More than 2 million Pakistanis have condemned terrorism by signing up to say "Yeh Hum Naheen" (Urdu for "This is Not Us"). Have you signed yet? Visit YehHumNaheen.org.
There is a cool new startup by some LUMS graduates targetted at mobile services in the region - Mangoparty.com. Mango is a SMS-based social network. You can join groups of common interest e.g., euro2008 or create private groups of friends e.g., for making coffee plans on the fly. Check it out!
In The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria (editor of Newsweek Int'l) sees the "rise of the rest" -- the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others -- as the great story of our time, and one that will reshape the world. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, largest-selling movies, and most advanced cell phones are all being built outside the United States.
If America is losing the ability to dictate to this new world, it has not lost the ability to lead. This book is not about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else. An excerpt from this book was published as the cover story of May 12th edition of the Newsweek. You can read it here.
Fareed received a B.A. from Yale and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard. He lives in New York City with his wife, son and two daughters.
LUMS students have successfully launched an online radio station. Radio LUMS is a great effort showcasing the technical know-how, aesthetic sense, music taste, and RJ skills of LUMS students. Check out Radio LUMS!
by Hassan Baig The race for choosing the Democratic nominee for Election '08 is not over yet, however it is no longer an even contest. Having amassed substantial momentum, Barack Obama has a lot going for him. However there is a very high probability that in the case of him getting the nod, the knockout blow to Hillary Clinton's aspirations would have been her own doing.
With a little more homework and prudence, her mistakes could have been avoided – creating a campaign trail which could have been a lot less littered with political speed bumps. Needless to say, these mistakes have made her task of neutralizing one of America’s greatest campaigners all the more difficult.
Check out this video preview of an exciting startup out of LUMS - BumpIn.com. Its an interesting new take on social networking and their tool is now out of beta. The company is in it's pre-IPO stage and has a huge potential.
After the assassination, all businesses were closed and public transportation was stopped. Domestic flights were canceled and streets were deserted in anticipation of violence. Fuel tankers could not get to gas stations and basically everyone was stuck wherever they were. Amidst these circumstances, people still showed up in hundreds of thousands to pay their final respect to Bhutto.
Within five to ten minutes of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, even before the news channels reported anything, almost everyone in Pakistan knew about the news. Cell and land phones were ringing non-stop. Within the next half an hour, there was considerable panic in the air. There was an unsaid fear of riots and violence on the streets. Shops started closing in the lively city of Lahore. A city that never sleeps. A city that was celebrating the colorful wedding season. Family members and friends were desperately trying to get in touch with their loved ones, trying to ensure that they are home and safe. The violence followed ...
Pakistan's "fair" elections are fast approaching. This picture shows state police putting up banners for the pro-Musharraf PML-Q party. Bike is the election symbol of PML-Q. How can the elections be fair if state resources are used to promote a particular political party?
This image is from December 17th 2007, the state of emergency in Pakistan is officially over. Can't you tell that from the treatment human rights activists are getting for expressing their views? These images make us ashamed of being associated with Pakistan.
Musharraf declared an end to the emergency situation in Pakistan on Dec 15th 2007 citing a more stable situation in the fight against terrorism. This statement is a mockery of the current situation in Pakistan, as the emergency had nothing to do with any fight against militants.
LUMS Alumni Homecoming is this weekend (Saturday, Dec 15, 2007). For those of you who just landed in the country, there will be a registration desk on the venue (Library Lawn) at 7:00 pm on the event date. So do turn up, register on the spot and join your friends for an evening of fun including the Strings concert.
On Nov 26th 2007, Yale Law School hosted a panel discussion about the ongoing legal crisis in Pakistan and its implications for rule-of-law movements in Pakistan. Prof Osama Siddique, a faculty member at LUMS, was one of the three speakers. You can watch the panel discussion here.
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal may not be at risk, but its heritage is. Unlike the nation's prized nuclear weapons, little attention is paid to safe guard Pakistan's precious historical monuments. The disturbing picture above shows the destruction of a 23-foot-high 7th century Buddha carved into a rock face in Jehanabad (a village in the touristic Swat Valley).
Teddy bears are cute, creating religious issues around them is not. Lets not allow the minority, who is doing so, reflect the opinion of 1.5 billion people.
This Levi's ad represents how seriously most, politically apathetic, people in Pakistan take the current state of emergency. This photo was taken by a LUMS Alumni while visiting Lahore.
HelpCounts.org is an initiative to increase awareness and action towards improving the social welfare, justice, and human rights of citizens. The are currently collecting signatures for a petition for the restoration of the Constitution, and the freedom of Judiciary and Press in Pakistan.
Lets not forget these shameful images, they represent a problem far beyond (now civilian) Musharraf or the current state of emergency. Can innocent protesters in any civilized society be beaten like this by police? Can helpless females (who happened to be sisters of a national hero Imran Khan) be manhandled by male police officers in a civilized world?