Sacred & profane
The provision of education is a sacred trust; corrupting it is profanity. Sadly, in the Land of the Pure, mixing the sacred with the profane is a routine matter. Why, might we ask, are licenses being granted to small town universities to open in provincial metropolises? This is like a former provincial Governor selling admissions to an elite school for Rs 3 million per student. Multiply that by 300 seats and you’ve got a substantial wad of cash in the pocket.
New best friends
Here’s a list of some of Pakistan’s most interesting besties: Waseem Akram and his Australian wife Shaniera (who’s away Down Under having a baby) with Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari. Then there’s Fatima Bhutto and Jemima Goldsmith (previously Khan and even more previously Goldsmith). Info Min Pervez Rashid and KP CM Pervez Khattak — it is said the former was the latter’s best man at his (Khattak’s) wedding. And there’s the National Assembly’s Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Shafqat Mahmud, MNA of the Tehrik-e-Insaf. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. zindabad!
Falling tables
An alarming report says the water tables of Pakistan’s major cities are falling, the most alarming being Lahore where the water table goes down by one foot per year.