01 Pages : 1-23
http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2017(II-II).01 10.31703/gssr.2017(II-II).01 Published : Dec 2017Pak-US Relations: Understanding of the Misunderstandings
This paper critically analyses the US and Pakistan relations in historical context and thereby comprehends the causes of misunderstandings between them, especially under the new administration of Donal Trump. Like other states in our world both Pakistan and USA have priorities to secure their national interests as both have their own way of protecting their interest in short, medium or long terms. The paper finds that unlike the US which makes a policy that focuses only on the current scenarios, Pakistan keeps in view the lessons from past betrayals from US and her future needs arising from her security issues related to her neighbours i.e. Afghanistan and India. Pakistan also fears Indian involvement in Afghanistan and the US support to India in Afghanistan in general and particularly in the region. Pakistan needs to understand US mistrust for rapid proliferation (even legal) to earn easy money to strengthen its weak economy. From the US perspectives, it strategy regarding Pakistan is no different from that of a major powers as she only focuses short terms objectives. USA needs to realize that the strategic location of Pakistan and the nuclear capability makes her an important country that bestows on her the right to be treated like medium power in the region. It not only about dealing with mutual misunderstandings related to realization of mutual concerns but it is also about peace, security and future of every sixth human being on earth who lives in the region or maybe its impacts can go far beyond to the whole world. Therefore, both Pakistan and the US need to address each other's concern and work on converging lines.
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Pakistan, United States of America, Afghanistan, Indian factor, Afghan War, Security, Nuclear proliferation.
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(1) Asghar Khan
Lecturer, Department of Regional Studies, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
(2) Ayaz Ahmad
Lecturer Department of English, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan.
(3) Amjad Ali Dadda
Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management, UK
Bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group Membership: A Critique of Pakistan's Diplomacy
This paper attempts to analyze Pakistani policy positions through interviews from academic experts and officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad, and secondary sources including media reports, research journals and onlire resources. Since India's bid for the membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in June 2016, an intense debate has started over its impact on the stability of South Asia and its effects on Pakistan's nuclear strategy with respect to India. This paper focuses on how this has effected Pakistan's policy options; how Pakistan raised this issue in the past at international level to build up a counter-narrative against India's move. With realignment on membership in NSG for India based on criteria-based approach makes Pakistan's position as a center of gravity in the context of this campaign demanding for a firm diplomatic and political resolve. Failure in this aspect may result in losing Pakistan's case for membership in future. The analysis presents recommendations in light of comparing views for future measures.
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Nuclear Suppliers Group, Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, Missile Technology Control Regime, International Atomic Energy Agency, CTBT, Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority
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(1) Shamaila Farooq
Director Media and Publications, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, KP,Pakistan.
(2) Saima Gul
Lecturer, Department of International Relations, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
Health, Education and Economic Growth Nexus: Evidence from Middle Income Countries
Health and education are indispensable factors for economic growth. This study examines the role of health and education in economic growth for 76 middle income countries during 1991-2016, using fixed and random effect approaches. The empirical findings demonstrates that a progressive link among life expectancy and economic growth while inverse association exists between infant mortality and economic growth. The outcomes of FE and RE models stated that secondary and tertiary level education contribute to increase in economic growth. The results also shows capital's encouraging impact on growth, while the labor has negative influence to economic growth. The impact of life expectancy, infant mortality, enrollment in secondary and tertiary education on economic growth is stronger in upper middle income countries (UMIC) with comparison to lower middle income countries (LMIC). The study recommended that economies should focus on education and better health facilities towards betterment especially in lower income states.
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Economic Growth, Life Expectancy, Infant Mortality
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(1) Hafiz Muhammad Abubakar Siddique
PhD Scholar, Federal Urdu University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Ghulam Mohey-ud-din
Urban Economist, The Urban Unit, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Adiqa Kiani
Associate Professor, Federal Urdu University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Investigating Teacher Identity Construction through the Study of Narratives and their Identity Portraits in Pakistan
The current article investigates teacher identity construction at the tertiary level educational institutions of Pakistan. Identity is the sense or perception about oneself and the position or role one has in a given context and environment; teachers construct their identities in the specific work and Institutional environments they face every day. This research adopted the Life History approach to narrative inquiry, where five participants were selected through purposive sampling. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview protocol that focused on the narratives; the narratives were inductively analyzed vertically and horizontally to reconstruct identity portraits for each participant. The portraits also presented commonalities and convergent issues and themes in identity development, such as the effect of positive or negative educational experiences; the role of the organizational culture, leadership and colleagues in shaping identity; the difficulties, negotiations and challenges experienced in the construction of identity; time and workload management issues.
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Teacher identity, Identity Construction, Identity Portraits, Semi-structured interviews, Life History Approach to Narrative Inquiry
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(1) Shagufta Moghal
Lecturer, Department of Professional Studies,Lahore College for Women University Lahore, Pakistan.
(2) Asma Shahid Kazi
Assistant Professor,Department of Professional Studies,Lahore College for Women Universities, Lahore, Pakistan.
(3) Aishah Siddiquah
Assistant Professor, Research and Evaluation DepartmentLahore College for Women University Lahore, Pakistan,
A Dynamic Resourced Based View on Firm's Life Cycle Stages and Capital Structure Theories: A Comparative Analysis of Developed and Emerging Asian Markets
‘Dynamic resource-based view’ is the major inspiration for this study, which signifies the changes in paths & patterns of the evolution in organizational capabilities during its LCS. Using the Dickinson’s (2011) firm’s LCS, the study determined diverse behavior of traditionally established explanatory variables across stages. For the purpose of analysis GMM model has been used, the study conducted a comparative analysis of developed and emerging markets in Asia. The results showed higher COE capital during introduction and decline stages in emerging markets implying trade-off theory and dynamic resource-based view. Study denies association between COE capital and market-to-book value in developed markets in line with market timing theory Its concluded that COE’s explanatory factors evolve across markets and firm’s LCS the explanatory power of the general model is much higher when the study included LCS in its main model justifying resource-based view.
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Firm Life Cycle Stages (FLCS), Cost of Equity Capital (COE), Market-to-Book Value, Asian Markets
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(1) Misbah Wadood
PhD Scholar, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
(2) Hashim Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of Management Science, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Hassan Wadood
Lecturer, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah KSA.
Analyses of Life Skills Development Practices in Secondary Schools of Islamabad
The study was designed to make analysis for developing Life Skills practices in the secondary schools of Islamabad. It was descriptive survey study. All 1039 SSTs, all 146 principals of public secondary schools working under FDE at Islamabad were population of the study. Five hundred and seventy (570) SSTs; one hundred and forty (140) principals were selected by using stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire having 36 items were developed by the researcher on five point Likert scale. Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test, were applied to analyze the data. There was moderate level of practice of skill development in secondary schools. Male teachers were better performing in developing communication skills and critical thinking while female teachers were better for developing problem solving skills. Development of strategy and proper training of teachers and principals, by the government, for life base skill education was recommended.
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Life skills, Education, Communication, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving
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(1) Robina Rahat
PhD Scholar, Department of Education, Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University Nerian Sharif, AJ&K, Pakistan.
(2) Ziarab Mahmood
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University Nerian Sharif, AJ&K, Pakistan.
(3) Nazir Haider Shah
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University Nerian Sharif, AJ&K, Pakistan.
Pak-U.S. Relations: An Analysis of Major Challenges (Post-9/11)
The Pak-U.S. relations have been through many ups and downs throughout the history of Pakistan. For most of the time during the cold war, relations remained either warm or normal except for some short periods. The ties went down the slope after the cold war and towards the onset of the twenty-first century. In addition to some drastic shifts in the regional and global political scenario, the incident of 9/11 proved a watershed for Pak-U.S. ties as well. Pakistan's decision to stand with America and her allies provided an opportunity for both the states to improve bilateral ties. Key challenges include, but not limited to, issues of trust and coordination, the problems of strategic harmony and divergence of interests and varied policies about arms and nuclear proliferation. Pak-U.S. relations have also been affected by their respective relations with other states. From Pakistan's perspective, it is essential not only to identify points of convergence and divergence with the United States but also to explore policy options to meet such challenges.
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U.S., Bilateral, Challenges, Strategic Harmony, Nuclear, F.M.C.T., Proliferation
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(1) Sultan Mubariz Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science & IR, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Saiqa Hanif
Associate Lecturer, Department of Political Science & IR, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Shumaila Rafique
Associate Lecturer, Department of Political Science & IR, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.
Religious Orientation, Spirituality, and Life Satisfaction: A Gendered Perspective
In recent times, religiosity and spirituality have received much attention towards mental health, but very few investigations worked on their role on life satisfaction within the gender perspective. The present study, however, investigates the relationships between religiosity, spirituality, and life satisfaction among individuals residing in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Pakistan, with special reference to gender. For this purpose, a sample of 150 adults (71 men and 79 women) were selected by convenient sampling technique and was evaluated using validated versions of three scales: Religious Orientation Scale (ROS), Spirituality Scale (SS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLS). Results indicate that religiosity and spirituality have a significant positive correlation with life satisfaction. Results of linear regression showed that religiosity and spirituality significantly predict life satisfaction. Women reported more religious orientation and spirituality as compared to men in the sample studied. The study is useful for both men and women, highlighting the importance of one's orientation towards religion.
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Religiosity, Spirituality, Religious Orientation, Life Satisfaction, Gender, Pakistan
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(1) Sajid Mehmood Alvi
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social & Administrative Sciences, The University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Tahir
Assistant Professor/Head, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities (FSSH), Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Saira Bano
Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social & Administrative Sciences, The University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan.
Magical Realism: Portrayal of Human Suffering in The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Magical realism is a genre of literature where fantasy and magic are normalized in reality, and the real world has an undercurrent of magical elements going on. The research is based on the qualitative method within the framework of the theory of Magical Realism presented by Wendy B. Faris (2004). The study at hand explores different aspects of magical realism in the selected novel by analyzing major themes according to Faris's theory of Magical Realism. The research aims to show how the typical presences of people in the novel have been super naturalized through heavenly magical realist segments. Moreover, the significance of this study lies in the fact that it explored seemingly opposite phenomena of 'magic' and 'realism' and established a connection between them. The study seeks to find how each character of the novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is enduring in their own particular manner, representing the suffering of individuals in the real world considering the situation after World Wars. This research will open the ways for future researchers to work in the direction of magical realism and enhance its scope in general.
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The Absurdity of Modern Life, Faris's Magical Realism, Feelings in the Food, Magic, Realism, Ordinary Sufferings
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(1) Aemen Murtaza
MPhil Scholar, Department of English, The Women University Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Mamona Yasmin Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of English, The Women University Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Masroor Sibtain
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Government Graduate College of Science, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
The Effects of Cardiovascular Exercises on Body Mass Index and Vital Capacity among Students of Sargodha University
This research was designed to evaluate the effect of cardiovascular exercises on body mass index (BMI) and vital capacity (VC) among student aged between 21-27 years (M ± SD 22.3± 3.05). The experimental research study was applied to 54 University students of Sargodha. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 24.0. P-value ? 0.05 was considered significant. The result showed that the average BMI of the control group and experimental groups was 20.73±3.02 vs 21.51±3.21. The effectiveness of cardiovascular exercise on Vital capacity on Pre and post-test of the experimental group was -56.91272 ± 22.03192 with a pvalue of 0.000, which was showed there was a highly significant improvement in vital capacity of students and compare with the control group. It was concluded that body masses index and vital capacity is significantly improved in university students of the experimental group as a result of 10 weeks of the cardiovascular exercise training program. Conclude that there is a significant difference between the effects of cardiovascular exercise and daily routine sports activities on BMI.
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Cardiovascular Exercises, BMI Body Mass Index, VC Vital Capacity, University Students, and Sedentary Lifestyle
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(1) Yassar Iqbal
Lecturer, Department of Sports Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Zubia Savila
PhD Scholar, Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
(3) Muhammad Badar Habib
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.
