Beauty of Pakistan

Pakistan's Economic Survey of 2009-2011

Class123 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:10:58 GMT

Agriculture sector posted a modest growth of 1.2 per cent during the outgoing fiscal year against the growth target of 3.8 per cent. However, it provided much needed support to boost exports, revival of manufacturing sector and responsible for upbeat in the consumption, says Economic Survey for 2010-11 released here on Thursday. Major crops, accounting for 31.1 per cent of agricultural value added, registered a negative growth of 4 per cent for second year in a row mainly because of decrease in production of rice and cotton by 29.9 per cent and 11.3 per cent, respectively as a result of 2010 floods, but still higher output prices are manifested in higher production and import of durables, the Economic Survey says.In contrast, minor crops accounting for 10.9 per cent of overall agriculture value addition, grew by 4.8 per cent compared to the target of 3 per cent and massive negative growth of 7.8 per cent last year.Almost all major crops breached the target except sugarcane where production exceeded the target. Wheat which accounts for 13.1 per cent of agriculture and 39 per cent of major crops witnessed a record crop at 24.2 million tons – higher by 3.9 per cent over last year’s crop size.The rice crop recorded lowest-ever production since 2002 owing to massive destruction of crops in devastating floods. Another victim of floods is the important crop of cotton, which witnessed 9 percent decline in its production at 11.6 billion bales. Other major crops: jawar, tobacco, barley, oil seeds and maize depicted mixed trends but their stake is small.Minor crops accounting for 10.9 per cent of value-added in overall agriculture, grew by 4.8 per cent which is improvement on the 7.8 per cent negative growth of last year.Production of pulses declined by 18.1 per cent which added to the supply side shock to food inflation.Vegetables contributed much of the growth in the minor crops by growing at 9.5 per cent. The production of all fruits grew by 1.8 per cent, out of which production of citrus fruits grew marginally by 0.9 per cent whereas production of other fruits, including dry fruits, grew by 2.1 per cent.Given the enormous price induce ment, the agriculture sector is likely to spearhead economic growth in the next fiscal year, forecasts the survey.Smaller sub-sector fishing recorded a modest growth of 1.9 per cent while forestry continued its historical negative growth by declining by 0.4 per cent, points out the survey.The survey estimates that the share of agriculture in GDP gradually shrank to 20.9 per cent in 2010-11 from 25.9 per cent of GDP in 19992000.Erosion of growth momentum in the sector raises some serious policy questions regarding its viability.From water management to disbursement of agriculture credit, mechanisation, availability of quality inputs including seeds, fertiliser and pesticides, a holistic policy package aimed at addressing structural issues is required to reap full potential of agriculture, the survey notes.As a result of inordinate spike in prices of major crops, an additional amount of Rs342 billion was transferred to rural areas alone during the fiscal year 2010-11.Contrary to this, only Rs329 billion were transferred to rural areas on account of higher prices of major crops during the past eight years, according to the survey.Pakistan is faced with increasing water scarcity and depending on assumptions of various future demand scenarios, annual water requirement at canal head could be in 135 to 170 million acre feet (MAF) range in the coming years, says the survey.With existing irrigation mechanism reportedly working on around 50 per cent efficiency, the canal head withdrawals in Kharif 2010 decreased by 21 per cent and stood at 53.4 MAF as compared to 67.3 MAF during the same period last year.During the Rabi 2010-11 season, the canal head withdrawals show a significant change as it remained at 34.6 MAF as compared to 25 MAF during the same period last year.Pointing out that the consumption of livestock products increased significantly, the survey says that the price of livestock items remained a contributor to inflationary pressures in the country’s economy for some time.The share of livestock in the value addition of agriculture sector inched up to 55.1 per cent in 2010-11 as against 50.8 per cent in 2006-07. The sector is providing livelihood to about 36 million people in rural areas who depend directly on livestock and dairy sector, accounting for 11.5 per cent of GDP.

Avalanche near Siachan engulfed 150 Pakistanis.

Class123 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:42:13 GMT

Pakistan: Rescuers searching for 135 people buried under a huge avalanche at a Pakistani army camp are concentrating their efforts on five points at the site, the military said on Tuesday.

A huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in Kashmir early Saturday morning, smothering an area of one square kilometre (a third of a square mile).

Experts say there is little chance of finding any survivors at the site, which is at an altitude of around 4,000 metres (13,000 feet).

The military said more than 450 people are taking part in relief efforts -- up from 286 late on Monday -- aided by mechanical earth movers, bulldozers and excavators, and work is focusing on certain key areas.

"Five points have been identified on the site where rescue work is in progress," the military said in a statement.

"Two points are being dug with equipment while three points are being dug manually."
Photographs released by the military Tuesday showed diggers and rescuers at work on an almost featureless expanse of dirty grey snow and ice, with no trace visible of the camp that had been the 6th Northern Light Infantry headquarters.

Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani visited on Sunday and said an avalanche of this magnitude was unprecedented in the 20 years the battalion had been based at the site.
Manzoor Hussain, the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said the camp had probably been hit by a chunk of glacier that split from the main mass.

He said there was "no possibility" of anyone surviving and warned efforts to find those buried under the mass of snow using specialist equipment would become harder.

"It is becoming difficult to locate people through thermal imagery camera and infra-red system because by now probably there would be no body temperature under the snow," he said.

Retired Pakistani Colonel Sher Khan, a mountaineering expert, suggested the devastation may have been caused by a landslide rather than an avalanche.

"For me it was a huge landslide provoked by a cloud burst, not an avalanche," he said.
"In this case a huge flood of water is coming down from the sky and creates a lot of mud and loose earth on the mountain. Mostly boulders, mud and water ran down the mountain."
Khan said several days of freezing temperatures would have hardened the mass of snow, mud and boulders, making digging more difficult.

Specialist teams from the United States, Switzerland and Germany have arrived in Pakistan to help with the search, though a senior Pakistani security official said the US team has not reached the site due to poor weather.

The site is close to the de facto border with India in the militarised region of Kashmir, which has caused two of the three wars between the two countries since their independence in 1947.
The nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, but guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a slow-moving peace process was launched in 2004.

Pakistan wins Asia Cup for the 2nd Time

Class123 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:22:00 GMT

Dhaka:
Pakistan won the Asia Cup Final in a closely contested match against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Chasing 237 for the win, Bangladesh fell short by 3 runs.

After being put into bat by Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who always liked to chase throughout the tournament, Pakistan could not bat impressively against accurate bowling and alert fielding from the hosts.

Nazimuddin’s clueless crawl of an innings put pressure on Bangladesh despite Tamim Iqbal’s fourth consecutive half-century and left them facing a daunting asking-rate at the halfway mark of their chase. Tamim’s departure to Younis Khan’s third sharp catch further increased the pressure on the hosts in their first chase in a tournament final. Bangladesh still had some of their best batsmen intact, with Nasir Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan in the middle, and Mushfiqur Rahim to follow.

While the plan could have been for Nazimuddin to be the anchor and Tamim to be the aggressor, the former became completely subdued after being beaten four times in five deliveries by Umar Gul in the second over, leaving run-making duties completely to his partner.

Tamim responded by hitting Gul out of the attack with four fours in nine deliveries. All shots bore the mark of a man in top form, with the highlight being a punch through point played with his feet off the ground. Nazimuddin continued to dig a deeper hole for himself, treating Mohammad Hafeez with utmost respect and allowing him to get through five overs for only 10 runs.

Realisation belatedly dawned on him, but by then, he had got into such a rut that he was mistiming almost everything. He had already survived a close lbw shout against Saeed Ajmal and had been put down by Hammad Azam at third man.

Bangladesh were not able to get anywhere close to dominating, which they should have given the way Tamim was batting. In the same Shahid Afridi over in which Tamim brought up his fourth half-century of the tournament, off 48 balls, Younis finally ended Nazimuddin’s misery with a running catch at long-off. By then, Nazimuddin had used up 52 balls for his 16.

Jahurul Islam did not last long against Ajmal’s doosra and gave Younis his second catch, at slip. With Nasir Hossain also struggling to get going, Tamim decided to take on Gul but only found extra cover with a mis-hit pull, Younis diving forward to take another excellent catch.

Carrying his nation’s hopes once again, Shakib walked in and pulled his first delivery for four. Afridi, though, made Shakib play a maiden in the 25th over. Bangladesh were still a long way from unprecedented glory, but as long as Shakib was batting there was hope.

Bangladesh were favourites to crack on their biggest day as a cricketing nation. A fourth consistent performance on the trot was expected to be beyond them. But they gave an extremely creditable account of themselves with the ball and in the field, apart from a chaotic last over. Pakistan are masters of the big moment, though, and somehow find a player who performs. Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who had a highest ODI score of 24 and a strike-rate of 62.35 before this game, turned 199 for 8 into 236 for 9 with a 52-ball 46. Pakistan were still a few runs short on a pitch which has been favourable to the chasing side in this tournament.

The talk had been about whether Bangladesh would be able to handle the nerves of only their second ODI tournament final, but their bowling was tight and their fielding was energetic, as it had been throughout the tournament. Pakistan were not allowed to get away, except in the last over, and could be left to rue an innings of several wasted starts. After having had a steady tournament, Bangladesh’s leading ODI wicket-taker Abdur Razzak rose to the occasion, with figures of 10-3-26-2. Shakib Al Hasan weighed in with 2 for 39 but Shahadat Hossain proved expensive once again in a horror last over which contained two no-balls and went for 19.

Bangladesh’s discipline till then had kept Pakistan under relentless pressure. And that pressure had brought wickets. Their openers, Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed - who had a century and a double-century stand earlier in the tournament - failed to clear the infield in their attempts to hit out. Younis Khan and Umar Akmal got rough decisions, Misbah-ul-Haq’s hesitation ran him out, and Hammad Azam and Shahid Afridi threw it away.

Bangladesh had won two games and come close in a third while chasing in this tournament and Mushfiqur Rahim immediately chose to bowl again. Mashrafe Mortaza had two close lbw appeals in the opening over against Nasir Jamshed but ended up conceding two fours.

Both appeals were turned down but Mortaza was not to be denied in his third over when Jamshed charged at an offcutter, only to scoop it up to cover. An over earlier, Hafeez had survived after appearing to have been caught plumb in front on the back leg by Nazmul Hossain’s incoming delivery.

Photos of the Match in Photo Album Section

Quaid - e - Azam , Mohammed Ali Jinnah speech before 3 days of independence<
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Class123 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:50:26 GMT

Jinnah vs Democracy

August 11, 1947 address of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to the members of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly, to the status of a national covenant. That it has taken more than 50 years to reach such a conclusion is indeed most intriguing. In that address the Quaid said, among other things, the following:

"You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the State... We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State... I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in due course Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.”

>> Article

Class123 — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:12:38 GMT

IMF Seeks $600 Billion More in Funds

The International Monetary Fund is seeking to boost its war chest by $600 billion to help countries reeling from the euro zone debt crisis.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL NEWS.

We are going to redesign.

Class123 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:07:14 GMT

Our New Website Template will be coming out soon.

But Have a Good Look at the recent creation of Splash Page

http://beautyofpk.do.am/Splashpage/BeautyofPakistan.html

Amir could still have international career

Class123 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:04:25 GMT

KARACHI: Teenage Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, serving six-months in jail for spot-fixing elements of a test match, could still have a future in international cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf said.

Amir, 19, was detained for six months in a young offenders institution after he admitted bowling two intentional no-balls in the Lord's test against England in August 2010.

Amir, along with team mates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council in February last year.

"Whenever he is cleared by the International Cricket Council and serves his punishment, we think he needs intense counseling and then the selectors can decide about him," Ashraf told a news conference on Tuesday.

"As far as his playing again is concerned that is for the selectors to decide because there is no doubt about his immense talent and he is still very young."

Amir has taken 51 wickets in 14 tests.

Former captain Butt and Asif were jailed for 30 months and one year respectively by a London court in November for their part in the gambling-inspired plot. (Reuters)

News Alert for Pakistan[Urdu]

Class123 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:57:54 GMT

Urdu

Noah's Ark Found.

Class123 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:30:53 GMT

'Noah's Ark' found in Turkey

Search ... worker examines wooden beams inside 'Noah's Ark'

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THE remains of Noah's Ark have been discovered 13,000ft up a Turkish mountain, it has been claimed.

A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers say they have found wooden remains on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.

Video: Noah's Ark 'found'

They claim carbon dating proves the relics are 4,800 years old — around the same time the ark was said to be afloat.

Biblical tale ... Noah filled the ark with two of each animal species

Yeung Wing-Cheung, from the Noah's Ark Ministries International research team, said: "It's not 100 per cent that it is Noah's Ark, but we think it is 99.9 per cent that this is it."

Dig

He said the structure contained several compartments, some with wooden beams, that they believe were used to house animals.

The group of evangelical archaeologists ruled out an established human settlement on the grounds none have ever been found above 11,000ft in the vicinity, Yeung said.

Local Turkish officials will ask the central government in Ankara to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status so the site can be protected while a major archaeological dig is conducted.

The Quranic story says that God decided to flood the Earth after seeing how corrupt it was.

He then told Noah to build an ark and fill it with two of every animal species.

After the flood waters receded, the Bible says, the ark came to rest on a mountain.

Many believe that Mount Ararat, the highest point in the region, is where the ark and her inhabitants ran aground.

Zaid Hamid Interview --Yesterday.

Class123 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:19:54 GMT

This is our final and intense message to those whom Allah has given power, authority and status today. The decisions taken today will have the staggering impact to shape the present and the future of this millat. There is no margin of error. The existential war has begun!
Spread this message to the nation and stand united! We have completed the "Hujjat" and given our azaan. The politicians and the media has betrayed the nation. Our message must reach the CJ and the army!

InshAllah great khair is coming but will we will be tested to the extreme. Allah will separate the Momineen from the munafiqeen!