2008 January

Ali Saleem, or Begum Nawazish Ali as known to hundreds of thousands of Pakistani television viewers, remains upbeat about what he or she does best. It’s a message Saleem usually delivers swathed in gorgeous saris and thick makeup, with glitter on his hairless arms and a mischievous lipstick smile on his face. Ensconced in the [...]

What is it about the Pakistani men that attracts such numbers of beautiful western women? Princess Diana, Jemima Khan, and the latest being Britney Spears with her beau Adnan Ghalib. The West acknowledges it. Wonder when the Pakistanis will wake up to this fact. Quite naturally, its people are culturally and socially wealthy. Let us [...]

Namira Salim, the Pakistani explorer and adventurer, and a woman being trained to go into space, landed to a ferocious weather welcoming her in Antarctica. It took more than 40 hours of flights, plane connections and even an emergency landing before she arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost tip of South America. During her [...]

Recent events have not dampened Pakistan’s continued banking and financial sector expansion. The latest development follows a spate of purchases by overseas banks looking to expand in Pakistan. In the latest deal, Saudi Pak Commercial Bank (SPCB) is due to be bought in a $200m deal. Standard Chartered in 2006 became the first international bank [...]

Something cheerful for Pakistanis to begin the new year 2008 with. San Francisco-based Saman Hasnain, a 37-year-old mother of two and real estate agent by profession, was short-listed for the competition and crowned Mrs Pakistan World by voters online. She will now represent Pakistan in Mrs World 2008 and Mrs Globe 2008 pageants. The pageant, [...]