By Sikander Hayat There has been a feeling of mistrust between the countries of Afghanistan & Pakistan from the day of Pakistani independence from British rule. Afghanistan tried to stop Pakistan from becoming the member of United Nations as a recognised state. For the record, Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan as an independent state on the map of the world. Afghanistan is a country where Pakhtuns have always dominated the corridors of power and their percentage in the ethnic c... Read Full Story
By Sikander Hayat At the moment Punjab has 60% of the population of Pakistan. Other Pakistanis think that Punjab is the usurper of their resources while at the same time people of Punjab are suffering the same prejudices as everyone else in the federation, like any Baloch, Sindhi, Pakhtun, Kashmiri, Balti & Hazara. Saying that, I must add that sometimes perceptions are as powerful as truth and there is a need to allay those fears. Many scholars in Pakistan have studied and commented upon cas... Read Full Story
By Sikander HayatIs democracy really necessary for the development of a country and if that is the case than why China and Russia are surging ahead. China is set to become the 2nd largest economy of the world after United States by 2010 and Russia is no longer the weak country it was in the early 90s. Vast oil & gas revenues have changed the face of Russia in over a decade and one man who oversaw this transformation is Vladimir Putin. Putin is now serving as the prime minister of Russia and m... Read Full Story
Barcelona, Spain has one of the highest concentrations of Pakistani immigrants in Europe. This is a snapshot of this growing, dynamic, little-known community, revolving around the story of a Barcelona radio station set up by Pakistani immigrants. Ultimately, it is a story of immigration, the struggle between the homeland's traditions and Western values, in a country itself just learning to respond to a rapidly increasing immigrant population. Read Full Story
By Sikander Hayat>Turkish overtures towards east are big news these days as Turkish prime minister visited Syria and Pakistan in last week or so. Many people believe that Turks must abandon European dream as they have rejected again and again by Europeans. They must understand that they are too big and powerful for the EU to allow them in and by this time they must understand that not matter how secular they are or strive to be, the tag of being a Muslim country is hampering their dream. They... Read Full Story
By Sikander HayatUnited Status’s ambassador to Afghanistan has asked Mr Obama to not send any further troops into Afghanistan which is in stark contradiction to what Gen Stanley McChrystal asked for. According to UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper “His remarks will infuriate Gen Stanley McChrystal, the NATO commander in the country, who has asked for a further 40,000 US troops to add to the 68,000 already there.It is also likely to frustrate politicians and military chiefs in the UK, who have rep... Read Full Story
