98th Anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated in Pakistan

Written by Progressive Youth Alliance

The Progressive Youth Alliance in collaboration with the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign organized activities on the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in many cities of Pakistan.

Sindh: Karachi – A public meeting was organized at the Karachi Arts Council. At this occasion Lal Khan’s book “Whither China?” was also inaugurated. The meeting was presided by Professor Sehar Ansari while Dr. Lal Khan was the chief guest. Other speakers at the occasion were famous column writer Najm ul Hassan Ata, Dr. Jafar, Manzoor Razi from Railways, Labour leader Ayub Qureshi, student leader from BSO , Zareef Rind, and PYA organizer Karachi Tassawar Qaisarani. Comrade Paras Jan was the stage secretary. Workers from Pakistan Steel and other industries were present at the occasion along with students from various educational institutes of Karachi.

Read more » http://www.marxist.com/98th-anniversary-of-bolshevik-revolution-celebrated-in-pakistan.htm

Pakistan has 10,159 trillion cubic feet of shale gas deposits: USAID

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has massive deposits of 10,159 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of shale gas and 2.3 trillion barrels of oil – estimates that are several times higher than figures given by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), reveals a study conducted with the help of US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Read more » The Express Tribune
See more » http://tribune.com.pk/story/994883/hydrocarbon-presence-pakistan-has-10159-tcf-of-shale-gas-deposits-usaid/

Shame of inequality

By FAISAL BARI

JAVED’S mother insisted that we, the owners/managers of a motorcycle repair shop, hire her son as an apprentice even if it was with no pay. We refused as Javed was only eight years old. His mother’s logic was simple. “I cannot feed him at home, he cannot go to school as I cannot afford it, and we need any money that Javed can make. Even if you do not pay him for an initial period, he will get lunch here and will also learn a skill. That is enough.”

We made some arrangements for Javed. But there are millions of Javeds in Pakistan. Even though, and there is evidence for this, absolute poverty has gone down in the country, inequality has, by all estimates, increased significantly. This does not mean there are no poor people in Pakistan. There are still plenty of them. But the percentage of people living a life of absolute deprivation is lower than before.

The story is one about poverty and the extremes of inequality this society appears to be willing to live with.

Yet, not only has inequality increased manifold, it seems the progress we had been making on reducing infant mortality, maternal mortality, malnutrition in children and morbidity has slowed down significantly and, in some cases, disappeared. This is quite a paradox: poverty is down but why are child and mother health indicators not improving? Is it a case of time lags? Or is there something more to it?

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1220930