Download Some 200,000 factories have closed and millions of Pakistanis have lost their jobs as an increasing number of companies opt to relocate.
Textile manufacturing is Pakistan’s largest industry, accounting for half of the country’s total exports and employing almost 40 percent of the labor force.
But electricity and gas outages are driving business away, causing a 50 percent drop in textile exports this year.
Naeem Sahoutara reports from Punjab, the heart of Pakistan’s textile industry.
Download Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio still exists.
Last year, Pakistan contributed 30 percent of global polio cases despite the government’s National Emergency Plan against polio.
This year, 14 new cases have been reported until last month.
President Asif Ali Zardari says polio eradication is the government’s top priority – with anti-polio drive declared as national emergency throughout the year.
The campaign will focus on tribal areas where militant violence had affected eradication efforts.
Shahab-ur-Rahman travels to the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which has one of the highest polio rate in the country.
Download The Baisakhi Festival is a three-day celebration for the Sikh community around the world – it marks the religion’s founding, the Sikh New Year, and the harvest season.
Sikhism began over 500 years ago in Punjab – regarded as the Sikh homeland in South Asia.
But Punjab is now divided between India and Pakistan, and the holy shrine of Gurdawa Panja Sahib is on the Pakistani side.
Each year thousands of devotees come to Pakistan to visit the shrine for the festival.
Pakistani authorities deploy more than 1,000 security personnel to make sure Sikhs can celebrate in peace.
Mudassar Shah joins the crowds in Northern Punjab.
