Word: punjab
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Pakistan has been plunged into a fresh phase of political instability after the country's two main opposition leaders were barred from elected office. The controversial ruling from the Supreme Court has sparked violent and angry protests against the government of President Asif Ali Zardari in Punjab, the largest and wealthiest province of the country. Just as Pakistan's civilian leadership most needs to unite to tame militants, the country's two main political parties have revived their poisonous rivalry, setting off on a potentially destructive confrontation with each other...
...placid and vibrant. “Sufism: Mystical Ecumenism,” the exhibition of photographs by Iason Athanasiadis currently on display at CGIS South, includes pieces from Iran, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey. “The exhibit is a visual journey through Bilad ash-Sham, Khorassan, and the Punjab,” says the Harvard Gazette, “chronicling the movement and rhythm of zikr, the ecstatic ceremony practiced by Sufi orders around the Muslim world.”Through the use of photography, Athanasiadis, a photojournalist and former Nieman fellow, seeks to shed light on oft overlooked...
Pakistan's troubles, however, are likely to keep China involved in keeping its old ally afloat. Ahmed Ejaz, an expert on Asian security at the University of Punjab, believes that for China, the stakes are far too great for it to turn its back on Pakistan. "An unstable Pakistan will lead to an unstable China," says Ejaz. "They know this so they will never leave us alone...
...agreements with China seldom came with conditions. "The U.S. hasn't offered to support nuclear projects with Pakistan, so we go to China where we know we are always very warmly welcomed," says Muhammad Saleem Mazhar, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Punjab in Lahore. Various Chinese-funded projects are also currently underway to boost Pakistan's infrastructure, including the development of a port on the Strait of Hormuz at Gwadar...
...intelligence agency are in cahoots with the Islamic militants they're meant to fight. But also the military is not equipped to deal with an insurgency. "For 60 years, the Pakistani army has prepared to fight the Battle of El Alamein against India on the dusty plains of Punjab," says Riedel. "It's never really thought about how to deal with enemies within its borders." Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, its long-range missiles, fighter jets and tanks are for the most part useless against internal enemies...