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Afghanistan provides a significant geographical linkage for the regions of the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Asia; therefore, its stability is utmost important for regional as well as broader global accord. The two and half decades of the US military engagement inside Afghanistan had a qualified success as far as peace and stability goals were concerned. The Doha talks focused on the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and the internal dialogues among the Afghan stakeholders. Here, the United States, China and Pakistan’s stakes inside Afghanistan became very significant in the context of counter- terrorism and peace. However, the policies of these three significant powers diverge over major elements of security and peace in the region. This paper attempts to explore such divergence and convergence in the multinational peace building approach in Afghanistan. A mixed methodology approach is used to investigate such divergence and convergence in the multinational approach to Afghanistan in the region. The findings of the paper suggest that the two major powers, the US and China are strategically involved in countering each other’s influence and retaining their dominance in Central Asian region, including Afghanistan. For Pakistan on the other hand, the major adversary to contain and confine in the region is India. The paper argues that the three nations can benefit on a common ground if a multilateral approach to peace building is carried out prudently for the sake of a long-term peace and stability in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of narcotics in Pakistan is mainly looked at as if it is something isolated from the political games that are played at regional and global levels. This research is partially an attempt to explain why this could not be the case. It looks at the connections between regional and global divisions of power relationships to set stage for understanding the flaws in our conception of the menace of drugs and their proliferation in our society at certain moments in our history. The role of shadow economy in this context has also remained under researched. This paper attempted to address these gaps in knowledge that mislead, misdirect our understanding and conception of drugs and their use, as well as affecting our effectively reacting to these social problematics. The conclusions drawn are the way forward for our policy making apparatuses. Pakistan is signatory to a number of bilateral and multilateral pacts and treaties on narcotics control. It also has vibrant national anti-narcotics and illicit drugs prevention policies and various task forces to deal with the menace of use and abuse of banned substances like National Anti-Narcotics Council (NANC), Ministry of Narcotics Control, Inter-Agency Task Force, Anti- Narcotics Force, National Anti-Narcotics Policy. Despite all these efforts, use and abuse of drugs is on the rise. In the present international scenario, especially the FATF related policies, international pressure and procedures, use of narcotics is no longer an isolated incident but rather part of a very huge ensemble of problems for Pakistan to deal with. Legally, there are no barriers to going after the complete eradication of the narcotics in Pakistan. In other words, the problem is not having the required legal and administrative cover to prevent the use, sale, and import of narcotics in Pakistan. There is plenty of cover available to drug enforcement agencies but still the menace of drug control is on the rise. This gives rise to many problematics. Why is it the case that with so much international cooperation the menace of illicit drugs is on the rise? Could this be the result of what international relations theorists refer to as "the shadow economy" which fuels this massive inflow of drugs, appropriately labelled as "Afghan opiates," in Pakistan? What are the bottlenecks that prevent implementation of narcotics control policies? Are there other factors that hamper effective implementation of avowed national commitment against the use and abuse of narcotics in Pakistan? Is shadow economy, that the world has failed to harness, something that Pakistan can tackle with its limited resources? Or are there any capacity issues and double-dealings that leave the strongly worded national commitment against banned substances in the lurch? Answers to these pressing questions have been sought in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to explore the gender -- specific impact of post-9/11 terrorism acts in Pakistan, with a particular focus on the parents of the children killed in the terrorist attacks on Army Public School in Peshawar, in 2014. The paper dwells deep into exploring how the parents have been impacted and examines the many ways by which the victims have devised coping strategies in response to traumatic events. This study uses Galtung's structural violence theory as a theoretical framework to examine the psychological impact on the parents, with structural violence in this context referring to post-9/11 terrorism acts in Pakistan. This study adopted a sequential exploratory design. By using a stratified random sampling technique, a total of 216 participants were selected, comprising 133 Direct Victims and 83 Indirect Victims. Data collection involved a mixed method approach - both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Primary data was collected through structured interviews and a standardized questionnaire called Lieber's scale of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to measure the level of post-traumatic stress. Subsequent processing and tabulation followed by statistical examination to assess the psychological impact of post-9/11 terrorism in Peshawar. Finding indicates that the symptoms of PTSD were still evident among all participants even after nine years of terrorist attack. Participants who were directly exposed to trauma displayed more symptoms of psychological distress as compared to those who were indirectly exposed. The results also indicate a surprising and rather significant development in gender focused research with male parents exhibiting significantly high level of PTSD in comparison to women victims. Observations from the primary data showing men demonstrating higher level of PTSD, brings interesting propositions to gender research, where explorations around the social and psychological aspects of masculinity, and the multifaceted roles played by men around gender empowerment may prompt intriguing inquiries into gender research. Furthermore, it is recommended that future research must focus on factors that should not only identify the optimal timing for PTSD treatment, but also explore factors that can bring natural recovery. Moreover, the research also facilitates the policy recommendation for development work as well as those agencies including, the government, local and international aid organizations working in the areas affected by violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of humankind, lunar eclipse has always captured attention and imagination of human beings. This study is an anthropological attempt to describe prevailing perceptions and myths about lunar eclipse and resultant religious and cultural practices in some of the rural areas of Central Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose, qualitative research techniques of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions have been used to understand and untangle the strings of indigenous perpetuations about a celestial phenomenon. The research findings showed multiple sets of socio-cultural and religious beliefs and practices which have been followed through generations that demonstrate the richness of culture and mythological value of local verbal tales. Perceptions include fear of God, remembering the day of judgment, good or bad luck, and occurrence of disease. Practices include praying, charity, taking certain precautions to avoid the disease, and doing some religious and cultural rituals. Some unique folktales are also narrated by the respondents of the locale which have specific socio-cultural meanings for them. The paper describes all these perceptions and practices in two main parts: socio-cultural perceptions and practices and religious perceptions and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An election is a critical component of democratic governance. In the formation of an elected government, elections play a decisive role. The Election Commission of Pakistan derives its authority from the constitution of Pakistan 1973. It deals with conducting elections in constitutional intervals. The Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan is the head of this institution. However, the forty-eight-year electoral history of Pakistan is full of accusations, rigging, and malpractices. The defeating parties do not accept the electoral results that create uncertainty, political instability, and erode democracy. The paper examines the "Part VIII of the constitution of Pakistan." It delves into the electoral history and critically evaluates the role of subsequent elected governments in manoeuvring the disagreements over the results of the General Election. It argues with electoral reforms and analyses their applicability in the next general elections. It answers why these reforms did not resolve electoral issues. The paper contributes to clarifying ambiguities that persist with elections. It identifies issues and suggests recommendations to make the electoral process transparent. This research is conducted using various approaches, i.e., critical, analytical, deductive, and qualitative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taliban resistance against the various Afghan governments continued in the post-2001 period which finally culminated in their agreement with the United States of America (USA) for the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in February 2020 and the subsequent capture of Kabul from President Ashraf Ghani in September 2021. Pakistan once again played a pivotal role in this US-Taliban agreement with a hope to achieve its regional objectives of discouraging Afghanistan from its claim on Durand Line, countering India to seek further influence in Afghanistan, tackling the menace of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inside Pakistan and taking benefits from regional economic and commercial developments. To add to the surprise of Pakistan, the Taliban government repeated the Afghan claim on Durand Line as an international border, provided active support to TTP, allowed India to complete the ongoing projects and also failed to help Pakistan in realizing its dream of accessing the Central Asian markets on account of sanctions on their government. This research paper seeks to answer the question that what dilemmas Pakistan faces after the establishment of Taliban government in Afghanistan once again after a gap of 20 years? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment is a popular approach concerning women and development. Empowerment considers gender needs from practical and strategic perspectives. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) emphasizes that for eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women requires that women be appropriately empowered to make decisions relating to their interests. Pakistan ratified CEDAW in 1996. CEDAW's article 14 caters to the empowerment of rural women by ending discriminatory practices and tendencies and strengthening their societal roles and meeting their needs. Concerning the Pakistan earthquake recovery effort, it was claimed that women were provided with social and economic opportunities so as to empower them in the long-run in terms of inclusion in decision-making processes. This paper explores and discusses adherence to CEDAW's article on women empowerment as part of the recovery effort in general in the Earth Quake Affected Areas (EQAAs). This study adopted a desktop based thematic review of the issues affecting the role of women during the recovery effort by relying on policy documents as well as CEDAW shadow reports and case studies undertaken in the EQAAs. A careful analysis reveals that concerning strengthening the role of women and their empowerment, the recovery effort produced successes and failures. The achievements in terms of socioeconomic opportunities concerning women empowerment outweigh the weaknesses. The paper concludes that rural women belonging to the earthquake affected areas will achieve socio-economic outcomes in terms of social emancipation, which will bring them closer to women residing in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A legislature is one of the strongest pillars of a state where legislation is made with the consent of the two-thirds majority of the House. The legislative body of Pakistan comprised President, National Assembly, and Senate. The National Assembly forms on the basis of General Elections in which people elect their representatives to make laws for them. In Pakistan's chequered political history, this institution remained unable to establish credibility in society. Since the promulgation of the Constitution of 1973, the Lower House has been dissolved seven times by either military or civilian rulers, and it also remained non-existent until ten years. As per the Constitution, it was dissolved only once in 1977 on the advice of the Prime Minister to the President. General elections were also held during military regimes, and the House had been formed under it, but there was a difference between the legislation passed during civilian and military-led eras. The paper examines the role of the Lower House in the Constitution of 1973. It deals with its mandate and responsibilities. It analyses the legislation passed from this House during military and civilian rule periods, including the amendment bills that affected the governance system in Pakistan. It identifies issues and challenges the lower House has to face in regard to its smooth functioning. The paper suggests recommendations to improve the sanctity and credibility of this House that leads to strengthening democracy in Pakistan. The paper adopts analytical, qualitative, and deductive approaches to carry on this research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to understand the dynamics of United States aid assistance to Pakistan in the light of post 9/11 security developments in the world. The analysis of US foreign policy aid instruments generally indicates three broad objectives: strategic/politico-security benefits, economic interests and humanitarian concerns. Although one consistently recurring theme in US foreign policy aid provision, both in the Cold War period and the newer post 2001 'War on Terror' period has been security. This theme has also defined US-Pakistan aid relationship in different times, with the exception of Bush administration, who unlike the Cold War period made an alteration by specifying funds for purpose-based usage in sub-fields. This paper argues that Bush administration sought to achieve US foreign policy objectives by providing strategic aid to Pakistan much at the expense of domestic public opinion. It further stresses that change in administration in the US brought obstacles in aid flows to Pakistan as President Obama not only reduced the amount of aid under specific heads, but also openly accused Pakistan of fomenting the militants (the good Taliban), which in turn hurt the US broader strategic goals in the region and raised irreconcilable issues of trust between the two countries. The new administration of Trump went a step ahead by suspending many of the aid programmes to Pakistan, bringing the all-time trust-deficit between the two countries to an all-time low. This paper primarily applies the realist and neo-realist theoretical framework to understand the aid and security relationship paradigm between the US and Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tendencies of centralization of power in Pakistan since independence led to many constitutional and political controversies. It culminated in the shape of seceding of one part (East Pakistan) in 1971. It was hoped to get a lesson from this great tragedy but in vain. In the post-1971 period, the case of KP in respect of its grievances against the center on the subject of tobacco and revenue generated from the associated industry is a glaring example. In 2010, an attempt was made in the 18th amendment to re-regulate the centerprovince relations. However, keeping in view the control of the federal government over Pakistan Tobacco Board and tobacco revenue not only a bone of contention between the province and center rather it also questions the claim of ensuring provincial autonomy in the 18th amendments. Tobacco has the potential to transform the rural economy by creating huge opportunities for employment, revenue for the national exchequer, and earnings for the local concerned people. Tobacco contributes more than half of federal excise duty (FED) to the national exchequer. This paper examines the taxation system of tobacco, its division, and utilization issues and an attempt to discuss comparatively the steps taken about resources distribution among the federating units and its outcomes. In-depth interviews and focused group discussions with the concerned policymakers, farmers, politicians and political workers and stakeholders of the targeted area remained the main sources of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thesis writing carries a pivotal place in accomplishment of the postgraduate degree. Research supervision for post-graduation has been a subject of social sciences across societies, demanding critical analysis of the student-centered paradigm shift in the higher education. The aim of this paper is to unpack issues of how a postgraduate student could define a postgraduate research supervision based on his/her lived experience. Furthermore, this also aims to unearth and explore 'good' and 'bad' supervision practices experienced in the context of the Pakistani Higher Education Institutions (HEI) from postgraduate students' perspective. To understand the situation in Pakistan, this study employed qualitative methodology and used a sample of 40 postgraduate students (including 20 MS/M. Phil and 20 Ph.D) via a purposive sampling technique. The study was restricted to social sciences' students in two public sector universities in Islamabad. Using an interview guide, students' responses were recorded in a series of face to face in-depth interviews. Michel Foucault's theories were used as a theoretical framework to explore the question: How do postgraduate supervisees experience their relationship with their supervisors and how interpersonal and institutional power dynamics implicated in these relationships. The overall conclusion that surfaced from the study's findings is that the existing practices of postgraduate supervision lack mentoring ethics and practices to cater to the needs and expectations of postgraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article addresses the question “What are the impacts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the economy of Pakistan”. Here a matter of concern is whether the IMF program has an overall positive impact on the growth of the economy of Pakistan or has just increased the debt burden. Positive impacts include solving the issue of balance of payment, stabilizing the foreign exchange reservoirs, bringing improvement in its exports, and providing money for imports. The negative impacts included the devaluation of Pakistani currency, increased burden of foreign debt, increased excise duties, discouraged investment, and dictate Pakistan in controlling the stock exchange. A qualitative research approach is utilized to examine the impacts of the IMF on the economy of Pakistan. It has been observed from the study that IMF has both positive and negative impacts on the economy of Pakistan. This study explores and analyses in detail the impacts of IMF loans on economic stabilization processes in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani Siddiqui (1926-2003) who did not believe in separating religion from politics joined active politics in 1970. His journey from passive to active politics was gradual. Though he started taking part in politics by establishing 'National Guards' in 1940's to further the cause of All India Muslim League of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian Sub-continent, However, soon after the partition, following the footsteps of his father Maulana Shah Abdul Aleem Saddiqui (1892-1955), Maulana Noorani concentrated more on the missionary activities. Along with this he also participated in the Anti-Qadiani Movement in 1953 and later elected as the senior vice president of the Jamiat-i- Ulema-i- Pakistan (JUP) West Pakistan in 1955.After the death of his father in the same year Maulana Noorani took full charge of his father's missionary work abroad (1955-1969) and remained fully committed to it. During this time period he remained unknown in Pakistani politics until, in 1970, he presided over a historical meeting of the leading Ulama and Masha'ikh of Ahl-i-Sunnat wa Jammat held in Darul ulum Hizb-ul-Ahnaf Lahore, which resulted in the unification of various groups of the JUP and gave birth to a 'united' political party of Ahl-i Sunnat. This paper had presented a critical review of Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani's early political career, showing that how he roused from the office bearer JUP Karachi to the position of JUP parliamentary leader and one of the leading political figures of the country. The paper also focused on his role in the victory of his party in 1970 election, strong opposition of socialism, propagation of Nizam-i-Mustafa, democracy and efforts to keep the country united. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family is an important agent for transmission of the norms and values of a dominant culture. It both imparts and preserves the culture and value system of a society or a community. Alongside family, political parties in Pakistan also try to inculcate certain values in the members of the society in general, and their party members in particular. The available literature shows that Jamaat-i- Islami (JI) an important religio-political party in Pakistan, has its own clear perspective regarding an ideal Muslim society and the role of individuals in that society. This paper focuses on the role of JI-affiliated families to examine the manner in which children are politically socialized. It tries to investigate the question whether the family influences the future political orientation of the children? The paper utilizes the fieldwork conducted in district Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been the only electoral winning bastion of JI in Pakistan for the last fifty years. Based on the data collected through interviews from JI affiliates, the study validates the argument that family plays very significant role in politically socializing its young members. Political and social concepts along-with religious ideas found in members of JI are thus transmitted to younger generation more through parents in the family then educational institutions, peer groups or mass media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on survey data for urban Pakistan, this paper tries to investigate subjective well-being across the life span, taking various socioeconomic factors into account. The results suggest that well-being is positively associated with being male, educational attainment as well as the health and employment status. Living in a relatively affluent area contributes positively as well. In contrast to empirical evidence on industrialized countries, happiness increases with the number of children. Our results moreover suggest a U-shaped age- happiness pattern. Taken together, these findings corroborate the notion of children offering insurance to the elders against economic risks in countries where the social safety net is relatively weak. Providing a subjective well-being perspective, this study may therefore also add to our understanding of the relatively high birth rates in many developing countries, giving rise for appropriate policy considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every region and people has peculiar economic characteristics and these features largely have roots in that region's social structure, social psychology and its dynamics. The capitalist economy of the United States has roots in individualism and Protestant Work Ethic, influenced both by Protestant religion and the social character of the Americans; the Client Economy of Saudi Arabia has deep linkages to its tribal social structure and the so-called Bazaar Economy of Afghanistan is profoundly embedded in the Pakhtun social structure of the country. The Pakhtuns of Pakistan have a peculiar social structure and social psychology thereof having profound and extensive influence on the region's economy particularly its largely underdeveloped condition. The paper explores the characteristics of Pakhtun social structure and the interactive linkages between the social edifice and economic development or lack of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women entrepreneurship is getting an ever increased attention in the recent era. Women entrepreneurs are appearing as potential players in Pakistan's economy. Women are more than 50% of the national population and are economically utilizing their potential that not only leads to individual growth but household wellbeing. Literature has mostly documented the gender bias, the opportunities and constraints faced by women entrepreneurs. However, how significantly these women entrepreneurs contribute to the wellbeing of their households have not been explored yet. Therefore, the current paper attempts to explore the role of women owned entrepreneurial ventures in their household wellbeing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A Qualitative approach is adopted to conduct the research study. Primary data is collected through face to face in-depth interviews with 30 women entrepreneurs through purposive sampling technique. The research study explored that women entrepreneurs are making significant contributions towards the education, health and raising living standards of their households thereby, increasing the overall wellbeing of their households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporal punishment is the most debated issues around the globe. In Pakistan it has the support of cultural, social and religious doctrine. This paper aims to understand the real meaning of Islamic teachings with respect to child socialization and character building as corporal punishment is one of the methods used for this purpose. In order to have an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon ten religious scholars were selected purposively for the study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews using asn interview guide. Discourse analysis method was used for the data analysis process. In order to ensure the anonymity and confidently of the participants data was coded. The study reported that corporal punishment is the outcome of deviation from the real philosophy of Islamic teachings as Islam focuses on the virtues of mercy, kindness, love and affection while dealing with the children whilst at the same time Islam also supports corporal punishment but under certain guidelines and restrictions. The study recommended that providing proper training to teachers on the alternative method of behaviour modification, overcoming the teachers own issues and frustration, proper monitoring and accountability mechanism, proper legislation and following the real meaning of Islamic teachings in dealing with the children and for their socialization and character-building process will be helpful for overcoming the of corporal punishment of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistani politics is full of political rhetoric. Attractive slogans are used by leaders of political parties to inspire and set the mood of public about a particular issue. Even parliament is neglected by politicians. This political immaturity led the nation towards street politics and polarization in the society. Due to elements of intolerance in politics, leadership could not find consensus and viable solutions. The paper analyzes political rhetoric; slogan politics and role of parliament in Pakistan especially focusing on the first one year of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz's (PML-N) current government. In this context, political parties and their leaders' popular statements particularly in print media containing rhetoric and slogans to resolve two important issues i.e. electoral reforms and energy crisis has been examined. Political parties' initiatives in the form of calling attention notices, questions, resolutions, bills, motions and point of orders in the parliament have also been assessed followed by recommendations. The paper highlights that politicians generally use rhetoric and slogan politics instead of using parliament to satisfy the public on various issues. The paper recommends that political parties should enhance intellectual depth of party members and leaders so that they can effectively use the forum of parliament for resolving issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative paper draws on the notions of capital, habitus and field to explore parental perceptions about education and their children's secondary schooling in Peshawar, Pakistan. The setting for the study is two contrasting but mutually reciprocating urban and rural contexts; using purposive sampling, the data were gathered from parents through interviews and focus group discussions. The paper demonstrates that culture informs and perpetuates parental perceptions about instilling norms and values in children through education. Moreover, it decodes and explicates the common and ordinary language of parents that underpins the metaphorical dimensions of seeing the world and education from a number of visual and physical characteristics and within which education's role as capital, potential and propensity for making a difference to one's life is deeply intertwined and culturally embedded. The gendered dimensions and perspectives have emerged as important predictors in which patriarchal norms and masculinity obscure, curtail and constrain girls and women's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a developing country like Pakistan where financial and labor markets are immature, trade is not very much open with low per capita income and high output risk shows economic and financial uncertainty by disturbing behavior of saving and portfolios that changes people s' decisions about family size. In this paper ARDL model is used to examine variations in fertility preferences using time series data by looking into statistical relationship between different demographic and economic variables. The result shows that fertility rate is definitelyassociated with infant death rate, participation of female in labor force while adverselylinked with real income, unemployment, inflation and GDP growth rate. High unemployment rates increase insecurities about labor market, while increases in real income motivate people towards luxuries so their fertility rate decreases. In order to reduce fertility rate the Government of Pakistan has to expand immunization programme and family health clinics to improve child's health to reduce infant/child mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how and to what extent the violent conflict in the North Waziristan Tribal District of Pakistan distorted the traditional social structure, which embodies the informal social institutions of Jirga and Hujra. This violent conflict between 2004 and 2014 has appeared as one of the most urgent and crucial humanitarian and development concerns for Pakistan where the whole region was under the siege of Talibanization and government was completely absent until the launch of military operation Zarb-e-Azb in June 2014 against the Taliban. Several studies have been conducted so far on the causes and consequences of this violent conflict, but most of these studies focused on the political dimensions even though the significant volatility of the region in recent times should be investigated empirically. This study adopted qualitative methodological and interpretive approaches to collect primary data from the study area. The study finds that the informal institutions like Jirga (council of elders), and Hujra (common male guesthouse) were being the prime targets of both the Taliban and security forces during the violent conflict. Moreover, the jirgawas used as a source of fund-raising by the Taliban groups in North Waziristan. Resultantly, these institutions lost its centuries-old traditional structure and underwent significant transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor growth of musharakah-based finance in the context of Pakistani Islamic banking is the main motivation behind this study. The literature identifies several factors for this poor growth. Among these, the direct influence of internal and external factors on the application of musharakah has gained crucial theoretical and empirical support. This study aims to identify the influence of internal control systems (internal factor) via the moderating role of government policies (external factor) on the growth of musharakah-based finance in Pakistani Islamic banking. To begin with, this study uses exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the underlying structure of items, and PLS-SEM to identify possible effects on data collected from 92 respondents. Results indicate the existence of partial moderation at a 10% level of significance (t-value=1.876, p-value=0.061). Since this paper tests the moderating variable, develops a theoretical framework, and uses Smart PLS 3 as methodological contributions improving upon existing literature. The study concludes by identifying future research opportunities and considering other variables with mediating effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the historical research of Azad (Independent/free) Schools system, of Khyber Pukhtunkhwah1 Pakistan in the early nineties against the British educational system. The study scrutinises the role of Azad schools for the Pukhtun uplift, the eradication of social evils and un-Islamic customs from the society. After gaining power in the Indian subcontinent (1857) the British Government introduced a new educational system of their own, this was alien to the people of India. Resultantly it created a sense of reaction among the Indians in general and the Muslims in particular, as their old educational system was destroyed by the new ruler. Lord Macauly (British educationist) gave a death blow to the vernacular languages, when the medium of instruction was changed to English in 1835, to produce the most obedient servants of Indians but English in flavour and propensity. The aim of this study is to explore the Muslims' educational, social and political responses and how far they succeeded against all odds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welfare provision has become a state concern in the world beginning from the 19th century. This paper argues that in the case of Pakistan the welfare model is Sui Generes, largely due to the existence of a Military-Bureaucratic oligarchy. It also argues that state policies towards welfare have been inconsistent due to political and social instability. This, as a result, has led to a deepening of social strife in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees' deviant behavior has become a serious concern for employers as it puts organizational productivity at stake. The current study examined the existing unethical and immoral practices in the higher education faculty from the perspective of management. In order to achieve this goal, the study determined how faculty members' attitudes and perceptions towards moral standards and codes of conduct in Pakistan's higher education institutions manifest themselves in their actions while at work. Purposive sampling was used in combination with participant observation to conduct 19 interviews with the management of Pakistan's top universities, adhering to the qualitative tradition. As analytical techniques, pattern matching and cross-case analysis were applied. The findings revealed several intentional deviant behaviors that harm the work quality of academics. It is therefore important to address all such issues to preserve the quality of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal Displacement is one of the major issues Pakistan is facing. Pakhtuns living in FATA and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have mainly been displaced by conflict. Numerous large and small-scale military operations have been carried out in the whole of FATA and Malakand division to eliminate militancy. However, it is largely the local noncombatant population which bears the brunt of both militancy and counter militancy military operations. The number of the displaced persons from FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is around six million. Protection of this large displaced population became problematic for a country facing multiple challenges- on political, security and economic fronts. The displaced persons are "orphans of the conflict" who are in dire need of protection and sustenance during displacement. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998) is a non-binding but comprehensive document on the issue of displacement. It aims to provide guidance to states facing displacements. Protection of the displaced persons is one of the cross-cutting themes of the Guiding Principles Moreover, it deals with all stages of displacement such as predisplacement situation, during displacement and after return situation. This paper examines the protection problems of IDPs- predominantly Pakhtuns - displaced from Malakand and FATA in the light of the Guiding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "Pashtun" is an ethnonym, idealized for its association with bravery, dignity, love of honour, and hospitality. However, the term began to lose its ideal shades after 9/11. The cause has its connection with violence, misogynist attitude, suicide, and terrorism erroneously attributed to it in the print and non-print media of the West. This paper is an attempt to analyze the pictures as presented in the works of three literary writers: Rudyard Kipling, Ghani Khan and Khaled Hosseini. Both Kipling and Khan are drawn to the positive aspects of the ethnonym with their focus on the concepts of heroism, hospitality, sense of honour, dignity, and other socially productive constructs. However, the picture in Hosseini's novels: The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2005), And the Mountains Echoed (2014) is dark and discouraging, prompting one to study both as social or environmental constructs that change their meanings under the influence of the forces controlled by the media, politics, and socio-economic conditions. The focal objective of the research is to strike a balance between the pre and- post 9/11scenarios, in search of reinventing a new and objective image, one may say. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study mainly elaborates the viewpoint of leadership of higher education institutions regarding intercultural and multicultural harmony. The study also explores the real circumstances at higher education about the integration of intercultural education into mainstream proceedings. The current study was exploratory in nature consequently by nature it was descriptive research and for this paper qualitative approach was adopted. Due to the said purpose the public universities of Sindh, Pakistan, were selected as a population. A sample of one hundred seventy two deans, heads, senior faculty / professors & associate professors working at the status of leadership were selected with the help of multistage sampling from different universities of Sindh, Pakistan. The open ended questionnaire was used as a research instrument for data collection. On the basis of received data, through coding system five primary themes/domains were finalized which were further divided into twenty six subthemes/categories as per the items of tool. Study helped to conclude that the diversified opinions of intercultural education and multiculturalism is needed to be streamlined to have holistic and uniform understanding about the term and its application, on the other hand this diversity of understanding motivates leaders to think the similar concept from different angles, contexts and dimensions to understand and apply. Majority of the recommendations were given to concern authorities mainly that authority should issue precise occasionally renewable guidelines for HEIs to include inter-cultural harmony at diverse levels throughout the institute or University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to analyze and discuss how cultural elements have been used in advertising, targeting a specific cultural group. Eight exhibits from a purposively selected television ad of the cellular services provider Mobilink have been analyzed using visual and cultural analysis. The exhibits have been utilized as a tool of visual rhetoric. The findings of the study reveal that many elements of Pukhtun culture like Pukhtunwali, Hujra, dance, respect, authority of elders and music etc. are depicted in the selected TV ad. The portrayal of Pukhtun women and their role, however, was found to be problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is about the inspection of the multidimensional poverty level and changes with time. Three sample countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India) are taken from the South Asian Region to measure the depth of multidimensional poverty and inequality among the deprived individuals by using Alkire and Foster (2011) "Dimension Adjusted" or headcount ratio measure, Rippin (2010) Class of Ordinal Poverty measures, and Chakravarty and D'Ambrosio (2006) Class of Poverty measures. These all three approaches are counting-based approaches that are used on ordinal variables. The data of three main dimensions (Education, Health and Standard of Living) which is further divided into ten indicators is used for this study. The secondary data is used, which is extracted from Demographic Health Surveys (DHS). The last three surveys of DHS is used in this study, which was conducted in different period. Results of all three countries are compared and showed that India is having more poverty followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan. Change in inequality component among deprived individuals is recorded almost similar in all three sample countries. The finding of this study shows that all three techniques are providing insightful information about the depth and component inequality among deprived individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article explores the relationship between smartphone usage and job performance among professionals working in the leading electronic media channels in Pakistan. Furthermore, it also examines how gender, education, and age act as moderators in the relationship between smartphone usage and job performance. For this purpose, a survey was carried out involving professionals belonging to the electronic media industry in Pakistan. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between their smartphone usage and job performance. The results also showed that the gender of employees did not moderate this relationship, while the education and the age were found to be significant moderators. The study will help the media owners in devising the policies and strategies to facilitate their workers in easy utilization of smartphones for work related tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afghanistan has always drawn the attention of the world due to its geo-strategic location. Its proximity with the Central Asian States makes it more important for the world. The 9/11 episode, US intervention in Afghanistan and now the drawdown of ISAF from Afghanistan have further compelled both Pakistan and India to play a zero-sum game there. This has given great momentum to the Indo- Pak rivalry each with its own set of stated objectives and strategies. This paper analyzes the Indo-Pak rivalry in the post 9/11 scenario. This will also analyze the different objectives and strategies adopted by both the archrivals to increase their rivalry against each other. For Pakistan, Afghanistan is more important for its strategic significance and easy access to the CARs. India, on the other hand, seeks all the objectives that are hostile to Pakistan in order to deprive Pakistan of her strategic depth in Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for wood is increasing with the rapid population growth in Pakistan. To cater for this rise in demand, Pakistan Government has decreased import duty on wood and products of wood in the country from 16 to 11 percent in finance bill of 2017. With this backdrop, this research quantifies the impact of reduced tariff duty of wood at household level and economy wide by applying Commutable General Equilibrium model. MyGTAP model is standardized by applying GTAP Data base and latest available Social Accounting Matrix of Pakistan. This updated economic trade model is tailor made model for these types of analysis. The result shows an increase in wood imports by US$ 41million. There is a positive impact on Real GDP, household income, but Pakistan government income will decrease by 0.08 percent due to reduction in tariff. Household analysis revealed that rural small farmers and non-farm workers' timber demand in Pakistan will escalate by 10 percent in relations to other communities. Policy makers and planners can best utilize these results in planning and implementation process for improving effectiveness of policies?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study discusses the social persuasion advertisers use to implicitly communicate society’s sociocultural norms through visual communication in advertisements, specifically in Pakistan. For instance, the research explores how advertisers, as cultural brokers, represent women by challenging established sociocultural norms by utilising persuasive strategies through visual communication in Pakistani ads. The research comes under the qualitative content analysis paradigm; the data were collected, identified, interpreted, and analysed, focusing on the cultural values/norms represented through women’s dressing and sexually devised postures in Pakistani society. Moreover, the research employed the constant comparison method for the data analysis. Findings indicate that Pakistani advertisers represent women mainly in a stereotypical manner. However, when they deviate from representing her in a non-stereotypical way, they go far beyond the set norms to persuade them quickly. For instance, they found representing women as a posture of sexual appeal to persuade ordinary people’s minds by employing social neuro-persuasion challenging the Pakistani established sociocultural beliefs, norms, or values. These advertisers seem to deviate from traditional ideologies because they minutely know the sensual, desirous nature of most Pakistani men. Henceforth, they represent women as an alluring tool of persuasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thematic Apperception Test is a widely used projective measure of personality assessment. The present research adapted 20 of the most useful TAT cards according to Pakistani culture. The cards were modified by changing the dressing and facial features of the characters showed in the pictures. The cards were given to clinical psychologists for qualitative item analysis. After the final approval both the original and adapted TAT version were applied on 54 respondents (n=34 normal and n=20 psychological patients). Nine judges interpreted TAT protocols according to Bellack’s scoring system on original as well as adapted version. Validity of the adapted version was calculated through convergence between original and adapted versions of TAT cards. Reliability was estimated through percentage of agreement among judges by inter-rater method. The validity ranged from 29.83 for card 7GF to 42.40 for card 9 BM. The average reliability ranged from 9.73 for card 18 BM to 22.79 for card 1. Although the reliability and validity indices of the newly adapted cards were generally low due to the projective nature of TAT, still the adapted version of TAT can be used in clinical settings for diagnostic purposes as well for the assessment of normal population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is among the most protectionist economies of the world and highly protective trade regimes thus calls for an investigation of the determinants of this protectionism. The current study intends to examine the macroeconomic determinants of protectionism in the case of Pakistan employing the Granger Causality test and Impulse Response Function covering a time period from 1988-2018. The results of the Granger Causality test reveal that unemployment & GDP Granger cause the tariff rate and there exists a unidirectional relationship between these two variables with the tariff rate. Contrary to this, the tariff rate is granger caused by the trade balance. Terms of the trade is found to have a bidirectional association with the tariff rate, while there is no evidence of a causal relationship between the tariff rate and inflation. The results of Impulse Response functions reveal that an increase in unemployment and a higher TOT, both are found to be positively associated with an increased level of protectionism. However, a higher level of GDP or economic growth leads to reduce the protectionism thereby reducing the tariff rate. The results of the study are quite pertinent in identifying the core factors inducing a high level of protectionism in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School enrollments at both primary and secondary levels have increased in Pakistan; however, there are serious concerns about quality of education. We study the determinants of school performance using a large data set from 23 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa consisting of 1642 schools. Our findings show that electricity, gas, library and teaching quality have a positive effect on school performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, our results show that science labs and playground have no impact on school performance. Looking at the results of rural and urban schools, we find that electricity and gas has a positive effect in rural schools. We suggest that these basic facilities are precious for better academic achievement of schools in rural areas. Furthermore, our results show that pupils in rural areas perform better in well-constructed schools. Therefore, while allocating the public expenditures, electricity, gas, infrastructure and teaching quality should be the priority to enhance the quality of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is deliberated comprehensively as a gadget for growing financial development, authorizing people, valuing individual incomes, and humanizing a satisfying and elastic atmosphere that concretes the way for a well-off economy. It also offers suggestions gearing the new generations to contract with the contests of markets in the future. Deprived of a vigorous education curriculum, neither economic nor social development is conceivable in Pakistan. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of curriculum of higher education for fostering the economic development and find out relationship between curriculum and economic development. The subjects of this research were university students and sample of 600 university students were selected via stratified and simple random procedure. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics frequency percentage and correlation on SPSS version 28.0. The results exposed the low indications that the Pakistani curriculum is teaching the techniques of financial learning, financial intelligence to its youth. The results found that participants were incapable to capitalize and grasp businesses in the global market to revel in financial independence. Positive descriptions for educational institutes entails to update their curriculum with acquaint practical courses for youth with boosted job scenarios in the marketplace. A robust positive correlation between financial knowledge and job opportunities as an apprise in the curriculum with modern-day mandatory subjects can resulted to enhance opportunities for graduates in the job market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's political participation is sine qua non of women's empowerment movement. Pakistan is a developing democracy where citizens are given equal political rights without any gender discrimination. The Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elected a female as Deputy Speaker for the first time. Report of various organizations on 2013 general elections declared that women's participation in politics have strengthened its roots in Pakistan. Mardan is the 19th largest city of Pakistan and 2nd most populous district of KP Province. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the most affected province of Pakistan in the war against global terrorism nevertheless in the 2013 general elections, the province generally and district Mardan especially witnessed increase in women's political participation. An encouraging number of women casted their votes, contested election, and launched elections campaigns. The research is qualitative and is based on primary and secondary sources. The study explores the changing trends of women's politics in Mardan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study takes on to gauge the evolution of research culture in Pakistan. Primarily it revolves around SWOT analysis of past, present, and future. It seeks expert opinions of faculty members of the Departments of Humanities, and Management Sciences of COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus on open-ended questions. The study finds a recent emergence of certain features of research culture identified in the literature and foresees it's further strengthening in the coming days based on some assumptions? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the US pulled its troops out of Afghanistan, relations between Pakistan and Iran started to return to normal. Both countries have been at odds with each other for a long time because they backed different sides in the Afghan Civil War, and Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals. However, since the US left, both countries have worked to improve their relationships with each other. Pakistan and Iran have signed several agreements and held joint military drills. Iran and Pakistan have also been having regular diplomatic talks to solve their problems and strengthen their relationships. In particular, the two countries have discussed making a free trade agreement to help their economies work together better. As part of a larger plan to increase its power in the area, Iran has also tried to expand its presence in Afghanistan and invest in infrastructure projects. Overall, the US leaving Afghanistan has improved the relationship between Pakistan and Iran; the two countries are working together and talking to each other more. This has been good for the area's stability because it has made it less likely that the two countries will fight. This thematic analysis-based study aimed to investigate the dynamics of relations between Pakistan and Iran. The internal situation in Afghanistan after the US left, the US's role and foreign policy in the region, and India's relations with Iran are all things that have had a significant impact on the political situation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and Afghanistan's relations have always been marked by mistrust and this lack of trust could never be abridged. The mainspring of this lack of trust has been the irredentist claims of Afghanistan over parts of Pakistani territories. Resultantly, Pakistan has been apprehensive of Afghanistan and always considered it to be a potential threat to its territorial integrity. Empirically Pakistan's fears of Afghanistan to its integrity have been misplaced because Afghanistan never had the means to wrench away Pakistani territories. Although Pakistan has always bed n fearful of Afghanistan but before 1970 it had had adopted an off-hand policy regarding its western neighbour. Sardar Daud, who championed Afghan irredentist claims on Pakistan, capturing of power in Kabul in 1973 effected fundamental change in Pakistan Afghan policy. Islamabad started cultivating Afghan mullahs to serve as its protégés. After December 1979 Soviet Union occupation of Afghanistan, Islamabad organized Afghan resistance on its soil thus started Islamabad's profound entanglement in Afghanistan's quagmire. The experience of Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war (1979- 1988) attracted them to take full advantage of the softness of the Afghan state and the political vacuum thereof to locate 'Strategic Depth' in Afghanistan. However, the 'Strategic Depth' policy backfired and Pakistan had to take a U-turn on its Afghan policy in the wake of September 9, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. This paper analyzes the gradual shift in Islamabad's policy towards Afghanistan and its implications bringing out hitherto some unexplored aspects of Pakistan's policy regarding Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impacts of migrants on native and destination areas of Chitral and Peshawar districts, Pakistaifi. In this study district Chitral is the native area, whereas provincial capital Peshawar Is the destination point. Out of total 5,000 migrants, a sample of 500 respondents were randomly selected, consisting of 250 migrants in district Peshawar and 250 respondents of their respective dependent family members in district Chitral. The objective of the study was to assess the impacts of migrants on native and destination areas with reference to dependent variable of migration and independent variable of income. However, the intervening factor was the cost of traveling from Chitral to Peshawar. Primary data was collected using interview schedule as an Instrument. Moreover, Chisquare test was used to explore the relationship in dependent and independent variables. The analysis reveals that therje is non-significant co-relation between purpose of sending money, the persons who manage the remittances in the family at the native place, migrants' frustration in love and affection for their families, tfie development of new habits of the migrants at destination point and monthly income. The analysis further reveals that a positive change in respondent's behavior, effective utilization of remittances and adaptive behavior of migrants at destination has been found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an insight of the miserable condition of the rural journalism in a country like Pakistan. People living in the rural areas of the country are playing a vital role in the national development but they are facing the feelings of deprivation and isolation. The local and regional media are passing through a great crisis while the rural journalists and correspondents are neither facilitated by the government nor supported by their media organizations. This study is based on a survey of a sample of 500 rural journalists working nation-wide in the nooks and corners of the country. It was found that the national mainstream newspapers do not give proper coverage to the issues and problems of the rural areas. The urban based mainstream newspapers and television channels give coverage to urban issues because of the market trend and the financial priorities. It may lead to the phenomenon of communication imbalance and the feelings of deprivation among the rural communities. It has been recommended that the media organizations should eradicate the division of rural and urban and they should give a reasonable coverage to the issues and problems of the rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the connection between Pakistan and China in education through an evaluation of print media. The purpose is to discover how Pakistani media portray the relationship between Pakistan and China from a soft-power perspective. The Down, News and Educationists, three press outlets, have been followed (2010-2019). The data was divided into four streams. Pakistani students moving to China to study in China are included. The second wave studied publications citing Chinese schooling news in Pakistan. In the third flow, the researcher examined articles on the movement of Pakistani education into China. In the fourth flow, the researcher looked at articles on how China improves its education system, policies, and what Pakistan may learn. China and Pakistan have partnered in research and technology, according to the article. The Chinese Government supports Chinese education through several bursaries and bourses and the introduction of numerous technology-based programs for Pakistani students. This study evaluated how China used Soft power to promote Pakistan-China relations and how the print media depicted it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization has expanded labor market interconnectedness, and countries are striving to take advantage of this opportunity by sending their work force to countries where labor is in demand. On the other side, unfavorable events such as COVID-19 can impose restrictions such as lockdowns, travel bans, and social distance, all of which have caused problems for migrant workers and reduced remitted household budget allocation. Using the two-sample t-test and the PLSM 2014-15 dataset, this study compares the budget allocation of remitted and non-remitted households to food and non-food items. In addition, the distribution of remitted households by province and region, as well as remittance sources also determined. The results show that the Punjab province has the highest percentage of remitted households (51%), while Balochistan has the lowest percentage (1.4%). Furthermore, in Punjab, Bank is the most common channel of receiving remittances, whereas Hundi is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The results of a two-sample t-test show that between remitted and nonremitted families, there is a significant difference in mean monthly budget allocation to food and non-food items. Remitted households spend more on food, education, health, and gas usage than nonremitted households on a monthly basis. As a result, the study suggests that increasing job opportunities both inside and outside Pakistan could be a viable policy option for increasing remitted and non-remitted household budget allocation. Enhancing bank remittances channels could be a viable policy option for increasing remittances and consequently increases households' budget allocation to food and non-food items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There had been a lot of debate in Pakistan over the nature of its constitution when it got independence from the British rule in 1947. Islamic parties such as JamiatUlama-i-Islam and Jamat-i-Islami demanded that the constitution of Pakistan should be an Islamic one. However, there existed ambiguity over the form of Islamic constitution as there was no pre-existing model. This article show what an Islamic constitution meant for them and how did their idea of Islamic Constitution evolve? It has taken up the Islamisation of the constitution of Pakistan in three phases i.e., period of concessions and compromises for the first constitution (1956), strategic retreat of the Islamic Parties in the second constitution (1962) and sharpening the pencils again for the third constitution (1973). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and China signed an agreement on November 8, 2014 regarding "China Pakistan Economic Corridor" with initial cost of about US $ 48 billion. The project was declared as a game changer for the entire region by the then premier of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif whereas the Chinese Premier Wang Yi declared the same as the "flagship project" of OBOR initiative. The project would be completed in three phases, i.e. Short-term, medium-term, long-term with proposed dates of 2020, 2025 and 2030 respectively. CPEC is the real face of president Xi's "constructive engagement" policy, will change the fate of the region. Pakistan, at the mouth of "OBOR" initiative would get maximum benefits under "CPEC" project. Economic development will cause political stability. The major objective of the study is to investigate the multifaceted worth of the project and its impact on Pakistan. Analytical and predictive methodology is adopted. This study concluded that the project would upgrade the life standard of the local Pakistani and will bring massive benefits to Pakistan in term of stability, security and development. CPEC will convert Pakistan's location into an asset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to find out the impact of religiosity on the buying intentions of the customer for Islamic banking products with the special social influences in the context of Pakistan. The specific objectives of this study are to gauge the influence of religiosity in particular on the customer intention regarding Islamic banking products, in particular, Islamic auto finance and to evaluate the role of social influences in enhancing or impeding the impact of religion on buying intentions of customers for Islamic products in Pakistani banks. The study used the survey technique where self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the primary data from the users of Islamic auto finance. The quantitative data were analyzed using the regression analysis technique using IBM SPSS 23. The emergent findings reveal that there's a significant relationship between religiosity and buying intentions of the consumers for Islamic banking products where social influences strongly mediate the relationship between religiosity and buying intentions for Islamic banking products. It means that socio-cultural factors, peer group influence, and lifestyle affect the buying intentions of the consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]