ABSTRACT
In 2020, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan launched an economic diplomacy project titled Economic Outreach Initiative. It aims to unlock Pakistan's growth potential and showcase national trade, tourism and foreign investment capacities through a paradigm shift of foreign policy from geopolitics to geoeconomics. The Khan administration is committed to capitalising on the ongoing strategic partnership with China and to enhancing the relationship with Washington. In parallel, Pakistan intends to strengthen connectivity with South and Central Asian countries. South Asian regional stability is the linchpin to engineering such a transition. The United States' disengagement with Afghanistan and the Taliban's Kabul takeover have offered Islamabad the opportunity to become a pivotal player in the regional scenario. Islamabad's efforts to support the Afghan peace process include consolidating solid relationships with the new rulers in Kabul and adopting a leading role in moulding the future of Afghanistan. These efforts provide impetus to galvanising Pakistan's international legitimacy, enhancing its regional influence and fostering regional stability, allowing investments and flourishing economic relations with partner countries. Similarly, Pakistan eased its tense relations with India and announced, together with New Delhi, a ceasefire in February 2021. In an environment where the Government is unchallenged by a political opposition mainly engaged in planning the general elections of 2023, Pakistan managed to contain the Coronavirus pandemic despite facing a resurgence of internal militancy.
ABSTRACT
COVID 19 pandemic has induced a large sedentarism in several kinds of sports. Some peculiar categories of athletes could particularly suffer from a prolonged inactivity as those affected by minimal cardiopathies as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) athletes. This study aims to verify the myocardial performance in a restricted group of BAV athletes compared to a control group of agonistic athletes evaluated by traditional echocardiography and deformation parameters. 2D standard and deformations parameters were measured at rest conditions in BAV athletes and controls. Particularly EF, LVDD/LVS diameters, GLS rotation and twisting were considered as myocardial performance data; E/A, E1 and A1 as diastolic ones. All the 2D standard parameters measured were within the normal range in both groups, especially the EF value. Significant differences were found in the diastolic function with reduced values of E and E1 waves in BAV vs. controls. The strain analysis showed a significant reduction in GLS measured in 2C, 3C, 4C in BAV if compared to controls, while no significant differences were found in torsional and rotational parameters. These results are suggestive for a potential long term negative impact of inactivity on cardiac performance more evident in BAV athletes, if compared to athletes with normal aortic valve. GLS of LV and RV can be considered as a predictive parameter of this mild dysfunction and assumed as follow-up parameter to restore a progressive training.
ABSTRACT
Austerity measures tied to disbursement of the bailout programme that Pakistan agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund in 2019 helped Islamabad progress towards macroeconomic stabilisation. After the COVID-19 outbreak hit the country in February 2020, related disruptions strained economic activity and put pressure on Pakistan’s fiscal position. The Government of Prime Minister Imran Khan came under criticism for mishandling the health crisis. The intervention and the progressively prominent role played by the Army in coordinating the response to the pandemic resulted in a decline of the spread of the virus. It also showed that the military establishment had extended its control over aspects of the jurisdiction of civil power. Commentators defined Pakistan as a «hybrid martial law regime», while opposition parties joined forces against the Government over allegations of mismanagement and military interferences.