Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

Engineer Anwar, who runs a part-time marriage bureau and has to his credit the solemnisation of 136 successful marriages, believes that lack of socialisation is one of the main reasons why families seek the help of matchmakers. Hundreds of couples get married every year but even then finding Mr/Mrs Right continues to remain an …

Noreen is one of countless women in northern Pakistan whose lives were turned upside down by the Oct. 8 earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people and left 3 million homeless. Noor Ulain said she had always wanted to find a job when she finished studying, but her father had never agreed. But after the …

Karachi’s fast growing stock market has helped lift prospects for Pakistan’s largest mutual fund – National Investment Trust, which is slated for privatisation in March this year. The fortunes of the three banks are in contrast to 10 years ago, when NIT’s total assets were worth Rps9bn and the banks bought their stakes on the …

Among other creative works like Pekhawar Kho Pekhawar Dey Ka Na; Bibi Sherine, etc, reproducing a ghazal of prominent mystic poet Rehman Baba with video shots is another attempt to attract viewers in this modern day communication revolution. With the rising trend of giving new touch and remixing old songs, Ghazals and poems, etc, of …

The city took the lead after satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) started functioning regularly from Sunday airing signal to police functionaries that they are being watched by their superiors. With Rescue 15 Centre at Qasim Bagh as its headquarters, the system gets information from the satellite about the whereabouts of a vehicle fitted with a …

Built in 1998, the Sir Shahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology showcases artefacts dating back to 45,000 BC. Another gallery displays excavations from Harrapa, representing the lifestyle of the Indus civilisation in two distinct periods, Harrapa and mature Harrapa. Next on display is the Gandhara civilisation. One of the galleries displays the …

Fashion designers studying at various fashion institutes around the world participate in the competition each year. The 23rd such competition was held in Paris and Louvre on December 15 last year. A promising Pakistani fashion designer, Hassan Ashraf Butt studying at the Pakistan School of Fashion Design (PSFD), won the ‘Country Prize’ at a …

His group was banned from performing in Pakistan from 1996 to 1999 after referring to government corruption in a song and protesting Pakistan’s and India’s nuclear testing. One of Salman Ahmad’s earliest gigs was a talent show at King Edward Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan, where he was studying to be a doctor. Moments after …

A visit to Khori garden is every book lover’s dream come true. Its narrow lane is lined with bookshops that offer books of all shapes and sizes. Situated in a congested business area of the city - the Boltan Market, Khori garden is a treat to visit. Some shopkeepers of the area believe that it …

The new ultra-fast cable will multiply the existing data transfer rate and was expected to ultimately reach 1.25 terabytes per second, equivalent to conducting more than 15 million calls simultaneously. When running at full capacity, the data transfer rate would be equivalent to more than a million internet users simultaneously having real-time access to a …

Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, has only one sitar maker, and he is afraid that after his death, there will be no one to carry on the legacy. Zafar says that sitar making has become such a rarity that it alone cannot help him sustain and in the day he has to work as an assistant …

Sardarpur Jhandeer Town continues to attract people for its admirable peculiarities. Of all the achievements the town has made over the years, the Jhandeer Library stands out as a source of knowledge… It is the biggest privately-run library in terms of the number of books, which exceeds 130,000, in Urdu, English Punjabi and Seraiki on …

Forced marriage is the ugly flip side of arranged marriage, a widespread and valued tradition in South Asia. In arranged marriages, parents typically help their son or daughter choose a suitable partner — often along lines of class, education, or wealth — but leave the ultimate decision to the child. Forced marriage, however, has no …