TheCredibleTimes

By: Haroon Baloch File photo from Social Media ISLAMABAD: The apex court has ordered to instigate civil proceedings as per law against the ex-military generals Aslam Baig and ex-DG ISI Asad Durrani for their involvement in distribution of money among politicians during 1990 general elections. Supreme Court also ordered to abolish election cells, if any, in intelligence agencies.  Supreme Court issued its short verdict on IJI case, for which retired Air Martial Asghar Khan submitted the petition in 1996. Supreme Court has ordered the Federal Government to recover distributed money among politicians with interest and to initiate civil cases against culprits who violated the constitution.  "The elections of 1990 were rigged to influence the political process and called for investigation by the FIA against those politicians who accepted the public money before the 1990 elections", the apex court said in its October 19th verdict. An amount of eighty million rupees ...

By: Haroon Baloch Title of published fact-finding mission's reporter 2012 -  By Haroon Baloch The fact-finding team of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has a stance in its report on Balochistan issue that Frontier Corps (FC) and intelligence agencies are behind enforced disappearances in the province and circumstances have worsened following failures in punishments or probes in a consequential manner. HRCP has issued the report in Islamabad on August 30th, formulated on the facts the coordinators of HRCP Core Group reported from 21 districts of Balochistan. A 14-member fact-finding mission comprising of Chairperson HRCP Zohra Yusuf, provincial vice-chairpersons Tahir Hussain Khan (Balochistan), Sher Muhammad Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Amarnath Motumal (Sindh), Executive Council members Asma Jahangir, Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani and Habib Tahir, journalists Arifa Noor and Amir Mateen, novelist Muhammad Hanif and academic Prof. Azizuddin Ahmed, Secretary Gener...

By: Haroon Baloch Kamra: Attackers bombed inside the base -  Photo: Social Media ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force Base Minhas, Kamra , strategically one of the most important air bases of Pakistan, had come under attack by the heavily loaded terrorists disguised in air force uniforms, which resulted in killing of a security official and injuring one squadron leader while guarding the base. Terrorists also succeeded in partially damaging surveillance aircraft - Saab 2000.  Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, in a very important speech of independence day on 14th August in Kakul Academy had called for national unity in the battle against terrorism and said no state can afford a parallel system or a militant force. One-day before COAS General Kayani's statement, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated that Pakistan had assured us to instigate operation in North Waziristan agency and in this regard, he discussed the operation details with General...

By: Haroon Baloch ISLAMABAD: Although prevailing crises in country did not allow majority to celebrate 66th day of independence on August 14th, but enthusiasm of youth in major cities was worth seeing. They celebrated country's independence day in a crazy way. Islamabad: Crazy youth gathering at Faizabad junction to  commemorate 14th August - Photo: Haroon Baloch   Islamabad: Faizabad leads Expressway to Grand Trunk  road for Lahore in the east and Peshawar in the west -  Photo - Haroon Baloch Islamabad: Biking in a crazy way on Expressway is their  hobby - Photo: Haroon Baloch Islamabad: One wheelers break all rules without any  hesitation  in the name of independence  - Photo: Haroon Baloch Islamabad: One-wheeling claims dozens of lives every year  in Pakistan - Photo:  Haroon Baloch Islamabad: One wheelers proudly push themselves into  danger - Photo: Haroon ...

By: Haroon Baloch  Glacial meltdown in the Himalayan region is not caused solely by global warming – it is as much a product of  human activities in the region. PHOTO: Express Tribune.  If the unprecedented rate of glacial retreat in the South Asian region is not checked, countries in the area are likely to turn highly food-insecure. Pakistan’s latest Climate Change Policy clearly indicates that freshwater resources in Pakistan are dependent on snow and glacial melting and monsoon rains; both of which are highly sensitive to climate change. In 2000-2001, the country faced severe food scarcity because of lower-than-average rainfall. The worst ever drought in its history hit Pakistan, with the Balochistan and Sindh provinces suffering the most. The famine affected around 1.2 million people in 26 districts; 127 people died in Sindh due to dehydration and severe water shortages, whereas in the Nushki district in Balochistan, which had not received a singl...

By: Haroon Baloch ISLAMABAD: A group of you ng Christians, from a slum area of federal capital, is struggling to mitigate on social evils and uplift of their community. Alishba Yousuf, 17, an enlightened mind among others in the group writes stage plays particularly on resolving conflicts and promoting religious harmony in the society. 

By: Haroon Baloch I could recall William Wordsworth's following lines during the well-intended study tour of five cities: …once on those steeps, I roam at large and have in mind, The landscape, as if still in sight, The river glides, the woods before me wave…  Kassel, Horst Seidenfaden, Editor-in-Chief HNA. For me the tour was also an opportunity to travel across German countryside – got pleasure and piece of mind from nature, lush landscapes spread across miles with dancing windmills in the middle, and horses running in the fields. Purpose to travel between Berlin, Hamburg, Munster, Kassel and Frankfurt was to get an idea about relatively immature online and multimedia industry via different media outlets in Germany. Hence, we visited seven media houses; both publications and electronic media, and focused on practical aspects of new media.     For publications e.g. Der Stern in Hamburg and Hessische/Neiderschasische Allgemeine (HNA) ...

By: Haroon Baloch BERLIN: Germans, avid football watchers, prepared heavily for the semi-final of Euro Cup 2012 between Deutschland and Italy. The Brandenburg Tor is usually thronged with people around 4.5 million as per the rough estimates.

By: Haroon Baloch                      First output of ICFJ training in Colombo: Produced by Haroon Baloch                               Colombo: Rickshaw, a symbolic way of transport in South Asia, is considered as an economically viable and pleasant mean to commute around in Sri Lanka. International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) conducted a workshop in last week of April, 2012 while assembling 23 journalists from South Asia to train them in New media, new challenges: best practices in the digital age for South Asia. Seasoned journalists from United States, Indonesia and Sri Lanka trained these young lot of journalists with special focus on Multimedia, Online Journalism and Climate Change.

By: Haroon Baloch Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's film Saving Face claimed the first ever Oscar in the history of Pakistan in 2012 that not only focuses on the acid attack crime in Pakistan, but enacts the real story of violence against women in South Asia. "We must have to end this crime and need a speedy and robust legislation through speedy courts and change the mindset against women", said Sharmeen Chinoy while talking to this correspondent after a discussion Higher Education Commission and US Embassy in Islamabad organized in the capital. The event was live streamed across the 65 campuses of universities in Pakistan. When it comes to implementation, Sharmeen told that firstly we must have confidence in our law enforcing authorities and secondly need to follow the way Bangladesh worked on this issue. Although she exaggerated the results of the study she referred, but cited an example that definitely can be followed for better results. "Bangladesh has signi...

By: Haroon Baloch April 1, 2012  Statue of Priest from Mohenjo Daro Nations who remember their past have survived – heritage ensures the survival of cultures and those less likely bother about their heritage are crippled in ensuring their survival. The land where Pakistanis dwell has witnessed the footprints of eminent warriors like Nadir Shah, Mehmud Ghaznavi, Halaku Khan, and rules of great emperors like Moguls Shahansha Akbar, Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan, etc. Incredible to this adds when archeologists find thousands of years old Budha civilizations in early 20 th century at Taxila, Mohenjodaro and Harappa . Similarly another type of heritage belongs to shrines like Chanan Pir, Bahauddin Zakariya, Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Shah Shams Tabrez, Pak Pattan, etc. The marvels of centuries old forts in Southern Punjab , Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and parts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa are also part of our rich cultural heritage. These incredible forts include but are not limited to Qil...