Pak-US Strategic Partnership in the War on Terror to Curb Militant Bloodbath

Pakistan’s involvement in the US war on terrorism was a tragic decision. No option was left for the ruling elite of Pakistan except to join the global war on terrorism and to take a U-turn from the support of Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan which was duly recognized by Pakistan’s government in 1996. It was expected by the policy-makers of the US that the alliance with Pakistan would provide extraordinary strength in combating the Al-Qaeda and other affiliated conglomerates in Afghanistan as well as in borderland area. However, after fifteen years of war, the alliance has enfeebled despite their mutual understanding regarding the objectives envisaged in the Strategic Partnership. The war on terrorism has now been escalated from Afghanistan to Pakistan and it has provided space to religious extremism, militancy, intolerance, ethnic division and sectarianism. There is no denial to the fact that religious extremism and terrorism are common threat and have damaged both the countries yet Pakistan has sacrificed more than the US in terms of human and material loss. Nevertheless, blame game and trust deficit is on the rise from both sides. This article focuses first on the joint ventures that the US and Pakistan mutually initiated to curb militant bloodbath in Afghanistan as well as in the border region. Secondly, it will explore factors responsible for increasing trust deficit between the partners. The study will not only provide deep understanding about the prevailing issues between Pakistan and the US but will also give true pictures to streamline the methodology for negotiating with each other in  future.

Study of Polymeric Hydrogels As Novel Biotechnological Materials

A novel method was developed to synthesize switchable pH responsive hydrogel from natural and synthetic polymers. Blends of CM-chitosan and carrageenan were reacted with acrylic acid and in situ crosslinked with vinyltriethoxy silane (VTESi). This crosslinker is used for the first time for this type of blends. Three sets of polymeric hydrogels were prepared in this work. Polymerization steps involve initiation, propagation, copolymerization and crosslinking reactions. During the process of polymerization, peroxide was broken into radicals, which attack other molecules and monomers present in the reactor to convert them into radicals. These resultant radicals combine with each other to produce stable molecules which upon crosslinking through a process of condensation lead to the formation of network structure having hydrogels properties. These hydrogels are then characterized by using various techniques. Structural and thermal analysis confirmed the presence of crosslinking within hydrogel. Dynamics of water vapor sorption was also done to show the extent and rate of vapor uptake of prepared hydrogels. Similarly swelling study in water gave a clear picture about the effect of concentration of monomer and crosslinking agent on swelling ability of hydrogel. Swellings in buffered, non-buffered and ionic environment exhibited a variety of behavior. Temperature was found to be favorable for swelling but only to a specific extent. All the developed hydrogels showed switchable response against change in pH of the external media. These hydrogel showed low swelling at low and high pH and maximum swelling was observed at neutral pH. This pH response and biocompatible nature of the incorporated component made it a good candidate for drug delivery application. These hydrogels were loaded with insulin and its in-vitro release study showed very interesting results. A very low release of insulin was observed at low pH and consistent release was observed at neutral pH. Further studies on these systems will provide another biotechnological material for gastrointestinal delivery for drugs.