Short essay on Floods in Pakistan

The problem of floods in Pakistan is not new as it dates back to the year of independence 1947 when the first major flood hit Pakistan. Since then eight more floods of even greater magnitude in 1954, 1970, 1988, 1992, 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2010 have caused heaps of destruction in the country taking the lives of millions of people and leaving billions of them homeless. However the latest flood in 2010 was the most devastating which damaged the infrastructure and economy of the country.

The main reason for the 2011 floods was the heavy monsoon rainfall in all four provinces of the country. The severity of the flood could be determined by the fact that one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater. The floods took the lives of more than 2000 people and had a direct impact on the lives of 20 million other people by wiping out their property, livelihood and infrastructure.

With the country already facing power shortages, the floods added to the misery as 10000 transmission lines and transformers were crushed resulting in an approximate power shortage of 3.135 Gigawatts. The floods also had an adverse impact on the health of the population in the flood affected areas spreading diseases like gastroenteritis, diarrhea and various other skin diseases. In view of the disastrous floods, the President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari ordered that there would be no grand celebrations on the 14th of August.

While the social impact of the floods was tremendous, the economic impact of it on the country was no less. According to the International Labour Organization about 5.3 million people lost their jobs as an aftermath of the flood. The floods affected many agricultural farms in the country destroying crops which further had a negative impact on other related industries like the Textile manufacturing industry which already was under severe financial and economic troubles. The growth rate of the country was expected to fall from the expected 4% to -2%.

It is in times of calamity that a country realizes who their real friends from across the border are. The relief aid was substantial from foreign countries. The worldwide donations were approximately $687 million and $324 million were guaranteed in uncommitted assurances. The spirit of the locals of the country was astounding as each individual stepped forward to help his fellow citizens in times of need. Contributions by people were collected by Eidhi, Imran Khan and various NGOs. The floods received extensive media coverage due to which many of the celebrities also got forward to help collect funds for the flood relief. Various programs were aired on channels like Geo, ARY, etc in which celebrities from the showbiz and sports appealed for contributions.

Although the floods in Pakistan bought high volumes of devastation for the country it also lightened up a spirit of patriotism and humanity in the people. While terrorism and crime rate were at the peak and people were scared to get out of their homes, this disastrous situation allowed them to forget all their fears and come forward to help the country in times of desperate need.

Short essay on the Lahore Fort

In Lahore there are many beautiful structures and monuments, but more specifically there are two works of arts from the Mughal architecture that do not go unnoticed by anyone entering Lahore from Rawalpindi on the Grand Trunk Road, these are the Badshahi Mosque and the Shahi Qilla, also known as the Royal Fort.

The fort was originally built in 1544 AD by the Mughal Ruler Akbar the great and it was built on the ruins of an ancient mud fort which already existed since 1021 A.D. The fort is situated in the North West corner of the city, beside the Walled city and is rectangular in shape, it has 13 gates which were also built by Akbar, and the main gates are located along the middle of the eastern and western walls. In the heart of the city there is the beautiful Lahore fort, a secured palace complex. The architecture of the structure is magnificent and it is a palace right out of a fairytale. The entrance is remarkable with twin domes which lead further to extensively decked courtyards and pavilions with water features, some with wall decorations of inlaid precious stones and painted designs, some of this eye catching decorations still exist even today. These courtyards are so huge in size that it allows many elephants carrying people from the royal family to enter simultaneously together, in fact there are a flight of stone stairs constructed especially for the elephants' parades.

The fort today is not like as it was when it was first built in 1566. This is because that every Mughal emperor that came along besides the Sikhs and the British colonizers further built a pavilion or a palace of wall to the fort. Jahangir, Shah Jehan and later Aurangzeb created their own changes by further constructing hugely secure walls to the structure. Akbar especially got the Hall of Commoners also known as the Diwan - e- Aam constructed in the traditional Iranian style, it is built in all red sandstone which was imported from Rajistan, Shah Jehan was responsible for the construction of Diwan-e-Khas, from there you could see river Ravi, in the year of 1631 when Shah Jehan started the construction of Taj Mahal, he also constructed the Moti Masjid or the pearl Mosque and even his own bedroom. The Mughal emperor Jehangir he made extensions to the gardens and built the castle in the Jehangir's Quadrangle.

The infamous palace of Mirrors also known as the Sheesh Mahal is situated in the North East area of the Fort, it the most gorgeous palace in the fort and is made beautiful by small mirrors of different colour sets. This place was made by Shah Jehan in 1631. It is a deluxe palace to stay in during summer months with rest rooms that are like a long hall at its either end, and which open to a veranda which is eye catching and the view is of a marble paved quadrangle with a water fountain in the center.

The fort displays the exquisite life style of the Mughal emperors and is proof of Lahore's beautiful history, it is a tourist attraction and one sight that no one would regret seeing.

Essay on Load shedding in Pakistan (Rolling Blackout)

While countries in the west move towards enlightenment, Pakistan is moving towards darkness. The country suffering at the hands of corrupt politicians and terrorism has much graver problems and one of them is load shedding. It is the 21st century and there is no electricity in Pakistan! People are crying their hearts out in front of the government to provide them with the basic necessity of electricity but the government seems to have no clue about how to solve this problem.

Energy shortage is the result of the power demand and supply gap. So what causes this gap to exist is the main question. There are various reasons because of which Pakistan could not create more electricity which include the rising fuel prices, rising burden of circular debts, lack of availability of inexpensive fuel, no new power projects being started, poor electricity production and distribution methods, power theft and nonpayment of electricity bills.

The issue of circular debts is not something new when it comes to energy crisis. When the circular debts reach their peak the government intercepts by increasing the subsidy given to the power companies. However this does not provide a permanent solution to the problem because the subsidies given are not sufficient to pull the power supply companies out of difficulty. At present only Rs3/kilowatt subsidy is given where as 20-30% of electricity is being stolen and the electricity bills of government offices remain due for months. This burden is then passed on to the end consumers in terms of higher prices or excessive amounts of load shedding.

The problem of energy theft is something which needs to be addressed at the governmental level. It signifies the inefficient law and order situation of the country as the government knowing who the thieves are still does nothing to catch them. If the government takes strict action against those who steal electricity then half the problem of power shortages would be solved. There are various suggestions from across the broad to make power theft a non bailable offence; however nothing has been done in regard to such suggestions.

Rising fuel costs in the production of electricity are also a major source of concern. Natural gas and imported oil are the two major components of power production. While imported oil was always expensive for power producers, the shortage of natural gas has added further to their miseries. Natural gas always seemed to be in abundance in the country however in recent times the country has surprisingly faced natural gas shortages too. So the only way out for Pakistan is to find other sources of energy generation. Coal in the country is in abundance but the lack of expertise in the country does not allow it to be used in the right direction.

As Pakistan faces several problems, the problem of load shedding too should be given top priority by the government officials. It's time the politicians start acting in order to solve the general problems of the people of Pakistan rather than fighting for getting into power and doing nothing

Essay on cricket Match fixing in Pakistan

Match fixing has been a curse to the game of cricket since the time the game was invented. Pakistan is one of those countries, which has been accused of match fixing more than any other country has ever been accused of.

The first major accusation came under the Justice Qayum report according to which various Pakistani cricketing stars were involved in fixing matches, these included Wasim Akram, Waqaq Younis, Inzimam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and various others. The Justice Qayum report offered various penalties for the accused but his recommendations for penalizing the cricketers for their gruesome act were totally shunned.

The biggest and the most controversial match fixing case that Pakistan cricket ever suffered from was the spot fixing controversy of 2010 in which three famous cricketer were allegedly involved in fixing no balls at certain periods of the game. It was the summer of 2010 when Pakistan cricket team toured England. The historic and the king of all cricket grounds Lords was the place where the most shameful incident ever recorded in the history of the game took place. It was the 4th day of the test match between Pakistan and England that news of spot fixing broke on the media. A sting operation carried out by Mazhar Mehmood of England's News of the World magazine revealed the mischief done by the Pakistani cricketers. The star trio of Pakistan cricket team including the test captain Salman Butt, the experienced master of swing Muhammad Asif and the new bowling sensation of the world Mohammad Amir were caught being involved in spot fixing.

There was uproar in the international arena after this incident as people started questioning the authenticity of the game. The players took money from Mazhar Majeed for bowling preplanned no balls at certain time periods of the game. There were hidden camera videos aired on television recording this cruel act of fixing. The players alleged for being involved in spot fixing were handed punishing bans by the International Cricket Council. The captain Salman Butt was handed a ban of 10 years, Muhammad Asif a ban of 7 years while the youngster for being naive was handed only a 5 year ban from the game of cricket.

Their punishment for this totally unacceptable act did not finish just here. They faced criminal prosecution after the Crown Court determined there was evidence available for the players to be trialed. After several months Mohammad Amir accepted his crime while Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt chose to defend themselves in court. However after the trial was complete they were proved to be guilty. This day marked the darkest day for Pakistan's cricket as the three Pakistani players were sentenced to imprisonment for varying periods. Mohammad Amir for accepting his crime was awarded a lesser punishment which was 6 months in a young offender's jail while Mohammad Asif was sentenced for a year's imprisonment. Salman Butt was handed the cruelest punishment of 30 months of imprisonment as he was leading the clan.

With the disgrace events such as match fixing and spot fixing have bought to Pakistan, the cricketing board needs to get strict and teach its players discipline at the grass root level so they do not head towards earning money the wrong way and play the game fairly as it ought to be played.

Short essay on Corruption in Pakistan

Pakistan came into existence after the partition of India in 1947 and since then it has not been able to transform itself into a growing State as it would have been expected after 64 years of independence. The major underlying cause of such a disappointing situation for the country is that there is corruption in almost every sector of the country.

According to the most recent perception report from Transparency International Pakistan published at the end of 2011, corruption in Land Administration leads the long list of corrupt affairs followed by police, income tax, judiciary, tendering and contracting, customs, plus state corporations and the least corrupt sector is perceived to be the army.

The problem of corruption in Land Administration is predictably leading the list of the perceived evil of corruption. The politicians do not pay enough heat to this issue and refrain from carrying out the task of managing collections and preservation. This is more of a concern in the tribal areas where Feudal Lords backed by politicians dominate the land affairs. The police supposedly have a common ill in the underdeveloped world. There is inappropriate selection of the policemen without any emphasis given on keeping education as a pre requisite for entry into the sector.

However most recently the country has kept a minimal level of education as a necessary requirement for being recruited in the police but corruption in the sector does not allow for such conditions to be practically implemented. The number of police officials in the country is highly disproportionate to the ever growing population of Pakistan. Although the training provided to them is presumably the same as the army, there are hardly any traces of these training techniques being useful in this particular sector.

The ills of the tax administration have resulted in poor tax revenues for the country in the past years. There is no doubt that Pakistan is ranked amongst the lowest tax revenue generating economies in the world. Nevertheless in recent times statistics have shown an improvement due to which the tax sector is no more considered to be the most corrupt sector of the country. The only way of eradicating problems from this sector is to reduce the direct contact between the taxpayer and tax collector as most of the rich population in the country does not pay income tax. They bribe the tax officials and their names on the tax collection lists automatically become invisible.

Corruption is widespread in the country and it is vital to understand its root cause. There is no attention paid or effort put by the government to lessen or eradicate corruption in the country. The politicians themselves are corrupt and are only willing to fill their pockets rather than to solve the various problems Pakistan faces. The Anti Corruption unit is also believed by many as one of the most corrupt units in the country. As long as there is no proper check and control on corruption it will continue to take place at every level whether household or governmental. Pakistan should try to deal with the issue of corruption or else a time would come when it would be labeled as a "Failed State".

Short essay on Position of Women in Pakistan

Women in Pakistan were initially thought to play the traditional role of being housewives. However with changing times, the Pakistani society has also evolved. Women have a much significant role to play in the society rather than serving their husbands at home.

During this time of economic crisis when men are suffering from unemployment and lower wages, households require all members of the family to work and add to the family income. So the wives have to go out and work so that they could earn enough to give their families a sufficient standard of living.

Women belonging to the lower income group and rural class have since independence played the role of family earners. They have served in households by rendering their services such as that of cooks, servants, cleaners, etc. While the lower class women worked all day to earn two meals per day for their families, women of the middle class were supposed to stay at home and take care of the people living in their homes. However when the world entered the 21st century the position of women in the country transpired. More women were allowed to acquire higher education and then work in the corporate world to earn for themselves and their families.

Women in Pakistan now form a relatively greater part of Pakistan's working population and their contribution to the country's economy has ever since been increasing. However men still dominate all the higher posts in private and public offices, the trend is now changing as women are being encouraged by being awarded with promotions for their high quality of work. The mindset of the people in the rural class is also changing, there is greater awareness regarding the importance of education for both boys and girls and there has been an increase in the enrollment of lower income class girls in primary and secondary schools. Almost all of the women belonging to the middle class families have now started acquiring higher education. The trend of getting girls married as soon as they enter their 20s is slowly diminishing because today's men only want to marry women who have acquired a substantial level of education.

Women in Pakistan also have a major role to play as housewives and mothers. They are the ones responsible for the upbringing of their children. Since women have now become educated they can teach their children the values and etiquettes of life. Not only that, women could now teach their own children at home after they come back from school. Previously families had to spend excessive amounts of their income to send their children for tuitions because the mothers were not educated enough to guide their children academically but now with most mothers being educated they could sit with their children and help them with their homework.

Although there is greater acceptability for women in Pakistan's society, they are still victims of discrimination. The gender stereotypes which have existed in the society for years still continue to be a barrier for women's progress in the country.

Short essay on the Foreign Policy of Pakistan

Pakistan in terms of population statistics is the second largest Muslim Country after Indonesia; it is also the only Muslim country with the status of being a nuclear power and hence plays an important part in International Politics. Pakistan has a direct, independent foreign policy specifically when it comes to developing nuclear weapons, military purchases from foreign countries and other issues which are important to its national interests. Pakistan has a great advantage of having a strategic geo-political location in the center of the world's major maritime oil supply lines, and is located near the oil rich central Asian states. Pakistan is also an essential member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and a vital non NATO ally in the War against terrorism. The state also has a highly orderly military; in fact it is the world's eighth largest military force.

In history Pakistan has had difficult relations with India, specifically because of the central issue of Kashmir; it has even fought two wars because of this reason. Conversely it has had strong allied relationships with its other neighboring countries like Afghanistan, Iran and China; it has also had solid security and economic interests in the Persian Gulf and long stretching two-sided relations with US and other Western states.

Because of the suspicion of Soviet expansion, Pakistan has had strong relations with both United States of America and China during most of the Cold-War. Even today they are close friends of the nation. Coming to the Foreign policy of Pakistan well it is centered on the peace and security objectives at regional and global levels; its main purpose is socio-economic progress of the state. In affirmation with the UN charter and international duties Pakistan seeks alliance and tries to cooperate in its foreign relations on the grounds of sovereignty, respect and benefit, noninterference and peaceable settling of conflicts.

Pakistan's foreign policy is guided by its colorful history, its strategic location and the aims of its people. It has a proactive foreign policy, due to the challenges it faces, even though there is little continuity, change at times is also given importance. The policy at times is reactive to international happenings. The main objectives on the foreign policy include development of good relations with Muslim states, superpowers and neighbors as well, to protect the security and strategic interests of the nation, to aid the resolution of the key conflict of Jammu and Kashmir according to the needs of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolution, to promote a progressive, democratic image of Pakistan and finally to promote the state's economic and commercial interests.

Historically the country has had friendly relations with all Arab and Muslim countries under the OIC organization. Other than Muslim and Arab countries China and US area also allies of Pakistan. Coming to its Rivals, Pakistan has fought 3 wars with India, while Pakistan an Israel have no diplomatic relations. The continuing conflict of Kashmir is what creates diversity of opinion and makes alliance very difficult in both these rival states.