Baloch House

MUHAMMAD AKBAR NOTEZAI When I became a journalist, I only seemed to know journalism for all the wrong reasons. My first misconception was that journalists didn’t get paid much and that without a decent salary, no one would give his or her daughter’s hand in marriage to a journalist. Secondly, I thought journalists only indulged in flattery of the powerful and thirdly that they were vulnerable. The fourth misconception was that they need not always read books. Despite misunderstanding all of this, it was my extraordinary interest in the field that led me to become a journalist. Gradually and slowly, my misconceptions changed. I found out that journalists do get paid, although I figured that before that they must do a lot of freelance work, which I thought meant writing for free. Although I had started contributing to English dailies and periodicals, my knowledge about journalism was still quite limited. Among the periodicals I contributed to was The Friday Times (TFT), which publishes f

ADNAN AAMIR For the last 15 years, Balochistan has been experiencing perpetual conflict between Baloch nationalists and Pakistan’s federal governments. The causes and the drivers of this conflict are often debated, with conflicting opinions. One line of thought is that the current situation in Pakistan’s largest province is driven only by the interference of hostile foreign powers, such as India and Afghanistan among others, and aided by an ‘anti-development’ tribal system. Another line of thought is that Balochistan has been systematically deprived since the inception of the country and the causes of conflict are largely internal. Normally, Baloch nationalists are the ones who believe in the internal cause theory and federalists blame foreign intervention for all the troubles. It is very rare to find some voice that acknowledges the point of view of both sides and comes up with a balanced approach. Balochistan: A Conflict of Narratives is one such book. The author, Fida Hussain Malik,

11 July 2020 TARA RAO Soft power in South Asia has ushered a fear of retaliation; negative impacts such as debt traps appear less threatening to these countries than turning into China’s enemy. Chinese soft power diplomacy delivers the perfect blend of imbibing their “ancient wisdom,” Confucian institutions, cultural ethos, and their elaborate scheme involving investments and economic aid. Image © Pixabay For over two hundred years we have lived in a world where the very notion of being modern was synonymous with being western. The rise of increasingly powerful non-Western countries like China, demarcating their spheres of influence in South Asia, has invited pluralistic forms of being modern. China’s soft power model has triggered this new era of ‘ contested modernity .’ The humiliation and defeat China experienced at the hands of foreign and past imperial powers in the 19th century fostered a nationalistic spirit amongst its people. Having secured a far-reaching economic impact impli

ICCI could play a role in bringing more investors from the private sector Our Correspondent  |  July 11, 2020         ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), led by President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, called on Ministry of Planning and Development Federal Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana and discussed various proposals for promoting industrialisation in the region. Welcoming the delegation, Rana briefed them about the various initiatives of his ministry and shared detail of CPEC projects that offered a great opportunity for joint ventures and investment to the private sector. He said that ICCI could play a role in bringing more investors from the private sector in order to exploit the potential opportunities of business partnerships in CPEC projects. Rana added that an industrial zone has been planned in Islamabad under the CPEC and desired that ICCI should share its proposal for the industrial zone that would be given due consideration. Published in The Ex

Source: Xinhua |  2020-07-11 01:26:18 | Editor: huaxia ISLAMABAD, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Political representatives said on Friday that the projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will bring peace, prosperity and development in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province. The webinar, convened by prominent Islamabad-based think tank the Emerging Policymakers' Institute, was attended by the representatives of Balochistan's mainstream political parties, the Chinese ambassador and Chinese companies undertaking development projects in the province. Speaking at the video conference event, Balochistan Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai termed the multi-billion-dollar project a game changer for the entire region which he said would bring economic development in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said CPEC will change the fortune of the province while highlighting the importance of Balochistan to Pakistan. Many projects under CPEC are unde