News & Articles

Pakistan has banned content on more than a dozen websites because of offensive and blasphemous material. The Muslim country, which has laws on dress codes, ranks as the top country to proportionally search for certain sex-related terms, writes Kelli Morgan at FoxNews.com.

The Muslim country, which has banned content on at least 17 websites to block offensive and blasphemous material, is the world’s leader in online searches for pornographic material, FoxNews.com has learned.

“You won’t find strip clubs in Islamic countries. Most Islamic countries have certain dress codes,” said Gabriel Said Reynolds, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame. “It would be an irony if they haven’t shown the same vigilance to pornography.”

So here’s the irony: Google ranks Pakistan No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content.Read More »Pakistan world leader in porn searches: Google

Associated Press of Pakistan

Rawalpindi: Excise and Taxation department has established a total of 36 online registration centres in Punjab , Secretary Excise and Taxation Punjab Shamail Ahmed Khawaja said on Tuesday.

Addressing businessmen at Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) premises here, he said a total of 3.5 million vehicles have so far been registered in the province and all the details regarding the legality of the vehicles can be seen on the department’s website.

The system of property tax collection is being simplified and traders/shopkeepers would be facilitated in this regard, he said and added that Capital Value Tax and Property Tax amount would be spent in the areas from where these taxes are collected.Read More »36 online vehicle registration centres set up in Punjab

By Zahid Malik (President and Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer)

The United States is caught in a Catch-22 situation vis-à-vis war on terror and is looking for some face saving mechanism to get out of the mess which has mind-boggling costs not only for the US but also for its allies. Defence analysts in Washington now openly say that the US war against Al-Qaeda, following 9/11 attacks on Twin Towers, has reached at a stage where Pentagon finds itself caught in a quagmire.

According to dependable estimates by some of the US think-tanks, the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has reached $ 1.05 trillion. Even after adjusting for inflation, that’s four times more than America spent on fighting World War I, and more than 10 times the cost of 1991’s Gulf War (90 per cent of which was paid by the US allies), the war on terror looks set to surpass the cost incurred on the Korean and Vietnam wars combined, to be topped only by World War II’s price tag of $3.5 trillion.
Read More »US can win Al-Qaeda war by just $50 million

HUZAIMA BUKHARI & DR IKRAMUL HAQ

Every society tends to ignore its more troublesome characteristics. Most often, they are taken for granted because their recognition would be painful for those who want to maintain the status quo. There is nothing surprising, then, if the rulers in this country show little concern when their actions subject the citizens to the greatest psychological strains.

This indifference is usually disguised by a kind of rhetoric, which prevents real understanding of the situation. Against this background, let us look at the problems of the youth in Pakistan. From different platforms (official as well non-official), young men and women are told that they live in a God-given country, achieved in the name of Islam after sacrificing thousands of lives in a long struggle against the infidels.
Read More »Little concern for Pakistani youth

By Shakeel Anjum

ISLAMABAD: The cyber crime circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a crackdown against website hackers arrested five hackers active in various areas of the country including Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

According to the FIA sources, the operation was conducted on receiving complaints from the national and multi-national organizations regarding hacking of their websites. Taking notice of increasing number of websites hacking cases, Director Cyber Crimes in FIA Shahid Nadeem Baloch constituted a team under the supervision of Additional Director Muhammad Idrees Mian. Sub-Inspector of Police Station Cyber Crime Circle Rawalpindi/Islamabad Muhammad Raza with the help of technical officers Aun Abbas and Amjad Abbasi unearthed notorious hackers’ group namely ‘Pakbugs’ and arrested five hackers belonging to the group from various parts of the country while taking the computers and other related equipment involved in various cyber crimes into possession. Read More »FIA’s cyber crime circle arrests 5 hackers

By Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan In his most recent interview the dynamic and visionary Dr Zubaydullo N. Zubaydov, Ambassador of Republic of Tajikistan spoke highly about the trust-worthy and strong bilateral relations between the two countries. He… Read More »Pakistan-Tajikistan: Brotherly Connected

Islamabad

My son talks to his friends all night on phone and he sleeps the whole day, I am an old man, still I have to go to the market to buy grocery” Rashid Ahmed, a retired govt. servant living in G-6, expressed his concern regarding late night packages offered by different mobile companies.

Asmat Ullah Khan, a senior citizen, living in Shamsabad, Rawalpindi, said, “It has changed our perception regarding everything in the world. It has corrupted the whole society. It was never that easy for a boy and a girl to talk freely, without any check. Now we have no control over the things that we witness happening.”Read More »Late night call packages: Moral, immoral or amoral

* Army-run BITE providing free education, monthly stipend of Rs 2,000 to children

QUETTA: Mehtab Kanwal embroiders a women’s tunic, dreaming of a prosperous future as a fashion designer with a boutique – albeit in one of the most turbulent and forgotten parts of Pakistan.

Kanwal’s dream just may come true thanks to a free design course at a new institute where officers gave journalists a guided tour to showcase development projects undertaken by the military.
Read More »Fashionable dreams in Balochistan

BY ALI SUKHANVER

UNO is doing nothing but simply taking care of the US’ interests in the world; it is the most common comment on the working of the UNO. All time supporting US strategies and policies, the UNO is continuously losing its credibility and repute. Particularly most of the countries in the South-Asian region are of the opinion that they must stop looking towards this world organization for the solution of their internal and external problems. The prejudice attitude of the UNO has compelled various countries to search for their new friends and sympathizers which could be helpful and supportive to them at every crucial juncture.  As a result of this chauvinistic behaviour of the UNO, we can find new formations and new groups of countries emerging out of this dismal situation. It is nothing but the consequences of the narrow-minded approach of the UNO that today Pakistan, Iran and China are painting a new picture with the colours of closeness and friendship based on needs and requirements. Iran is providing natural gas to Pakistan and China is enhancing its nuclear ability; simply a relationship based on caring and kindness. As a result of these favours showered on Pakistan, it would become very easy for Pakistan to release itself from the cruel clutches of the US dependence.Read More »FROM CHINA TO IRAN

By Saeed Minhas

ISLAMABAD: Exchange of pleasantries and muted diplomacy between India and Pakistan over thorny issues such as terrorism, water sharing and cross-border infiltrations remained the focus of diplomatic bureaucracy in Islamabad throughout the last week.

The show organised by Interior Minister Rehman Malik in Islamabad raised lots of attention and probing by all diplomats, for the simple reason that a very vocal and critical figure from the Indian government, Home Minister P Chidambaram, was to make an appearance in the SAARC home ministers’ conference in Islamabad. Read More »Who is pushing Pakistan, India for talks?