FROM INTERVENTION TO EXIT: AN ANALYSIS OF POST-9/11 US STRATEGIES IN AFGHANISTAN

Following the US exit from Afghanistan, the debate revolves around why US intervention in Afghanistan, the longest and one of the most expensive in its history, has failed in defeating the Taliban and realising a durable state-building. The debate considers endogenous factors that explore US and Taliban strategies and exogenous factors that underline the role of regional and extra-regional actors in determining the outcome of the Afghan conflict. This paper, therefore, focuses on faults and inconsistencies within and across US strategies in Afghanistan, i.e., the use of military force, political settlement, and state-building. It also examines US strategies vis-à-vis conflict in Afghanistan under four US administrations – from Bush to Biden – to ascertain why these strategies proved ineffective. These strategies have been analysed by following the conceptual framework of Game Theory. The paper argues that US strategies for entering Afghanistan were detached from the ground realities, which was the critical factor for its failure to achieve the desired outcome of the conflict.   Bibliography Entry Shad, Muhammad Riaz, and Sajid Iqbal. 2021. "From Intervention to Exit: An Analysis of Post-9/11 US Strategies in Afghanistan." Margalla Papers 25 (2): 23-34

Impact of Money Supply and Exchange Rate on Agricultural Prices in Pakistan

This study analyzed the impact of the long-run neutrality of money supply and exchange rate on Pakistan's agricultural prices using data from 1975 to 2019. Engle and Granger and Johansen and Jusileius techniques were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the exchange rate's neutrality does not hold in the long-run. Simultaneously, the money supply coefficient was found to be insignificant in the long-run, emphasizing money's neutrality. The study concluded that monetary authorities can control the exchange rate by designing and implementing appropriate policies to overcome the overshoot problem of agricultural prices in Pakistan

Early Versus Delayed Feeding in Paediatric Patients Following Stoma Reversal in a Resource Limited Environment

Introduction: Institution of early enteral nutrition is essential after stoma reversal. There is no consensus on the time feeding should be started after closure of a stoma in children. It is established that after stoma reversal early achievement of full feed and early discharge affects the overall cost in resource limited countries. Materials and Methods: This Randomized control trial was conducted in the Paediatric Surgery Department of Services Hospital, Lahore. Over a period of 1 year, from April 2016 to March 2017, a total of 100 cases were included.  In group A, early feeding (after 36 to 48hours) and in group B delayed (after 5days) feeding was given to the patients. Time for restoration of full feed and length of hospital stay and complications were compared in both groups. Each patient was observed in the ward till discharge and followed up to 30 days in the out-patient department. The data was recorded and analyzed in SPSS version 20. Independent sample t-test was applied to obtain the p-value for comparing the means. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results:  In both groups age, weight and etiology of stoma was comparable.  The full feed was achieved within 56.66 ± 7.77 hours in group A and 156.76 ± 7.96 hours in group B (P<0.005). Mean length of hospital stay was 5.84 ± 0.84 days in group A, while it was 9.50 ± 0.76 days in group B (P<0.005). Conclusion: Early enteral feeding after stoma reversal is well tolerated and beneficial. It is suggested that early feeding protocol should be encouraged in a resource limited environment

Demographic and Geographic Influence of the Country-of-Origin Image on Consumer Purchase Decision

Purpose–The main purpose of this study is to explore the influence of the country-of-origin image of the product on consumer purchase decision. Methodology–This research is done in five major cities of Pakistan (i.e. Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan) for automobiles, TV sets, mobile phones and cosmetics products. Structured questionnaires and cluster sampling are used. Responses are collected from 459 consumers from five major cities of Pakistan using convenience sampling method whereas SPSS 14.0 version is used for data analysis. Research limitations/implications–Personal interviews were conducted from the customers where it is very difficult to approach all the consumer classes of Pakistan. People of Pakistan are bit hesitant to give proper information. Limited access to data is available in archives. Conclusion–The country-of-origin image has a significant and positive effect on consumer purchase decision in Pakistan. Keywords: Country-of-Origin, Consumer Purchase Decision, Pakistan. Research Type: Research Pape

Molecular Identification of Genetically Modified Crops for Biosafety and Legitimacy of Transgenes

Crops undergo artificially DNA modifications for improvements are considered as genetically modified (GM) crops. These modifications could be in indigenous DNA or by introduction of foreign DNA as transgenes. There are 29 different crops and fruit trees in 42 countries, which have been successfully modified for various traits like herbicide tolerance, insect/pest resistance, disease resistance and quality improvement. GM crops are grown worldwide and its area is significantly increasing every year. Many countries have very strict rules and regulations for GM crops and are also a trade barrier in some situations. Hence, identification and testing of crops for GM contents is important for identity and legitimacy of transgene to simplify the international trade. Normally, molecular identification is performed at three different levels, i.e., DNA, RNA and protein, and each level has its own importance in testing about the nature and type of GM crops. In this chapter, current scenario of GM crops and different molecular testing tools are described in brief

Socio-Economic Barriers to Women's Higher Education: A Study of Tribal Area Barthi

The aim of the present had to identify the various barriers females face in their higher education. The main issue women are facing in their higher education is a tradition of that culture. Education improves the socio-economic status of women and gives them awareness in life. Tehsil Taunsa Sharif was selected as the universe for research. All the female of tehsil Taunsa Sharif was the target population of this research. The sample size of this research was 100 families of Taunsa Sharif. The researcher had selected the respondents with the help of Simple Random Sampling. Pakistani society has complex dynamics due to the diversity in cultures and traditions in the whole of the country. Findings of research evidence indicate that in the effect of varieties of initiatives some positive changes and progress have been made in making education accessible to all

DNA Fingerprinting and Cultivar Identification of Olive (Olea europaea L.) using SSR markers

Background: Genetic diversity and population structure of the olive varieties cultivated in Pakistan are yet to be explored.Methods: In present study, we studied population structure and genetic diversity and developed DNA fingerprints of 13 olive varieties  using 63 Simple Sequence Repeat  markers.Results: Collectively 618 alleles were amplified among which 582 were polymorphic and 36 were monomorphic. High allelic diversity per locus was found among 63 SSR markers, i.e., one for GAPU-12 to 23 for UDO099-008 and GAPU-47 with an average 9.80 alleles per locus. On the basis of cluster analysis genotypes were grouped into two clusters. Cluster I contained varieties Manzanilla, Sohawa-selection, Koroneki, Bulkasar-selection, Arbequina, Arbosona, Chugtai-selection, whereas cluster II was comprised of varieties Bari-Zatoon, Coratina, Gemlik, Frontaio, Pendolino and Ottobratica. UDO-24 marker alone identified seven olive varieties. Similarly, DCA-07 and EMO-02 identified six olive varieties each.Conclusion: The findings of this manuscript will be helpful for future studies related to DNA fingerprinting and genetic diversity assessment for choice of SSR markers and identification of olive varieties.   Keywords: Cluster analysis; Polymorphic Information Content; Structure analysis; Similarity matrix

Correlation of Red Cell Distribution Width with Severity of Cardiovascular Diseases

Objectives: To determine the correlation of red cell distribution width (RDW) with severity of cardiovascular diseases. Methodology: This study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, Aziz Fatima Medical and Dental College, Faisalabad, over a period of one year from October 2019 to September 2020. A total of 150 participants were included in the study consisting of 75 patients of cardiovascular disease in case group and 75 participants without any cardiovascular disease in control group. All patients in the study underwent trans radial or transfemoral rout coronary angiography using 5F optitorque catheter for trans radial rout or 6F Judkins catheters for transfemoral rout. All the patient had angiography within 24 hours of admission in the hospital. Results: The patients who were diagnosed with Coronary artery Disease (CAD) had significantly higher mean age (51.45 ± 11.29 years) as compared (44.56 ± 9.45 years) to group B without out CAD. There were 53 (70.67%) males in group A, and 42 (56%) males in group B. The rate of hypertension (61.33%) was significantly higher among patient who diagnosed with CAD. The mean value of RDW CV was found significantly (p-value < 0.05) raised among patients of CAD (14.36 ± 1.02vs. 13.52 ± 0.89). The RDW SD was also significantly higher in group A (43.67 ± 4.39 vs. 41.65 ± 3.46, p-value = 0.002) in comparison to group B. Age and male gender were found to be a significant (p-value < 0.05) contributor for CVD with an odds ratio of 1.18 and 3 respectively. Conclusion: RDW is an effective easily available marker for the assessment of severity of coronary artery disease and helps in risk stratification of CAD patients for further events