800th Anniversary Scholarships at Cambridge University for applicants from Pakistan

The Cambridge University has introduced a new scholarship scheme for applicants for undergraduate admission from Pakistan for 2010 entry onwards. The 800th Anniversary Scholarships have been created with funding from Cambridge Assessment, parent of Cambridge International Examinations who provide school exams throughout Pakistan.

The scholarships to be held at the University of Cambridge are for school-leavers from Pakistan who meet the usual examination qualifications for admission to Cambridge. Applicants for all courses except Medicine and Veterinary Medicine are eligible to apply.

The scholarships are not available if you already have a degree and are therefore applying to Cambridge as an Affiliated applicant.The scholarships will cover the cost of your tuition fees and College fees together with a grant towards maintenance and travel costs for each year of your course. The maintenance element of the scholarship will take account of your financial circumstances.

The scholarships are competitive and are conditional on a College offer of a place tostudy at Cambridge, including meeting any immigration and English language requirements. Continuation of the scholarship from year to year will be conditional on satisfactory examination performance.

If you meet the conditions above and wish to be considered for an 800th Anniversary Scholarship should complete a scholarship application form (which will be made available on the Undergraduate Admissions website in due course) and apply for a place at Cambridge in the usual way, submitting a UCAS application and a Cambridge Overseas Application Form (COAF) together with your scholarship application form by 20 September 2009. Applicants for the scholarships will be interviewed in Pakistan in October/November 2009.

Contact:
University of Cambridge
Cambridge Admissions Office
Fitzwilliam House
32 Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1QY [Map]
Information provided by admissions@cam.ac.uk
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/international/

Over simplification is more complicated than you think: Pakistan under threat

Recent reports of international media especially US media confirm that they look at Pakistan as a state that is collapsing. The grave situation is that Pakistani media is following this trend without considering the cultural ingredients and indigenous social, political and economical landscape of the country.

Ejaz Haider, the Consulting Editor of The Friday Times and OP-ed Editor of Daily Times, considered the hypotheses of this trend and wrote a wonderful article in the Friday Times in this context. Ejaz considered the reports currently having place in international media biased as they can not pass the test of sound analysis. 

Ejaz emphasized that a state can not be considered "Fail" if its 30% population is under poverty line, or its corruption level is high.  Hence poverty, poor governance, corruption, a broken court system, etc. are nothing new to Pakistan or, for the matter, to much of the developing world, including shining India. Author considered these reports “rely on simplistic rendering of facts presented out of context or as a montage of sorts for cumulative impact. . . Most of these reports rely on email contacts, interviews or phone conversations”.

The current problems are owed to US presence in Pakistan and roots may be linked with US role in Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.” The current problem was created by the eight years of Musharraf’s dictatorship; the army in cahoots with the Taliban; the violence is owed to India’s perfidy; because of poverty; use of force has compelled these people to retaliate, etc.”

Ejaz questioned that ‘why did no one talk about Pakistan as a failing state with all indicators of poverty, poor political and economic conditions, etc. before the insurgency?” There is just one issue “the insurgency”. “Can Pakistan deal with it ?” This is the thinking that lurking behind  this doomsday scenario for the west. Narrow it down and it would read: “Can Pakistan deal with it on our terms.”       

 Author considered that we can face the current challenges with Dialogue, rule of law, and strengthen judiciary. He further wrote: "Pakistani State and Society is far more complex and multilayered for it to come apart in the way reports  in the US press predict".