Perceptions of Pakistani Society About Western Enlightenment: An Analysis in the Light of Islamic Teachings

The study was conducted to examine some of the important questions raised by both the religious scholars and the proponents of the Enlightenment movement. The purpose of the study was to interpret enlightenment in Western and Islamic context and to examine the impact of western enlightenment on contemporary Pakistani society in the light of Islamic teachings. The study was quantitative in nature. Survey was conducted to probe into the perceptions of the Pakistani people regarding impact of western enlightenment on various aspects of contemporary Pakistani society. The sample of the study was 1000 people from four provincial headquarters of Pakistan including male and female from urban and rural areas of the provincial capitals. Two research instruments were developed by the researcher based on review of the related literature. First was a questionnaire named WEBI, Western Enlightenment Beliefs Inventory; second was a checklist named WEKAPC, Western Enlightenment Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Checklist. Results showed that most of the respondents were of the view that western enlightenment exerted significant influences on their thinking, lifestyles, and education, culture, media and social practices. Majority of the respondents thought that western enlightenment emphasized on tolerance, cultural harmony, equality, social justice and independent thinking. Gender-wise comparisons indicated that male respondents were more positive towards western enlightenment than the female respondents. It was recommended that Pakistani society needs to be made aware of the philosophy of western enlightenment and Islamic values which are characteristics of western enlightenment movement. There is need to initiate interfaith dialogue to understand socio-cultural dynamics of a Muslim society and a western society.

Effects of Lending Policies of Khushhali Bank Limited on Sustainability of Micro Enterprises

This research study investigates the effects of lending policies of Khushhali Bank Limited (KBL) on sustainability of micro enterprises. A sample size of 350 respondents was selected in district Charsadda through random sampling technique. The research study uses multiple regression technique which shows that there is a significant positive impact of independent variables on dependent variable. Majority of respondent perceive that existing criteria of lending is complex and not loan friendly therefore restricts the accessibility to the micro finance. The research also found that training of the borrower enhances the capacity and production level. The research also suggest that well designed monitoring system help in enhancing product quality which in turn produce enough income for the enterprise thereby adding in the personal saving. Most of the respondents viewed poor roads, telecommunications and poor information as main hurdles in and market accessibility and market linkage development. The study recommends that in order to promote sustainable SMEs growth is to review the existing SMEs prudential regulations to improve SMEs access to finance. Training and capacity building of SMEs should be the priority of government, furthermore, banks/borrowing agencies should develop and implement an appropriate system for monitoring utilization of loans.