International Journal of Politics & Social Sciences Review (IJPSSR)

An Analysis of the Information-Seeking Behavior of Teachers in Special Education Institutes in Lahore: Needs, Practices and Challenges

Khurram Shahzad — 2025-01-01

The purpose of this article is to elucidate and analyze the information-seeking behavior of educators in special education institutions in Lahore. It aims to investigate the characteristics of information-seeking behavior and the obstacles that special education teachers encounter in accessing pertinent information. This research was conducted in four phases. In the initial phase, a comprehensive review of relevant literature was undertaken to comprehend the theoretical and methodological aspects of the study. The survey method was selected for data collection in the second phase. A questionnaire was adapted and administered to all respondents from public sector special education institutions (schools and colleges) in Lahore. The response rate was 44.6%. The questionnaire comprised 83 questions designed to identify specific facts relevant to the research. The total population size was 480, and the sample size was 214, as determined by the Morgan and Krejcie (1970) table for sample determination. A simple random sampling technique utilizing the lottery method was employed. 480 questionnaires were distributed, and the teachers were instructed to complete them manually, with 214 questionnaires submitted. In the third phase, the collected data were tabulated and analyzed to derive conclusions. In the final phase, conclusions were drawn, accompanied by recommendations. It was determined that special education teachers rely on specific sources and employ particular techniques for teaching, and their information needs differ from those of general education teachers.

Gilgit-Baltistan: Constitutional Status Swung Between Hope and Dream

Asif Abbas — 2025-01-03

A huge variety of discussions and arguments over Gilgit–Baltistan‘s constitutional status have existed for a long time in political quarters but still no fruitful result has come out. The rest of the provinces, Gilgit Baltistan is not properly incorporated into Pakistan, even all of its major function is governed and administered by Islamabad. This makes the situation unclear and releases a gap in the power of constitutional status which remained an outstanding issue from day one to the present now. During the partition of the sub-continent of India in 1947, Gilgit Baltistan was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Maharaja of Kashmir made an instrument of accession with the state of India in October 1947 which is a false instrument of accession by Pakistan and having no proof of such accession being made. This decision caused a series of tensions between India and Pakistan by having a situation of dialogue. On this decision, both the two world majors narrated the entire part of Jammu and Kashmir to their part. The situation further got aggravated and triggered when the local people of Gilgit Baltistan decided to rebel against the Maharaja, forces and took control of the area and made it part of Pakistan. The people of Gilgit raised the flag of Pakistan and made an interim government under the supervision of Shah Raess Khan. On 16 November 1947, Sardar Alam arrived as a Pakistan political agent for Giglit. On 6 April 1948, the Giglit agency was made part of the northwest frontier province KPK, to oversee the affairs of the Giglit agency and include the states within it. Baltistan was also part of the Giglit agency and was under the control of political agents named as residents at that time.

Central Rimland: Chessboard for China-US Cold War

Abdul Muhaymin Farooq — 2025-01-06

The aims of this research is to explain the US's interest to preserve its hegemony, as well to which length it may lead to achieve interest through strategic maneuvering in the Central Rimland region The Central Rimland region has emerged as flashpoint for the strategic and political maneuvering with the emergence of china as economic power in the East. This article discloses the dynamics of the Rimland introduced and used by the Halford Mackinder in his geopolitical theories highlighting the significance of the heartland and the Rimland encompass the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia. US containment policies towards Rimland to counter China’s rise illuminate the reminiscence and the complexities of the new Cold War. This article probes the developments and the implications of this maneuvering guided by US-China rivalry. It raises the question regarding reliable credibility of India and the intensity of instability in result of the US strategic maneuvering and United States’ Anti-China China Neighboring Allies. Further, this article aims to foster severe concerns regarding South Asian Third World or developing states about United States obnoxious conspiratorial face in order to meet its interests. This article begot through secondary data collection, drawing from a range of scholarly articles, books, policy documents, and reputable news sources as well editorials.

Adoption of AI for Talent Acquisition in the IT industry of Pakistan

Sh. M. Fakhre Alam Siddiqui — 2025-01-07

The adaptation and use of artificial intelligence has exponentially increased overtime and that is not limited to any single industry. Companies have incorporated AI to streamline and enhance their Talent Acquisition processes. The objective of the research was to examine the effect of perceived value on adoption of AI in talent Acquisition and to identify the function of moderating variable of HR Readiness in relation with intention to adopt AI. A structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was circulated amongst employees of IT department and the HR department in IT companies of Pakistan. A total of 70 responses were collected. The research paper used the Value-Based Adoption Model (VAM) as it concentrates on the intention of recent technology and how it talks about the concern of prospective adapters. To develop and evaluate the data, Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used on the SMART PLS software. In this research, purposive sampling technique was used as the study revolved around gathering data from the selected individuals based on the predetermined criteria. The findings of the study showed that perceived value has a significant positive relationship with Adoption of AI, and HR Readiness as a moderating variable also has a positive significant relation with Adoption of AI. It is determined that AI technology has the potential to completely change the systems and not just in the IT industry but in several others as well. Companies must make sure that they monitor the AI tools being used in the TA process to ensure unbiased decisions in the recruitment process.

US-China Trade War: Economic Implications on South Asia

Marwa Riaz — 2025-01-12

The bilateral US-China trade conflict has profoundly altered the Trade features of the entire global economy and bring prospects and risks for the South Asian region. This article aims to examine the complex effects of the trade war on the concerned area: The first section provides a background of the trade war; when it started and the main conditions of the war, which are tariffs, trade deficit, restrict ions on technology, and countermeasures. It situates the South Asia’s economic relationship mapping of countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and others discussing their trading partners with US and China and presence as a supply chain node. Trade effects are discussed, emphasizing trade diversion, which promoted exports in textiles and electronics; other effects relate to potential growth of the FDI as a result of where companies turned away from China. However, problems such as supply chain disruptions, and reliance on Chinese imports were witnessed as some of the main bottlenecks. These are geopolitical shifts, assertiveness/engagement of South Asia in the Indian Ocean strategy/Indo-Pacific strategy and increments in regional commerce through SAFTA apart from issues affecting the region such as inflation, volatility of currencies, and competition between SAFTA members. It gives more specifics by the country such as technology and pharma industries in India, textiles in Bangladesh, and economic issues of Pakistan in terms of CPEC. It reinforces the need for regional integration all through SAARC and BIMSTEC, the policies to be formulated for infrastructure growth, and with world bodies like WTO. With strategic recommendations at its end, it focuses on removing structural constraints and realizing opportunities that would help South Asia become a competitive region in global trading system in the post-trade war scenario.

A Corpus Analysis of SSC English Textbook Phrases of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Lexicographical Study

Zarhat Ali — 2025-01-13

The planned study aims to do a corpus analysis of words from the secondary School certificates (SSC) English textbooks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with a Lexicographic approach. This study aims to provide insight into prevalent wording and usage patterns by evaluating the linguistic setting of these textbooks. The study will look into how phrase usage varies in a variety of textbook scenarios and subjects using a corpus-based methodology. Through a thorough analysis of the phrases covered in the SSC British educational program, this work aims to further lexicographic research. The study will make use of qualitative methods, such as term collection and evaluation from the corpus using specialized programs. The results have detected in light on the linguistic characteristics of the textbooks, which is beneficial to lexicographers, instructional designers, and instructors.

Communicative Dignity in Diplomatic Communication: A Peace Linguistics Corpus Analysis of Western and Eastern Press Releases on the Taliban Regime, 2021

Kaukab Saba — 2025-01-16

Communication is the foundation upon which diplomatic ties are established, developed, bolstered, weakened, or terminated (Pukallaus, 2021). The purpose of this study is to study and compare the communicative dignity in the diplomatic communication by Western and Eastern diplomats used for Taliban regime, 2021 under the lens of Peace Linguistics. The linguistic strategies presented by Gomes de Matos (2008) were explored in the corpus of press releases from The United States of America, The United Kingdom, Pakistan and China; the results showed that the language used by diplomats followed peace linguistics strategies. However, comparatively the Eastern corpus exhibited higher frequencies of positive lexical choices compared to the Western press releases. The communicative dignity in the Eastern corpus was also greater compared to the Western corpus, likely due to the Eastern countries being neighboring nations and more concerned about Afghanistan's stability. The previous studies in the field of Peace Linguistics have often borrowed frameworks from other disciplines for analysis however, the current study is exploratory in nature and introduces a peace linguistics analytical framework. The study is significant in highlighting the positive role of communicative dignity in diplomatic communication, ultimately contributing to harmonious diplomatic relationships and making this world a better place to live in.

Investor Sentiments and Bitcoin Volatility: Empirical Evidence from Cryptocurrency Market

Mubashir Zaman — 2025-01-19

The present study goals to examine the impact of investors’ sentiment, such as overconfidence, optimism, pessimism, and reasonable investor expectations, on Bitcoin currency. Therefore, daily Bitcoin trading data was taken from CoinMarketCap. The data period consists of January 2023 to December 2024. The unit root stationary, GARCH (1,1) model and ordinary least square (OLS) regression test were used. The unit root stationary (ADF) test results reveal that all variables are stationary at level. The GARCH (1,1) model suggests that the lagged trading volume has a considerable positive influence on the current Bitcoin trade volume. Further GARCH (1,1) results demonstrate that optimism has a positive significant impact on and pessimism has a negative significant influence on Bitcoin exchange volume. Whereas ordinary least square regression (OLS) models also show that optimism has a positive significant impact and pessimism has a negative impact on Bitcoin trade volume. The study has various suggestions for stakeholders, investors, policymakers, and researchers.