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Blasphemy laws in Pakistan have been a subject of intense debate, scrutiny, and controversy both domestically and internationally. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the evolution, legal framework, societal implications, and human rights concerns surrounding blasphemy laws within the Pakistani legal system. Beginning with a historical overview, the study examines the origins and development of these laws within the context of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Shariah-based legal principles. Through an exploration of notable cases and incidents, the article highlights the challenges faced in implementing fair trials and the far-reaching consequences on individuals accused of blasphemy. Additionally, it critically evaluates the conflicts between the laws and the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and expression, delving into the human rights implications and international perspectives. By reviewing reform efforts and proposing potential amendments, this article seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the need for balanced legal reforms and societal harmony in navigating the complex landscape of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater heavy metal pollution is a major concern all around the world. For the assessment of heavy metals and physico-chemical characteristics, groundwater samples were collected from different locations of the Karak District, Pakistan. With the help of the global information system device (GIS), groundwater samples were collected and studied from 47 locations. The present study focused on the water table (WT), water source depth (WSD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), lead (Pb(II)), silver (Ag(I)), iron (Fe(II)) and chromium (Cr(VI)) parameters. Heavy metals were analyzed by the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The Pearson's matrix of correlation showed relationships between several parameters, such as the EC and the TDS which had close interactions between all the three different groundwater samples (collected by hand pump (HP), bore holes (BH) and tube wells (TW)). The strong correlation was detected in all the sources of water between the TDS and the EC, the regression coefficient (r) of which was 1. In the hierarchical clustering (by dendrograms) the HP samples show two clusters: Cluster 1 contains seven parameters and Cluster 2 has four parameters. The BH samples have two clusters: Cluster 1 contains three parameters and Cluster 2 has eight parameters. The TW dendrogram also shows two clusters: Cluster 1 contains six parameters while Cluster 2 has five parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politics is one of the hottest and most commonly mentioned and viewed topics on social media networks nowadays. Microblogging platforms like Twitter and Weibo are widely used by many politicians who have a huge number of followers and supporters on those platforms. It is essential to study the supporters' network of political leaders because it can help in decision making when predicting their political futures. This study focuses on the supporters' network of three famous political leaders of Pakistan, namely, Imran Khan (IK), Maryam Nawaz Sharif (MNS), and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (BBZ). This is done using social network analysis and semantic analysis. The proposed method (1) detects and removes fake supporter(s), (2) mines communities in the politicians' social network(s), (3) investigates the supporters' reply network for conversations between supporters about each leader, and, finally, (4) analyses the retweet network for information diffusion of each political leader. Furthermore, sentiment analysis of the supporters of politicians is done using machine learning techniques, which ultimately predicted and revealed the strongest supporter network(s) among the three political leaders. Analysis of this data reveals that as of October 2017 (1) IK was the most renowned of the three politicians and had the strongest supporter's community while using Twitter in a very controlled manner, (2) BBZ had the weakest supporters' network on Twitter, and (3) the supporters of the political leaders in Pakistan are flexible on Twitter, communicating with each other, and that any group of supporters has a low level of isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study, which examines how a foreign-funded teachers' preparation program was implemented, primarily focuses on policy-related matters and curriculum implementation. Despite some of the challenges faced by the instructors and prospective teachers, the two stakeholders acknowledged that the new program is the correct approach for addressing the issues of quality education in Pakistan. The instructors and students agreed that the new Advance Degree in Education (ADE) program, unlike the traditional teachers' preparation programs that have questionable productivity, helped them to broaden their understanding about such concepts as student-centered learning, practice-oriented teaching, multiple methods of teaching, and the integration of technology in the teaching and learning processes. However, the study maintains that certain issues, such as questionable recruitment policies, limited capacities of teacher educators, and lack of proper orientation about the ADE program, seem to compromise the productivity of this important intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton crop is infected by single stranded DNA viruses (Family, Geminiviridae) in Pakistan. Due to changing global climate, which favors the whitefly (insect vector) growth and reproduction, the spread of cotton leaf curl disease is increasing at an alarming rate. Various approaches are being used to diagnose the ssDNA viruses in cotton. One step PCR protocol was established to identify the three viruses, namely cotton leaf curl Multan virus (CLCuMuV), Burewala strain of Kokhran virus (CLCuKo-Bur) and cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus (CLCuKoV). Thirty eight genotypes were screened on the basis of symptoms and molecular diagnosis. Out of 38 genotypes, 13 were positive for CLCuMuV, 24 were positive for Burewala strain and one was positive for both CLCuMuV and CLCuKoV-Bur strain. However, none of the samples was positives for cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus. Our experiments have established one step guide PCR for screening of cotton germplasm for major cotton infecting viruses. This diagnostic assay will promote the breeding programs for the development of resistant cotton varieties against cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jatropha curcas L. (J. curcas)is gaining interest as biodiesel plant in Pakistan. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the interaction of J. curcas not only with crop plants but also with weed species before its introduction into agroforestry systems. During present investigation, allelopathic potential of J. curcas leaf aqueous extract was investigated on seed germination and seedling development of Parthenium hysterophorus L. Extracts were applied at 25%, 20%, 15%, 10% and 5% as seed soaking for 8 hours prior to sowing. Phenolics compounds were found in aqueous extracts and were higher in 25% extract (52.72 mg gallic acid eq. / gm of extract). Higher concentration of the extract (25%) significantly decreased seed germination (%), seed germination index, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, seedling relative water content and seed vigor index. It was inferred from findings of the present investigation that aqueous extract of J. curcas exhibits inhibitory effects on growth and development of P. hysterophorus and therefore could be a potential source of botanical herbicide in the control of this noxious weed species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirteen premium quality commercial mango cultivars grown in Pakistan were assayed with seven SSR primer series viz., mMiCIR, MiSHRS, MIAC, MITGIT, LMMA, UBC and MiIIHR. Among the 120 primers used, 101 produced bands and revealed a narrow genetic base ranging from 0.62-0.8 with maximum similarity among the cvs. 'Anwar Ratole' and 'Sensation' while the maximum divergence was between cvs. 'Sindhri' and 'Sensation'. Chaunsa was genetically more similar (74.2%) and 'Kala Chaunsa' was more dissimilar (31.2%) respectively when compared with all the other cultivars. Of 101 SSR primers, we have identified 30 (29.7%) highly informative primers (PIC value =0.6), which could be useful in the molecular characterization of mango germplasm. The primer series MIAC, UBC and MiIIHR had the maximum percentage of highly informative primers in descending order. The UPGMA based Euclidian dendrogram constructed with similarity indices placed all the cultivars according to regions of their origin and magnitude of diversity among them. The morphological characterization of the commercial cultivars was also done using 11 quantitative traits; however, none of the traits except fruit weight was informative for the assessment of genetic diversity. SSR based molecular characterization appeared to be reliable, reproducible and cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world has a lot of want for energy due to the rapid pace of its consumption. The world's energy resources, especially non-renewable sources, are vanishing by leaps and bounds. However, agencies like the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable development have defined some preventive measures to consider while consuming energy. The main issue in Pakistan is that the consumer is not supplied with electric power in a managed way, and the way of installation causes a lot of impairment to the expensive tools in the power distribution system. The motivation of this research focuses on energy management, making the distribution authority more powerful, digitalization, and protection of expensive components in electrical power systems. The proposed methodology uses current and voltage sensors to remotely monitor the amount of power being supplied to the consumer continuously, along with a microcontroller responsible for activating the relay in case of over-consumption and the Global System for Mobile (GSM) network to warn the consumer and inform the authority. This research work prevents manual and laborious meter readings and protects electrical instruments. Further, this work can enable online billing, pre-paid billing, and energy saving and provide a base for power theft detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Two cropping systems (common and drought adopted) were compared for fertilizer and irrigation effects on forage quality. [•] Irrigation water use efficiencies for crude protein (CP) and metabolizeable energy (ME) were also studied. [•] Fertilizer and irrigation did not affect the quality parameters significantly. [•] Drought adopted system proved more water efficient for CP and ME production. [•] Nutritional quality of both systems was in acceptable range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is the top death causing disease in the world, due to its occurrence through various mechanism and form. Medicinal plants have been extensively used for the purifications and isolations of phytochemicals for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Consequently, this research was designed to document the traditional practices of anti-cancer plants and its phytochemical essay across the districts of KP, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 24 districts from the informants mostly the traditional herbalists (key informants). The information were compared with the publish data using various authentic search engines including, google, researchgate, google scholar and NCBI. One hundred and fifty-four (154) anti-cancer plants were recognized belonging to 69 families among all, Lamiaceae (13 sp.), Asteraceae (12 sp.) and Solanaceae (9 sp.) were the preferred families. The local inhabitants in the area typically prepare ethnomedicinal recipes from leaves (33.70%) and whole plants (23.37%) in the form of decoction and powder (24.67%), respectively. Herbs stayed the most preferred life form (61.68%) followed by shrub (21.4%). Similarly, breast (29.22%) and lung cancer (14.83%) was the common disease type. Literature study also authorize that, the medicinal plants of the research area were rich in phytochemical like quercetin, coumarine, kaempferol, apigenin, colchicine, alliin, rutin, lupeol, allicin, berbarine, lutolin, vanilic acid, urocilic acid and solamargine have revealed significant activates concerning the cancer diseases, that replicating the efficacy of these plants as medicines. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rural area and the local inhabitants have very strong traditional knowledge about the medicinal plants for different diseases like cancer. The medicinal plants for significant ranked disorder might be pharmacologically and phtyochemicaly explored to demonstrate their efficacy. Moreover, the local flora especially medicinal plants facing overgrazing, overexploitation and inappropriate way of collection, however, proper management strategies like reforestation, controlled grazing, proper permission from concerned department and rangeland strategies among others may be assumed to enhance the proper usage of medicinal plants. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated the instructional management of a private and a government secondary school principal in the Gigit-Baltistan region of Northern Pakistan. The study used the following lenses to examine the instructional behavior of the two principals: supervisory techniques, professional development activities, curriculum enrichment, and the availability of instructional resources. A comparison between the levels of engagement of the private and public school principals for the promotion of instructional matter suggests that the private school principal spent more time than the government principal on the development of instructional practices in his school. The study maintains that variables, such as structural processes, personal disposition of principals, and staff characteristics, led the two subjects to deal with their instructional responsibility differently. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: In developed countries, patients' factors and esthetic concerns have predominantly influenced prosthodontic treatments. The objective of this investigation was to see if such factors in local partially dentate patients influenced the clinicians' decision regarding the prostheses planned. Material & Methods: This was a descriptive study carried out in Khyber College of Dentistry, Peshawar from March to October 2007. Using a structured data collection-sheet, patient's data including gender, age, socio-economic status, educational level, oral-hygiene status, main concern of patients for consultation and the number, location and type of saddles in the jaws were all recorded. The type of prosthodontic service planned for each patient was also recorded. One investigator collected the required data from each of the 206 partially dentate patients by the method of direct interviewing. Results: Acrylic removable dental prostheses (RDPs) were more frequently provided than fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). No precision-retained or implant-supported prosthesis were planned. Irrespective of the type of prosthesis, the restoration of chewing function was the major concern of patients for consultation. Age, socioeconomic status, educational level and type of saddle in the maxilla influenced patients' treatment with RDPs. In comparison, better socioeconomic status and educational level were the reasons in case of planned FDPs. The reason for the planned FDPs in the maxilla was esthetics as compared to improvement in chewing function in case of the mandible. Conclusion: Acrylic RDPs were the most frequently planned prostheses. Patients; socioeconomic status and educational level and the type and location of saddle influenced the type of prosthesis planned for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Jaya algorithm is applied to find an optimal unit sizing of renewable energy resources, including photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines (WTs), and fuel cells (FCs) with the objective of reducing the consumer's total annual cost in a stand-alone system. The system's reliability is considered using the maximum allowable loss of power supply probability (LPSP max) concept. The methodology is applied to real solar irradiation and wind speed data taken from Hawksbay, Pakistan. Simulation results achieved for low and high consumer's load profiles show that when LPSP max values are set to be 0% and 2%, the PV-FC is the most cost-effective system as compared to PV-WT-FC and WT-FC systems. Further, the results of Jaya algorithm are compared with a genetic algorithm, backtracking search algorithm, and particle swarm optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates test preparation strategies among IELTS test-takers in Pakistan: their knowledge of the test, the activities they undertake to improve the required language skills, the test-taking strategies they know or apply, and possible reasons why many of them usually score lower than their target band score. The study involved an online questionnaire administered to 118 candidates from eight important regions of Pakistan i.e. Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The non-probability sampling technique was used to select the participants. The study discusses how IELTS candidates can avoid potentially negative attitudes, and better prepare for the IELTS test. Furthermore, the study also discusses various factors in relation with IELTS test preparation and their impact on the test results. These factors include test-takers' prior perceptions of the test, and their test taking strategies for the test they are planning to take. The study concludes with some implications for test-takers, test-preparation centers, and IELTS tutors to consider while preparing/planning/tutoring for the English language proficiency test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal and annual water supplies of the rivers originating in the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) region of Pakistan are important to manage the Indus basin irrigation system for better agricultural production and its dependent agrarian economy. In this study, we simulated the current and future snowmelt runoff in a poorly gauged river basin of the Hindukush region under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) climate change scenarios. Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) furnished with satellite snow cover maps and hydro-meteorological data were used to simulate the daily river discharge for the period 2000‒2005. The results indicated that SRM has effectually simulated the runoff in Chitral River with Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient of 0.85 (0.84) and 0.88 (0.83) in the basin-wide (zone-wise) application during the calibration and validation periods, respectively. The results obtained under future climate change scenario showed ∼14‒19% increase in mean summer discharge under three mid-21st century RCP (2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) scenarios. While an increase of ∼13‒37% is expected under late-21st century RCP scenarios. This study can help water resource managers to plan and manage peak discharges from the Chitral River Basin in the future and can thus prevent major losses due to floods in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relative changes and future projections of temperature and precipitation for baseline (1976–2005) and future (2006–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100) periods for the Bajaur, Mohmand, and Khyber districts of Pakistan situated in the Hindu Kush region. Data from 14 GCMs (out of which five GCMs were selected based on evaluation and validation) and three RCMs were downscaled and bias corrected using the quantile delta mapping (QDM) method for GCMs and the best easy systemic (BES) method for RCMs. The future extremes were projected by using the standard indices from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). Uncertainty in the data was analysed by a probabilistic distribution function (PDF), boxplots, and standard deviation. For RCP4.5, the GCM and RCM projections show an increase in the average maximum temperature of 0.98 °C for 2006–2040, 1.89 °C and 2.04 °C for 2041–2070, and 2.25 °C and 2.56 °C for 2071–2100, respectively, while the increase is almost double for RCP8.5 during the last period (2071–2099) over the whole study area. The percent increase in precipitation over the whole study area from GCMs and RCMs for RCP4.5 is 10.00–17.00% and 21.14–34.47%, while for RCP8.5, it is 11.73–22.12% and 16.17–31.50%, respectively. In RCM projections for RCP4.5, the Khyber district will experience drier conditions in mid-century, while for GCMs (RCP4.5), the same conditions are projected through the end of the century. In terms of extreme events, warm temperature extremes and extreme precipitation events show an increasing trend accompanied by a decrease in cold extremes over all regions. Hence, it is concluded that warm and wet conditions are projected to prevail in all regions. However, GCM data depict less uncertainty compared with RCM data, and while models show less error for the baseline period, the error increases slightly for the future periods. Thus, this study provides research findings along with policy recommendations essential to combat the potential impacts of projected changes in the regional climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whitefly-transmissible begomoviruses (Family-Geminiviridae) are the major pathogens of economically important crops and weeds. In 2004-05, during field surveys in Faisalabad, Pakistan, symptoms of leaf curling and leaf deformations were spotted on leaves of Chenopodium album. Chenopodium album is also known as Bathu (local name). This plant is commonly found in crop fields and around water channels. Fifteen plant leaves showing upward leaf curling were collected from different farmer's fields. Complete virus and associated satellite molecules were amplified through rolling circle amplification (RCA) followed by restriction digestion with suitable enzyme, cloning and sequencing. Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) showed that leaf curling disease of C. album is associated with Pedilanthus leaf curl virus (PeLCV) along with two different types of betasatellite molecules i.e., Digera yellow vein betasatelite (DiYVB), Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) and one alphasatellite i.e., Ageratum enation alphasatellite (AEA). Sequence analysis showed that PeLCV is a new variant showing 95-98% sequence homology to PeLCV isolated from India and Pakistan. Associated betasatellites i.e., DiYVB and CLCuMB showed 96-99% sequence homology to satellites isolated from India and Pakistan. Ageratum enation alphasatellite associated with PeLCV was also a new combination and showed 99% sequence homology with other isolates from Pakistan. This is the first report of PeLCV and associated satellites infecting C. album. The data presented in this paper would help in understanding the diversity and etiology of begomoviruses in C. album. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loss to follow up from anti tuberculosis treatment (ATT) can result into, increase in cure time, drug resistance development, reduced probability of treatment compliance and increased chances of death. Therefore, interventions focused at improvement of treatment adherence can play a pivotal role in containment and control of TB. Objective: To reduce the loss to follow up rate from existing 9% at our settings i.e. National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Karachi, Pakistan. Study design, settings and duration: This prospective observational study of 18 months was conducted among children at TB clinic NICH, Karachi, Pakistan. Subjects and Methods: After taking informed written consent from parent/guardian, a Performa containing demographic and clinical information was filled and a pamphlet about adherence to treatment was given to them. After one week, every patient was contacted on mobile phone; in case of no response, home visit was made and a monthly follow up was also done. Those found to have stopped taking ATT were given awareness about complications of discontinuing ATT. Results: Out of 167 patients, 83 (49.7%) were males, mean age was 7.82 years and mean weight was 8.95 kg. Pulmonary TB was most prevalent (52.0%) followed by TB of lymph nodes (22.9%).More than 91% patients were cured, 8 (4.8%) were expired; one had MDR TB and loss to follow up rate reduced to 3.6% from previous 9% as per our hospital records. Conclusion: A visible decrease in loss to follow up rate has been achieved through multi step facilitation via mobile phone calls, messages and house hold visits of enrolled patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GMPEs are empirical equations used in seismic hazard analysis studies to predict ground motions. These GMPEs do not exit for Pakistan. In previous studies, GMPEs are adopted in different regions of the world. In this study, all the previously used GMPEs along some global ones are collected and evaluated with local strong motion data collected from different agencies. In this study, strong motion data are collected from different agencies in Pakistan. Provided data is in the wave-form that was converted into digital form for use in the analysis. These strong motion records were used to compile a strong motion catalog. By using the software, we removed the noise and put the mean removal on the wave for filtering and finding the low and high pass value. The analyses of standard deviation data show that Sharma et al. (2009) and Akkar and Bommer (2010) GMPEs results in high values of standard deviation compared to that of Boore and Atkinson (2008). This study clearly shows that internationally published GMPEs are not necessarily suitable for every region. Even a meager amount of strong motion data is used for evaluation of these GMPEs so only those conforming closer to local crustal conditions can be used for determination of seismic hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to explore the physicochemical characteristics, light and heavy metal concentrations in drinking water of the selected area of Lower Dir, Pakistan. In the study area, no such study about the assessment of drinking water quality has been carried out. The people of Lower Dir are unaware about the quality of water and adverse impacts of contaminated water. The research work will provide base for the awareness campaign regarding the importance of pure and safe drinking water quality.. For this purposes, the water samples (n=22) were collected and analyzed for various parameters. Among the physical parameters the pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity and temperature, while in - chemical parameters the alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, chlorides (Cl ), and sulfates were determined. Light metals such as magnesium (Mg+2), calcium (Ca+2), sodium (Na+2), and potassium (K+) and heavy metals included lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) were analyzed in the collected samples. The results showed that all the parameters were within the permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) except hardness (351.44 mg/L). The light metals were within the permissible limit except Mg (308.60 mg/L) that exceeded the permissible limits of WHO and Pak-EPA, while Ca (53.71 mg/L) exceeded the permissible limit of WHO. The heavy metal results showed that all the metals were within permissible limit except Cr (0.18 mg/L) and Pb (0.04 mg/L). The health risk assessment like Average Daily Dose (ADD) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) were calculated for heavy metals. All heavy metals in drinking water samples indicated no health risk (CDI and HQ<1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mango is the second major fruit crop of Pakistan. A large number of unexplored indigenous mango germplasm with great economic significance is present in the country. Hence, 425 mango accessions were studied from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) as well as Northern and Southern Punjab to explore the genetic diversity. Total 33 traits (25 qualitative and 8 quantitative) enabled the assessment of morphological and physico-chemical diversity of the studied indigenous mango germplasm. The first three principal components (PCs) contributed 68.06% variability among all mango accessions. The PCs also successfully grouped mango accessions according to their morphological and physico-chemical characteristics. Trunk height, tree circumference, crown diameter, leaf colour, leaf blade length, petiole length, inflorescence length, inflorescence width, fruit shape, fruit weight, soluble solid contents, titratable acidity, sugar:acid ratio, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and total sugars were found highly variable. Many of these characters are of substantial economic significance and could be used as breeding goals to increase the germplasm repository as well as fruit yield and quality. In conclusion, morphological and physico-chemical traits were highly useful for mango germplasm characterization. Several accessions also showed potentially good traits which could be used to develop new mango cultivars through future breeding schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to explore the physicochemical characteristics, light and heavy metal concentrations in drinking water of the selected area of Lower Dir, Pakistan. In the study area, no such study about the assessment of drinking water quality has been carried out. The people of Lower Dir are unaware about the quality of water and adverse impacts of contaminated water. The research work will provide base for the awareness campaign regarding the importance of pure and safe drinking water quality. For this purposes, the water samples (n=22) were collected and analyzed for various parameters. Among the physical parameters the pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity and temperature, while in chemical parameters the alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, chlorides (Cl-), and sulfates were determined. Light metals such as magnesium (Mg+2), calcium (Ca+2), sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+) and heavy metals included lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) were analyzed in the collected samples. The results showed that all the parameters were within the permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) except hardness (351.44 mg/L). The light metals were within the permissible limit except Mg+2 (308.60 mg/L) that exceeded the permissible limits of WHO and Pak-EPA, while Ca+2 (53.71 mg/L) exceeded the permissible limit of WHO. The heavy metal results showed that all the metals were within permissible limit except Cr (0.18 mg/L) and Pb (0.04 mg/L). The health risk assessment like Average Daily Dose (ADD) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) were calculated for heavy metals. All heavy metals in drinking water samples indicated no health risk (CDI and HQ<1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, Pakistan has suffered a decline in cotton production due to several factors, including insect pests, cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD), and multiple abiotic stresses. CLCuD is a highly damaging plant disease that seriously limits cotton production in Pakistan. Recently, genome editing through CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized plant biology, especially to develop immunity in plants against viral diseases. Here we demonstrate multiplex CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing against CLCuD using transient transformation in N. benthamiana plants and cotton seedlings. The genomic sequences of cotton leaf curl viruses (CLCuVs) were obtained from NCBI and the guide RNA (gRNA) were designed to target three regions in the viral genome using CRISPR MultiTargeter. The gRNAs were cloned in pHSE401/pKSE401 containing Cas9 and confirmed through colony PCR, restriction analysis, and sequencing. Confirmed constructs were moved into Agrobacterium and subsequently used for transformation. Agroinfilteration in N. benthamiana revealed delayed symptoms (3–5 days) with improved resistance against CLCuD. In addition, viral titer was also low (20–40%) in infected plants co-infiltrated with Cas9-gRNA, compared to control plants (infected with virus only). Similar results were obtained in cotton seedlings. The results of transient expression in N. benthamiana and cotton seedlings demonstrate the potential of multiplex CRISPR/Cas to develop resistance against CLCuD. Five transgenic plants developed from three experiments showed resistance (60−70%) to CLCuV, out of which two were selected best during evaluation and screening. The technology will help breeding CLCuD-resistant cotton varieties for sustainable cotton production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First application of alpha- and beta-diversity approach for apple accessions in N-Pakistan. • High numbers of rare phenotypes and private alleles suggest high potential for conservation. • Remoteness and distance of regions is not necessarily responsible for genetic sub-structuring. • Lack of awareness and management forces decline of local apple varieties. Apple (Malus × domestica) is a main fruit crop of cold temperate regions and traded globally. Despite being a comparatively well documented plant cultigen, available germplasm in many remote regions is still unexplored and threatened. Increasing market demands for modern cultivars and farmers' preference for high yields may lead to the gradual loss of indigenous varieties. Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan – a mountainous and remote apple growing region – was selected to study local cultigen diversity by assessing varietal richness and diversity, arboriculture activities as well as phenotypic and genotypic characters of available germplasm. In total, 106 individual apple trees were sampled, and 35 tree owners from seven villages of the two valleys Ishkoman and Baltistan were interviewed. Dendrometric parameters, fruit traits (qualitative and quantitative), and varietal diversity in each village were measured. Genetic variation was estimated using eleven SSR markers and synonyms and homonyms were identified based on cluster analysis. Sixty-one multi-locus genotypes (MLG; mean genotype diversity: 58 %) and 18 putative clones (comprising 2 to 9 ramets) were identified. Varietal diversity was highest in Baltistan where even a wild apple relative (Malus baccata) was discovered. Mean genetic diversity was moderate (H e = 0.677), while negative inbreeding coefficients indicated excess of heterozygotes in three genetic clusters. A moderate correlation (r = 0.627, p = 0.001) between phenotypic and genetic dendrograms suggested genetically linked fruit traits, which merits further exploration. Considering the high genetic and phenotypic variability, Gilgit-Baltistan appears a promising source of apple germplasm for future breeding programs. The promotion of local varieties may allow farmers to diversify their produce and derived sources of income as well as to maintain a historically important bio-cultural heritage of Gilgit-Baltistan. To this end, comprehensive conservation strategies combined with further participatory research will be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indus Basin, home to approximately 300-million people, has a total area of 1.12 million km2 (47 % Pakistan, 39 % India, 6 % Afghanistan, and 8 % China) and the highest density of irrigated land in the world. The region's rapid population and economic growth in recent decades is expected to continue in the next decades leading to growing demands for water, energy and food. With no abundant surface water left in the basin for future expansion and accelerating use of groundwater, long-term strategic and integrated management of water and its interlinked sectors (the so called water-energy-land nexus) is fundamental for the sustainable development of the region. We developed the NExus Solutions Tool (NEST), an open source computing framework that links an engineering-economic model, representing investment and allocation decisions up to 2050 across water, energy and land-use sectors, to a hydrological model, representing the detailed biophysical processes at high spatial and temporal resolutions. We provide insights into (1) the vulnerability of surface water and groundwater resources to future socioeconomic and climatic change; and (2) how policies, technological solutions and investments can improve the sustainability of water, energy and land transformation pathways while avoiding unintended side effects and minimizing trade-offs among sectors. Initial results show very different optimal investment portfolios for each country in the basin, due to the different strategic access to the main river flows. Stability of policies (such as the Indus Water Treaty) will be important, and new investments (especially in renewable energy, water distribution and water treatment technologies) will be required for achieving sustainable development goals in the water, energy, and food sectors. This study also highlights, under different socio-economic and climate scenarios, which provinces and regions might be mostly exposed to water and food scarcity, and what investments are required to adapt to future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a dioecious, wind-pollinated shrub growing in Eurasia including the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan territory). Contrary to the situation in other countries, in Pakistan this species is heavily underutilized. Moreover, a striking diversity of berry colors and shapes in Pakistan raises the question: which varieties might be more suitable for different national and international markets? Therefore, both morphological and genetic diversity of sea buckthorn were studied to characterize and evaluate the present variability, including hypothetically ongoing domestication processes. Overall, 300 sea buckthorn individuals were sampled from eight different populations and classified as wild and supposedly domesticated stands. Dendrometric, fruit and leaf morphometric traits were recorded. Twelve EST-SSRs (expressed sequence tags-simple sequence repeats) markers were used for genotyping. Significant differences in morphological traits were found across populations and between wild and village stands. A significant correlation was found between leaf area and altitude. Twenty-two color shades of berries and 20 dorsal and 15 ventral color shades of leaves were distinguished. Mean genetic diversity was comparatively high (He = 0.699). In total, three distinct genetic clusters were observed that corresponded to the populations' geographic locations. Considering high allelic richness and genetic diversity, the Gilgit-Baltistan territory seems to be a promising source for selection of improved germplasm in sea buckthorn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]