Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

The remote and arid Cholistan Desert was the unlikely scene for a jeep rally in Pakistan last week that served to promote the forgotten culture and provide entertainment to the public. The event proved to be a great success as it not only tested the skills of 76 drivers but also promoted the Cholistani …

Sixteen months into a cautious peace process between India and Pakistan, trade between the two nuclear powers is still an exercise in frustration and missed opportunities. Trade is improving, too, and is on course to rise more than 150 per cent in the financial year that ends this month to about US$500 million ($680 …

Amid high security, the Miss Canada Pakistan pageant went off without a hitch in Toronto with a packed audience and a dozen nervous contestants — defying detractors who claimed it dishonoured Islam. Thirteen women braved earlier religious protest as they took to the stage as contestants of the controversial beauty pageant Saturday night. “We’re …

The evening’s most popular attraction was one that nearly every woman, and even some men, lined up and waited the better part of an hour to participate in. The henna demonstration booth, set up in the ballroom’s northwest corner, attracted children, not yet old enough to walk, as well as grandparents who marveled at the …

A pair of puma has joined the inhabitants of the Karachi Zoo, increasing the size of the big cat family to 10. The zoo authorities told The News that the one-year-old pair was added to the zoo on Monday and they were contented with the new atmosphere. The new tenders had already been invited for …

Indians might be beating Pakistan in cricket but on the bourses, Pakistani indices have stolen a march over Indian indices. Pakistan’s benchmark index, the Karachi Stock Exchange 100 (KSE100), has delivered 480% return since 2000, compared to 44% by the Sensex. A booming economy, economic reforms and a big push to the privatisation process has …

“We bought a few rugs from our native Pakistan, but, at the time, we weren’t too serious about it,” said Ayesha, who owned a Mexican/Italian restaurant in Pakistan before moving to New Mexico in 1999. Her husband, who came to the United States in 1979 and met his wife during his many trips to and from …

Getting from Norway to Pakistan is not easy. You could just call, of course, but it might be more fun to drive. Telenor, the Oslo-based telecommunications company, decided to do both in introducing a cellphone service in Pakistan last week: To promote the occasion, it used a television commercial that looks more like a sped-up …

Team- A, plans to open a range of Mothercare stores in all major cities of Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Sailkot. The first store is scheduled to open in Karachi next month. The conducive investment atmosphere with changing political situation is providing level playing field to do the business in this part of …

ALLIANCE Française de Lahore (French Centre), Qatar Airways and Nestlé are organising a concert of swing jazz with the renowned jazz group Trio Natchav Saturday (today) at Alliance Française. The group Natchav Trio was formed around the swing jazz. Charles Guilbaud on the double bass joined the two guitarists Gerald Toumelin and David Vergnaud to …

The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan’s Telecom sector has surpassed $1 billion mark during the last eight months of current financial year to clinch the second coveted position after oil and gas sector in this respect. Presently, five mobile companies, four foreign and one state-run, are in operation in the country, while even this …

Sabiha Sumar is happy to see her Pakistani film released in North America, but even if it became a Hollywood blockbuster, that wouldn’t be as important to her as seeing it screened in the villages of her home country. In our media-jacked culture, it’s almost impossible to imagine that an entire generation of Pakistanis has, …

When Haji Abdul Qudoos first arrived in Bahrain in 1959, he earned just BD60 a month working in a bank. Now he is an established businessman, who believes the key to his success has been a combination of hard work and a commitment to the community and charitable activities. Mr Qudoos was the first …

The festival has been organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan in collaboration with the Forum of Environment Journalist Pakistan and TVE Asia Pacific. It was attended by a large number of people, especially students, who keenly watched the thought-provoking environmental films, both in English and Urdu. Based on theme “Vision of Nature” …