Development of nuclear weapons

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 led to Pakistan losing roughly 56,000 square miles (150,000 km2) of territory as well as losing millions of its citizens to the newly created state of Bangladesh. It was a psychological setback for Pakistanis; Pakistan had lost its geo-political, strategic, and economic influence in South-Asia. Furthermore, Pakistan had failed to gather any moral support from its key allies, the United States and the People's Republic of China. Isolated internationally, Pakistan seemed to be in great mortal danger, and quite obviously could rely on no one but itself. At United Nations Security Council meeting, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto drew comparisons with the Treaty of Versailles which Germany was forced to sign in 1919. There, Bhutto vowed never to allow a repeat. Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was "obsessed" with India's nuclear program, that is why Bhutto immediately came up with the idea of obtaining nuclear weapons to prevent Pakistan from signing another 'Treaty of Versailles' as it did in 1971. At the Multan meeting on January 20, 1972, Bhutto stated, "What Raziuddin Siddiqui, a Pakistani, contributed for the United States during the Manhattan Project, could also be done by scientists in Pakistan, for their own people." Raziuddin Siddiqui was a Pakistani theoretical physicist who, in the early 1940s, worked on both the British nuclear program and the US nuclear program. Although a few Pakistanis worked on the Manhattan Project who were also willing to return and do the same for their native Pakistan, Prime Minister Bhutto still needed to recruit and bring in other Pakistani nuclear scientists and engineers who never worked in the United States. This is where Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, a German educated metallurgical engineer, came into the picture. Some of the initial funding came from oil-rich Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

In later years, some funding for the continuation of the nuclear development programme came from the large British Pakistani population. In December 1972, Science Advisor to the President, Dr. Abdus Salam had called theoretical physicists from ICTP to report of Munir Ahmad Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. This marked the beginning of the "Theoretical Physics Group" (TPG). Later, Pakistani theoretical physicists at Institute of Physics of Quaid-e-Azam University also joined the TPG headed by Salam. The TPG, in PAEC, was assigned to took research in the development of nuclear weapon devices, and it had directly reported to Abdus Salam. Professor Salam also had done the groundbreaking work of the "Theoretical Physics Group", which was initially headed by Salam until in 1974 when he left the country in protest. On other side, Munir Ahmad Khan began to work on indigenous development of nuclear fuel cycle and the weapons programme. Munir Ahmad Khan, with his life long friend Abdus Salam, had done a groundbreaking work in the nuclear development, and after Salam's departure from Pakistan, scientists and engineers who were researching under Salam, began to report to directly to Munir Ahmad Khan. In 1974, Munir Ahmad Khan, days after Operation Smiling Buddha, launched the extensive plutonium reprocessing and uranium enrichment programme, and the research facilities were expanded throughout the country.

In 1965, amidst skirmishes that led up to the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto announced:
“     If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass and leaves for a thousand years, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. The Christians have the bomb, the Jews have the bomb and now the Hindus have the bomb. Why not the Muslims too have the bomb?


In 1983, Khan was convicted by a Dutch court in absentia for stealing the blueprints, though the conviction was overturned on a legal technicality. A.Q. Khan then established a proliferation network through Dubai to smuggle URENCO nuclear technology to Khan Research Laboratories. He then established Pakistan's gas-centrifuge program based on the URENCO's Zippe-type centrifuge.

Through the late 1970s, Pakistan's program acquired sensitive uranium enrichment technology and expertise. The 1975 arrival of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan considerably advanced these efforts. Dr. Khan is a German-trained metallurgist who brought with him knowledge of gas centrifuge technologies that he had through his position at the classified URENCO uranium enrichment plant in the Netherlands. He was put in charge of building, equipping and operating Pakistan's Kahuta facility, which was established in 1976. Under Khan's direction, Pakistan employed an extensive clandestine network in order to obtain the necessary materials and technology for its developing uranium enrichment capabilities.

A new directorate, known as Directorate of Technical Development (DTD) under Dr. Zaman Sheikh and Hafeez Qureshi, was established in March 1974 by Munir Ahmad Khan. The DTD was tasked to manufacture chemical explosive lenses, trigger mechanism, and tempers used in atomic weapon. The DTD was later charged with testing Pakistan's first implosion design in 1978, which was later improved and tested on 11 March 1983 when PAEC carried out Pakistan's first successful cold test of a nuclear device, codename Kirana-I. Between 1983 and 1990, PAEC carried out 24 more cold tests of various nuclear weapon designs. DTD had also manufactured a miniaturized weapon design by 1987 that could be delivered by all Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft.

Also, Dr. Ishrat Hussain Usmani’s contribution to the nuclear energy programme, is also fundamental to the development of atomic energy for civilian purposes as he, with efforts led by Salam, established PINSTECH, that subsequently developed into Pakistan’s premier nuclear research institution. In addition to sending hundreds of young Pakistanis abroad for training, he laid the foundations of the Muslim world’s first nuclear power reactor KANUPP, which was inaugurated by Munir Ahmad Khan in 1972. Thus, Usmani laid solid groundwork for the civilian nuclear programme Scientists and engineers under Munir Ahmad Khan developed the nuclear capability for Pakistan within early 1980s, and under his leadership the PAEC had carried a cold test of nuclear device at Kirana Hills, evidently made from non-weaponized plutonium. Former chairman of the PAEC, Munir Ahmad Khan was credited as one of the pioneers of Pakistan's atomic bomb by a recent study from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London's dossier on Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

Pakistani astrophysicist

Dr. Prof. Muhammad Shahid Qureshi or Shahid Qureshi, he is best known as Dr. M. Shahid Qureshi, is a Pakistani astrophysicist and a renowned astronomer. He is an academic and an eminent educationist from Pakistan who has published articles in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy. He is the assistant professor of astrophysics and astronomy at Karachi University and Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA), and also leading ISPA, the country's prominent institution in the field of planetary astrophysics and planetary astronomy. He previously served as an assistant professor of mathematics.

He is an avid supporter of science and technology in Pakistan and has helped directing documentaries concerning about the astrophysics and astronomy. He has also appeared in Geo Television and Dawn News frequently where he briefed the nation on Solar eclipse of July 22, 2009.

He graduated and received a B.Sc. with Honors in Applied Mathematics from Department of Mathematics of University of Karachi in 1979. He then received his M.Sc. in Mathematics from the same institution with specialization in Quantum mechanics, and Astronomy in 1983. In between, he served United Bank Limited, Karachi as a computer programmer to earn his living. In 1983, after getting his Master's degree, he joined as a fellow the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, where he joined the "Mathematical Physics Group", and did preliminary research there.

He left PINSTECH in 1984, and moved to Karachi, Sindh. He joined University of Karachi as a lecturer to fulfill his dream to become a professor of Mathematics. Under the supervision of noted quantum theorist and renowned particle physicist Dr. Khursheed Ather Siddiqui, he did his M.Phil. in Particle physics from University of Karachi, writing a thesis and covered major area in the field of "Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics". In 1989, he moved to the Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics on the directions of the then-Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi, Dr. Zafar Saeed Saifi. Qureshi did his Ph.D. in Nuclear astrophysics and Astronomy from ISPA in 2008.

His doctoral thesis is on the "Earliest Visibility of New Lunar Crescent". He has occasionally lectured in the field computational mathematics at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Currently, he is serving at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (IBA) as the Chaiperson, Department of Mathematical Sciences of the Faculty of Computer Science.

Qureshi joined the teaching profession in 1984 at the University of Karachi. Later, he joined Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. For a brief period he also the Department of Computer Science as a full time Faculty member. Besides, he also taught as visiting faculty at various private sector Universities in Karachi including Institute of Business Administration.

He is a well-known astrophysicist in Pakistan. And, he has given numerous interviews to the media, concerning the fields of physical cosmology, astronomy, and astrophysics. He played an important role in re-establishing the Karachi University's Astronomical Observatory. As a noted space scientist at ISPA, he is engaged in research on Supersymmetric quantum mechanics, lunar phase, light pollution and solar energy.

At the Karachi University, he has maintain vital relationship with the professors from Karachi University. According to him, his professors played an important role in his life and influenced him to gain his doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics. According to an interview given to the Dawn News, it was one his professor who influenced him to gain his doctorate degrees in astronomy. He laments, "In 1990, one of my professors said that very soon Pakistan will be asking the world to send us teachers to teach mathematics and physics as we ran out of them. Today I am forwarding his message: we do not have teachers to teach mathematics and physics".

In 1983, he received his M.Sc. in applied mathematics and M.Phil. in 1995 writing his thesis on Supersymmetric quantum mechanics, from Karachi University. In 2008, he was awarded his an Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Astronomy, in which he wrote his thesis on "the effects of atmospheric conditions on crescent visibility, from the Karachi University.

He has been a vocal advocate for space research in Pakistan. Qureshi had been appeared in different Pakistani news channels and educational channels in which he has been advocating for space research in Pakistan. He has been also planned and sat up the astronomical and astrophysics events at the universities and high schools. With the help of Karachi University's Physics department, he planned a "Space Week event" in ISPA on October 31, 2008.

The event was called "Planet Watch" and a numbers of high school and college students were invited. He also delivered a lecture at the conference in which he urged: "You don’t need any equipment for astronomy. All you need is a pair of eyes and curiosity about the cosmos." As he told the students.

He concluded his lectured and later discloses that he worked as part of the team at Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics that worked on the astronomical objects, astrophysical plasma, and physical cosmology. As he explained:

"According to initial cosmology, the ancients considered the planets to be a total of seven: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and the Moon (also considered planets). Hence, the days of the week were also seven".

Qureshi's articles have been printed in international and national physics journals. He has been a known cited researcher in the field of computer programming while studying at Karachi University. He has been researching to the fields of astrophysics in relation with elementary particle physics and published numerous papers at ISPA. In relation to astrophysics to particle physics, he, once elaborate, while giving a lectured:

"The well-known grand unification theory had two directions of research in the 1980s and ’90s. The Supersymmetric theory appeared as one of the results. The empirical predictions of which, could not be tested till today, due to the absence of laboratories. We will be able to test some predictions of the supersymmetry theory when the Large Hadron Collider functions at its full capability. Particle physics and astrophysics, along wide with astronomy, has remained to explore the nature of forces in the first place and of course which is closely related to cosmology, in which we describe the structure of the universe. So the other aspect of my research was astronomy and astrophysics."

His work has been far reaching and influential. Due to lack to researches to the fields of astrophysics and astronomy; Qureshi's work has been a vital support to an academic research in astrophysics. At SUPARCO, he also helped manufacturing and setting up the space observatory along with the Chinese scientists.

He has been supporting the Satellite Launch Vehicle project program at SUPARCO. He has been also urged that Pakistan should launch its satellites via either Sonmiani or Tilla. In an interview while discussing Pakistan's status on Satellite Launch Vehicle with noted nuclear physicist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy. While in discussion, he urged that missiles have very roboost and effective electronics and computer system, the SLVs used the similar technology. Dr. M. Shahid Qureshi also urges that Pakistan has the basic technology to build an SLV.

He discloses the discussion with Dr. Hoodbhoy and said "If we can launch a missile up to a range of 1,500 km, why not build an SLV that can launch low-atmosphere satellites?" he said. According to Dr. M.S. Qureshi, "we can begin by launching navigation, spy and weather satellites, which can go up to 1,500 km into space. This alone can give us a lot of data that we need to buy now".

    * “Climatic Variability and Linear Trend Models for Major Cities of Pakistan”, Journal of Geography and Geology, Canadian Center of Science and Education, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2010.
    * “A New Criterion of Earliest Visibility of New Lunar Crescent”, Sindh Univ. Res. Jour. (Sci. Sec.), 42(1), 1-18, 2010.
    * “On Origin Theories of Ring Galaxies: Observational Data and Modelling”, Astronomy & Applied Mathematics, Vol. I, Ed. S Nuritdinov, Pub.: Fed. Urdu University, Karachi, 67-79, 2009
    * “Path of Best Visibility of New Lunar Crescent”, Astronomy & Applied Mathematics, Vol. I, Ed. S Nuritdinov, Pub.: Fed Urdu University, Karachi, 156-161, 2009
    * “Celestial Objects’ Visibility Concern in Karachi”, Astronomy & Applied Mathematics, Vol. I, Ed. S Nuritdinov, Pub.: Fed Urdu University, Karachi, 185-194, 2009
    * “Error Minimization in Polynomial Approximation of ΔT”, J. Astrphys. Astr., 29, 363-366, 2008
    * “Assessing Polynomial Approximation of ΔT”, J. basic appl. Sci., 4(1), 1-4, 2007.
    * “Methods of Calculating Crescent Lengths”, J. basic appl. Sci., 3(2), 65-72, 2007
    * “A Comparative Study of Arithmetic Lunar Calendar, Observational and Predicted Lunar Calendar for Pakistan for Years 2000-2004”, J. basic appl. Sci., 2(2), 91-103, 2006
    * “A New Variable Step Size Algorithm for Solving Initial Value Problems”, J. basic appl. Sci., 2(1), 37-44, 2006
    * “Taqweemat aur Qudrati Mazahir”, Al-Tafseer, 2(1), 101-107, 2006
    * “A Fuzzy Mathematical Model of Maximum Likelihood Estimates”, J. basic appl. Sci., 1(2), 95-100, 2005
    * “Differential Mental Growth Model”, J. basic appl. Sci. 1(1), 11-13, 2005
    * “On the Modern Approach to the earliest Visibility of Lunar Crescent”, Kar. Un. J. Isl. St., VII(I-II), 54-76, 2005
    * “From No-Go Theorems to Supersymmetry Algebra”, Kar. Univ. J. Sc., 32(1&2), 55-62, 2004.
    * “SUSY Algebra for One Dimensional Quantum Mechanical Systems and its Application”, Kar. Univ. J. Sc. 28(2), 25-32, 2000.
    * “Generalisation of Operator Method and its Application” Kar. Univ. J. Sc. 28(1), 83-94, 2000.
    * “Solvable Supersymmetric Systems", Kar. Univ. J. Sc. 23(1&2), 27-38, 1995.

young computer whiz kid and I.T. prodigy from Pakistan

Babar Iqbal  born 2 March, 1997 in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan is a young computer whiz kid and I.T. prodigy from Pakistan who started computer programming at the age of 5. He came to prominence by becoming the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in the world at the age of 9, as well as obtaining the record of being the youngest CIWA aged 9, Youngest CWNA at 10, Youngest Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) at 11 and Youngest MCTS in .NET 3.5 at 12. His work has been recognised and appreciated by President Asif Ali Zardari, the National Assembly of Pakistan, interior minister Rehman Malik as well as Microsoft. Iqbal is currently based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where he is undergoing training and working with Microsoft.

He is Youngest XNA Game Developer, Microsoft Surface Developer, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) @ age of 9, Youngest Certified Internet Web Professional (CIWA) @ 9, Youngest Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA), Microsoft Students Partner (MSP) @ 11 and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) @ 12. A 10 years old Babar Iqbal from Dera Ismail Khan has set a world record in the field of computer by securing 80 percent marks in an examination held in Dubai.

According to the details, Babar Iqbal participated in the examination of Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) and grabbed a world record by obtaining 80 percent marks in it. He is the youngest world record holder in the computer field and has also qualified for the trainers programme.

Babar Iqbal has earlier set world records in the fields of Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified .NET Technology Specialist and CIW.

It is pertinent to mention here that the CWNA examination is arranged by American company wherein candidates across the world participate.

Talking to APP, Babar Iqbal said that he wants to make further progress in the field of computer adding that having set three world records he has won laurels for his country and is receiving offers from a number of world reputed US companies.

His Team Explorers Won Mobile Development Award in Microsoft Imagine Cup Gulf 2011 for application/solution touch.Edu; ‘touch.Edu’ is a multi-touch Microsoft Surface, Windows 7 tablet and Windows phone 7 based interactive learning solution helping children suffering from Learning Disabilities(LD) like reading,writing,speaking,memory,maths etc in LDs like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia

world youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)

13 Year old Unema Adil has won lauels for Pakistan with her extraordinary achievment of becoming a world youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in ASP.Net .
Umema is a shining star who has made herself recognized in different fields through her talent. She is excellent in ‘naat’ recitation and has won a total of 60 certificates and shields including four times the City District’s All Karachi Naat Competition; twice the All Sindh Naat Competition, All Pakistan Naat Competition and recently Sindh Hamd-o-Naat Award.
A student of grade eight in Mama Parsi Girls’ School, Karachi, Umema has also won the Best Talent Award for her accomplishments as well as various singing competitions.

youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs)

Arfa Karim Randhawa  (born 1995), is a student from Faisalabad in Pakistan, who in 2004 at the age of 9 years, became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) in the world. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in USA. The vice president of the Software Development Division Mr. S. Somasegar wrote about it in his blog.

On returning to Pakistan, Arfa had numerous interviews on almost all of the country's known television channels and newspapers. In August 2005, Arfa Karim received the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology, presented by the Prime Minister of Pakistan at that time. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 by the President of Pakistan. Arfa Karim is also the recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance. This is a very high level civil award granted to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time. Arfa is till now the youngest recipient of that award ever.

Arfa Karim has also represented Pakistan on various international forums, she was invited by the IT Professionals of Dubai for a stay of two weeks in Dubai. A dinner reception was hosted for her there, which was attended by the diagnostics of Dubai including the Ambassador of Pakistan. During that trip, Arfa was presented with various medals and awards. She also flew a plane in a flying club in Dubai at the age of 10, and received the first flight certificate.

In November 2006, Arfa was invited by Microsoft to be a part of the keynote session in the Tech-Ed Developers conference held in Barcelona. The theme of the conference was "Get ahead of the game" and Arfa was presented as a true specimen of being ahead of the game. She was the only Pakistani among over 5000 developers in that conference.

As of 2011, at the age of 16, Arfa Karim is studying at Lahore Grammar School Paragon Campus in her second year of A Levels. She suffered from heart attack and now admitted to hospital in a critical condition.

Gadani ship-breaking yard

Gadani ship-breaking yard is the world's third largest ship breaking yard. The yard consists of 132 ship-breaking plots located across a 10 km long beachfront at Gadani, Pakistan, about 50 kilometres northwest of Karachi.

In the 1980s, Gadani was the largest ship-breaking yard in the world, with more than 30,000 direct employees. However, competition from newer facilities in Alang, India and Chittagong, Bangladesh resulted in a significant reduction in output, with Gadani, today, producing less than one fifth of the scrap it produced in the 1980s. The recent reduction in taxes on scrap metal has led to a modest resurgence of output at Gadani, which now employs around 6,000 workers.

In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, a record 107 ships, with a combined light displacement tonnage (LDT) of 852,022 tons, were broken at Gadani whereas in the previous 2008-2009 fiscal year, 86 ships, with a combined LDT of 778,598 tons, were turned into scrap.

Capacity
Gadani currently has an annual capacity of breaking up to 125 ships of all sizes, including supertankers, with a combined LDT of 1,000,000 tons.
Although Gadani ranks as the world's third largest ship breaking yard after Alang and Chittagong in terms of volume, it is the world's leading ship breaking yard in terms of efficiency. At Gadani, a ship with 5,000 LDT is broken within 30 to 45 days, whereas in India and Bangladesh, it takes, on average, more than six months for breaking a vessel of the same size.

Operation
Ships to be broken up are run aground on the beach under their own power, then gradually dismantled. As the weight of the ship lessens, it is dragged further onto the beach until completely scrapped. In common with many other breakers in the region, scrapping ships at Gadani uses large amounts of local cheap labor with minimal mechanical assistance.

History
Informal ship-breaking operations occurred along the Gadani coastline prior to Pakistan's independence in 1947. After independence, a group of entrepreneurs made serious efforts to develop this casual trade into a regular industry. Despite their efforts, Gadani beach at that time lacked necessary infrastructure facilities including roads, utilities or accommodation or medical services for workers.

Realizing the potential importance of the ship-breaking industry to the national economy, the Government of Pakistan announced in 1978 a number of measures including the declaration of Gadani as a port, a reduction in import duties on ships designated for breaking-up, and a government task force to address infrastructure and logistics issues.

1969 to 1983 is considered to be the golden period of the ship-breaking industry. In the 1980s, the Gadani shipbreaking industry provided employment to over 30,000 workers directly, while over half a million people earned their living indirectly, through trade and industries which used ship scrap as raw material. It was described as the largest such yard in the world.

However, increased competition from rival ship-breaking yards in Alang, India, and Chittagong, Bangladesh, coupled with relatively high import duty for decommissioned vessels, led to a disastrous decline in Gaddani's output. After producing an average of one million tonnes of scrap in the 1980s, by 2001 the yard produced less than 160,000 tonnes and for ten months had no new vessel arrivals.

In 2001, the Government of Pakistan reduced ship-breaking duties from 15% to 10% and offered further incentives if industry activity improved. The measures have been effective, with a modest increase in employment to a total of around 6,000 workers.

Pak scholars achieve top honours in Olympiads

Young Pakistani scholars brought laurels to the country by achieving top honours in International Olympiads of Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics held in different parts of the world.

All four members of the Pakistani team won bronze medals in International Biology Olympiad held in Taiwan from July 10-17, 2011. Two students won bronze medals and two honourable mentions in International Physics Olympiad hosted by Thailand from July 10-18, 2011. Two of the four Pakistani teams won bronze medals while one of them clinched honourable mention in International Chemistry Olympiad held in Turkey from July 10-18, 2011. In the International Mathematics Olympiad held from July 16-24, 2011 in the Netherlands, one student won bronze medal and one honourable mention.

In order to encourage and appreciate the winning students, an award distribution ceremony for the 7th National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) was held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday. The students groomed under the NSTC participated in International Science Olympiads in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.

The position-holders of International Biology Olympiad included Armaghan-e-Rehman Mansoor, Numra Abdul Aleem, Urooj Imdad Ali and Saneeha Shahid. The position-holders of International Physics Olympiad included Urwa Muaz, Muhammad Umer while the honour of honorary mention has been received by Salman Azmat, Ibrahim Ahmed and Khawaja Zaigham Feroz.

The high-achievers in International Chemistry Olympiad included Syed Muhammad Saad Imran, Marium Ahmed Uqaili while Amna Rashid and Uzair Ijaz Khan received the honorary mention award. The high-achiever in Olympiad of Mathematics included Waqar Ali Syed while Hammad Ali Khan Seyal, Misha Nasir Jamy and Syed Muhammad Ahmed Ghufran received the honorary mention .

Speaking on the occasion, HEC Chairman Dr. Javaid Laghari said that it was encouraging to see that the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Careers programme, a joint venture of the HEC and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, grooms and provides avenues for international competitions for these youngsters.

this is Pakistan too!

"Astola Island" [near Pasni Baluchistan 40 km from shore]. Astola is Pakistan's largest offshore island and the only significant offshore  island in the northern Arabian Sea. "Arror Rock" [near Rohri in Sindh] The shape of rock was caused by unknown natural forces. There is also a Shrine on the top. This is an amazing view of a tunnel and bridge over a river on the railway track from "Rohri to Quetta". This track passes through 20 tunnels and over 368 bridges. It's the longest Railway gradient of world, and most scenic Railway ride of Asia. Headmarala , Sialkot Mountains of Jammu & Kashmir in the background. Attabad Lake also known as Hunza Lake is a lake in the Hunza Valley of northern Pakistan. The beautiful lake was formed due to a massive landslide at Attabad village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad that occurred on January 4, 2010. Is this Great Wall of China? No. It's Wall of Sindh in Ranikot [3 hrs drive from Karachi]. It's the part of one of the Largest Fort in World, Fort of Ranikot. Kalam Valley. It is a valley along the upper reaches of the Swat River in Swat, Pakistan. Kalam Valley is known for its waterfalls, lakes and lush green hills, and is a 270 km drive from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Kachura Lake. The Kachura Lakes are two lakes in the Skardu District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Pakistan. The lakes, at 2,500 metres (8,200 ft)  in elevation, are Upper Kachura Lake and Lower Kachura Lake. This is a 'Mud Volcano'. In Pakistan there are more than 80 active mud volcanoes, all of them in Baluchistan province; there are about 10 locations having clusters of mud volcanoes. In this region, the heights of mud volcanoes range between 800 to 1,550 feet (243.8 to 472.4 m). The most famous is Chandaragup. The Great Trango Tower, 6,286 m (20,608 ft). The east face of the Great Trango Tower features the world's greatest nearly vertical drop. [aka Tallest vertical mountain of world] Located in Gilgit-Baltistan Region of Pakistan. This is one of the most difficult mountains to climb. Laila Peak, Hushe, Karakoram Range, Pakistan. It has a distinctive spear-like shape. One of the most beautiful & scenic snow covered mountain of the world. The Laila peak has been climbed only twice. This is not Fox and Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand. This is Biafo Glacier - which is a 63 km long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan meets the 49 km long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of 5,128 m (16,824 feet) at Hispar La (Pass) to create the world's longest glacial system outside the polar regions. Makran, Pakistan. The present day Makran derived its name from Maka, a satrap of Achaemenid Empire. Maka was an important early eastern satrapy of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire. K2. It is the second-highest mountain on Earth, only after Mount Everest. It has a peak elevation of 8,611 m [28,251 feet]!!! Concordia Base Camp, Pakistan. This is the view from Concordia towards the valley of the Baltoro Glacier at dawn. On the left [Paiju peaks], middle ,[Trango towers] & on the right [Grand Cathedra]. The epic Lake Saiful Muluk. It is located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley (34°52′37.34″N 73°41′37.71″E) near Naran, Pakistan. The clarity of the water comes from the multiple glaciers all around the high basin which feed the lake. Village Halmet, Neelum Valley, Pakistan. Neelum Valley is definitely another hidden pearl of Pakistan. No other valley in Kashmir can compare this valley and even most of the Pakistanis know little about it and have little visited there. Lansdowne Bridge of Rohri, Pakistan. A marvel of nineteenth century engineering, the 'longest "rigid" girder bridge in the world' at that time, was begun in 1887. Designed by Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, the girder work weighing a massive 3,300 tons was erected by F.E. Robertson, and Hecquet. Is this Grand Canyon or Texas? No. It's Hingol National Park of Baluchistan, Pakistan. It got Mysterious Mud mountains, beautiful blue water Hingol river, desert and deep blue Arabian sea. [3.5 hrs drive from Karachi on Makran coastal highway] Cold Desert of Skardu in Pakistan. This is one of the most beautiful tourists attraction of Northern areas of Pakistan. There are huge sand plains in Skardu. Passu Peaks, Hunza, Pakistan. Mysterious mountains stand like a wall between Hunza river and valley. Uli Biaho Tower, Pakistan. It is a peak near Trango Towers and Baltoro Glacier in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It consists of two main peaks, Uli Biaho Tower (listed by Roskelley as 19,957 feet, and by Kopold as 6109 m (20,058 feet)); and Uli Biaho Peak (Kopold: 6417 m), which as of 2006 was unclimbed. Rakaposhi, Pakistan. Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani [Mother of Mist]. It is situated in the Nagar valley. Nanga Parbat. It is the ninth highest mountain on Earth and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters (26,660 ft). It is also an immense, dramatic peak that rises far above its surrounding terrain. Karamber Lake. Karambar Pass marks the boundary between the Chitral and Ishkoman Districts of Pakistan. The Karmabar Lake is almost 3 km long  approx and it is 4300 meters above sea level. The flowers of autumns are worth seeing on this lake. Deosaid plains � Skardu Bara Pani � Deosai Dudiptsar Lake or Dudipat Lake is a lake encircled by snow clad peaks in Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park. The lake lies in the extreme north of the Kaghan Valley

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The doctor who made history

Dr. Bangash said that he will continue to work on more transplant procedures in October and hopes to begin pediatric transplantation next year. – Photo by Hussain Afzal / Dawn.com

KARACHI: Dr. Tariq Ali Bangash who directed Pakistan’s first successful cadaver liver transplant at Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore shares his experiences regarding the historic achievement.
The inspiring lecture was organised by Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). Dr. Bangash said that Dr. Adeeb Rizvi has always been his inspiration and his father always encouraged him to be like Dr. Rizvi and nothing else. He said that Dr. Rizvi also did the homework of the first cadaver liver transplant in Pakistan.
The cadaveric liver transplant is a process in which the liver of a deceased person is transferred into a patient. In this case, the liver was donated by Mohammad Arsalan, a 16-year-old matriculation student from Lahore. Arsalan had been wounded and was admitted to the hospital three days before the transplantation and had asked his parents to donate his liver in the case of his death.
On August 13, 2011, Pakistani media highlighted the first successful attempt of a liver transplant. A team of professionals led by Dr. Bangash retrieved the liver at 3:30 pm; the transplant process started at 9:00 pm and finished the process at 5:00 am.
Dr. Bangash said that the liver was donated to Amir Raza – a 40-year-old businessman from Sialkot.
“He showed signs of rocky progress after the transplantation and after five or six days, the patient was released from the ICU and is now back at work,” Bangash added.
From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Leeds
Dr. Bangash belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and did his MBBS in 1996. He then worked with nine experts on nine different liver transplantation approaches in Leeds UK, which is now the largest transplant center in Europe, receiving up to 450 liver recipients a year.

The doctors and paramedics at SIUT at the lecture of Dr. Tariq Ali Bangash. – Photo by Hussain Afzal / Dawn.com

Two years ago, Dr.Bangash joined the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore.
He said that the waiting list is increasing as the organ shortage is getting worse every year.
“On the other hand, transplantation of complex organs – such as liver – need huge resources and expertise; it is teamwork of a variety of professionals including nutritionists, pharmacists and even social workers,” he added.
Dr. Bangash said that he will continue to work on more transplant procedures in October and hopes to begin pediatric transplantation next year.
Responding to a question Dawn.com asked regarding his return to Pakistan despite the country’s harsh situation, he said that we should remain hopeful about our country and its future.
“There are so many Pakistani professionals around the world who are willing to return to the country and soon they will,” he added.

Pak Navy Fast Attack Craft launched

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy has become the first maritime force in the region that is equipped with stealth technology after its first Fast Attack Craft (FAC) equipped with missiles was launched on Tuesday. India also launched its FAC on the same day in Kochi.
"The version Pakistan has bought has far better qualities and added features including cost efficiency and multi-role in any combat activity," said an insider. "The inclusion of the FAC-M in Pakistan navy will enhance its capacity to fight against terrorism and extremism."
According to the Pakistan Navy, the FAC-M, designated as PNS Azmat was launched at Tianjin (Xingang Chinese Shipyard) in an impressive ceremony where Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Noman Bashir was the chief guest. The vessel will be the first of the Azmat class FAC, scheduled to be delivered to the Pakistan Navy within six months.
The missile craft construction project represents a quantum leap, not only in defence production in the maritime sector of Pakistan, but also addresses a long-standing operational requirement of the Navy. The fast attack craft is equipped with advanced weaponry and sensors, including the C802A surface-to-surface missile, and has stealth features. The FAC in question has a crew of 12 to 14 sailors, less than half that of similar craft. At a unit cost of an estimated $50 million each, a Navy with limited resources could afford both the financial and manpower commitment.
Admiral Noman Bashir, who has brought several innovations in Pakistan, addressed the ceremony marking the launching of FAC-M.
Acknowledging the efforts of Chinese engineers and technicians for the construction
of FAC-M, the chief guest felicitated the China State Shipbuilding Company (CSOC), Xingang Shipyard for their full cooperation and commitment in launching the craft as per schedule and remarked that this was yet another example of the unique and unparallel relations between the two countries.
"The Pakistan-China relationship is unique and does not draw any parallel in the world.
This relationship over the years has matured in all fields, particularly in defence," he said, adding that the current geo-political situation demands further strengthening of ties between the two countries.
The CNS said that this project represents a quantum leap not only in the defence production in Maritime Sector of Pakistan but also addresses a longstanding operational requirement of Pakistan Navy.
"The collaboration in this project hopefully will open new vistas of cooperation which will be yet another milestone in defence cooperation between China and Pakistan," he said, adding that the induction of the missile craft will not only supplement Pakistan's combat potential but also afford the Pakistan Navy the opportunity to distinctly uphold its forward presence in the area of interest, contributing to a balance the power in the region.
The admiral said the environment around us warrants the Pakistan navy to be prepared to counter the forces challenging our sovereignty as well as regional peace and security.
Admiral Noman Bashir said he was confident that the construction of the second fast attack craft in Pakistan will be accomplished successfully with the full cooperation ofChina.
The Indian media has reported that India added a new warship to its fleet with the commissioning of FAC in Kochi to aid in anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea. It has been named after an island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago as Kabra.
Vice Admiral Sushil underscored the importance of relatively smaller ships like fast attack craft for a blue water navy, saying the assets were an essential inventory in peacetime for low intensity conflicts and anti-piracy operations.
It is the eighth of a series built with borrowed technology. The main armament of the ship is a 30mm CRN 91 gun. In addition, the ship has been fitted with machineguns of various types and shoulder launched surface-to-air missiles. INS Kabra has a three-officer and 39-sailor crew.

Mushahid honoured with Cambodian Award

ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP): Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Secretary General Mushahid Hussain was decorated with one of the highest awards of Cambodia at an investiture ceremony held at Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. The Award, Grand Order of the Kingdom of Cambodia, was awarded for  Mushahid Hussain’s services for promoting Asian causes and bringing Asian  people closer together’. The award was presented by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, while the former Speaker of the Philippines and former Vice President of Indonesia also received similar awards.

Mushahid Hussain is the first Pakistani to be so honoured by an Asian country like Cambodia, said a press release.
Before getting the Award, Mushahid Hussain also was keynote speaker at an International Forum on “Asian Century: Challenges and Prospects”, which was attended by an audience of 500 invited guests.
In his speech, Mushahid Hussain spoke about the sacrifices and contributions of Pakistan since 1979, when it helped the West win the Cold War by helping to defeat the Soviet Red Army in Afghanistan and hosted the world’s biggest ever refugee population of nearly 3 million Afghan refugees for over 3 decades.
Mushahid Hussain said 3 events in 1979 had influenced the course of modern Asian history: the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, the Iranian Revolution and China’s historic decision to reform and open up its economy, which resulted in lifting 500 million people out of poverty within a generation, now making China the world’s second largest economy.
He also referred to the resilience and sacrifices of the Pakistani people since 9/11, when over 40,000 Pakistanis were victims of terrorism, including 10,000 from the security forces.
Regarding the financial costs of the war on terror, Mushahid Hussain said while the United States was spending $ 2.5 billion every week on the war in Afghanistan, it had promised Pakistan $ 12.5 billion aid over a 5 year period,which came to the same amount of money that the US was spending in just 5 weeks of the Afghanistan War.
He also compared the US strategy in Afghanistan with the American war in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s.
Mushahid Hussain also presented a profile of 21st century Pakistan, terming it as a ‘dynamic democracy with a free media, an independent judiciary and a vibrant civil society’.
The International ‘Asian Century’ Forum was also addressed by former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, and presided over by Cambodian deputy Prime Minister Sok An. Diplomats, ministers, professors and students were among those attending the forum.

“WTN” award nomination for Pakistani Scholar

 

Pakistani scholar Dr. Athar Osama has been nominated for the “World Technology Network” award. The awards to be distributed in the World Technology Summit, to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA on October 25 – 26, 2011. – Image courtesy by Athar Osama

rameen Bank), Mark Zuckurberg (Facebook founder), Larry Page (Google) and Tim Berners – Lee (Inventor of Internet), however, no Pakistani has won this award as yet.

The awards to be distributed in the World Technology Summit, to be  held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA on October 25 – 26, 2011.
WTN selects the finalists through a peer reviewed process and a well established criteria. On individual bases, the awards are distributed in 20 categories such as arts, biotechnology, education, energy, entertainment, health, media and journalism and information technology. WTN also awards to the companies and organisations in10 different categories. The WTN awards have been presented since 2000. Prominent advisors and professionals are included in the selection panel of WTN awards.
“This year we are more eager than ever to pay tribute to the talent and innovation of our individual and corporate honorees,” said James P. Clark, Founder and Chairman of the World Technology Network.
Dr. Athar Osama frequently writes about science, technology and innovation issues especially on Islamic countries. He is the director of Middle East and Asia for ANGLE Plc – a UK based firm for technology commercialisation and policy. He also works at RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA as a science and technology policy analyst.
Recently, he launched Muslim-Science.Com, an online journal discussing the issues of Science, Technology, Innovation and Policy mainly concerned with Muslim countries.
Osama did his Bachelors from the Pakistan Air force Academy and did his doctorate in public policy from Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Just read and feel PROUD TO BE PAKISTANI

1. Pakistan is the most connected country in South Asia, with the highest teledensity
2. Pakistan's communications costs are lower than any other country in the region
3. Pakistan has the world's largest biometric database (NADRA); this system (not the data) is now being provided to allied countries
4. Pakistan has the world's largest WiMAX network
5. Pakistan has one of the world's most aggressive Fibre-to-the- Home (FTTH) rollouts
6. Pakistan has one of the highest rates of cellular connectivity growth in the world (According to PTA 2007's report the rate of growth in Pakistan's mobile sector is fourth highest in the world)
7. Pakistan was the winner of the 2007 GSM industry association award
8. The US is importing UAVs designed and built in Pakistan to protect America's borders
9. With WLL (CDMA), WiMAX, GSM and FTTH, Pakistan is pretty much leading the pack in terms of diversity and breadth of connectivity
10. According to Gartner, Pakistan is a "first category" offshoring location; this ranking has grown by leaps and bounds
11. Pakistani companies won several awards at Asia's APICTA startup/innovation conference and were considered the most "interesting" and cutting edge in Asia 12. The world's youngest Microsoft Certified Professional is a Pakistani and so if the world's youngest Cisco CCNA professional
13. Pakistani students excelled in MIT's global software talent competition
14. Citations of Pakistani scientific publications are rising sharply
15. Over two dozen Pakistani scientists are working on the Large Hadron Collider; the grandest experiment in the history of Physics

Paksat-1R launch in China this week

BEIJING (INP) - Paksat-1R, a Pakistani geostationary and an advanced communication satellite, is due to be launched in space from a Chinese satellite launching site in Xichang city in the second week of August, depending on weather conditions.
Paksat-1R will replace Paksat-1, which is going to complete its useful life this year.
“Paksat-1R is going to be a new symbolic development in Pakistan-China relations, as it will broaden the horizons of cooperation between the two countries,” said Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Masood Khan.
In an interview to mark the launch of Paksat-1R, the ambassador said that during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Pakistan in December last year, the two governments had decided to deepen cooperation in space science and technology.
“The satellite, Paksat-1R, is a big step in that direction,” he said, adding, “It will revolutionise the use of broadband Internet, digital television broadcasting and mobile telephony. “It will spur our economy, strengthen the education and health sectors and help us with disaster preparedness and response.”
Khan held that such cooperation with China would help Pakistan move towards self-reliance.
Tracing the history of cooperation between the two countries in the realm of space science, the ambassador said that “it goes back to the 1990s, when Pakistan launched its first low earth orbit satellite Badr-1”. Since then, we had been enhancing “our cooperation” in space science and technology, he added.
“We are now looking at cooperation in remote sensing satellites. It is a long term project with many civilian uses. A remote sensing satellite will cover areas like agriculture, oceanography, disaster management and mitigation, crop monitoring, earth observation, water resources management, weather forecasting and urban planning. Such an application will have a direct positive impact on Pakistan’s socio-economic development.”
Expressing gratitude on behalf of the Pakistani nation to China for its support to Pakistan for developing its satellite industry, Khan said the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) had been establishing the necessary space technology infrastructure. “We are developing common technology platforms with China.” In the due course of time, he added, Pakistan would want to develop its spaceflight programme.
The ambassador also said that leaders and professionals of the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) were keen to extend full cooperation to Pakistan. “They all are so positive, forthcoming and hospitable towards Pakistan. In this atmosphere, I am sure our cooperation will move from strength to strength,” Khan said.
He also said that “it is our natural aspiration that a Pakistani astronaut aboard a Chinese spacecraft flies to the space”. “This is possible because Pakistan and China enjoy relations of trust and confidence,” the ambassador added.

PAF completes production of 26 JF-17 Thunder jets: Pak official

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force has completed the production of 26 JF-17 Thunder combat jets in collaboration with China during a period of two years, an official said on Tuesday.

The senior PAF official, who was briefing the public accounts committee of parliament, said while replying to a query that the air force had achieved the target set for producing the JF-17 jets in the country.

The parliamentary panel was informed that Pakistan began the serial production of the jet in collaboration with China two years ago.

The JF-17 was jointly developed by Pakistan and China. The PAF plans to induct 250 JF-17s in the coming years. Defence production secretary Shahid Iqbal told the parliamentary committee that two P-3C Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft were destroyed in a recent terrorist attack on a naval airbase in Karachi and efforts were being made to replace them.

Pakistani scientists succeed in mapping genome

Pakistani scientists have mapped genome of the first Pakistani, while with this historical achievement, Pakistan joins the ranks of the few countries - the US, UK, China, Japan and India - which have successfully sequenced the human genome.

Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine & Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi (KU) and Beijing Genomics Institute, China, have jointly mapped genome of the first Pakistani, living in Karachi.

Pakistan has become the first country in the Muslim World as well that has mapped genome of a first Muslim man.

This historical announcement was made by Prof Dr M. Iqbal Choudhary, Director International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), KU, while talking to a group of scientists at ICCBS. He said that the first Pakistani genome had been mapped using a newly developed technology ten years after the first human genome was discovered. The PCMD, working under the umbrella ICCBS, had reported mapping of the entire genome of a Pakistani male in just 10 months.

The individual who has been genetically mapped is a resident of Karachi, he added.

“According to the researchers, the newly-sequenced Pakistani genome has uncovered a multitude of ‘Pakistan’-specific sites which can now be used in design of large-scale studies that are better suited for the Pakistani population. The research team was comprised of Dr Kamran Azim, Assistant Professor in the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research and Dr Yong Zhang, head of the genomics department at the Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen, China; among world leading genomics institutions,” he said.

Acknowledging the fact that the complete Pakistani genome has been sequenced for the first time Dr Azim said, “The new thing in the study is the technique which can trace back a mutation to the specific parent. We are still studying the actual genome data itself and how the genetic differences we identified may predispose this particular individual to certain diseases”.

Pakistan in Guinness Book of World Records

Posted By phw On Sunday, August 2nd 2009 In Independence Celebrations 2009, Pakistan, Star Pakistanis | Tags: Ali moin Nawazish, Guinness Book of World records 2009, Hasan Raza, Jahangir Khan, Jansher khan, pakistani in guinness book, Shoib Akhtar, Smallest Quran, Wasim Akram | 

Guinness Book 2009

Jashn-e-Azadi calls for celebrating and appreciating the people who made us proud. Its the time to count our achievements as a nation and don’t forget to count the blessings of being a Pakistani!
Here is the list of all Pakistanis who made their way into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Largest Volunteer Ambulance Organization
Abdul Sattar Edhi (Pakistan) began his ambulance service in 1948, ferrying injured people to hospital. Today, his radio-linked network includes 500 ambulances all over Pakistan, and attracts funds of US$5 million a year.
Smallest Qur’an
The smallest published Koran book measures 1.7 cm x 1.28 cm x 0.72 cm (0.66 in x 0.50 in x 0.28 in). It is published in an unabridged, bound version, in fine print Arabic and is 571 pages long. Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani at October 15, 2004 in Pakistan.
Highest Margin Of Victory – One Day Int.(Cricket)
The largest victory margin is 233 runs by Pakistan against Bangladesh (320 for the loss of three wickets to 87 all out), at Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 2, 2000.
Youngest Cricket Test Player
The youngest Test player ever is Hasan Raza (Pakistan) who made his debut, aged 14 years 227 days, against Zimbabwe at Faisalabad, Pakistan on 24 October 1996.
Born 11 March 1982 in Karachi, like other Pakistani cricketers Raza was given test match experience very early. The right-handed batsmen has played for Pakistan Customs, Habib Bank Limited, Karachi Cricket Association, and Pakistan.
Widest Gauge Railway
The widest gauge in standard use is 1.676 m (5 ft 6 in). This wide gauge is used in Spain, Portugal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Chile. The narrower standard gauge, 1.435 m (4.698 ft), is more common in much of America and Europe.
Most Wickets In A One-day International Career
The most wickets taken over a one-day international cricket career is 440 by Pakistan’s Wasim Akram in 319 matches between 1985 and 2001. Wasim took the wickets at an average of 24.04 runs. Born in 1966 Lahore, Wasim Akram started playing cricket, like many Pakistanis, on the streets. He made his international debut at the age of 18 after an invitation to join the national team’s training camp as they prepared for a match against New Zealand. Wasim’s ability to move the ball in the air combined with his pace and accuracy has earned him a reputation as one of the world’s best fast bowlers. In February 2000, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Fastest Cricket Bowler
The highest electronically measured speed for a ball bowled by any bowler is 100.23mph (161.3km/h) by Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) against England on 22 February 2003 in a World Cup match at Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa.
Nicknamed the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib burst onto the cricket scene in 1999, but has since struggled to cement a first choice place in the Pakistan line-up. He has played for many teams, including: Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan International Airlines, Rawalpindi Cricket Association, Somerset, Khan Research Labs, Durham, Lashings and Pakistan.
Largest Mosque
The largest mosque is Shah Faisal Mosque, near Islamabad, Pakistan. The total area of the complex is 18.97 ha (46.87 acres), with the covered area of the prayer hall being 0.48 ha (1.19 acres). It can accommodate 100,000 worshippers.
Largest Football (Soccer)
A football made from artificial leather PV-PVC and hand-sewn by staff at Ihsan Sports of Hajipura, Sialkot, Pakistan, had a diameter of 4m (13ft 1in) when measured on 30 June 2002.
The super-sized soccer ball – an exact replica of the company’s standard football – was made from 32 separate panels that were laminated, printed then hand-stitched together. It was unveiled at the Al Faysaliah shopping mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by members of the Disabled Children’s Society. “I was amazed at the size of the football,” said one spectator, “and I imagine it would be really hard to actually play with.”
Heaviest Weight Lifted With Ear
The heaviest weight lifted using only the ear is 51.7 kg (113 lb 15 oz) by Zafar Gill (Pakistan), who lifted gym weights hanging from a clamp attached to his right ear and held the weight for seven seconds on May 26, 2004 at Lahore, Pakistan.
Largest Appendix Removed
An appendix removed from a 55-year-old Pakistani man on June 11, 2003, at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, measured 23.5 cm (9.2 in) in length. The operation was carried out by Dr. Riaz Ahmed Khokhar. The appendix is a long, thin, worm-like pouch sticking out of the join between the large and small intestines. Doctors are still not sure of its purpose – or even if it has a purpose – and although it contains immune-system cells, if it’s surgically removed, health doesn’t suffer.
Largest Flaming Image Using Candles
The largest flaming candle image took place at the Serena Hotel in Faisalabad, Pakistan when 48 people lit 8,154 candles to create the Sandoz logo on December 31, 2003.
Most Men’s Squash World Team Titles
The most men’s squash world championship team titles won is six, by Australia, in 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1989, and 1991; and Pakistan, in 1977, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, and 1993.
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir is listed in Guinness Book of World Records as having the most world championship squash titles. He was unbeaten in competitive play for five years. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively. This was not only the longest winning streak in squash history, but also one of longest unbeaten runs by any athlete in top-level professional sport.
Pakistani student Ali Moin Nawazish blazes his way into Guinness Book of World Record
Sitting seven A-levels might easily have done the trick, even though he had started to study some of the subjects only three days before the exam.
But he was determined to get some good grades. So he sat another three, and three more. Then another nine. Just in case, he took a couple of AS levels along the way.
The 18 year-old boy genius took the long list of exams within 12-months netting himself 22 A grades, one B and one C .Well done!
Most World Championship Squash Titles
Since the World Open was inaugurated in 1975, Jansher Khan has clinched the title eight times, with his relative Jahangir coming close behind winning six titles. But Jahangir has also claimed three International Squash Rackets Federation world individual titles, taking his tally of World titles to a record-breaking total of nine. In 1982 Jahangir astonished everyone by winning the International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point! Jansher played in his first World Open in 1987 in Birmingham, England, beating Jahangir in the semi-final. Jansher has only once failed to make it to the final in the 10 World Opens he has played.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
The famous Khan family have dominated the sport of squash for over 50 years. The champion family originates from a village called Nawakille in Pakistan. Jansher (born in 1960 and whose name means “Lion-Hearted”) succeeded his relatives – Peshawar, Hashim, Azam, Roshan, Moibullah (Senior), and Jahangir, all of them champion squash stars. Since 1950, the family has won 29 British Opens.
GUESS WHAT?Jansher Khan has beaten Australian Chris Dittmar a staggering 17 times in the finals! For much of Chris’ career he was ranked No.2 in the world, but finally managed to push Jansher off the top spot in the last week of his career

Mind-boggling “Cricket World Records” by Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket has suffered major “lows” in last 5 years due to their notorious acts. Pakistan is like a vagabond who irritates the street with his loud and notorious acts but, once he is gone, a part of you always miss him!
Pakistan has truly been a soul of this game. In every aspect of Cricket there are Pakistanis who keep the blood running in heart of Cricket. There are some astonishing and mind-boggling world records held by Pakistan. Some of those overwhelming records are:
1. Highest win/loss ratio in Home Tests
Pakistan’s home venues have become no-go zone for international teams due to security reasons but surprisingly Pakistan has the best home record in Test Cricket. Pakistan’s Win/Loss Ratio of 2.54 is the best among all nations. Pakistan has played 151 Tests at home; 56 won, 22 lost and 73 drawn, that gives ratio of 2.54 to Pakistan. Australia with 2.26 is second whereas Sri Lanka with 1.86 is third.

Shoaib Akhtar, who holds the record for fastest delivery ever bowled in Cricket, is ecstatic after taking wicket against South Africa

2. Fastest delivery bowled in International Cricket
In ICC World Cup 2003 match between Pakistan and England at Newlands (Cape Town), Shoaib Akhtar became the first bowler to cross the barrier of 100 mphs, his delivery to Nick Knight clocked 100.4 mph/ 161.9 kmph, making it fastest delivery bowled in International Cricket. Previously Shoaib Akhtar was claimed to bowl 100 mph by Cybernet’s speed gun in a match against New Zealand in Pakistan but ICC didn’t approve it.

Go Pigeon get it, Its a SIX! The power of an Afridi

3. Most “Sixes” in ODIs and International Cricket
“367” is the number of Sixes Shahid Afridi has hit in international cricket (including Tests, ODIs and T20 Int.), the most number of sixes by any batsman in International Cricket. In ODIs alone, he has hit 289 Sixes which is another world record.

He was stunning with numbers and was in his prime form in 2006; a year yielded 1788 runs and 9 centuries

4. Most runs by batsman in a calendar year of Test Cricket
In 2006, Mohammad Yousuf scored 1788 runs in 11 Tests at average of 99.33. He broke the previous record of 1710 runs in 11 Tests by Viv Richards. Yousuf’s innings were against India, Sri Lanka, England and West Indies. He was in sublime form throughout the year even on hostile batting wickets of England, he scored in bulk; 631 runs in 4 Tests including a double-century and 2 centuries. During course of 1788, Yousuf also scored 665 runs in a 3 Test series against West Indies –most runs by Pakistan batsman in 3 Test series – and he hit 5 centuries in consecutive matches.
5. Nine centuries in a calendar year of Test Cricket
2006 didn’t end for Yousuf by giving him most runs in a year but it also ended up giving him 9 centuries; another world record. At end of the year, in series against West Indies, Yousuf hit 4 centuries in 3 Matches which made his tally to 9 centuries in a year. Arvinda de Silva, Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards and Sachin Tendulkar have hit 7 centuries in a calendar year.

The Boom Boom goes areal! No one, in 15 years, has matched his world record

6. Fastest century in ODI Cricket
15 years to date, the auspicious record is still possessed by Shahid Afridi, or should I say Boom Boom Afridi. On 4th October (1996), Shahid Afridi – playing his first ODI innings – annihilated the Sri Lankan bowling attack by scoring century of 37 balls with help of 11 Sixes and 7 Fours. In 15 years, no one has threatened to break this record. The record for 4th fastest (45 balls against India in Kanpur 2006) and 7th fastest (53 balls against Bangladesh in Dambulla 2010) centuries is also held by Shahid Afridi, 3 out of top 10 fastest centuries belong to Shahid Afridi.

Wasim Akram was Captain's dream, fans' delight; the finest left-arm bowler Cricket has ever seen

7. Four International Hat-tricks
Wasim Akram leads the way with FOUR international hat-tricks; two in ODIs and two in Tests, most hat-tricks by any bowler in world. Akram’s two Test hat-tricks came in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka which is also kind of a record however a bowler named James Mathews has taken two hat-tricks in one Test match. Wasim Akram was also the first Pakistani to take hat-trick in Test Cricket.
8. A Hat-trick in Test Cricket as well as ODI Cricket
Wasim Akram and Mohammad Sami are only two cricketers who have taken hat-trick in ODIs as well as in Tests. Mohammad Sami, surprisingly, has hat-trick against Sri Lanka in Tests and against West Indies in ODIs. There isn’t any bowler in World who has taken a hat-trick in all three formats of the game however Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, has taken a hat-trick in ODIs and Twenty20 Int.

Waqar Younis on his day - with banana-swing - was a bomb waiting to blast!

8. Most five-wicket hauls in ODI Cricket
Waqar Younis has taken 13 five-wicket hauls in 262 ODIs; a record of most-wicket hauls by any bowler in ODIs, not only this, he also has record for taking most 4+ wickets in ODIs; 27 times he has taken 4+ wickets in ODI Cricket.
9. Fastest to reach 100, 150, 200 and 250 ODI wickets
All the tallies belong to one man. Perhaps the best spinner ODI Cricket has ever seen. Saqlain Mushtaq, the off-spinner of Pakistan, has record for being the fastest to reach 100, 150, 200 and 250 ODI wickets. He also has two hat-tricks in ODIs; joint record with Wasim Akram, Chaminda Vass and Lasith Malinga.
10. Most wickets in a calendar year of ODIs
In 1996, Saqlain Mushtaq took 65 wickets in 33 ODIs which was record at that time. A year later, in 1997, he bettered his record with 69 wickets in 36 ODIs. To date, Saqlain’s tally of 69 wickets in a year remains the world record for most wickets in a calendar year of ODI Cricket.

The master and the pupil in tandem; Wasim taught Shoaib how to draw first blood!

11. Most ODI Wickets on a single ground
Wasim Akram has taken 122 wickets in 77 Matches at Sharjah, that’s record for most wickets by a bowler on a single venue. Second comes another Pakistani with Waqar Younis taking 114 wickets in 61 matches also at Sharjah. None other than “ The Ws” has taken 100 or more wickets on a single venue in ODI Cricket.

My eyes become wet when I see this picture. Trust me! He is world-beater of the game

12. Most “Sixes” by batsman in an innings of a Test
Wasim Akram, in course to his famous 257* against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura 1996, hit 12 Sixes. Surprisingly its a World Record effort. He broke the record of Wally Hammod’s 10 sixes of an innings in 1933. Later Nathan Astle  (in 2002) and Mathew Hayden (in 2003) hit 11 sixes of their innings against England and Zimbabwe respectively.
13. 400 Test Wickets and a Double-century
Wasim Akram, to date, is only Cricketer to have taken 400 wickets and to score a double-century in his Test career. He grabbed 414 Tests wickets and scored double-century, 257*, against Zimbabwe. Akram is also one of few cricketers –Abdul Razzak and James Franklyn are others which I can recall – to have scored a century and taken a hat-trick in Tests. Akram’s two Test hat-tricks and a double-century also give him an unique all-rounder record.
14. Seven players of batting line-up’s top-order scoring 50+ in a Test innings
In Pakistan’s famous Test victory against India in Karachi 2006, seven Pakistan batsman scored 50+ runs in second innings. In first innings Pakistan were bowled out on 245 but in second innings Pakistan scored 599-7 (declared) with all 7 batsmen who were out scoring 50+ runs. Salmam Butt (53), Imran Farhat (57), Younis Khan (77), Mohammad Yousuf (97), Faisal Iqbal (139), Shahid Afridi (60) and Abdul Razzak (90) were part of this record.

Javed Miandad was the anchor always prepared for a storm; most consistent match-winner of his era

15. Nine consecutive fifties in ODI Cricket
Between March and October of 1987, Javed Miandad scored 9 fifties in consecutive ODIs. Javed’s innings were 78 , 78*, 74*, 60, 52*, 113, 71*, 68 and 103. He is the only batsman to go that far as second best is 6 consecutive fifties by Gordon Greenidge.

Asif had a brain of real craftsman; who could beat you anywhere in any format of the game. He made the ball to talk in every way possible

16. First maiden in Twenty20 Internationals
Mohammad Asif, Pakistan fast bowler, has distinction of bowling the first ever maiden-over in history of Twenty20 Internationals. On 28th August 2006, Asif bowled maiden over against England in Bristol and also took 2 wickets in that over. Astonishingly, it was also Pakistan’s first ever appearance in Twenty20 Internationals.

Umar Gul; they call him slave of rhythm and king of yorkers

17. Best bowling figures in Twenty20 Internationals
Umar Gul’s 5-wicket haul against New  Zealand in ICC World T20 2009 stands as finest spell bowled in Twenty20 Internationals. He took 5 wickets for 6 runs in his 3 overs, these are best figures by a bowler in Twenty20 Internationals.
18. Best bowling figures in Twenty20 Cricket
In first edition of Indian Premier League in 2008, Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir took 6 wickets for 14 runs in a match against Chennai Super Kings while playing for Rajhastan Royals. To date, 4-0-14-6 remains the best bowling figure by any bowler in Twenty20 Cricket.

Stupendous Afridi is a thunderbolt in go!

19. Most Wickets in Twenty20 Internationals
Star Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi leads the way with 53 wickets in 43 T20 Internationals, most wickets, so far, by any bowler in Twenty20 Internationals. He is also the first, and last so far, to take 50 wickets. Second and third are also Pakistanis, Umar Gul (47 wickets in 34 matches) is second whereas Saeed Ajmal (43 wickets in 30 matches) is third.
20. Youngest to take 5-wicket haul and most consecutive 5-wicket hauls in ODIs
Waqar Younis also holds the record for being youngest bowler to take 5 wickets in an ODI. In 1990, at age of 18 years and 164 days, Waqar took 6 wickets for 26 runs in a match against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. Second youngest is also a Pakistani as Wasim Akram, at age of 18 years and 266 days, took 5 wickets for 21 runs against Australia in Melbourne 1995.
In 1990, Waqar Younis also took three consecutive 5-wicket hauls in ODIs. None other than Waqar has taken 5-wicket hauls for three consecutive times. Waqar also took 7 wickets for 36 runs against England at Leeds in 2001, that remains the best bowling figure, in ODIs, by captain.
21. Highest partnerships for first and second wicket in First Class Cricket
Waheed Mirza and Mansoor Akhtar hold the record for highest opening partnership in First Class Cricket, both added 561 as openers in Karachi 1976-77. Record for highest second-wicket partnership also belongs to Pakistan’s pair of Aamir Sajjad and Rafatullah Mohmand; they added 580 for second wicket against Sui Southern Gas Corporation while playing for WAPDA in 2009.
22. Youngest to make Test and ODI Debuts
Hassan Raza, at age of 14 years 227 days, became the youngest player to make play a Test match. He debuted against Zimbabwe in Faisalabad in October 1996. Second and third youngest to make Test debut are also from Pakistan; Mushtaq Mohammad and Aqib Javed made their Test debuts at age of 15 years 124 days and 16 years 189 days respectively.
Hassan Raza, at age of 14 years 233 days, also became the youngest to play an ODI Match. He made his debut against Zimbabwe in Quetta in October 1996.
23. Youngest to score century in ODIs
Shahid Afridi’s maiden ODI century was not only the fastest it was also a century by youngest player in ODI Cricket. Afridi aged 16 years 217 days amassed century of 37 balls against Sri Lanka at Nairobi in 1996. 6 out of top 10 youngest players to score ODI century are from Pakistan.

The young bowler, who was in his new flights, cut his wings himself. He is younget fast-bowler to have 5 wicket-haul in Tests. Miss you!

24. Youngest to take 5-wicket haul in Tests
In 1958, slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nasim-ul-Ghani took 5 wickets for 116 runs, at age of 16 years 303 days, against West Indies in Georgetown. The 5-wicket haul made him youngest bowler to achieve this feat. He was also youngest player to make Test debut at that time.
Moreover, another young Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamir is youngest fast bowler to take 5 wickets in an Test innings. In December 2009, at age of 17 years 257 days, Aamir became the youngest fast bowler and second youngest bowler to take 5 wickets; he took 5 wickets for 79 runs against Australia in Boxing Day Test of 2009.
25. Youngest player to score double-century in Test Cricket
At age of 19 years 140 days, Javed Miandad became the youngest batsman to score a double-century in Test Cricket. In October 1976, Miandad scored 206 runs against New Zealand in Karachi.
26. Youngest bowler to take hat-trick in ODI Cricket
Aaqib Javed at age of 19 years 81 days became the youngest bowler to take hat-trick in ODIs. In Final of Sharjah Cup October 1991, Aqib Javed ripped apart Indian batting and claimed 7 wickets for 37 runs including a hat-trick. Ravi Shastri, Azharuddin and Tendulkar were victims of his hat-trick; all were out LBW. Aqib’s figures of of 7 for 37 were the best bowling figures of that time.

Hanif, the little master, was one of four brothers to play Test Cricket for Pakistan, a world record itself!

27. Only triple-century in second innings of the team
There have been many triple-centuries scored in Test Cricket but, to date, Hanif Mohammad’s 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown 1958 remains the only incident of a batsman scoring triple-century in second innings of the team. In his marathon innings, Hanif Mohammad batted for 970 minutes which is another World Record of longest Test innings played with-respect-to Minutes.
In same match, Pakistan were bowled out on 106 in first innings. In follow-on innings, Pakistan scored 657-8 (declared). The difference of 551 between two innings is the largest difference between a team’s first and second innings; a world record itself.
Now some joint records by Pakistan
28. Highest tenth-wicket partnership in Test Cricket
In 1997 against South Africa, pair of Azhar Mahmood and Mushtaq Ahmad added 151 runs for tenth wicket in Rawalpindi. Azhar Mahmood also scored century on debut in same match. The tally of 151 equaled the record by Hastings and Colling who also scored 151 for tenth-wicket against Pakistan in Auckland 1973.
29. Twin-centuries on Test Debut
Yasir Hameed is the only second batsman to score two-centuries on Debut. He scored 170 and 105 in his debut against Bangladesh in Karachi 2003. Lawrence Rao, of West Indies, is the only other batsman to score twin-centuries on debut; Rao also scored double century in one innings.
30. Maintaining average of 50 throughout batting career
Javed Miandad, along with Herbert Sutcliffe, is the only batsman in Test Cricket whose batting average never fell below 50. Miandad ended his career with batting average of 52.57, scoring 8832 runs in 124 Tests.

Cut, slice, pull, drive, smash, push, hook, sweep; Inzamam did all of them with his sheer class. Stunning resistor, he was!

31. Five batsmen scoring centuries in a Test Innings
In August 2003 at National Stadium Karachi against Bangladesh, Five batsmen of Pakistan’s batting line-up scored centuries, making it only second instant; first Australia’s five batsmen scored centuries in an innings. Saeed Anwar (101), Tafueer Umar (104), Inzamam-ul-Haq (105), Mohammad Yousuf (102*) and Abdul Razzak (110*) were part of this record.
Written and compiled by: Mazher Arshad [ www.facebook.com/mazher157 ]

Tagged as: Cricket, Cricket World Records, Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket