LAHORE(Wasim Ch):Recently there was conducted a teachers training workshop at LCWU in colleboration with HEC and US Consulate Lahore. Teachers from numerous schools and colleges participated in the week long workshop. Dieter Bruhn an enthusiastic teacher from US with a lot of experience at various Asian countries served as the resource person. The college teachers had a very high opinion of him because he tried to minimize the gulf between the cultures the US and Pakistan and appreciated the uniqueness characteristics of individual cultures. He told the teachers to come out of their shells and become encouraging associates of the learners. The senior staff members of the LCWU also participated in the workshop as participants. It made the workshop all the more lively.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
International Conference at LCWU proved a tremendous success
LAHORE (Wasim Ch)The first Intl. Conference held at Lahore College Women University ( LCWU). It proved a tremendous success. It was all the more risky as no such conference was ever held by any other university.
The initiative rests mostly on Sabiha Mansoor Vice Chancellor of the University. It was participated by a large gathering of intellectuals from all corners of the world. A number of renowned Scholars from within and abroad read papers on a variety of topics. The main theme of the conference was 'Language Sciences and the Developing World'. A large number of students and teachers also attended the conference.
The initiative rests mostly on Sabiha Mansoor Vice Chancellor of the University. It was participated by a large gathering of intellectuals from all corners of the world. A number of renowned Scholars from within and abroad read papers on a variety of topics. The main theme of the conference was 'Language Sciences and the Developing World'. A large number of students and teachers also attended the conference.
Bhutto-Zardaris' Indian contact helped break LoC ice
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan used track-II diplomacy to defuse tensions along the line of control (LoC) just after the killing of Indian soldiers and mutilation of their bodies earlier this month, which had threatened to set the border ablaze and push the dialogue process off rails.
Well-placed sources said that an Indian contact close to Pakistan's ruling Bhutto-Zardari family came in handy as the two sides groped for ways to keep talks on course amid rising fury in India over the killing of two soldiers, one of whom the Pakistani troopers beheaded.
When contacted, the Bhutto-Zardari contact confirmed playing a "small" role, but insisted on maintaining his anonymity.
Sources said that Indian authorities conveyed it to the Pakistani government that while they were keen to carry on the dialogue, the objective would be helped if Islamabad struck a conciliatory note.
Well-placed sources said that an Indian contact close to Pakistan's ruling Bhutto-Zardari family came in handy as the two sides groped for ways to keep talks on course amid rising fury in India over the killing of two soldiers, one of whom the Pakistani troopers beheaded.
When contacted, the Bhutto-Zardari contact confirmed playing a "small" role, but insisted on maintaining his anonymity.
Sources said that Indian authorities conveyed it to the Pakistani government that while they were keen to carry on the dialogue, the objective would be helped if Islamabad struck a conciliatory note.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
US drone strike kills important Taliban commander: sources
A US drone strike killed a Taliban commander, his deputy and eight others in northwest Pakistan, intelligence sources and tribal leaders said Thursday, weeks after he was wounded in a bomb attack believed to have been launched by Taliban rivals.
Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a house in Angoor Adda, near the capital of Wana, South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said. His deputy, Ratta Khan, was also killed, sources said.
Nazir favoured attacking American forces in Afghanistan rather than Pakistani soldiers in Pakistan, a position that put him at odds with some other Pakistan Taliban commanders but earned him a reputation as a "good" Taliban among some in the Pakistan military.
The military has a large base in Wana, where Nazir and his men were based. Residents said the main market in Wana shut down on Thursday to mark Nazir's death. Nazir was wounded there in a bombing in November, widely believed to be a result of his rivalries with other Taliban commanders. Six others were killed in the same bombing.
Both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban draw support from ethnic Pashtuns, who live on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Rivalry between militant factions often reflects old rivalries between Pashtun tribes. Shortly after the bombing, Nazir's Wazir tribe told the Mehsud tribe, related to Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, to leave the area. Hakimullah Mehsud's men frequently target the Pakistani army.
The army, an uneasy ally of the United States, has clawed back territory from the Taliban since launching a military offensive in 2009. But senior U.S. officials have frequently said that some elements within Pakistan's security services retain ties to some Taliban commanders.
Intensified U.S. drone strikes have killed many senior Taliban leaders, including Mehsud's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, in 2009.
Drone strikes have dramatically increased since U.S. President Barack Obama took office. There were only five drone strikes in 2007. The number of strikes peaked at 117 in 2010 and climbed down to 46 last year.
Data collected from news reports by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism say that between 2,600-3,404 Pakistanis have been killed by drones, of which 473-889 were reported to be civilians. Rights groups say that some residents are so afraid of the strikes they don't want to leave their homes.
It is difficult to verify civilian casualties because foreign journalists must have permission from the military to visit the tribal areas along the Afghan border.
Taliban fighters also often seal off the sites of drone strikes immediately so Pakistani journalists cannot see the victims.
Some Pakistanis say the drone strikes are an infringement of their national sovereignty and have called for them to stop. Others, including some residents of the tribal areas, say they are killing Taliban commanders who have terrorized the local population.
The continuing insecurity is likely to be a key issue in elections scheduled for this spring. The nuclear-armed nation of 180 million has a history of military coups, but these polls should mark the first time one elected civilian government gets to hand power to another.
(Courtesy: Reuters)
Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a house in Angoor Adda, near the capital of Wana, South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said. His deputy, Ratta Khan, was also killed, sources said.
Nazir favoured attacking American forces in Afghanistan rather than Pakistani soldiers in Pakistan, a position that put him at odds with some other Pakistan Taliban commanders but earned him a reputation as a "good" Taliban among some in the Pakistan military.
The military has a large base in Wana, where Nazir and his men were based. Residents said the main market in Wana shut down on Thursday to mark Nazir's death. Nazir was wounded there in a bombing in November, widely believed to be a result of his rivalries with other Taliban commanders. Six others were killed in the same bombing.
Both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban draw support from ethnic Pashtuns, who live on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Rivalry between militant factions often reflects old rivalries between Pashtun tribes. Shortly after the bombing, Nazir's Wazir tribe told the Mehsud tribe, related to Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, to leave the area. Hakimullah Mehsud's men frequently target the Pakistani army.
The army, an uneasy ally of the United States, has clawed back territory from the Taliban since launching a military offensive in 2009. But senior U.S. officials have frequently said that some elements within Pakistan's security services retain ties to some Taliban commanders.
Intensified U.S. drone strikes have killed many senior Taliban leaders, including Mehsud's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, in 2009.
Drone strikes have dramatically increased since U.S. President Barack Obama took office. There were only five drone strikes in 2007. The number of strikes peaked at 117 in 2010 and climbed down to 46 last year.
Data collected from news reports by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism say that between 2,600-3,404 Pakistanis have been killed by drones, of which 473-889 were reported to be civilians. Rights groups say that some residents are so afraid of the strikes they don't want to leave their homes.
It is difficult to verify civilian casualties because foreign journalists must have permission from the military to visit the tribal areas along the Afghan border.
Taliban fighters also often seal off the sites of drone strikes immediately so Pakistani journalists cannot see the victims.
Some Pakistanis say the drone strikes are an infringement of their national sovereignty and have called for them to stop. Others, including some residents of the tribal areas, say they are killing Taliban commanders who have terrorized the local population.
The continuing insecurity is likely to be a key issue in elections scheduled for this spring. The nuclear-armed nation of 180 million has a history of military coups, but these polls should mark the first time one elected civilian government gets to hand power to another.
(Courtesy: Reuters)
Argo scores Golden Globe victory with two top awards
Iran hostage drama Argo scored a sweet double victory at the Golden Globe awards on Sunday, winning best movie drama - the night's top prize - and best director for Ben Affleck on a night that left front-runner "Lincoln" with just one trophy.
Musical "Les Miserables" won the contest for best comedy or musical, as well as acting awards for stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.
But elsewhere, it was a night of surprises at Hollywood's second biggest awards show after the Oscars in February.
Actress Jodie Foster publicly acknowledged for the first time that she is gay, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared at the glitzy ceremony.
Yet the big story was the defeat of Steven Spielberg's drama about U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery - which went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading seven nominations - and the triumph of Affleck in the director's race.
Affleck was overlooked in the directing category when Oscar nominations were announced last Thursday, although "Argo" was short-listed for best film at the Oscar ceremony to be held on February 24.
"Argo" combines the true story of the rescue of U.S. diplomats from Tehran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 under the guise of making a movie, with a satire on Hollywood.
"Argo" producer George Clooney told reporters backstage on Sunday that he was disappointed at Affleck's personal snub by the Academy Awards voters.
"I think he did a phenomenal job with the film. I felt that he should have been nominated, but you can't figure out what goes on in the Academy and he's still nominated for best picture...It's disappointing, but we're not out of the water just yet," Clooney said.
British actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Abraham Lincoln, got the only Golden Globe win for "Lincoln," which has a leading 12 Oscar nominations.
Instead, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the Golden Globes, showed their admiration for Quentin Tarantino's slavery era Western "Django Unchained."
"Django" won two awards - for Tarantino's screenplay, and Christoph Waltz's supporting actor turn as a dentist turned bounty hunter.
"Wow! ... This is a damn surprise, and I am happy to be surprised," Tarantino said, accepting his screenplay award.
The Golden Globes are sometimes seen as an indication of sentiment ahead of the Oscars, but the two voting bodies are very different and Oscar nominations were announced this year before Sunday's ceremony.
In other key races, Jessica Chastain, won, as expected, for her role as a young female CIA agent who tracks down Osama bin Laden in thriller "Zero Dark Thirty."
"I have wanted to be an actor since I was a little girl...To be here now is a beautiful feeling to receive this encouragement and support," Chastain said.
In the best comedy or musical category, Jennifer Lawrence won best actress for "Silver Linings Playbook" while was best supporting actress.
"Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will ever more use as a weapon against self-doubt," said Hathaway as she accepted her trophy. The actress lost 25 pounds in weight and chopped off her long brown hair to play tragic heroine Fantine in "Les Miserables."
Musical "Les Miserables" won the contest for best comedy or musical, as well as acting awards for stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.
But elsewhere, it was a night of surprises at Hollywood's second biggest awards show after the Oscars in February.
Actress Jodie Foster publicly acknowledged for the first time that she is gay, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared at the glitzy ceremony.
Yet the big story was the defeat of Steven Spielberg's drama about U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery - which went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading seven nominations - and the triumph of Affleck in the director's race.
Affleck was overlooked in the directing category when Oscar nominations were announced last Thursday, although "Argo" was short-listed for best film at the Oscar ceremony to be held on February 24.
"Argo" combines the true story of the rescue of U.S. diplomats from Tehran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 under the guise of making a movie, with a satire on Hollywood.
"Argo" producer George Clooney told reporters backstage on Sunday that he was disappointed at Affleck's personal snub by the Academy Awards voters.
"I think he did a phenomenal job with the film. I felt that he should have been nominated, but you can't figure out what goes on in the Academy and he's still nominated for best picture...It's disappointing, but we're not out of the water just yet," Clooney said.
British actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Abraham Lincoln, got the only Golden Globe win for "Lincoln," which has a leading 12 Oscar nominations.
Instead, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the Golden Globes, showed their admiration for Quentin Tarantino's slavery era Western "Django Unchained."
"Django" won two awards - for Tarantino's screenplay, and Christoph Waltz's supporting actor turn as a dentist turned bounty hunter.
"Wow! ... This is a damn surprise, and I am happy to be surprised," Tarantino said, accepting his screenplay award.
The Golden Globes are sometimes seen as an indication of sentiment ahead of the Oscars, but the two voting bodies are very different and Oscar nominations were announced this year before Sunday's ceremony.
In other key races, Jessica Chastain, won, as expected, for her role as a young female CIA agent who tracks down Osama bin Laden in thriller "Zero Dark Thirty."
"I have wanted to be an actor since I was a little girl...To be here now is a beautiful feeling to receive this encouragement and support," Chastain said.
In the best comedy or musical category, Jennifer Lawrence won best actress for "Silver Linings Playbook" while was best supporting actress.
"Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will ever more use as a weapon against self-doubt," said Hathaway as she accepted her trophy. The actress lost 25 pounds in weight and chopped off her long brown hair to play tragic heroine Fantine in "Les Miserables."
Turkey s PM Erdogan says won t bow to Kurdish militancy
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday his government would never surrender to Kurdish militants but he was cautiously hopeful peace talks could end a conflict that has brought nothing but "pain, blood and tears" to Turkey.
Late last year Turkish intelligence officials began talks with jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on how to end an insurgency which has killed more than 40,000 people since rebels loyal to him took up arms in 1984.
The talks drew fierce criticism from nationalist circles which accused the government of going soft on Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and United States.
"Nobody can make us surrender. We did not take a step back in the face of any attack, we will not take any steps back," he told his ruling AK Party in parliament in the capital Ankara.
"Violence and terror has brought nothing to this country but pain, blood and tears. Believe me, we have one goal: that is to halt the mothers' tears," he said.
"We are cautious, careful but hopeful."
The nascent talks were overshadowed last week by the execution-style killings of three Kurdish women activists in Paris, which Erdogan has suggested could be the result of an internal feud in the PKK or a bid to derail the peace talks.
The PKK blamed shadowy elements within the Turkish state or foreign powers and Ocalan issued a call on Monday through his brother for French police to solve the murders. But he gave no indication their killing would disrupt the peace talks.
Ocalan's younger brother Mehmet, who visited him in his jail on the island of Imrali near Istanbul, said the PKK leader did not comment on the peace process but may make a statement later if Kurdish political party leaders visit him.
CALLS FOR CALM BEFORE FUNERALS
Dialogue between Ocalan and government officials, which media reports say yielded a framework for full negotiations, began after Ocalan called on hundreds of PKK inmates to end a hunger strike last November. His brother Mehmet had conveyed that appeal after a previous visit.
"He was very saddened by the massacre in France. He condemns it," Mehmet Ocalan told reporters on his return from Imrali late on Monday. "They must solve this massacre right away."
"This massacre was a sign. Hence he was very downcast. He sent his condolences to the families of the three Kurdish women who were killed," he said, without clarifying what the sign was.
French investigators have given no indication as to who might be responsible for the deaths.
Ocalan was long held in virtual isolation after his capture in 1999. Access to him remains tightly controlled and his lawyers have not seen him for 16 months.
Kurdish politicians have demanded improvements in his jail conditions. Erdogan said last week that such changes would be limited but that he would be given a television.
Asked about those reports, Mehmet said his brother had not requested a television. "It was not his own demand. The prison governor convinced him and that's why he accepted," he said.
One of the three women killed in Paris was Sakine Cansiz, a founding PKK member well-known to Kurdish nationalists and believed to be an important PKK financier in Europe. PKK fighters are based mainly in northern Iraq.
The bodies of the three were set to be flown to Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, on Wednesday evening ahead of a funeral ceremony on Thursday.
Erdogan and other political leaders called for calm ahead of the funerals and warned against efforts to provoke trouble.
"Our sensible citizens won't rise to the bait," he said. "Some want to destroy the peace process we have begun. This must not be allowed to happen."
Late last year Turkish intelligence officials began talks with jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on how to end an insurgency which has killed more than 40,000 people since rebels loyal to him took up arms in 1984.
The talks drew fierce criticism from nationalist circles which accused the government of going soft on Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and United States.
"Nobody can make us surrender. We did not take a step back in the face of any attack, we will not take any steps back," he told his ruling AK Party in parliament in the capital Ankara.
"Violence and terror has brought nothing to this country but pain, blood and tears. Believe me, we have one goal: that is to halt the mothers' tears," he said.
"We are cautious, careful but hopeful."
The nascent talks were overshadowed last week by the execution-style killings of three Kurdish women activists in Paris, which Erdogan has suggested could be the result of an internal feud in the PKK or a bid to derail the peace talks.
The PKK blamed shadowy elements within the Turkish state or foreign powers and Ocalan issued a call on Monday through his brother for French police to solve the murders. But he gave no indication their killing would disrupt the peace talks.
Ocalan's younger brother Mehmet, who visited him in his jail on the island of Imrali near Istanbul, said the PKK leader did not comment on the peace process but may make a statement later if Kurdish political party leaders visit him.
CALLS FOR CALM BEFORE FUNERALS
Dialogue between Ocalan and government officials, which media reports say yielded a framework for full negotiations, began after Ocalan called on hundreds of PKK inmates to end a hunger strike last November. His brother Mehmet had conveyed that appeal after a previous visit.
"He was very saddened by the massacre in France. He condemns it," Mehmet Ocalan told reporters on his return from Imrali late on Monday. "They must solve this massacre right away."
"This massacre was a sign. Hence he was very downcast. He sent his condolences to the families of the three Kurdish women who were killed," he said, without clarifying what the sign was.
French investigators have given no indication as to who might be responsible for the deaths.
Ocalan was long held in virtual isolation after his capture in 1999. Access to him remains tightly controlled and his lawyers have not seen him for 16 months.
Kurdish politicians have demanded improvements in his jail conditions. Erdogan said last week that such changes would be limited but that he would be given a television.
Asked about those reports, Mehmet said his brother had not requested a television. "It was not his own demand. The prison governor convinced him and that's why he accepted," he said.
One of the three women killed in Paris was Sakine Cansiz, a founding PKK member well-known to Kurdish nationalists and believed to be an important PKK financier in Europe. PKK fighters are based mainly in northern Iraq.
The bodies of the three were set to be flown to Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, on Wednesday evening ahead of a funeral ceremony on Thursday.
Erdogan and other political leaders called for calm ahead of the funerals and warned against efforts to provoke trouble.
"Our sensible citizens won't rise to the bait," he said. "Some want to destroy the peace process we have begun. This must not be allowed to happen."
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