Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

In 1983, a ‘princess’ married a ‘woodcutter’. She was 24 and he, 35. Most of her family refused to attend the wedding in Lahore. Her father’s family, the Pirs of Shergarh, were Syeds, proud descendants of the Prophet of Islam. Her mother’s family, the Alis, were Pakistan’s biggest industrialists. Whereas, his family were Punjabi Khatris, …

In recent weeks, a huge controversy has raged around Junoon. Though notoriety is nothing new for the band, this time matters took a serious turn as speculation concerning the group’s break-up threatened to transform into cold, hard truth with the exit of bassist Brian O’Connell. Despite Salman Ahmad’s silence at the time, it was crystal …

A seven-day festival of films starring the legendary Waheed Murad, popularly known as Chocolate Hero, will open at a local cinema in the city on September 3. The festival is being organised by the All Waheedi Club, a community of Waheed Murad fans from all over Pakistan.
Seven films by Waheed Murad – Armaan, Awaz, Perkh, …

Bilateral trade between Indian and Pakistan has gone up by more than 100 per cent increase at $476 million in 2003-2004 over that of the previous year. The statistics released by Pakistan ahead of next week’s foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi show that the level of total trade between the two countries stood at …

Pakistan will feature as the “Focus Country” at the ASAP Global Sourcing Show starting on Sunday at Las Vegas, USA. “The ASAP Global is the largest garment sourcing show held in the US,” its country manager in Pakistan Nadeem Sarwar said at a news conference here on Saturday. “This special status allows Pakistan several free-of-cost …

Young people and children, some so small they are barely able to walk, are the favourite customers at Karachi’s cycle market, but shopkeepers complain few young buyers came during the just-ended summer vacations due to the greater security problems in the city this year.
The main business months at the cycle market at Gari Khata, opposite …

Since acquiring of VERISYS, a passport office normally processes about 350 records of passport applicants daily. Before introduction of VERISYS, it used to initiate 350 manual verifications per day, which consequently were resulting in volumetric correspondence and maintenance of records, the process used to take at least 15 days. After installation of VERISYS, as many …

The ground reality, strong and firm beneath the dulcet notes of diplomatic diatribes and foreign office blessed trains, buses and cricket matches is that Allama Mohammad Iqbal may still be the most sought after Urdu poet on this side of the border. If the marketplace is the best yardstick of popular predilection, he definitely is, …