Pakistan and its image problem

Eric Schmidt's article with the same title is not just a summary of our problems but indeed highlights the many different areas in which Pakistan is lacking. That he could not come to terms with the load-shedding here does not mean that he was oblivious to its existence. He pointed out that "Estimates are that the country has enough generation capacity (hydro and oil based) to handle all the load, but corruption, power stealing, poor payment rates and the classic mistake of under-pricing power compared to its real generation cost means that industrial production is threatened."


With a powerful middle class and growing mobile penetration, his argument for change and development is valid and achievable. At times his observations were very saddening...the gone-in-30-second feat of our PM, the brutal treatment of women in the rural areas and the 43% illiteracy rate...not that the other educated ones behave as such (which creates the major problems like corruption and mishandling)


The article should be looked upon as the areas where we Pakistanis can work together and bring about some positive change. The potential in Pakistan's people and resources is barely tapped into and collective ventures in the right directions with support from the top is all what is required to change the fact of this nation in five years...

The Tipping Point

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Whatsapp, Viber, LinkedIn, MySpace, FourSquare, Blackberry Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live.


The above is a non-exhaustive list of social networks or applications that serve the same purpose (more or less): communication and sharing with friends, family, co-workers, etc... But why so many? If Orkut was not enough, we have Facebook, if WhatsApp was not enough, we have Viber. The growth of social media has been very fast-paced. So much that one can consider the current times to be the "tipping point" where individuals are likely to saturate into the existing networks and will tend to ignore upcoming ones. After all, how many times would one enter their personal data and why take the pains to keep them updated.


To summarize: How many social networks should a person join to be considered enough?

A Heavenly Sojourn

Saif ul Malook: Words cannot describe the beauty...

Pakistan's Northern areas are a beau. Truly. Recently, and quite luckily having the chance to tour the Northern areas of Pakistan, I am compelled to feel that if there are glimpses of heaven on earth, then Pakistan has a lion’s share in those glimpses. Touring Naran and Lake Saif ul Malook I was with a troupe of approximately 120 colleagues which is where I got the chance to breath nature. The picturesque views of Naran, the dangerous trails to Saif ul Malook, the clear clouds and steep ridges at Batakundi and the mesmerizing view at Malook were all indicative of the fact that the Northern Areas of Pakistan are still a heavenly delight. Words would do injustice to describe the fun and level of enjoyment I had, in addition to the treating scenes. From meeting the locals to hearing their myths about various places to eating some fantastically delicious food, it was a fun-packed four days.

Check out the complete photo album here