CHARSADDA / BANNU / PESHAWAR: An acting colonel of the Pakistan Army was shot dead on Ring Road within the jurisdiction of Pishtakhara police station on Friday afternoon. According to the police, Tariq Ghafoor owned a petrol station and spent some time there on a daily basis. He had left the filling station and was crossing the road to go to the mosque when he was ambushed. The gunmen escaped after committing the crime. A…
Posts published in “Day: March 12, 2016”
LANDI KOTAL: Houses of two tribesmen were demolished in Bara on Friday over links with the Afghanistan-based leaders of the self-styled Islamic State. Security officials said they had intelligence information that Shakir Khan of Pakka Tarha and Abdul Malik of Sarkai Kamar in Bar Qambarkhel area were in contact with the IS leaders in Afghanistan and that they motivated youths to join the militant group. They said houses of both the suspects were demolished, while…
The writer is a freelance contributor. There is a wonderful Urdu couplet that contains wisdom about relations between two unequal individuals or states. It goes like this: ‘Barey logon sey milney mein zara tum fasla rakhna, miley darya samunder sey tow who darya naheen rehta’ (keep a distance while meeting the mighty because when the river meets the sea it loses its identity). The lesser party in the relationship not only loses its identity but…
ISLAMABAD: The former CIA station chief in Islamabad Robert Grenier has said he does not think the Taliban will “honestly” participate in peace negotiations and suggests that uprisings in Taliban controlled areas be supported in order to unsettle the insurgent group. Mr Grenier was speaking at the launch of his book ’88 Days to Kandahar: a CIA Diary’ at the Institute of Strategic Studies. The book is about the role played by CIA, operating out…
ISLAMABAD: The American government following totally negative and non-cooperative attitude of the Taliban government in Afghanistan lost its patience and decided to intervene in Afghanistan affairs. This was claimed by Robert Greener, former Station Director Anti-terrorism of the CIA in Islamabad, in a launching ceremony of his book “88 days to Kandahar-A CIA Diary”, arranged at the Institute of the Strategic Studies Islamabad. Robert Green was appointed in 2001-02 in Islamabad. Lt Gen. ® Javed…
KARACHI: Unless the Pakistani state applies commensurate pressure, efforts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to open a dialogue with the government in Kabul will not prove fruitful, said acclaimed author and journalist Ahmed Rashid at a lecture here on Friday. “Unless you have a carrot-and-stick policy,” you will face failure, he said, adding that some of the sticks could include cutting off the supplies of the Taliban leadership reportedly in Pakistan and asking them to…
Karachi: Pakistanis were found to be among the top 10 nationalities to opt for asylum in European countries in the year 2015, revealed Dr Severine Minot while speaking at a seminar, on Wednesday, held to discuss the refugee crisis staring the European Union (EU) in the face in the aftermath of the war in Syria. Author and academician associated with the Habib University, Dr Severine while speaking at the University of Karachi’s Area Study Centre…
The writer, a retired lieutenant colonel, is currently pursuing PhD in civil-military relations from the University of Karachi “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to meet the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tashkent”, announced the Russian ambassador, Alexey Y Dedov on February 29, 2016, while addressing a meeting hosted in his honour by the businessmen of Faisalabad. Considering that the Russian President is also set to visit Pakistan soon to inaugurate the Russian-funded gas pipeline,…
Pakistan’s state coffers received a substantial boost on March 12 as Saudi Arabia announced that it will provide $122 million in financial assistance to Islamabad for development projects in a variety of fields. The financing includes five grants of $67 million and a $55 million loan. The agreements for the grants and loan were signed by the vice-chairman and managing director of the Saudi Fund for Development, Yousaf Ibrahim Al-Bassam, and Secretary of the Economic…
ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs today said that historic and brotherly relations existing between Pakistan and Iran need to be further strengthened in all spheres of cooperation especially trade and economy. According to an official statement released by Foreign Ministry, Sartaj Aziz expressed the remarks during a recent meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on the sidelines of the 14th Ministerial Meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue in Bangkok.…
HAFAR UL BATIN (Saudi Arabia): Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended on Friday a military parade held at the conclusion of the North Thunder exercise. He was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. Contingents from 21 Muslim countries took part in the parade. The prime minister, along with leaders of the other participating nations, watched the contingents march past the stage, a press release from the PM House said. Pakistan’s fighter aircraft performed…