FEAST OR FAMINE

A colleague and I decided to walk up one of the nature hiking tracks in the nearby Margalla Hills, the backdrop to the picturesque Islamabad. We were advised to head for Track #5, about 5 km long, less popular than Track #3 and reputedly more beautiful. So we took the road less travelled. The Margalla Hills is a range at the base of the Himalayas in Islamabad, Pakistan, believed to be 40 million years old. The elevation is 685 metres at the western end and 1,604 metres at the eastern end. The vegetation comprises deciduous and evergreen trees, such as pines, eucalyptus, mulberry and oaks, with a range of shrubs. It is particularly green and lush at this time of year. Wildlife includes Rhesus monkeys, jackals, birds (such as eagles, hawks, crows, and sparrows), snakes, wild boars, porcupines and mongoose. We were warned about the aggressive monkeys that have increased in number over the years, and their habit of expecting food from hikers or rummaging through the litter bins.

Destination Peace – “aman ki asha” is a commitment by the Jang Group of Newspapers, Geo, and The Times of India Group to create an environment that brings the people of Pakistan and India closer together, contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between the two countries. The News, Islamabad, on Wednesday November 30, 2011, published a full one-page promoting the “aman ki asha” initiative. It reported on the visit of the Mumbai Press Club (from India) to the Karachi Press Club in Pakistan and a delegation of Pakistani youth visiting Mumbai for a seminar on “Breaking down barriers to cross-border dialogue.” The Pakistani university student delegation to Mumbai – women from Lahore and Islamabad – organized by Mumbai University’s sociology department focused on discussions about youth in Pakistan and India speaking against violent extremism. The delegation is from Sisters against Violent Extremism (SAVE), an organization for terror victims, especially women, who h

The Dawn newspaper in Islamabad reports that around half a million new names will be added to the Pakistan Election Commission voter list. The Election Commission has acknowledged the dual voting rights of Kashmiris living in Pakistan. The Election Commission has ordered the enrollment of the citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir who are living in Pakistan and possess Computerized National Identity Card (CNICs) issued by the National Database and Registration Authority. The Commission accepts the application of these citizens and has ordered provincial election commissioners to issue instructions to the enumerators/verifying officers and AROs to enroll the citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the fresh electoral rolls whose process is still in continuation provided they fulfill the conditions of Section 6 and 7 of the Electoral Rolls Act (1974). The proposal to grant dual voting rights to the Kashmiris was under consideration for months while legal advice was being reviewe

A three-day Kashmir Art Festival from November 28-30 will be held at the Rawalpindi Art Council (RAC). RAC has collected works from artisans of Srinagar and other cities of Indian-held Kashmir who have settled in Pakistan for the last 50 years. Their traditional artwork will be on display. The artwork includes papier mache, Kashmiri embroidery, shawls, frames and paintings. The origins of papier mache work in the region are said to be 600 years old. Layers and layers of paper are molded into shapes and designs, then painted and lacquered (shown in the photograph). The artisans hope that their talents will be promoted world-wide and generate tourism to Kashmir.   Martina Nicolls is the author of " Kashmir on a Knife-Edge "

Women from four provincial assemblies and civil society organizations in Pakistan called to protect the provision of reserved seats for women in the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies in accordance with the Constitution. Female parliamentarians also demand that political parties develop consensus among themselves to amend the Political Parties Act to provide a mandatory quota of 10% of general seats for women in order to mainstream them into the electoral process. They would like this to happen before the next elections. They maintained that the provision of the reserved seats for women was the Constitutional right of women in Pakistan under Articles 25, 34, 51, and 106. The female parliamentarians maintain that their role in assemblies helped to initiate debates on issues of women’s empowerment both within and outside legislatures, and eventually lead to a key role in law-making on crucial issues which concern all citizens, especially women and the disadv

Pakistan’s first ever Literary Festival for Children was held on Friday November 25 in Lahore. Dignitaries, teachers and students attended the festival. The festival aimed to promote the habit of study and reading, particularly among the large population of youth, but also to address issues such as the protection of the book. Pakistan is currently experiencing a drastic demographic change as the population of young people is increasing rapidly. According to the United Nations, 60% of Pakistan’s population comprises people below the age of 25 years. It is predicted that this group of people will reach up to 70% within a decade. This means that a gigantic portion of the population will be aspiring to be engaged in education. It is imperative that the government can meet their education demands, particularly in numeracy and literacy. Currently Pakistan is undergoing difficulty in meeting the nation’s basic education needs. The government’s Education Task Force reveals that mor

The Nation in Islamabad reports that sporting ties between India and Pakistan may resume which could lead to broader relationships. The three most popular sports played between India and Pakistan includes cricket, hockey, and wrestling. However, international sporting contests have been predominantly suspended in Pakistan due to security concerns and cross-country tensions. The Mumbai attacks in November 2008 were believed to be carried out by Pakistani militants, thus heightening tensions between the two nations. A gun attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in early 2009 brought an end to international matches in Pakistan. However, the arrival of two Indian sporting teams to Pakistan in the past week – for wrestling and a blind cricket series – are said, by Nation, to be the first signs of renewed sporting ties between India and Pakistan. Organizers of cricket and hockey say talks are underway to bring mainstream Indian teams back to Pakistan for sporting competit

Indian film actor, Sharad Kapoor, has underlined the need for cultural exchange between India and Pakistan for improved relationships, understanding, shared experiences, and networking. Currently in Pakistan, Kapoor said in a press conference in Lahore, “I am feeling at home here in Lahore. People are amazing here and there is warmth in the air in this city.” He was not in Pakistan for work, but used the opportunity of the personal visit to promote the idea of cultural exchange.

Female law enforcers are less than 1% of all law enforcers in Pakistan (0.86%). In comparison, female officers make up 33.38% of the total Australian Federal Police workforce in Australia (September 2010), with a Workforce Diversity Plan to increase recruitment. In November, 2004, Australia appointed its first Muslim police officer, originally from Lebanon. She wears a navy, lightweight hijab specifically designed for her occupation that fits underneath her police hat. A four-day International Islamic Women Police Conference from November 21-24 in Islamabad, Pakistan, brings together women police officers from more than ten Islamic countries to build synergies and discuss context-specific gender issues. These include gender perceptions of police culture and policing practices, progression of women in the police force, invisibility of women in mainstream policing, opportunities for professional development, and challenges of the job. In Pakistan, there are 18 women polic

India plans to sell 500 megawatts of power to Pakistan. Officials of the two countries are scheduled to meet in December to finalize the tariff and grid connectivity, reported the Indian newspaper, The Telegraph. India and Pakistan have reached a formal understanding on the sale of electricity. The finer details still need to be finalized. Electricity trading with Pakistan is part of a larger plan for a South Asian transmission link which will help countries in the subcontinent to harness energy. The sale of electricity to Pakistan will help reduce the country’s outages. The officials indicated that both countries are considering setting up transmission infrastructure in a joint ownership. Lahore in Pakistan has complete transmission lines and grids, which is near the grid in Punjab in India, so it would be economical to transfer power through Amritsar. There is a political will among the leaders of both countries to enhance trade ties. South Asian electricity trade is bein

The Deal, November 2011, documents a study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin that has identified a disadvantage in being attractive in appearance. It found that being good looking was not an asset in job interviews when interviewed by someone of the same sex who sees a candidate as a threat. The authors found that attractive candidates were preferred over less attractive candidates only when interviewed by members of the opposite sex (which they said was true for both women and men). But attractive candidates were at a disadvantage when interviewed by same-sex interviewers who viewed them as a threat in the workplace. There was no significant difference between how men and women judge candidates – instead, the key influence was the self-esteem level of interviewers. Therefore, the researchers found that male interviewers who see attractive males as a threat will select an unattractive male or an attractive female (the study did not state which one would be more fa

Khaketi is an agricultural, wine region in south-east Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It consists of 8 administrative districts: Akhmeta, Gurjaani, Dedoplistskaro, Telavi, Lagodekhi, Sagarejo, Signaghi, and Kvareli, with Telavi as the administrative centre. Limestone is extracted in the Sagarejo district. Oil and gas deposits have also been discovered. Preliminary estimates put the oil reserves at 2-7 million tons. At present, 260 tons of oil is extracted per day. After the Soviet-influenced “collective” farming, the farmers in the region have strongly moved toward “individual” farming. However, the farming and irrigation systems are run down and damaged, with limited replacements. The USAID Georgian Employment & Information Initiative (GEII) focuses on establishing drip and spray irrigation, as well as rural business development, vegetable production, and farmer group formations (supplies to market). Signaghi, a small town (population about 2,000) is heavily reliant

Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, in the Northern Territory of Australia has launched a new plan to provide education and a brighter future for First Nations children in collaboration with their communities. This is the first time extensive collaboration has occurred to determine the essential needs and priorities for those most disadvantaged under the current education scheme. Rising from emergency talks, the meetings became more collaborative. However, this trend needs to be maintained and sustained over years and decades to have a complete and lasting impact. Communities in Northern Territory have identified three priorities for their children’s future: (1) education; (2) alcohol management; and (3) employment. Education will be the driving force to break the cycle of poverty within the indigenous communities. Macklin has approved a scheme for Centrelink to intervene, and for schools to convene family conferences to find the best incentives and penalties to ensure t

New Scientist, November 5, 2011, presents an article that suggests anyone can become corrupt. “If we are mostly honest, most of the time, that may just be down to a lack of opportunity,” says Samuel Bendahan at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. In Lausanne studies of participants playing a specifically devised game showed that, after the first five rounds, 20% had resorted to theft, and if people were offered more ways to profit during the game by round ten the figure increased to 45%. In another study by Joris Lammers at Tilburg University in The Netherlands and Adam Galinsky at Northwestern University in Chicago, the researchers suggest that “empowered individuals were prone to cheating, yet they were harsher in their condemnation of immoral acts than were people primed to feel powerless – and they were hypocritical, judging such acts to be less blameworthy if carried out by themselves than by others.” Therefore it appears that the more power a person h

A year ago, on September 23, 2010, the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, said in an interview for Tabula that his government needed extraordinary achievements to survive. He said that Georgia must become a European centre of the region, not a suburb of Europe: “The shortest route from Central Asia and China to Europe goes through Georgia - we should take the advantage of the reality that we are like Europe but at the same time we can understand Turkey, Iran, China and Central Asian countries.” To this end, Georgia signed a European Union Association Agreement, taking another step towards NATO integration and EU membership. Moreover, he advocated a balanced Constitution with no concentration of power in the hands of one entity: opposition parties should also evolve. “The smaller and the swifter the government, the higher is the benefit to the population,” he said. Many countries, not just those of Europe in the throes of the global crisis and austerity measures, or Midd

Telopea Park School in Barton, Canberra, held its annual La Grande Fete on Saturday, November 4, 2011 on a grand sunny day. Stalls and stalls offered a delicious variety of multicultural food – Austrian, French, German, Moroccan, Canadian, Algerian, Australian, Korean, and Belgium, to name a few. The Canberra French Car Club displayed a number of cars and the Australian Air Force demonstrated the hot-air balloon. In addition there were rides, show games, a giant slide, a Guignol puppet show, dancing and music. Other stalls included face painting, cakes and sweets, and hand-made children’s gifts and decorative foods. Indoors, there were new and old books for sale, pre-loved clothes, and a range of raffles. Telopea Park School, Lycee Franco-Australien de Canberra, has been a bi-national French-Australian school since 1984.

The Australian Good Health magazine (December 2011) highlights the health benefits of philanthropy and volunteering. When people donate money or time, their health improves. This can include humanitarian and environmental donations, medical donations including being a blood donor or organ donor, community volunteering, involvement in children’s organizations, caring for animals, or involvement in sporting associations. Australians have always been known for volunteering their time. A 2006 study found that the portion of adult Australians who volunteer increased from 24% in 1995 to 41% in 2004, and the number of hours volunteered increased by more than 50% during this period. This is one of the highest volunteer rates in the world. Apart from the “helper’s high” (a sense of satisfaction) that volunteers experience – shown on MRI brain scans – because “focusing on others causes a shift from our unhealthy preoccupations with ourselves and reduces the stress-related wear and t