Rupee vs. dollar makes record low at 87.39

THE local currency market operated for only two days this week as trading remained suspended for four days on account of Eid celebrations from August 31 to September 3. Some hectic dollar buying was witnessed in the two days operation ahead of Eid holidays.
Deteriorating law and order situation, uncertain economic outlook and increased import payment had already sent the rupee to historic lows against the dollar towards last week close.
The downward pressure on the rupee is likely to persist in the weeks ahead, according to leading currency analysts, because of mounting dollar demand to meet import and debt payments.
Some support, however, is expected from higher remittances inflows from overseas Pakistanis which is expected to resist the rupee from all round fall against the dollar.
Meanwhile, the rupee in the inter-bank market continued its downtrend versus dollar in the week shortened by four days due to persistent demand pressure.
In the opening trading session during the week, the rupee extended its weekend weakness against the dollar, further shedding five paisa on the buying counter and also losing seven paisa on the selling counter.
As a result, the dollar was seen enjoying commanding position at Rs87.18 and Rs87.22 in the first trading session. It had ended last week at Rs87.13 and Rs87.15.
Rising demand for dollars further pushed the rupee down in the second trading session. The rupee hit historic lows at Rs87.28 and Rs87.33 after posting 10 paisa loss versus dollar before the market closed for early weekend.

Comparison of Dollars Vs Pakistani Rupee Since 1995.

from 1955 to up til now, several dictators and politicians came around to govern Pakistan. you can see how the prices of Dollar increase/decreases in their periods.

1955	Govn. Gen. Ghulam Muhammad	Rs. 4.70
1958-69	Self Appointed Field Marshal Gen. Ayub Khan	Rs. 4.70
1969	Gen. Ayub Handed over power to Gen. Yahya Khan	Rs. 4.70
1971	WAR INDIA V/S PAKSITAN
1971-72	Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto(Shaheed) to Save Pakistan	Rs.11.00
1973-74	Z. A. Bhutto	Rs. 09.90
1977-82	Gen. Zia ul Haq	Rs. 10.84
1984	Gen. Zia ul Haq	Rs. 15.36
1986	Gen. Zia ul Haq	Rs.17.25
1988	Gen. Zia ul Haq	Rs.18.65
1989-90	Benazir  Bhutto	Rs.21.90
1991	Nawaz Sharif	Rs.24.72
1993	Benazir Bhutto	Rs.30.88
1996	Benazir Bhutto	Rs.34.21
1997	Nawaz Sharif	Rs.40.07
1999	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.50.10
2000	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.58.00
2001	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.63.00
2002	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.63.00
2003	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.60.68
2007	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.61.00
2008	Gen. Musharaf	Rs.63.00
2008	Gen.Mush.+PPP+PML(N)+ANP+MQM+ETC Govt	Rs.67.00
2008	PPP+PML(N)+ANP+MQM+ETC.Govt	Rs.84.00
2008	PPP+ANP+MQM+ETC..Gov	Rs.80.00
2009	PPP+ANP+MQM+ETC..Govt	Rs.81.00
2010	PPP+ANP+MQM+ETC..Gov	Rs.86.0

Airing dirty lingerie, Pakistani style

The inspiration for the play was born out of Aizzah’s desire to portray Pakistani- Muslims differently from what was normally the case.


Toronto, Canada, instinctively caught my eye. With a title like ‘Dirty Pakistani Lingerie’, how could it not?
Wonderful I thought. The lone item representing Pakistan had to be something that came with an ‘adults only’ warning from the organisers.
Armed with skepticism I landed up in the packed auditorium, expecting something crude and vulgar about the cross-cultural experiences of Pakistani-American women, as the blurb described. Instead, what I saw was by far the most creative, genuine and entertaining one-woman performance on stage. And the content was wholly PG, although the six separate stories portrayed, made many wince more than once.
The brains behind this gem is Aizzah Fatima, a Pakistani-American theatre artist from New York City, who has made it her personal agenda to change the way people think about Pakistan and Muslims in the West. Directed by her collaborator-in-arms Erica Gould, who happens to be Jewish, DPL sees Aizzah playing six different Pakistani-American women simultaneously, all struggling with issues of identity and acceptance in a post 9/11 world.
Ameera is visiting the US from Pakistan looking for the ideal Pakistani-American husband; Selma is a hijab-clad soon-to-be-wed Muslim feminist, torn between her fantasy of being a young wife and her dream of attending Harvard; Asma is the very “desi aunty” desperately trying to find a suitable boy for her “32-34” year old single daughter from the Urdu Matrimonials section; Raheela is the modern young business woman, searching for that like-minded partner who isn’t just looking for a one-night-stand; and Humeira is the middle-aged mother of two who finally has the courage to walk out of her loveless arranged marriage after more than 20 years.
These are the characters Aizzah portrays during the 60-minute performance, moving effortlessly between the prose of Ghalib, a cocky American accent, and a desi dialect that sent audiences rolling with laughter. But the one thread that runs through each of these stories, is that Pakistani women are still vulnerable, manipulated and under-appreciated, wherever in the world they might live. Its an unfortunate reality that Dirty Pakistani Lingerie, a play of words on airing one’s dirty laundry in public, captures brilliantly.
Born in Saudi Arabia and having lived out of Pakistan all her life, Aizzah, whose family originally hails from Punjab in Pakistan, has made it her goal to move beyond what typically represents a Pakistani-Muslim in these near apocalyptic times. An IT professional at Google by day, Aizzah’s love for theatre and acting was born from a very young age and prompted her to eventually attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), to hone in her natural talent.
The inspiration for the play was born out of Aizzah’s desire to portray Pakistani- Muslims differently from what was normally the case. “When I started writing this play, it occurred to me that there was a lot I wanted to say about being Muslim-American. I woke up one day shocked to realize that parts of the country I call home had developed virulent Islamophobic sentiment”, she explains.
“I was tired of seeing images of terrorists, beheadings, and bombs going off every time I heard the word Pakistan in the news. I wanted to show everyone a different side to Pakistani culture”.
The choice to portray Pakistani-American women, in particular, women who are constantly struggling, was an unusual one. Aizzah defends her decision to focus on more repressive stories. “As an artist, it’s my duty to tell these stories about the female Pakistani-American experience since no one else is doing it in theater, film, or TV”.
As testament to the lack of visibility of Muslim-American talent, the play debuted in New York City at The Midtown International Theatre Festival in July. It was the first time in the 12-year history of the festival that a female Muslim writer or a Pakistani had performed a show there.
As stereotypical as Aizzah’s characters may at times seem, the truth is, that these stories still ring extremely true, not just for Pakistani’s or South Asian’s, but women in general. “I had a Japanese couple once tell me how similar the issues in the play are to their culture”, she recounts. “My favorite one is an African-American woman from the Bronx who told me the character of Asma reminded her so much of her own African-American mom”.
And that is the heart of DPL. The play has sparked a tremendous response in New York and Toronto, including among Pakistani’s and South Asians alike. “I think people sometimes don’t know what to make of the title”, she says. “Humor can be lost on the Pakistani community at times. [But] Once people come in and see the show, they absolutely love it”.
The title has had its share of negative publicity though. The play was originally called ‘Dirty Paki Lingerie’, but organisers in Canada were fraught to revert to the more diplomatic “Pakistani”. “In the US “Paki” is not a derogatory word at all. It’s just slang for a Pakistani. [But] I know in other parts of the world such as Canada and Europe, the word “Paki” can be as offensive as the “N” word”, explains Aizzah.
Strangely enough, several people in the US had an issue with the word ‘lingerie’ in the title, and not so much ‘dirty Paki,’.
“Conservative Muslim women in my social circles have suggested I change the title to ‘Dirty Paki Laundry’ to make it more politically correct, she says”. But Aizzah has stuck to her guns and the title remains.
In her quest to try and bridge communities in the US post 9/11, Aizzah is now preparing for a performance of her play on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, running September 9-11 in NYC, with each performance followed by an inter-faith dialogue. The issue is close to her heart. “I have lived in New York for 11 years now, and consider myself a New Yorker. I was here, and saw the plane hit the second tower,” she recalls. “I would love to reach as many people as I can with this play across the globe. At the end of the day, we are all people who want to protect our families, live in a nice place, and go to good schools. This is what the characters in the play want, and this is what anyone can relate to Muslim or not”.
The bold step taken by Aizzah to shatter common stereotypes of Muslim women in today’s hostile environment is laudable. With perfect comic timing, a crisp and fast-paced script and a brilliant one-act performance, DPL, is a creative step in the right direction. One hopes it is able to achieve the goal it has set out, one performance at a time.I for one, also hope that Aizzah is able to bring her performance to Pakistan one day. If there is anyone who needs a good dose of reality, it’s us.

Airing dirty lingerie, Pakistani style

By Themrise Khan | DAWN.COM

Yesterday

Revival of the Eurasian Corridor

The modern day Eurasian Corridor is said to be the area covering Central Asia and the former CIS states ultimately connecting Eastern Europe and South Asia. With the British being a major exception, conquerors of the Indian Sub-Continent, from the Aryans and Alexander the Great to Mahmood Ghaznavi and the Mughals, had used this route to make their journey.

Post the independence of the British-Raj, and new world dynamics, where most land-locked Central Asian States came under the ambit of the USSR till 1945 and became independent just after its fall in the early 90’s, the focus had largely been pointed Westwards in terms of diplomatic relations and trade due to which this region had been seen only through the myopic view of possibly exploiting its resources.

However, as the world moves towards the potential of developing nations, the region has come under the spotlight once again. Just over the past year, China and Russia have been revitalising trade and economic links in the region and trying to draft regional economic and trade cooperation agreements which would incorporate preferential tariff’s, facilitate cross-border trade and trade transit along with easing visa requirements for the movement of traders and for access to warm water ports.

Pakistan and India have also signed MOU’s for the TAPI pipeline, which lays the foundation of a gas-supply pipeline from Tajikistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Russia has also been actively pursuing participation, where a joint summit comprising Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and their Tajik and Afghan counterparts was held this week in Dushanbe where Russia proposed participation in the TAPI pipeline and possible participation of its gas-export monopoly Gazprom, as well as investing in infrastructure for the sale of power and electricity to the region, where demand is not met due to lack of generating capacity.

China also tried to connect its Xinjiang province to the region and revive the historic Silk Route, which connects Pakistan, Afghanistan and China to other regions in Central Asia. The Xinjiang Trade Expo was also held in Urumqi this week, which was attended by Pakistani and Tajik heads of states in active participation in an effort to take economic integration a step further. Pakistan, for its part, plays a vital role in providing the South-Asian connection where by these non-coastal nations are provided access to Karachi and Gwadar ports through trade-transit agreements, much like the Pak-Afghan Trade Transit Agreement which is currently in place. Pakistan can gain from this not just economic advantages, but possible transfer of skill and technology along with much better diplomatic relations, which it is already working towards.

It is to be noted that while India is involved in the TAPI gas pipeline venture, its connection to the intended economic zone would be through the Silk Route, through Pakistan and China, where reluctance to open borders is apparent due to previous friction.

If set into action, such an agreement will not just provide an economic boost to member nations, but will also better place them to take advantages of possible opportunities such as local currency trade, along with greater social integration that had once existed creating greater acceptability amongst local people. Such cooperation often also creates much greater diplomatic muscle to influence events and issues which affect them.

While all of the above can prove to be great for the growth of these developing states, to accomplish these numerous challenges they would have to be addressed along with averting possible threats that may come out of such cooperation. Terrorism; human and drugs trafficking; lack of appropriate security apparatus; trans-national hostilities; and insufficient infrastructure are all possible issues that could plague any economic integration efforts.

The region has an ugly history with the reference of terrorism. Currently, apparent with the ongoing war in Afghanistan and its spill-over effects to Pakistan, the region is agonised with militant forces which attack state infrastructure and impediment economic stability with their activities. Major uncertainty prevails around the United States and Nato troop withdrawal slated for 2014, as it is expected that Afghan security forces may not be able to face the challenge that lies ahead.

Pakistan is facing its own insurgencies and militant activities under its western border which may hamper any such economic immersion. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other central Asian states are also pulled into the equation where most foreign fighters in Afghanistan are found to be from this region.

This region is also one of the most active drug transit areas of the world. Drugs, such as heroin and hashish, are smuggled into Europe through this region and the social stickiness of such illicit substances remains in the region. Human trafficking is also a grave concern, where men, women, and children are forced into bonded labour and prostitution, and where the poverty of Central Asian States and Russia makes such activity thrive.

There are also trans-national issues which exist within the corridor itself. Tajikistan has disputes with Uzbekistan in its mined border and talks of delimiting continue, and its Isfara Valley disputes delay delimiting with Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan has its own border issues with Afghanistan along the Durand line, where constant realignment takes place between the military establishments of both sides and fencing of a certain portion of the border is taking place to prevent creation of bases which harbour terrorists.

All having said, it is vital that these issues not undermine the economic collaboration but, in-fact, force these nations to create solutions to solidify their own growth and fiscal future. All these issues are noted separately and focused upon, but in light of the willingness shown by regional neighbours, the possibility of the future may be the stimulus itself to properly address these issues as it is crucial to their own survival in the global environment.