On April 30th, residents of Clifton Block 6 took a navy officer to court on grounds of misuse of property. The petitioners claim that the accused Commodore (retd) Tajuddin Najmi occupied 172 square yards of land, on which he is allegedly constructing a building to house flats and a Naval League office. This is in direct violation of the area's property regulations, as it is a strictly residential zone. The deputy attorney general claims that the land in fact belongs to the CDGK, and therefore the Navy had no right to occupy the land in the first place. This move by Clifton residents represents a major step towards restricting the influence of the power establishment on civilian affairs.

Now to the final post of the series. Earlier posts mentioned the flaws in Pakistan's current football set up, as well as the economic benefits of improving it. The ideal way to improve Pakistani football is a simple matter of emulating Japan, now the greatest footballing nation in all of Asia. Its hard to believe that only over a decade ago, Japanese football was about the same as the current state of Pakistani football. There were only departmental teams, and there was very little provision for youth development. The Japanese FA recognized this as a problem, and took steps towards its envisioned future. First, it called a series of meetings with the directors of the largest teams in the country, particularly those who were willing to invest in football. During these meetings, the FA asked the companies to change the names of their teams to match that of the home city; which would go on to boost team fan bases exponentially. The FA then imposed regulations on the now independent teams, to ensure professionalism. As private companies, each team was responsible for its own marketing; in turn generating their own demand. This ultimately led to the creation of the J-League, Asia's most professional and most popular domestic league. The revenue earned from the league then led to further investments in youth development and new training methods. This model was then taken up by Australia's A-League, USA's Major League Soccer, and India's I-League.

Regardless of the fact that Japan is far more developed, this model is practicable to Pakistan. A public-private partnership can make great developments in Pakistani football. As long as it takes one step at a time, Pakistan can become a footballing powerhouse.

David Barsamian is an active critic of US foreign policy, which makes him a hero to many in this region; he has also given many guest lectures on the subject. In 2007, he gave lectures across Pakistan. Barsamian has also won a number of awards for journalism.

There is a common misconception that football is only profitable at the Brazil, England or Italy level; however, this is untrue. Keeping it closer to home, Japan and South Korea host two of the worlds most competitive football leagues with an international following. Revenue earned from these leagues is not just restricted to the football industry, but spills over into the media, tourism, and transport industries. Stadiums in Japan, South Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia host stadiums packed in the tens of thousands for both domestic and international games. These usually include fans flying in from abroad to support their teams.

The market for football is extensive worldwide, and it is about time Pakistan got in on the action.

While some officials claim it may have been a targeted killing, it is difficult to understand what merits the killing of an academic or even what links her to the incidents in question. Whether targeted or simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, there is little evidence to suggest that Nazima Talib deserved to be killed.

It seems the federal government is applying fairly simple logic: if the building is empty, why let it go to waste? Indeed, a building of this size can be useful for just about anything with the right investments; the question to be asked is why this investment is directed towards establishing a prison, rather than making the college operational. In this particular case, locals donated their own land and it is unlikely that they would prefer a prison in their locale.

So what is it about Pakistan that just wont let it get anywhere with the world's most watched sport? Why is it that economically inferior countries like Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria can qualify for the World Cup, but Pakistan can't even qualify for the qualifiers? For those who missed that, The Greenshirts were beaten, bruised, touched in funny places, and tossed away by war torn Iraq 7-0. Indeed, a comprehensive investigation is needed to answer those questions; answers soon to be posted.

Keep checking in for the following posts:

1-Why Pakistan is No Good at Football

2-The Economic Benefits of Becoming a Footballing Nation

3-How Pakistan can Become a Football Powerhouse

French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently ordered that a bill be submitted to parliament on the banning of Islamic face veils in all public places. This move came some time after the Belgian parliament decided to take up a similar bill, whose voting is to take place on April 22. The issue is much more controversial in France however, as they have a Muslim population of 5 million; the largest in western Europe. The issue may be problematic for the Sarkozy administration, as the French Constitution provides for freedom of religion.

Here is the inherent problem with Pakistanis anywhere in the world; be it the US, UK, or Canada, Pakistanis fail to assimilate. In fact, as most of them ignore local customs, practices, and values, it seems they refuse to integrate. Over the years they've developed a strange practice of leaving Pakistan, and creating 'Little Pakistans" in every major city of the world; managing to disrepute the nation in the process. So how would you expect Pakistanis to vote during British elections, when most of them think they're still in Pakistan?

"Oh India is one of the fastest growing economies!"

"Look at them, they have Tata, they have Birla, they have Ambani! What do you have?"

"If only we were more like India...."

Indeed, it must hurt to be India's ugly little sister; especially when Mommy and Daddy wish you were just like her. Its true, India is one of the worlds fastest growing economies; averaging an annual growth rate of 5.8% over the last two decades, and now holding the title of 4th largest economy. So how do you expect Pakistan to compete with that? Wait... oh my god, she's come home pregnant! Oh she's getting a beating today.

Well the 2010 statistics are out, and it doesn't look too good for big sis. Apparently the 4th largest economy in the world has now added 100 million people below the poverty line over the past six years; totaling 410 million people, which is 37.2% of its population. If that wasn't enough, India also has a third of the worlds poor population; which is below $2 a day.

So stand up Pakistan, step out of your sister's shadow! Its your time to shine.

Its undoubtedly strange that a minister would grab a piece of land and put a fence around it, usually taken as a sign to keep people out, and say it was open to the public. The federal minister stated he needs the park for security reasons, or in other words to keep people out; yet he stated that people were allowed to enter as they please. Contradiction maybe?

To some extent, Prime Minister Singh's reservations are justified. Apart from a history of tense relations between the two countries, which so far has prevented troops from vacating the border, India has still not received any closure on the Mumbai attacks. India has made it clear that they would not make any progress unless the perpetrators of the attacks are brought to justice, and Pakistan may have to respect that. At least this sounds like a credible argument when presented by the Indian Prime Minister.

The truth is, major progress has been made in the Mumbai case; key actors of the attacks have already been tracked down and arrested. This means India now no longer have an excuse for holding off crucial talks with Pakistan. If these age old issues are not addressed, social, political, and economic progress cannot be made; this is not only a hindrance for the two countries, but for the entire region. On observing the insistence of India on not holding talks with Pakistan, one might say India has no intention of normalizing relations and restoring peace and stability to the region.

Though the passing of the bill will mean that Prime Minister Gilani is the official head of government, President Zardari holds a position far more valuable in a country with a weak political framework. This position does not refer to the seat of President, but to the seat of chairman of the ruling party. As Co-Chairman of the Peoples Party, President Zardari still dictates the plays much like a football coach: he need not be on the field, but all moves go through him.

If the football metaphor does not suffice, here is a more practical comparison. In Russia two years ago, President Vladimir Putin was replaced by Dmitry Medvedev. As Putin was ineligible to be re-elected as President, United Russia decided to give their Chairman the subordinate position of Prime Minister. Any Russian political analyst can testify however, that Vladimir Putin is still very much in charge.

For an example a lot closer to home, take a look at neighboring India. The Prime Minister has been Manmohan Singh the economist for some time now. However, it is clear from his lack of political experience that Congress would never give him any real power, and Congress President Sonia Ghandi is much more likely to be in charge.

So is Pakistan really returning to the parliamentary system, or will President Zardari take on the Putin-Ghandi role?

Last night on March 31st, the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms signed the draft document of the 18th Amendment. Among the many reforms are curtailment of the President's power in favor of Parliament, renaming of NWFP to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and an organized system of appointing Superior Court judges.

This is the state of Pakistan's labour force. The highly under-paid workers suffer further ridicule when their union leaders, trusted to safeguard their rights, are subjected to torture and humiliation.

Calling Shahbaz Sharif an ally of the terrorists for this careless slip would be somewhat of a stretch. To be fair to him, he is the Chief Minister of Punjab and therefore, he is expected to speak in the provincial context. However, pleading to the Taliban to spare his province, particularly when national consensus is needed most to strengthen the anti-terrorism cause, is simply irresponsible. His statement not only implied that his party is sympathetic to the Taliban, but also that the terrorist attacks in other provinces were justified. It is therefore absolutely necessary for Shahbaz Sharif to publicly apologize for his statement.

The key difference that sets South Asians apart from other immigrant groups is that they recieve little or no assistance from their home countries' embassies and governments; this is particularly the case for Pakistan. This indifference from Islamabad leaves our citizens vulnerable to further victimization and harassment from Saudi authorities. Saudi police in particular find pleasure in harassing vulnerable Pakistanis, who now can't even cross the street without all their papers in hand. In public establishments, including hospitals, Pakistanis are made to wait hours to be serviced. It gets worse: every year more and more Pakistanis lose their jobs, and are left stranded in Saudi Arabia as illegal aliens with no means to return home. For these problems to be solved, the Pakistani government needs to take initiative and stand up for its citizens.