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Posts published in “Day: January 5, 2016

Afghan intelligence rescue 10 civilians taken hostage by terrorists in Zabul

KHAAMA PRESS -Dec 31 2015, 9:32 pm The Afghan intelligence operatives conducted a successful operation in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan and rescued at least ten civilians taken hostage by terrorist groups. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the civilians were abducted by the militants earlier and were safely rescued by the intelligence operatives. No further details were given regarding the exact location where the operation was conducted and the group which held the…

Dangerous polarisation: edit in Dawn, January 5th, 2016

THE assurance given to Austria by Iran and Saudi Arabia that they are not interested in heightening the tension is the only redeeming feature of the crisis touched off by the Saudi execution of 47 people on terrorism-related charges. Those executed included Nimr al-Nimr, a leading Shia cleric, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi royal family. His execution touched off violent demonstrations in Iran, where protesters attacked Saudi missions in Tehran and Mashhad,…

Clash Of The Titans: edit in the Nation, January 05, 2016

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have put the entire of Middle East as well as Pakistan in a conundrum. Tensions have flared to an all time high following the execution of prominent Shia Saudi cleric Nimr al-Nimr accused of terrorism on Saturday and hours later an Iranian mob set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran. In response Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations and called its diplomats back home, giving Iranian diplomats two…

Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict: edit in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2016.

Newton’s Third Law of motion states that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. It applies outside the realms of physics and most recently is seen in the aftermath of the execution by Saudi Arabia of a leading cleric, Sheikh Nimr al Nimr. Shortly afterwards, demonstrators in Tehran broke into the Saudi embassy there before the police took control and ejected them. The Iranians uttered dire threats to the Saudis, and around 40 of…

Quivering ground: edit in The News, Jan 5, 2016

The earth has for decades remained shaky in the Middle East, as the two regional powers that together provide the world most of its oil, Saudi Arabia and Iran, engaged in what till now has essentially been a proxy war, involving a fierce rivalry rooted in a quest for influence and also tied in to the ancient schism between Sunni and Shia Islam. But it appears things just took a turn for the worse with…

Was Sheikh al-Nimr’s execution Saudi Arabia’s ‘internal matter’?: by Hussain Imam in the Nation, January 04, 2016

The writer   is pursuing his Masters in Political Science from Punjab University On the 2nd of January, just a day after entering 2016, the world was informed by the Saudi Interior ministry that Sheikh Baqir al-Nimr, the dissident Shia cleric from the Al-Awamiyah Eastern province had been beheaded along with 46 other convicted prisoners. Sheikh’s execution immediately drew an outpour of heavily worded response from Iran and its Shia auxiliaries around the world.   Spokesperson…

Shujaat demands APC on Iran-Saudi Arabia rift

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain yesterday asked government to immediately call all parties conference so that a joint strategy could be evolved to help dilute tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.   The PML-Q President said the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran is not in the interest of Muslim Ummah and Pakistan must play role in normalising the relations between the two Islamic states.   He said that…

Islamic State in 2016: By Owen Bennett-Jones in The News, January 05, 2016

The writer is a freelance British journalist In his 24-minute end of year audio message Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi told his followers that the caliphate was doing well and that the Russian and US airstrikes had failed to weaken the group. But he also acknowledged the growing strength of the coalition opposing him: “If we are killed and the wounds are numerous and the problems amassed against us and the hardships are great, then it is…

U.S. struggles to explain alliance with Saudis: By David E Sanger in The NY Times, Jan 5, 2016

ROAD TO IRAN-SAUDI RUPTURE May: Obama gathers Gulf leaders at Camp David and promises more military aid to reassure them during negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal. July: Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers reach a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing of sanctions. Sept. 4: Despite tension over the agreement, King Salman of Saudi Arabia visits the White House. Sept. 24: A stampede during the hajj in Mecca…

Shiite Cleric Gained in Status as a Rivalry Deepened By BEN HUBBARD in the NY Times, Jan 5, 2016

BAGHDAD — In 2008, an American diplomat traveled to a poor village in eastern Saudi Arabia to visit a thin, bearded preacher who was known for criticizing the government and wrote him off as “a secondary player in local politics,” according to a report on the visit released by WikiLeaks. Years later, that preacher, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, fueled a protest movement with his virulent sermons excoriating the Saudi royal family. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed…

An execution’s dangerous ripple effect: by Aasha Mehreen Amin in The daily star, Dhaka, Jan 5, 2016

The writer is the daily’s Deputy Editor (Editorial and Opinion). The execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, along with 46 other men accused of being involved in terror attacks and Al Qaida, has taken most observers by surprise. It may be interpreted as a deliberate show of Sunni power in the intensifying sectarian crisis in the Middle East. The resulting violence that led to protesters setting fire to the Saudi Embassy and…