009, 06:26pm IST
Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

ISLAMABAD: Gyan Chand, the first Hindu to join Pakistan's foreign service, on Sunday said he is determined to project a true image of the country as
a "truly tolerant and equal opportunity-providing society."

Chand, who was selected for the foreign service after passing the Central Superior Services examination, made the remarks during an interview with a TV news channel.

Chand, a resident of Tharparkar in southern Sindh province, said his selection as an officer in the foreign service has conveyed a message to members of minority communities that equal opportunities are available to them in Pakistan to prosper.

His selection would encourage more Hindu youth to work harder as minorities can rise to any position in Pakistan if they prove they are deserving of the post, Chand said.

Chand joined the foreign service after completing a specialised training course at the Foreign Service Academy earlier this month.

Hindus account for less than two per cent of Pakistan's population of over 160 million. The community has a sizeable presence in Sindh province.

timesofindia.com

[zeeshan]

Pakistani students win bronze in Chemistry Olympiad

Sunday, 09 Aug, 2009 | 06:03 PM PST |dawn.com
260 students from 66 countries around the world took part in the event in Cambridge, England. — ONLINE.
Pakistani students have won two bronze medals at the 41st International Chemistry Olympiad held at Cambridge, UK.
This was stated in an announcement from the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, here on Sunday.

It said that the students who won the bronze medals were: Sanam Zia and Nayha Enwer of the Lahore Grammar School, Lahore.
The statement said that Sanam, Nayha, Ada-ur-Rehman and Bilal Shahid from Pakistan had participated in the contest.Of these Sanam and Nayha performed remarkably well and won a bronze medal each.

As many 260 students representing 66 countries around the world had participated in the competition, it was further pointed out. — APP

[Aziz]

Not a Pakistani but he may as well be:-

He has been kidnapped and taken tea with princesses: a British major's life teaching in the Hindu Kush

Declan Walsh
The Guardian, Monday 10 August 2009 Article history

Much has occurred, and much has changed, since Geoffrey Langlands, a young maths teacher-turned-army commando, landed on the shores of British India on a troop carrier in 1944. Since then the intrepid Englishman has lived a life of algebra and adventure. He has scraped through several wars, been kidnapped in Waziristan, educated world-famous cricketers, and taken tea with princesses, several prime ministers and a ruthless dictator.

Some things, however, never change. Every morning the retired major, who turns 92 in a few months, rises at dawn in his cottage in Chitral, in the upper reaches of the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan's North West Frontier province. He puts on a blazer, tie and polished shoes. Then he sits down to breakfast served by his loyal servant, Sufi. It is always the same: porridge ("Quaker Oats, of course"), a poached egg (the poacher bought from Selfridges) and two cups of Lipton tea. He leafs through a newspaper, which has arrived via the valley's irregular plane service and is a few days old. Then it is out of the door, through the gate and up a winding hill to the school he founded and to which he has dedicated the last 20 years of his life.

The Langlands school and college (motto: "There is always room for improvement") is Chitral's finest school. It has 900 pupils aged between four and 18, more than a third of them girls, and a record of academic excellence. The best students have gone on to scholarships in Lahore, doctorates in Australia and exchange programmes in America. At between £3 and £6 a month, fees are low, even by local standards.

"Major Langlands is a living legend," says Motasim Billah Shah, the district coordination officer or top government official, in Chitral. "He has made an extraordinary contribution, a portrait of dedication. What he has been assigned by Allah almighty, he has done with all his energies."

Now, however, those energies are ebbing. Last year he had to be rushed by air to Peshawar after a minor stroke. He struggles to remember names, and every winter – Chitral is snow-bound for four months of the year – is more testing than the last. Longevity has brought a touch of loneliness: last year his loyal servant of 28 years, Muhammad Ali, died. "We used to argue about which one of us was older," Langlands says wistfully. "His one aim in life was to look after me. He was the perfect servant."

Finally, Langlands is contemplating retirement. But there is a problem: no replacement has been found, and disagreements abound. Meanwhile the school is losing money. For the people of Chitral this raises a troubling question: when the English major goes, will his fine school survive him?

The senior school is perched on a grassy plateau outside Chitral with a stunning view – vertiginous slopes and swaying fields of wheat on one side; the white-capped Terech Mir mountain, soaring to 7,700 metres, on the other. In the dimly lit principal's office, Langlands sinks into a large chair. He is a frail but authoritative figure, with cropped silver hair sweeping across a freckled forehead and keen blue eyes that gleam like lapis lazuli.

Chitral, with its isolated mountain culture, has largely escaped the turmoil that has engulfed the rest of the frontier province. A couple of weeks earlier, Langlands tells me, he got a call: the Taliban had kidnapped 80 secondary students from Razmak cadet college in North Waziristan, deep inside the lawless tribal belt. (All were later released.) Langlands had some advice to offer on two counts – he ran the college in the 1980s, and was also kidnapped.

"One of the tribal leaders had just lost an election," he recalls with a chuckle. "They thought that if I was taken, the president might reverse the result." The kidnappers weren't bad sorts: as they traipsed across the mountains towards a lonely cabin, they insisted on a souvenir photo. "They lined up with their Kalashnikovs; then they wanted one with me in it." Later they invited Langlands to join them for target practice, handing him a gun. "It didn't seem to occur to them I could turn on them, although I would have had to kill 16 of them," he says. After six days, a group of tribal elders sprung him free. The election result stood.

Days later Langlands was invited to lunch with General Zia ul-Haq, Pakistan's military ruler, in Peshawar. "He wanted to send me back to England," he says. "But I wanted to get back to Razmak as quickly as possible." Then again, going home has never been on his agenda.

Orphaned at the age of 12, Langlands was sent to India after taking part in the disastrous raid on Dieppe, when his commando unit captured a German heavy gun. In 1947 he found himself stranded on a train in no man's land, during the bloody partition of Pakistan and India, trying to prevent the Hindu troops under his command from being butchered. But in the end he preferred the Muslims, and plumped to stay in Pakistan to train the fledgling army. In 1954 he returned to his first love – mathematics – when the army chief, General Ayub Khan, arranged a job at Lahore's prestigious Aitchison College, where the British had educated the sons of India's tribal royalty. Ayub went on to become Pakistan's first military ruler, and Langlands stayed for 25 years, teaching upper-crust young Pakistanis destined to lead in business, politics and the army. And Imran Khan.

"Oh yes, he owes me quite a lot," he says, betraying a shy smile. "Everyone knew he was going to be an outstanding sportsman but I told him that if he wanted to be a leader, he would have to do his lessons." What does he think of Khan's reincarnation as a politician? (Khan has courted controversy by siding with pro-Taliban religious conservatives.) "The less I say the better," he says.

Langlands is well connected, to say the least. Down the years he has met President Pervez Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and numerous backroom power brokers – usually with a view to extracting money for his schools. (Three years ago he persuaded Musharraf to give 50m rupees/£385,000), which forms the bulk of an interest-bearing fund that is meant to keep the school afloat, but doesn't.) Their photos adorn the mantelpiece of his home, a run-down former bank manager's bungalow threatened by a creeping tide of dust-smeared books. One photo shows a youthful Princess Diana, who visited Chitral in the early 90s. "So fresh and simple," he says.

In return, Langlands has a fierce loyalty to Pakistan. In the 1965 war with India he raised a militia among the gardeners and cooks of Aitchison. It didn't last long – when an Indian plane zoomed overhead "they hid under the banyan trees". He never married, he says, because "whether I found an English or a Pakistani lady, their first question would be when would we go back to England. No. I decided my career was in Pakistan." But for all that, he never requested a Pakistani passport.

"Whatever my qualities are, they are my Britishness," he says. He is wary of modern development experts and addresses his staff in English rather than Urdu. In heated moments, such as disagreements with teachers, the old army officer shines through, with a barking voice and wagging finger. "He runs the school in quite an authoritative manner. You can see a bit of a dictator in him," says Siraj ul Mulk, a friend and school board member.

Yet there is no doubting his dedication. After 73 years of teaching Langlands pays himself £160 a month – not much, even in Pakistan. His twin brother, who lives in Blackpool, has visited just four times in six decades, most recently in 1992. Langlands cannot visit him until someone – most likely a former student – stumps up for the air fare. But his success is also his weakness. Everything in the school – from fund-raising to micro-management – revolves around the ageing major. The worry is that when he is gone, it will all fall apart. "A brilliant teacher but not a good manager," says Shah. "We have to develop a system where people come and go but the institution remains."

A popular notion in Chitral is to find a replacement "Britisher". They're not so plentiful these days, though. Langlands is bravely resisting retirement: "I shall remain as long as I am mentally and physically fit," he declares – but is quietly making preparations. His beloved Aitchison college has agreed to provide lodgings in the prep school boarding house. In the end, he predicts, the principal's job will fall into local hands – possibly a good thing – but he is still open to another "Britisher". Adventure-seeking retired principals, apply now.

Some help is already at hand. David Game, an educationalist based in Notting Hill, London, who runs two other schools in Pakistan, is considering investing in the Langlands school. First, though, he says he would like to know how it will be run, and by whom. "Even if we get another person," he says, "it's not going to be another Major Langlands, is it?"


Aziz

[Hameed I]

I'm sorry, if my this post doesn't fit this thread.

Nadia Ali-- First Pakistani-American electronic diva-- really impresses me by her melodious and charismatic voice. Her song "rapture" stood second in world top chart. I'm big time music fan but these days, I'm heavily addicted to Nadia Ali.

Here is her brief profile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiek_wW6zyk&feature=related

Regards

[Rafi]

Been aware of Miss Ali for a while, cool singer .....

[Hameed I]

Been aware of Miss Ali for a while, cool singer .....

Glad to know that she has some fans on PakDef. :)

Well, This is the song which hit the Top Chart earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24xBFEQth1s

Its my all time favourite song. I love it.

Two Thumbs Up for Nadia Ali.

Regards

[Gaf]

Glad to know that she has some fans on PakDef. :)

Well, This is the song which hit the Top Chart earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24xBFEQth1s

Its my all time favourite song. I love it.

Two Thumbs Up for Nadia Ali.

Regards

Dude, I listened to Rapture ssssooo many times, no idea it was from someone of Pakistani origin !!!! :D:D:D....

Tried to buy her CD just now.., damn, its all MP3's downloads.. no CD's out there. shame.

Been looking at You Tube, she's done a lot of good stuff.

[Gaf]

Ok. I found Poetica, as an import from a UK site, just ordered. Should be with me in a few days.

Anything else she done ?

[Hameed I]

Dude, I listened to Rapture ssssooo many times, no idea it was from someone of Pakistani origin !!!! :D:D:D....

Tried to buy her CD just now.., damn, its all MP3's downloads.. no CD's out there. shame.

Been looking at You Tube, she's done a lot of good stuff.

Nadia Ali was born in Libya to Pakistani parents in 1980. The family relocated to Queens, New York City, when she was still a small child, and has remained there until this day.

Working with Moser, she wrote the lyrics and the vocals for the songs. After the success of the 2001 hit "Rapture," the single was remixed many times

long-awaited full-length debut album Poetica was not released to wide distribution until 2006, and Moser continues to release iiO material featuring her on vocals. Most notably, these releases include the 2006 single "Is It Love?" which went to #1 in America on the Billboard Dance Chart.
source: wiki

[zeeshan]

Winning Bronze at the Physics Olympiad By Muhammad Zainulabideen Ali Khas


dawn.com
Wednesday, 26 Aug, 2009 | 02:00 PM PST | With the Indian Team after the Opening Ceremony. Sport
Ex-PSB official lashes out at sports policies Months of preparation and countless hours of rigorous study should have given me confidence but still I could feel a chill through my spine as our team of five students and two team leaders waited at Islamabad International for our 47 hour long flights to start. Transferring through three different airlines, we reached Merida in the afternoon where we were greeted at the airport by our guide. That was the time when our team leaders were separated from us for the rest of the duration of the Olympiad. Since the team leaders get to know the paper a day before so that they can discuss and translate it into the native language for the students, this separation is necessary.

The first experience in Mexico was at lunch and it was not too pleasant but in fact was a stern reminder that we were in a country with little or no Muslim population. There was no Halal food despite the fact that we had mentioned our food preferences in the IPhO application form. Hungry as we were, we had to eat the semi-cooked fish and fruits. Needless to say, the same remained our meal for the rest of the duration of the Olympiad.

For the opening ceremony we all wore white shalwar qameez with green waistcoats. Very few teams were in their national dress and of those who had bothered to show off their national pride, none had a dress as distinctive and different as ours. As a result, we had almost every team asking us for a photograph with them. We even had the Indian team asking us for a photograph with them, surely a good gesture. The ceremony that followed went superb and the addresses from various people like the President of Mexican Physical Society and the Constitutional Governor of Yucatan made us all feel elated. I can still recall one of their most encouraging phrases ‘You all are winners because you are here.’

The next day we had the theoretical examination. The five hour exam consisting of three questions was just as expected – difficult, and with little resemblance to anything we have ever done before. After a break of one day, we had the experimental session. I believe that my apparatus had some error because I could not get the desired laser pattern on the screen even after readjusting the apparatus several times. Needless to say, many other contestants from different countries faced the same problem or at least couldn’t complete the experiment.

In addition to the examinations, we had three lectures as well. The first one was in the afternoon after the theoretical examination and I can barely remember its topic as I was tired and the lecturer was speaking English in a Spanish accent! However I was not the only one who lacked interest in the lecture – a girl from USA was sleeping and many others from different teams were listening to songs on their i-pods. The only lecture that I enjoyed was from a Nobel Laureate who is also Princeton’s Head of Physics Department.

When we were not preoccupied with official ceremonies or competitions, we had excursions to the ruins of the Mayan civilisation. The first one was to Uxmal, which is an ancient city of Mayan Civilisation. Many of us had little or no interest in ruins of the local civilisation but the organisers thought otherwise and so it turned out that this ruin was just the first one in a long list of excursions. However, our last excursion was undoubtedly very notable as it was to Chichen Itza, which according to the revised rankings is a Natural Wonder of the World. In all these trips, a common theme was appreciation of the advancement of Mayans in the field of Astronomy.

More than anything else, the excursions were a subtle reminder of our ‘state guest’ status. We had a VIP protocol throughout on our way to excursions. Our buses used to have police (or should I say ‘policia’) cars at the front and at the back. Policia even used to halt traffic for our VVIP move (sounds like home). Another important aspect of the IPhO was cultural exchange. It was great to make friends with teenagers from so many countries. Since I have returned the number of friends on my Facebook has kept on increasing, courtesy of IPhO. The best part of these new friends is that they are share my future aspirations. It was also very surprising to note that we have a lot in common with the Mexican cuisine. Kheer, for instance, is their favourite dessert as well and one of their most popular drinks (Heamaikal) is essentially ‘Imli ka sharbat.’

The night before the closing ceremony, we had a formal dinner during which we were reunited with our team leaders. It was also then that I was told that my efforts had paid off and that I had won bronze medal. The words of Dr. Shahid Qamar ‘Congratulations, you won a Bronze’ were the sweetest words that I have ever heard in my life. The award ceremony was held in a theatre and we were called up on stage and were awarded medals by the President of the Mexican Physical Society.

The celebrations of winning a bronze medal were still continuing when CIE announced my GCE A Levels result. The joy was increased manifold as I got straight As. Those straight As also fulfilled my conditional offer of Imperial College London. Thus, I will be starting Electrical & Electronics Engineering at Imperial College London (World # five University) this October.

[ahmednajam92]

The following is not a huge achievement but I think it is worth mentioning.

8,000 shoppers log on to Facebook to make Gulzar a star

http://www.gulfweekly.com/article.asp?Sn=6812&Article=23077


SMILING Gulzar Ahmed - the world's friendliest car park attendant - has attracted thousands of fans on a website page set up by a mall visitor amazed by his cheerful endeavours.

The 'Legend of the Bahrain City Centre' has been attracting hundreds of new 'members' each day to a page on the social networking site Facebook.

By early this week a staggering 8,265 people have joined his fan club and management have been so overwhelmed by the positive feedback by customers that they have awarded the jolly security guard with a medal of appreciation.

Bashful Gulzar, 45, was totally unaware his car park antics had created such a storm of satisfaction and said it came naturally to him to offer people a warm wave and a genuine friendly smile.

Gulzar, from Salmabad, a former corporal in the Pakistan Army, broke into tears of happiness when GulfWeekly told him about the adoration he has been building in the hearts of the island's shoppers.

Dabbing at his wet eyes, he said: "I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined I would be coming to Bahrain and would be gathering so much praise and appreciation for my work. I feel so happy and grateful."

Gulzar captured shoppers' affection at his regular station in the heat saying farewell as drivers queue to exit the mall visitors heading towards Manama.

They are usually tired and irritable after hours shopping and desperate to get on the road to home.

SHOPPER Hanan Ali Marhoon was so overwhelmed by the courteous behaviour of a security guard she encountered that she created a Facebook page entitled 'We love the legend of City Centre'.

Hanan, 19, a third year banking and finance student at BIBF, from Sehla, never thought the open group would exceed more than around 60 members from her friends list, but overnight the response was amazing.

She said: "My friend and I noticed him the first time we went to the city centre. He had the biggest smile and the smoothest of waves... and you couldn't help but start smiling too!

"I soon found out that all my friends had noticed him as well and really liked him. I decided he definitely deserved something and created the Facebook group so that others could join and comment on how lovely he is.

"I woke up the next day and was shocked to find 300 people had joined! Within the next four days the site attracted 2,000 people and within a short space of time hit 6,000.

"I thought that would be it ... but a night later it reached more than 8,000 with 914 comments left on the profile page!

"Everyone was taking about how their grandfather, mother, brother, children and wives love to wave back and how they drive as carefully as they can to catch up with Gulzar.

"He is an amazing example of what any human being should be... he is 100 per cent loyal to his work.

"You can roam around any comfortable air-conditioned mall all day long and not get a single genuine smile from anyone that is similar to Gulzar's, and he works outside no matter what the temperature!"

Ever since Gulzar joined the shopping centre 13 months ago, the Bahrain City Centre shopping complex has received a stack of feedback on his amusing mannerisms.

General Manager Derek Rossel said: "We get feedback from our customers on a daily basis. They contact our customer service desk and people even phone me directly! To have customers track down a general manager and offer this kind of feedback is really unheard of and exceptional.

"He has been based in the car park, a tough location, and has done a brilliant job. He is a role model for all our team. I have been working in shopping centres for a long time and have seen a lot of traffic management crews and he has got to be the single best operator I have ever seen.

"He is one in a million and we are very proud of him.

"We try and give a lot of guidelines to our staff and what we expect from them. All the staff strive to do their best and we as managers try to tell them what their responsibilities are.

"Gulzar is the epitome of that. We demonstrated it to him how we want him to operate but then he added all his panache, style and charisma to what he does. He has made a difference."

Visitors amused by his friendliness and hard work have started to shower him with chocolates and tips to show their appreciation.

Gulzar said: "Sometimes people stop their cars and tell me it is a pleasure seeing my happy face and that I please the children as well. Some give me small gifts and so on.

"When I wave at the mall visitors, I like to smile as well. Seeing me smile, makes them smile, parents and their children, and that pleases me."

Gulzar hails from Mirpur in Pakistan, and had been in the army for 20 years before retiring in 2004.

He then joined the Muslim Commercial Bank for four years before being offered a job by Batsco Security Services which is commissioned to carry out the mall's security.

Anudeep Beniwal, the centre's senior operations manager, explained: "He was offered the job by the general manager of Batsco who was an ex colonel in the Pakistan Army. And, with Gulzar's army background, he was trusted to do a good job here."

For Gulzar the move to Bahrain meant being able to save money for his children's education.

He said: "I have two daughters aged 10 and 15 and one son aged 17, all of whom go to school. I wasn't able to complete my education but I want my children to finish theirs."

Facebook fans have also started collecting money so that they can buy him something for Eid as a token of appreciation for his hard work and high spirits.

Other security staff are also following Gulzar's example and it is hoped the smile culture could soon swamp the kingdom.

[A Khan]

The following is not a huge achievement but I think it is worth mentioning.

.

I definataly agree its worth mentioning. He is good example of a dedicated professional, and an excellent ambassador for Pakistan and Army in his own way. I can imagine how many people that are not on facebook, who also appreciate him, his fans base is probably a lot bigger. Good for him!

[Hameed I]

I definataly agree its worth mentioning. He is good example of a dedicated professional, and an excellent ambassador for Pakistan and Army in his own way. I can imagine how many people that are not on facebook, who also appreciate him, his fans base is probably a lot bigger. Good for him!

That's great news about "Pakistani SMILE". I wish I could have such a smile to be Rocking Star of University and big fan of GIRLS. :D :D.

LoL. I'm putting old aged PakDeffers (having number of kids now with loads of responsibilities) in NOSTALGIA. What a lovely time that was when you were in Uni! BTW, I have some good sense of aesthetics and human beauty. :)

I can tell a guy, registered member of PakDef, who has also a big fan club on Face Book. Just guess :)

Regards

[Zarrar]

i certainly wont claim it to be a big achievement (yet!), but atleast my younger bro is doing his best at the moment to reach there, Inshallah he will make us and Pakistan proud one day!

plz visit www.varheroes.com (http://www.varheroes.com) to see his project VARSITY HEROES

the site restricts game participation to university student for now, but a more deatiled version is being worked behind the scenes, plz go through the various sections to know 'how it works' and etc (and a home made guide video as well !)

its a completely personel (unsponsored) effort (as he's literally sitting at home with his hired programmers team to develop the game to the next level)

[zia ul haq]

Asalamo-a-laikum.

What a role model!!!




Giant taxi driver honoured for helping Aussie tourist
September 18, 2009 - 10:22AM

Miami taxi driver Aurangzeb Khan is one of America's largest men, standing 2.49 metres tall, weighing 180kg and with size 20 feet.

He is also a top bloke with admirers as far away as Australia.

Proving his heart is as big as his enormous feet, Khan has gone above and beyond in his duty as a taxi driver during his 19 years on the road and this week was honoured as South Florida's top cabbie.

His latest good deed was helping out Aussie tourist Julie Saxon, who was holidaying in Miami.

Khan drove Saxon to her hotel, she paid her fare, and they parted ways.

Later that day the gentle giant discovered Saxon had left her handbag filled with documents, credit cards and medication in the back of the cab.

The 47-year-old native of Pakistan, who once worked in circuses as "The World's Tallest Man", drove "dozens and dozens" of kilometres back to Saxon's hotel to hand back her bag.

A grateful Saxon offered Khan a reward and money for the cost of driving back to her hotel, but he declined.

"It is actions like this that restores faith in human nature, and as a regular traveller to America, it leaves me with a great feeling about travelling in your country," Saxon told the Miami Herald newspaper.

Khan, who struggles to squeeze into his cab and can only wear custom-made $US900 ($A1,000) shoes and $US90 ($A100) shirts, says he always attempts to return items to passengers.

In 1992 he tracked down a passenger who left $US10,000 in cash in his taxi.

"I never keep something that is not mine; I do everything I can to find the person and give them their things back," Khan said.

The Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department honoured Khan with the Chauffeur of the Quarter prize and a $US500 cheque.

AAP

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/giant-taxi-driver-honoured-for-helping-aussie-tourist-20090918-fu9r.html

[Shah Khan]

Akthar Masood Syed gets ICC Centenary Award for his contributions to cricket

by DreamCricket USA
Sep 27, 2009

In its centenary celebrations, the International Cricket Council has awarded five medals of honor to five officials who have made significant contributions to the game in the US. The ICC invited the USA Cricket Association to recommend five people after it had asked its regions to submit candidates. Akthar Masood "Chik" Syed, a long time player, selector and administrator, is a recipient of the award. Click here for the interviews with Syed Shahanawaz and Roy Sweeney. DreamCricket.com will interview each of the remaining recipients in the coming weeks.

By Peter Simunovich


Masood "Chik" Syed is a shy and quietly spoken man with a long list of achievements in cricket, which he reluctantly talks about. The retired physiotherapist needs to be prodded to discuss his association in the game in the US, which he has helped change for the better.

Over the years, Syed, 63, who is married with two daughters and lives in Glendale Heights, a Chicago suburb, has helped organize free youth clinics, fields for local clubs in the area and had a hand in forming eight leagues in the Central East Region.

When he first became involved in cricket in Chicago there were about 12 clubs in the area. Now there are 170. During his tenure he helped the Central East Region have the highest paid membership in the US Cricket Association.

A genuine cricket lover from his childhood days, he has been a tireless worker with one aim --- to help the US reach a higher level and play against the world’s best. Chidambar Joshi, who is also involved in Chicago cricket, said: “Masood quietly works hard behind the scenes. He is a leader, gets the job done and does not believe in hogging the limelight.”

Syed, now a USACA board member representing the Central East Region, has a simple explanation: “I love this game. I hope one day the USA becomes a one day and Test cricket nation. We have a very good team right now and it can go to a high level, to a one day international level.”

When asked about being recognized by the International Cricket Council for his services to cricket, he said he did not expect to receive the award, but added: “Now that it has happened, I feel great. I thank the ICC for its recognition and support.”

But there is more to Syed than cricket. He has run the Chicago Marathon 12 times with a personal best of three hours and 34 minutes. His family has set up charities, which he reminds everybody that he plays a small role, to help the less the fortunate in Karachi, Pakistan, and in Bosnia after the civil war in the old Yugoslavia.

In 1979 he met the Queen while representing the US team in the ICC Trophy tournament in England. “She asked where I was from in the US, and I said Chicago,” he said.

Syed was born in Delhi, India, and after independence, his family moved to Pakistan in 1948 and he grew up in Karachi. He played in the inter collegiate competition with DJ College under captain Sallah uddin Ballea and former Test player Nasim ul Ghani.

In 1967 he was chosen to play with the Pakistan Central Zone in a match in Sailkot against a Commonwealth XI led by the legendary Australian all-rounder and captain Richie Benaud.

He recalled that he ran out Benaud at the bowler’s end with an accurate throw from the cover position after he had scored six or seven runs. It was a moment for savor. But not everyone was pleased.

“I remember him (Benaud) giving me a look, like: Who are you?” he laughed. And during the lunch break a spectator came to Syed and chastised him for running out Benaud, saying: “I have come all this way with my family to watch him bat and you run him out!”

Pic (Left): Masood Syed with Amit Kumar; Courtesy: Theo Mavrokefalos

As a player, Syed, a batsman and part time spinner, looked up to Hanif Mohammed, the great former Pakistan captain and Hall of Fame member. His highest score in first class cricket was 116 for Karachi against Bhwal in the Qaid-e-Azam Trophy competition. For the record, in 33 first class matches in Pakistan he scored 1,408 runs, including seven not outs, in 49 innings for 33.52 average.

He hit three centuries and five 50s. He also took four wickets for 217 runs. In two matches with the US team, he batted once for five runs and claimed 1/35 with his spin bowling.

Syed moved to the US in 1972 and played with the Chicago Falcons in the old United Cricket Conference. Four years later he played for the US against Canada in their annual contest in Philadelphia, which is acknowledged to be the oldest series in any sports between two countries.

In that game he and the late Don Weekes, of California, put on an 87-run partnership for the US to defeat Canada.

Syed has a deep background in administration and was elected vice president of USACA in 1987 as the Central Zone representative. He then was elected president from 1996 to 1999 during a very difficult time in US cricket when the US Cricket Federation was formed and claimed to the ICC that it had more members. Under instructions from the ICC, USACA was told to design a new constitution and hold an election and the two bodies decided to amalgamate.

He was also the Central East Region director in 2000, 2002 and 2004 and was appointed chairman of the national selectors from 2000 to 2004

This was a particularly good time for Syed, who helped select the team, which won the Americas Cup in Argentina in 2002 and then the 2003 Six Nation tournament in Dubai. When it won the Six Nation tournament, the US created history by becoming the first ICC associates member to play in the 2004 Champions Trophy.

While this was a major achievement, the celebrations were short lived when the US played in two games against Australia and New Zealand and lost both in the 12-nation Champions Trophy in England. Despite the losses to Australia and NZ, Syed is still proud of the US’s success in the Six Nation tournament.

“We had very good players like Clayton Lambert, Steve Massiah, Nasir Javed, Tony Reed, Rashard Marshall and Sushil Nadkarni,” he said.

Syed has formed a long and close friendship with USACA president Gladstone Dainty and lists him among many who have helped him along the way. He said: “Since Gladstone took over as president cricket has progressed at all levels and extended in all directions. Now we have regional and national tournaments. Despite all monetary difficulties and other friction, he never stops and continues to have national and international tournaments and tours of all levels each year.”

And he is especially pleased the new constitution has created teamwork at the regional administration level. “And due to progress and interest in the youth this is the second time a US under 19 team has qualified for the World Cup,” he said.

Syed says he is on the same page with the modern thinking that the introduction of the 20/20 competition is the road for USACA to follow to expand the game in the US get mainstream Americans interested.

“I see professional playing opportunities for players becoming a reality in the US. I believe that in five years time USACA will have the number of participants and facilities to make this possible. This is due to the building blocks USACA administrations are putting in place for sustainable growth like kiddies cricket, schools cricket, collegiate cricket, our national tournaments and our partnership with parks and recreation,” he said.

http://www.dreamcricket.com/dreamcricket/news.hspl?nid=12633&ntid=4

[A Khan]

Pakistan on the Milan ramp

Models wears creations of Pakistani fashion designers at women's Spring/Summer 2010 fashion collection, presented in Milan, Italy on Wednesday Sept. 30, 2009. The event was part of the ‘N-U-DE New Upcoming Designers Project’ launched by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana to enhance international designers. Pakistan’s fashion featured on Milan catwalks for the first time.–AP & Reuters Photos.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/media-gallery/17-pakistan-on-the-milan-ramp-ek-02?pageDesign=new_mg_wht_detail12-1

[A Khan]

Aleem Dar named ICC Umpire of the Year

Friday, 02 Oct, 2009

JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan’s Aleem Dar was named Umpire of the Year while Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson has bagged the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year, it was announced here on Thursday.

‘I am very pleased to get this award. Thanks to PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and ICC as well as my friends and family and of course my wife, who I have to leave for long periods of time,’ said Dar.

Johnson, the left-arm paceman became the sixth player to win the trophy after India’s Rahul Dravid (2004), England’s Andrew Flintoff and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting of Australia (2006 and 2007) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008) of the West Indies.

‘I’m really blown away. I am just surprised to be up here. It has been a great 12 months for our side,’ said Johnson.

‘We have lost some wonderful players in recent years and we have been rebuilding with some young guys in the team and we have played together well. I’m enjoying the game at the moment and that makes all the difference.’

Johnson, whose side lost the Ashes this year, fought off stiff competition from Indians Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and England’s Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss.

Johnson bagged 80 wickets in 17 Tests, the highest by any Test bowler in the year.

Opening batsman Gambhir won the Test Player of the Year award, warding off stiff competition from Johnson, Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samaraweera and Strauss.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni pipped compatriots Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, and Chanderpaul to bag the One-Day Player of the Year award.

‘It’s been a dream run for me. I never thought it could be like this but life has changed for me and I am very happy,’ said Gambhir, who scored 1,269 runs in eight Tests during the 12-month period.

‘As a unit we have played very well and I am just glad to contribute to the overall success of the team.’

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award for his unbeaten 96 off 57 balls against the West Indies in the semi-final at the Twenty 20 World Championships in England.

‘This is a great feeling for me. I can’t forget that innings. It was so important and I was really happy about my overall performance in that tournament,’ said Dilshan.

‘It was a thrill for me to do well in England and do well for my team. I’m really proud of myself for having a new shot named after me (the Dilscoop). That shot has given me confidence.’

Australian paceman Peter Siddle claimed Emerging Player of the Year award.

‘Getting to represent my country is an enormous honour and it has been a great time for me to be part of the team. It’s been very enjoyable,’ said Siddle.

New Zealand won the Spirit of Cricket award, presented to the team which, in the opinion of the ICC umpires and match referees and the 10 full member captains, has best conducted itself on the field within the spirit of the game.
Ireland captain William Porterfield won the Associate Player of the Year award while.

England’s Claire Taylor was named the Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

The awards were based on performances between August 13, 2008 and August 24, 2009.

The selection panel was chaired by West Indies legend Clive Lloyd, with former cricketers Anil Kumble of India, Bob Taylor of England, Pakistan’s Mudassar Nazar and New Zealander Stephen Fleming being the other members. — AFP

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/cricket/01-aleem-dar-nameed-umpire-of-the-year-ss-03

[A Khan]

ICC Hall of Fame induction thrills Wasim Akram
By Faras Ghani
Thursday, 01 Oct, 2009

CENTURION: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was one of the five new inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame when the additional list of players to the original 55 was released here on Tuesday. Representing Pakistan in 104 Tests and 356 ODIs for Pakistan after making his debut in 1984, Wasim was delighted by the induction into the list that includes the likes of Don Bradman, Imran Khan, Ian Chappell, Javed Miandad and Hanif Mohammad.

‘It’s a dream come true to be honest and I never thought I’d reach this far,’ Wasim, who has 414 Test wickets and became the first bowler to reach the 500-wicket mark in ODIs, told Dawn. ‘It’s also a great honour for me, means a lot to be part of such an elite list and shows I have done something worthwhile in my life and worked hard to achieve what I did.’

Wasim, Man of the Match in the 1992 World Cup final that Pakistan won by beating England, also captained Pakistan in 25 Tests and 109 ODIs, including the 1999 World Cup final that Australia won by eight wickets. Recalling the defeat at Lord’s, Wasim labelled it one of the lowest moments in his 19-year career but was quick to point out the highlights that allowed him to enter the Cricket Hall of Fame.

‘My whole career was a rollercoaster. Though the loss in the 1999 final was the lowest point in my career, I’m a person who believes in positives and forgetting the negatives. Thankfully, I’ve had more positives than negatives including the 1992 World Cup final, winning in India in 1987, the Test-series win against England in 1992 and the West Indies whitewash in 1997.

‘I will also cherish the ten-wicket haul against Australia in 1989 and my first century that made me realise I can bat and that I should work hard on my batting though I never did.’

Not forgetting his mammoth nine-hour stay at the crease while scoring 257 against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura, Wasim labelled it ‘something out of the ordinary’ and reckoned that innings showed he had the potential to become a better batsman than his figures showed. ‘That innings was no fluke because you can only score a century as a fluke, not a 250-plus score. I batted for nine hours and realised that in order to score runs, you need to stay at the crease and at that time the cricket ball seemed as a big as a football and if Saqlain [Mushtaq] hadn’t been dismissed, I may have even scored 300.’

‘While the award is more of a personal satisfaction, a gesture that says I’ve done well in the field of cricket, it should also motivate our team and youngsters who are either involved with cricket right now or will play in the future. It tells them that if you do well consistently, you will be rewarded one day.’

The four other new inductees include Herbert Sutcliffe (England) and the Australian trio of Clarrie Grimmett, Victor Trumper and Steve Waugh.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/cricket/07-hall-of-fame-induction-thrills-wasim-akram-ha-13