Pakistan Border Research Articles

Women's Voices from Jammu and Kashmir

The paper focuses on the India–Pakistan border at Jammu and Kashmir. Through narratives, the paper argues that violence and victimhood at the borders do not stop at the borders but percolate deep into the nation-form, in the process adding to the gendered dimension of the Indian nation.

A prospective Neoproterozoic-Cambrian hydrocarbon/exploration play in the Kirthar Fold Belt, Pakistan

Abstract During the Late Neoproterozoic to Early Mesozoic the Indian Plate was part of Pangaea, the Palaeo supercontinent, with the African Plate to the west, as interpreted by various authors. At the same time, the Indian Plate was juxtaposed with the Central Iranian Plate, which separated it from the Arabian Plate in the vicinity of present-day Oman, c. 800 Ma ago. Between 612 and 200 Ma (Late Neoproterozoic to the end of the Triassic) these plates remained firmly attached. The changing configuration of the plates from 200 Ma to the present are provided in this paper. The Neoproterozoic–Cambrian rocks are recorded along the eastern border of Pakistan with India, extending into the Indian Territory and comprising part of the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian basin (Lower Indus Basin). The southern part of the Lower Indus Basin, from the Thar Platform in the east, deepens westwards towards Karachi (embayment) and the Kachhi Foredeep, where the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian succession is likely to be deep-seated. However, c. 5 km uplift of the Kirthar Fold Belt (KFB) across the Western Boundary Thrust (WBT) and the subsequent erosion have exposed the Middle Jurassic Chiltan Limestone, particularly in the central region of the KFB (Landsat images and domal structures with Jurassic outcrops are described in this paper) The limestone rests over older strata, with a possible presence of that of Neoproterozoic–Cambrian age, which is interpreted to be at drillable depth.

One Thousand Kilometers

On Being a Doctor21 February 2012One Thousand KilometersMahdi Malekpour, MDMahdi Malekpour, MDFrom Amir Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-4-201202210-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail It wasn't until midsummer when I finally managed to visit my friend, a family physician in a southeastern city in Iran near the Pakistan border. We had worked jointly on a few medical research projects, and at the time he was fulfilling a public service obligation, as was his wife in a nearby town.I arrived, drained, at his office as dusk fell. His setup was just as I had imagined: a weather-beaten building, rudimentary equipment, a very basic medication cabinet, a few rooms in which to see patients, a terraced residence in the rear, and a dilapidated Land Rover ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Amir Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.Corresponding Author: Mahdi Malekpour, MD, Amir Alam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; e-mail, [email protected]tums.ac.ir. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 21 February 2012Volume 156, Issue 4Page: 321-322KeywordsChocolateDeceptionDiarrheaHealth services researchInfantsMouthShouldersVital signs ePublished: 21 February 2012 Issue Published: 21 February 2012 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...

Barriers to Treatment of Substance Abuse in a Rural Population of India

Background: In spite of having strong religious and cultural influences, substance abuse among adult population is very high in Punjab, a north Indian state of India in the border of Pakistan. A large majority of individuals with alcohol and substance dependence do not seek treatment. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the barriers for which people in general population having alcohol and substance dependence do not seek treatment. There is paucity of data in India regarding barriers in treatment of substance abuse. Therefore, it was very tempting to evaluate these barriers. Method: Data was collected from the rural population of a randomly selected village by directly going to their home. Substance dependence was diagnosed by DSM-IVTR criteria in 412 persons and was assessed by Barriers to Treatment Inventory scale (BTI). Results: Among all the barriers ‘time conflict’ predominated in the study population by 51.2% followed by two other barriers ‘absence of problem’ (48.8%) and ‘fear to treatment’ (40.3%). Admission difficulty and poor treatment availability were relatively less prominent barriers. Female substance dependents had major problem with privacy (87.5%), fear to treatment (75%) and absence of problem (75%). Conclusion: This study shows that there are several barriers, certain beliefs, social influences and obligations in the population for which people can’t take treatment. Social stereotypes and fear to treatment due to poor health services add further vulnerability. Minimization of the barriers should be done by changes in education, screening, outreach, detection, and referral patterns in alcohol & substance abuse treatment delivery systems.

The scourge of opiates: The illicit narcotics trade in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This study seeks to provide an overview of drug trafficking in Iran, particularly as it relates to the Iran–Afghan and Iran–Pakistan border regions. Data were obtained from a systematic review of the academic literature and from open sources, including media reports and official documents. The Iranian government is credited with dedicating substantial resources to combating the drug trafficking. Despite these efforts, Iran continues to be the most significant transit country for opium and heroin from Afghanistan. Several factors are identified that help to explain why Iran, despite its efforts, continues to play a central role in the international drug trade.

Effects of the India–Pakistan border earthquake on the atmospherics at 6 kHz and 9 kHz recorded at Tripura

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The unusual variations observed in the records of the integrated field intensity of the atmospherics (IFIA) at 6 kHz and 9 kHz at Agartala, Tripura, in the north-eastern state of India (latitude, 23˚ N; longitude, 91.4˚ E) during the large earthquake on October 8, 2005 at Muzaffarabad (latitude, 34.53˚ N; longitude, 73.58˚ E) in Kashmir in Pakistan are here analyzed. Spiky variations in the IFIA at 6 kHz and 9 kHz were observed several days previous to the day of the earthquake (from midnight, September 28, 2005). The effects persisted for some days, decayed gradually, and eventually ceased on October 31, 2005. The spikes are distinctly superimposed on the ambient level, with mutual separation of 2–5 mins. The number of spikes per day and the total duration of their occurrence were particularly high on the day of the earthquake. The spike heights are higher at 6 kHz than at 9 kHz. The results are discussed here. The generation of electromagnetic radiation associated with the fracture of rocks, the subsequent penetration of this radiation into the Earth atmosphere, and finally its propagation through the Earth–ionosphere waveguide may be responsible for these observed spikes. The present observations show that the very low frequency anomaly dominates between 6 kHz and 9 kHz. The nature of the spikes presented here is a characteristic feature of the IFIA during the period of the earthquake. This has been established on the basis of time-series analyses over a period of one year.

Of “other” histories and identities: partition novels from the Indian subcontinent

Ever since the Partition, novelists on either side of the India–Pakistan border have used fictional space imaginatively to formulate discourses on a humanistically-centred, multiplistically-defined Other identity, which writes itself into existence through the prism of the novelists’ contextual present. In this article, I will focus on three partition narratives: Salman Rushdie's Midnight's children (1980), Bapsi Sidhwa's Ice candy man (1988) and Amitav Ghosh's The shadow lines (1988). By employing different modes of knowledge, the novelists draw out the micro-history embedded within the historical event, and resonate the voice of the Other, a creation of partisan politics. Bapsi Sidhwa appears as a social historian who perceives the event through the eyes of an eight-year-old Parsi girl Lenny; Amitav Ghosh, akin to a modern historian, focuses on rigid and illusory territorial divisions from Thamma's (grandmother's) perspective; while Salman Rushdie emerges as a postmodern historian who draws attention to the ambiguity and opacity of both historical and fictional knowledge through Saleem Sinai, born on the day India won her independence. History, as it is perceived by the Other – each belonging to a different generation – is a palimpsest: it is always in a state of becoming, of being lived, evaluated and rewritten. Fiction, as it interprets the historical knowledge, fills in the fissures and absences between the history of the past and that of the present. The article will eventually study how fiction and history inform each other, and how the rhetoric of fiction and history together constitute a dialectical discourse on identity – mapped by borders – which sees a convergence of private and collective memories.

Chapter Four: Regional Relationships: India, China, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Regional maps

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Chapter Two: Pakistan After 9/11

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Conclusion: Prospects and Policies

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Introduction

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Chapter One: The Nature of Pakistan

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Glossary

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Chapter Three: Internal Conflicts

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Notes

Can Pakistan find a way out of violent instability? How severe are the problems of this strategically crucial country, and how much of a threat do they pose beyond Pakistan's borders? Has Pakistan become an ungovernable failed state? Hilary Synnott draws on his experience of Pakistan to argue that any strategy for addressing the country's problems requires a nuanced understanding of its turbulent history, the failings of successive governments and the weaknesses of core institutions. He sheds light on the role of Pakistan's army and its intelligence service in the power-play of domestic politics, and looks at how the army has used religion and the issue of Kashmir to maintain its own influence, often with disastrous consequences for the security of Pakistan and the wider world. Synnott rigorously analyses developments in Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, little understood in the West despite their profound implications for regional and international security, and examines the role of past events – especially since 11 September 2001 – in generating the animosity that many Pakistanis feel towards the West today. Where does Pakistan go from here? Emphasising that there are no easy answers, Synnott explores how concerned outsiders might finally succeed in building durable relationships with Pakistan, and help to stabilise a country that has struggled with disordered politics and chronic insecurity since independence in 1947.

Frequency of enteric protozoan parasites among patients with gastrointestinal complaints in medical centers of Zahedan, Iran

We investigated the prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in medical centers in Zahedan, Iran. A total of 1562 stool samples was examined from July 2004 to January 2006 using microscopy (direct smear, formalin-ether concentration), xenic culture and PCR techniques. Four hundred and twenty-seven (27.3%) of the patients were infected with one or more intestinal parasites. Giardia lamblia (10.1%), Entamoeba coli (10%), E. hartmanni (1.7%), Blastocystis hominis (2.2%), Chilomastix mesnili (1.7%), Trichomonas hominis (0.7%), E. histolytica/E. dispar (0.51%) and Iodamoeba butschlii (0.45%) were the most prevalent protozoa detected with microscopy. Of the eight microscopy-positive E. histolytica/E. dispar samples, six were identified as E. dispar by PCR/gel electrophoresis, whereas E. histolytica was not detected at all. Although Zahedan is an area with poor hygiene located in a tropical area near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the prevalence of E. histolytica and E. dispar here compared with other parasites and infectious diseases is unexpectedly low.

A Line in the Sand: The India–Pakistan Border in the Films of J.P. Dutta

This article examines the visualisation and narrative construction of the India–Pakistan border, and human interactions across that liminal space, as depicted in two films directed by J.P. Dutta, the high-profile, multiple award-winning war film Border (1997) and his subsequent feature Refugee (2000), which was more loosely described in its publicity literature as ‘a human story’.1 Through these films, Dutta established his reputation as the leading Indian director of the ‘war film’, a genre marked by its relative absence in the Indian cinema prior to the 1990s. Both Border and Refugee thus constitute part of what has retrospectively been described as Dutta's ‘war trilogy’ (along with the more recent LOC Kargil of 2003, which focuses on the 1999 Himalayan conflict).2 In the first two films of the set, which I will consider here, the border in question is not the Line-of-Control (LOC) that divides Kashmir, but rather the southern portion of the long border with Pakistan that runs from the southern bank of the Sutlej River across the Thar Desert to the Arabian Sea. Refugee, moreover, is not a war film in the accepted sense, and I will make the argument that it is not so much the martial posturing which constructs the thematic inter-relation of the two films considered here but rather their attempts to naturalise the abstract barrier created by the Radcliffe Line in the west. 1 Border, dir. J.P.Dutta, J.P. Films, 1996; and Refugee, dir. J.P.Dutta, J.P. Films, 2000. 2 LOC Kargil, dir. J.P.Dutta, J.P. Films, 2003.

Pakistan's Afghan policies and their consequences

Pakistan's Afghan policies, so consequential for its neighbour, have also had a deep impact on the country's political landscape and society. This article examines how Pakistan has pursued a two-track foreign policy toward Afghanistan that often encompasses incompatible goals. Pakistan's leaders have also frequently ignored the long-term and wider implications of their policies domestically and regionally. The discussion looks at the consequences of Afghan policies for Pakistan's national identity and social cohesion. The means by which Islamabad governments have dealt with the challenge of Pashtun nationalism and its contribution to the development of ethnic assertiveness and Islamic radicalism are next examined. The article then describes the role of Afghan policies in transforming Pakistan's border regions with Afghanistan and the wider implications for the state's legitimacy and authority. It also points out the Pakistan Government's ambivalence in its relationship toward militant extremists. A subsequent section considers the costs and rewards of Pakistan's Afghan policies internationally; and Pakistan's strategic partnership with the United States, including its impact on the domestic economy and public attitudes, receives particular attention. Finally, the article recognises that, while Pakistan's politics have entered a transitional stage, its Afghan policies are likely to continue to affect ethnic fissures, religious radicalism, and the legitimate authority of the state.

Permanent intertidal fish from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Iran

The present study provides the first large scale survey on intertidal ichthyofauna along the coastline of Iran from Gawater Bay (Border of Pakistan) in the Gulf of Oman to ArvandKenar (Border of Iraq) in the Persian Gulf. This study was carried out in the years 2005-2006 at 15 stations, including mangrove, mudflat and rocky shores. Specimens were collected at low tide from tide pools, using chlorine and hand net. Although 36 species from 15 families were collected only 17 species including Alticus kirkii, Antennablennius bifilum, A. variopunctatus, Istiblennius edentulous, I. pox, I. spilotus, Parablennius opercularis, Omobranchus fasciolatus, O. mekranensis, O. punctatus, (belong to family Blenniidae) and Boleophthalmus dussumieri, Periophthalmus waltoni, Scartelaos tenuis, Acentrogobius dayi, Bathygobius meggitti, Cryptocentroides arabicus and Istigobius ornatus (belong to family Gobiidae) were regarded as permanent residents.