UCP Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (HEC Recognized-Y Category)

Why Regional Cooperation is Facing a Challenge in South Asia

2024-09-12T08:36:48+00:00

Despite lofty intentions for regional cooperation and connectivity, regional organizations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have been unable to turn their vision into reality due to regional diversity, anarchic world structure, and instability in the South Asian region due to foreign meddling. South Asia has long struggled with regional connectivity: infrastructure is weak, political relations are difficult, and regional trade accounts for barely 5% of overall trade. Because of this low degree of trade, the World Bank has classified South Asia as one of the least interconnected areas in the world. This paper will look at how South Asia's idea of regional connection gained traction and why regional connectivity remains a difficulty in the area. By assessing the realist paradigm of state behavior and the emerging consequence of mistrust among the member states of South Asia, which generates a lack of political will to integrate, this paper will also inspect foreign intervention in the region, which impedes regional connectivity and growth, and seek to regionalize South Asia in the manner of ASEAN.

Causal Relationship Between Relative Deprivation and Voting Behavior and Political Activism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2024-01-30T10:00:58+00:00

This study examines how relative hardship affects voting and participating in politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has no tangible proof linking these elements. However, previous study evidence suggests a correlation. The research investigation analyzes regional survey responses to fill this gap. The statistical investigation included a face-to-face survey with 384 randomly chosen Pakistanis. Respondents were given questions about their voting and political participation and estimated relative deprivation with a standardized scale. The research investigation found that relative hardship affects Pakistani voting and political engagement. Participation in politics correlated more with relative disadvantage than voting. The research additionally showed that gender, residence, and household income did not significantly influence respondents' views. However, age and level of education strongly influenced participants' factor observations. The research presented here shows that relative deprivation strongly influences Pakistani political behavior in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Thus, tackling this problem may increase political engagement and voter knowledge in the region in question

Love as the Achievement of Mystical Experience by Bergson and Iqbal: A Critical Appraisal

2024-03-27T07:46:06+00:00

Henry Bergson (1859-1941) and Mohammad Iqbal (1877-1938) wished to establish religious truth on firm grounds beyond any doubt. For this purpose, both relied heavily on Religious or Mystical Experience, which is direct and doubt-free. However, the next and most important question is: What does the mystic achieve from this experience? The answer is “Knowledge”--- but what is the nature of this knowledge and how does it differ from other types of knowledge? Why and how does the mystic (or Prophet) use it? Both Iqbal and Bergson name it ‘Love’, which is a Life-force, Energy and a ‘Transforming power’ with the help of which the person having undergone the experience revolutionises and changes the character of mankind. This paper has the objective to analyse the nature of this love, of which the ontology is dubious, therefore, its own claims may be uncertain too. Moreover, the approach of Iqbal to present love as an opponent or rival of knowledge and intellect has been questioned. Additionally to which extent these views are compatible with Qur’an have also been discussed at length. The methodology is qualitative and analytic and the authors have shown serious reservations on the nature of love in the findings.

Comparative Analysis of Learning Styles and Academic Stress Among HSSC, A Level, and IBDP Students in Punjab, Pakistan

2024-11-27T04:30:53+00:00

This study was conducted to examine the learning styles and the status of academic stress prevalent among Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC), Advanced Level (A Level), and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) students hailing from Punjab, Pakistan – methodologically entailing a ‘descriptive research using a survey design’ framework. Data was gathered from 983 students enrolled in the local HSSC, A Level and IBDP streams employing a systematic random sampling technique via a self-developed questionnaire. This input was organized, coded, and analysed using SPSS software, applying both inferential and descriptive statistics, with the results revealing significant differences in the learning styles among the three student cohorts. Most of the pupils in the HSSC stream consistently adopted surface learning style, while most A Level student deployed strategic learning style. The majority of IBDP students, however, regularly adopted both strategic and deep learning styles. Moreover, a significant difference in academic stress levels was found between the three groups, with HSSC students experiencing more perceived stress compared to A Level and IBDP students. Education stakeholders have, therefore, been recommended to train students to adopt appropriate learning styles to improve their academic performance and reduce concurrent academic stress.

Mental Well-being and Life Satisfaction as the Outcomes of Life Orientation and Resilience among University Students

2023-11-12T16:05:51+00:00

The purpose of this study was to investigate into how life orientation and resilience affect university students' sense of life satisfaction and mental health. It was hypothesized that the correlation between life orientation, resilience, mental health, and life satisfaction would be statistically significant. It was also hypothesized that resilience and life orientation would be significant predictors of life satisfaction and mental-wellbeing, and mental well-being and life satisfaction would have significant differences in terms of gender. The study's sample (N=300) was drawn from university students. Purposive sampling was employed to choose all participants, with age ranging from 18 to 29 years. The Life Orientation Scale (1994) developed by Scheier, the Resilience Scale (NMRQ) developed by McBride (2020), the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (2006), and the Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS) developed by Deiner (1985) were used to assess university the study variables. The current study showed that life satisfaction, resilience, life orientation, and mental well-being are all significantly positively correlated. The results also revealed that resilience and life orientation strongly predict the mental health of university students. Life orientation was found to be a significant predictor of university students' life satisfaction. Male university students scored higher than female university students in terms of mental health and life satisfaction.