Air Cdre (R) Azfar A Khan

In these days of escalating oil prices, it’s becoming extremely difficult for a common citizen to pay off monthly electricity bills. The bills keep soaring day by day and there seems to be no respite in foreseeable future. These bills can be reduced by resorting to other methods of generating electricity, solar being one of them.

This article dwells on the discussion regarding production of electricity through solar means and discusses a cost-effective strategy to achieve this end.

The photo above shows Solar Panels being used for water extraction in village Rarkou in Nagarparkar, Sindh

The use of solar energy for the generation of electricity is not something new. Most of the countries are doing it successfully for decades and their population benefiting through the use of this free resource. But, to most of the people, it may still look like a mystery. These days, this energy is being utilized to light our homes, run fans, provide power to our fridges and microwave ovens, assist in warming our homes and swimming pools, provide power to our gardens and street lights, run our TVs and computers, and extract water from the sub-soil for irrigation purposes.

As solar energy continues to power various aspects of our daily lives, the importance of maintaining and repairing your home appliances cannot be overstated. These devices are essential for harnessing the benefits of solar power, ensuring that homes operate efficiently and sustainably. Regular maintenance helps appliances run smoothly, maximizing their performance and lifespan, which is crucial when relying on renewable energy sources. Without proper care, even the most advanced solar-powered systems can underperform, leading to inefficiencies that negate the benefits of using clean energy.

Jauhar Ismail

According to a recent Yahoo news update:

The government (of Pakistan) agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country’s interior.

In my opinion, the devil is really in the details and the implementation of this agreement. I have mixed feeling on this: It is hard to see how the situation in Swat can be controlled only through the military means; there has to be a political dimension. This is what the U.S. is also learning the hard way in Afghanistan where there is already a talk of having some sort of adjustment with “moderate Afghan Taliban”.

Owais Mughal

Just last week, I got hold of this poetry book which blew me away. I thought this was the book that I had been waiting for. ‘tha intizaar jis ka, woh shahkaar aa gaya’. Mr. S.M. Shaiq has collected almost 400 ashaar (verses) written on Pakistani transport and published them in the form of a book titled ‘deewan-e-transport’ (see the title photo to the right). kiyooN? hai na mazay ki baat !!!.

I have selected 20 out of 400 ashaar found in this 204-page-book to be shared here. To translate Urdu poetry in English requires special talent, which I don’t have. I’ve tried to translate few ashaar literally but not poetically. If our readers want to give it a try, I may add your translation in the post here. Give it a try!

(1)
The background of this ‘sher’ is that Dina is a city 16 km west of Jhelum city on highway N5. If you are traveling East to West on N5 then Dina is further ahead of Jhelum.