Metamorphosis of the medium

The following column "Metamorphosis of the medium" by Aziz Ali Dad, source "The News-Saturday, June 12, 2010 ".

These days, deterioration appears in every sphere of life, including the human senses. Oral cultures clamour that the written culture is robbing them of their memory, academicians complain of proliferation of information without knowledge, musicians object to the alienation of the ear from the cultural realm and booklovers moan the decline of the written word. We feel as if our senses are falling apart and we cannot control them. Rather, one of our senses determines us by becoming independent from the whole.
Human beings, through different historical stages, have relied on different media to engage meaningful communication. With the emergence of speech they had started conceptualising and storing ideas in memory. Although writing was invented in 3500 BC, it did not dominate the spoken word until the printing press came along.

For more details:   http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=244614

 

 

 

 

Flotilla

The following column "Flotilla" by Harris Khalique , source "The News- June 04, 2010".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the act of the deadly attack by his marines on the aid flotilla of six ships heading towards the 1.5 million Palestinians crowded into the Gaza strip. He shamelessly said, "Once again Israel faces hypocrisy and a biased rush to judgment." Unmoved by the deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of his atrocious forces, he was defiant in his speech and pleaded that easing the blockade of Gaza would lead to Iranian missiles falling in the hands of rogue Hamas leaders who rule the Palestinian strip. According to the statement of the Israeli Defence Forces, the relief flotilla organisers had a radical Islamic anti-western orientation, and that Israeli naval forces were attacked with metal clubs and knives, as well as live fire. We haven't heard of a single Israeli death, however.

For more details:  http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=243052

 

 

 

Pakistan Budget 2010-2011

Budget is presented by Dr. Hafeez Sheikh, here are the Salient points of Dr. Hafeez Shaikh’s budget speech:

• Total budget outlay for 2010-11 is Rs 3259 billion, which is 10.7 percent more than the current year.
• 50 percent ad hoc allowance of basic salaries to be granted to government employees.
• GST raised from 16 to 17 percent.
• Salaries of government employees raised by 50 percent.
• Federal Cabinet cut down its salaries by 10 percent.
• Medical Allowance for employees of Grade-1 to 15 increased by 100 percent. While the raise in medical allowance for employees of Grade-16 to 22 is 15 percent of their basic pay.
• Rs 1 CED imposed on manufacturing of each cigarette.
• Tax revenue is targeted at 1.78 trillion rupees out of which the Federal Board of Revenue will collect 1.667 trillion rupees, about 9.8 percent of GDP.
• Non-tax revenue is targeted at 632.2 billion rupees. Revenue from direct taxes is targeted at 657.7 billion rupees and revenue from indirect taxes is targeted at 1.12 trillion rupees. Subsidies will be reduced to 126.68 billion rupees from 228.99 billion rupees.
• Development spending or the public sector development spending is targeted at 663 billion rupees, with 373 billion rupees allocated for provinces, and 280 billion rupees as the federal component.
• Inflation is targeted at 9.5 percent in 2010/11 fiscal year, down from the central bank’s forecast of between 11.5percent and 12.5 percent for the year ending June 30.
• The defence budget is set at 442.2 billion rupees, a 17percent increase from last year.
• The debt to GDP ratio has climbed to 55 percent and ‘we must protect the poor’.
• 30 million energy savors will be provided in a bid to conserve electricity.
• He stressed upon self-reliance and resource mobilization.
• Talking about unemployment, he said jobs are created when the whole economy grows.
• He held flawed policies and influence of some government departments responsible for energy shortage in the country where people are willing to pay for the utility but cannot get it due to unavailability.
• We have to make our policies right and rise above the petty issues.
• He said there is burden of 235 billion on the country’s budget due to losses being incurred by state owned enterprises including PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills and PEPCO.
• Three dams will be built in 2010-11.
• Pepco want subsidy of Rs 180 billion.
• 685 billion budget deficit, which is 4 percent of GDP.
• Reformed GST to be implemented from October 31.
• All non-developmental expenditures frozen.
• 40 billion to be distributed among people from Benazir Income Support Programme.
• Baitul Maal to continue functioning with Rs2 million.
• Minimum wage raised from Rs6000 to Rs7000.
• ADP fixed at 603 billion out of which 52 percent will be given to the provinces.
• GST will be reformed under which instead of 16 to 25 percent GST there should be single 15 percent GST for all. No sales tax on health and food.
• Rs10 FED imposed on 1 mmbtu gas.
• Minimum taxable income for salaried class raised from Rs200,000 to Rs300,000.
• Capital Gains Tax of 10 percent being imposed on gains from stocks held for less than 6 months; 7.5 percent on gains from stocks held for 6 months to 1 year and; no tax on capital gains from stocks held for more than a year.
• Custom duty reduced on 29 items.
• Pension raised by 15 percent for the employees who retired before 2001 and 20 percent for those retired after 2001.
• 200,000 unemployed youth will be provided employment for 100 days under Youth Scheme.
• Rs. 663bn allocated in PSDP-2010-11

Total amount of Rs. 663 billion has been allocated in PSDP-2010-11 for various ongoing and new schemes.

Out of total PSDP, the federal share is Rs. 280 billion, provincial share Rs.373 billion where as Rs.10 billion would be spent for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Earthquake-hit areas.

Following are the main allocations:

— Rs.28423.8 million for Water and Power Division (Water Sector)
— Rs.15227.5 million for Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
— Rs.14565.7 million for Finance Division.
— Rs.13629.6 million for Railways Division.
— Rs.9395.7 million for Planning and Development Division.
— Rs.15762.5 million for Higher Education Commission.
— Rs.16944.5 million for Health Division.
— Rs.10873.7 million for Food and Agriculture Division.
— Rs.3220.1 million for Industries and Proudction division.
— Rs.5140.9 million for Education Division.
— Rs.5584 million for Interior Division.
— Rs.3887.1 million for Defence Division.
— Rs.3618.3 million for Housing and Works Division.
— Rs.3618.7 million for Cabinet Division.
— Rs.4115.5 million for Population Welfare Division.
— Rs.1646.2 million for Science and Technological research Division.
— Rs.885.6 million for Livestock and Dairy Development Division.
— Rs.1000 million for Law and Justice Division.
— Rs.1000 million for Environment Division.
— Rs.1000 million for Special Initiatives Division.
— Rs.1234.7 million for Revenue Division.
— Rs.623.4 million for Petroleum and Natural Resources Division.
— Rs.718.3 million for Information Technology and Telecom Division.
— Rs.1229.7 million for Defence Production Division.
— Rs.474.1 million for Commerce Division.
— Rs.149.1 million for Communication Division (other than NHA).
— Rs.518.6 million for Ports and Shipping Division.
— Rs.246.9 million for Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
— Rs.152.9 million for Women Development Division.
— Rs.107.6 million for Social Welfare and Special Education Division.
— Rs.65.8 million for Labour and Manpower Division.
— Rs.82.3 million for Local government and Rural Development Division.
— Rs.125 million for Tourism Division.
— Rs.140.8 million for ministry of Foreign Affairs.
— Rs.549.8 million for Narcotics Control division.
— Rs.114.4 million for Establishment Division.
— Rs.353.9 million for Culture Division.
— Rs.229.6 million for Sports Division.
— Rs.74.5 for Youth Affairs Division.
— Rs.509.9 million for Information and Broadcasting Division.
— Rs.164.6 million for Textile Industry Division.
— Rs.82.3 million for Statistics Division.
— Rs.81.1 million for Ministry of Postal Services.
— Rs.15 million for Economic Affairs Division.
— Rs.12029.7 million for WAPDA (Water)
— Rs. 44637 million for National Highway Authority
— Rs.10523.5 million for Azad Jammu and Kashmir
— Rs.6584.9 million for Gilgit-Baltistan (Block and other projects)
— Rs.8642.6 million for FATA.
— Rs. 5000 million for People’s Works Programme-I
— Rs.25000 million for People’s Works Programme-II

For more details: http://www.geotauaisay.com/2010/05/pakistan-budget-2010-2011/

 

 

President signs convention on civil, political rights

Friday, 04 Jun, 2010

Source: Dawn

 

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari signed on Thursday two recently ratified international conventions, adding Pakistan to the list of countries which have ratified all international conventions related to good governance, sustainable development and human rights.

 

The two conventions are: The international convention on civil and political rights and the convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment..

 

The first convention bars the signatory countries from awarding capital punishment to under-18 convicts.

 
The cabinet in a meeting on March 24 had ratified the conventions with certain reservations.

 
The Instrument of Ratification signed by the President will now be sent to the United Nations.

 
The salient features of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights are: All peoples have the right to self-determination; respect for individuals without distinction of any kind e.g. race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status; equal right of men and women to all civil and political rights; every human being has the inherent right to live.

 
In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes. Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. Sentence of death shall not be imposed on under-18 convicts. 

The convention also envisages that no-one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and in particular, no-one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation; no-one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country; no-one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, or correspondence; everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and no-one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice; and everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 

 

The salient features of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment are: All peoples have the right to self-determination; respect for individuals without distinction of any kind e.g. race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status; no state party shall expel, return, extradite a person to another state where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture; ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law; and enforceable right to fair and adequate compensation.

 

 The Instrument of Ratification signed by the president also contains reservations protecting national rights relating to (a) Islamic law and ideology (b) issue of self-determination, (c) anything repugnant to the provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Ban or confront?

The following column "Ban or confront?" by Harris Khalique , source "The News-Friday, May 21, 2010".

When we get angry, we start digging hard into the earth on which we stand until the time our toenails start bleeding profusely. When we are scared of thunder or lightning or a storm or a beast that scares us with his power to make us extinct, we hide our heads in the sand on which we stand. Neither would we prepare to fight to defend ourselves nor move away to avoid the imminent danger. We have become ostriches. We yell a lot but look away from the real challenges that face us. Small brains and large bodies.
Some of us ostriches have learnt to prevaricate by way of becoming suicidal instead of taking on the questions we are confronted with. Many of our youths are goaded to blow themselves up and kill scores of innocent people around them by self-conceited clerics and vested interest. No one who matters in the Muslim world belonging to the religious, political, cultural or academic elite has demonstrated a will or a drive to take the masses out of the abyss of darkness, ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

For more details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=240315

 

 

 

Side-effect

The following column "Side-effect" by Harris Khalique , source "The News-Friday, May 14, 2010".

The song my niece Misaal likes the most these days is from this new Bollywood production, "3 Idiots". She has fed it as the ring tone in her grandmother's cell phone. Her three-year-old younger brother has learned to sing the refrain all the time, "Bolo (say) all is well."

Perhaps all is well now. There was a time when half of the children of school-going age in Pakistan did not go to school. Out of a hundred and sixty thousand public primary schools across the country, more than eighty thousand lacked clean drinking water, toilet facilities and boundary walls. Our colleges and universities produced degree-holders who were terribly unequipped when it came to required knowledge and skills to perform an ordinary job to earn their living. Our teachers were shamefully low paid and lacked adequate training opportunities. Curriculum taught in both public and private schools was not only dated, and partly irrelevant, but also encouraged narrow-mindedness, myopic worldview and confusion in children and young people. In those times, a young girl would go blind due to a curable infection in some remote part of Balochistan because it would take her father one week to organise a few thousand rupees and another week to be able to take her to Karachi. Maternal mortality was so high that about 75 mothers died everyday in childbirth. Poverty was growing at an alarming pace and so was class difference. New factories were not being set up and existing shut down. Power-cuts were rampant and energy and electricity shortages had brought the indigenous economy to a grinding halt. The state was being run on lending from international financial institutions.

For more details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=9&arc_date=5/14/2010

 

 

 

New Arrivals!

Dear All,

 

This is to inform you that followings Magazine/Journal are recently added Development Resource Centre (DRC).

 

·         The Economist

·         South Asia Journal

·         Newsheet (Shirkat Gah)

·         Jehd-e-Haq (HRCP)