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Posts published in “Day: March 15, 2016

MoFA Foresees Hekmatyar’s Green Signal for Peace As A Sign of Hope by Shakeela Ibrahimkhil in Tolo News, March 14, 2016 at 19:32

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Monday welcomed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s announcement that he will hold talks with the government, and said the move was a sign of hope that might get other militants to endorse the negotiations which are now at a standstill. Amid uncertainty over the resumption of direct negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban, MoFA however expressed hopes that these talks will begin in the near future. “We warmly welcome the…

Gen. Raziq: US should force Pakistan to give up support to militants KHAAMA PRESS – Mon Mar 14 2016, 10:00 pm

The provincial police chief of southern Kandahar province Gen. Abdul Raziq has said the United States should force Pakistan to halt support to the anti-government armed militants in Afghanistan in a bid to help secure stability in the country. Insisting on coordinated military operations amid ongoing efforts to revive peace talks, Gen. Raziq said “The United States has enough information regarding Pakistan. We want the United States to increase pressure on Pakistan so that they…

In secret meetings, Taliban rejected Pakistan pressure on peace process By Reuters,March 15, 2016

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Pakistani officials threatened to expel Afghanistan’s Taliban from bases in Pakistan if they did not join peace talks this month, but the militants rebuffed their traditional patron, two officials said, casting doubt on how much influence Islamabad retains over them. After the secret meetings with Pakistani officials about two weeks ago, the Taliban’s Supreme Council met at an undisclosed location and voted to reject the talks scheduled for early March with the Afghan government,…

Over 70 Percent Of Afghans Pessimistic About Peace Talks: Survey by Shakeela Ibrahimkhil

More than 70 percent of people in Afghanistan are not optimistic about peace talks between government and the Taliban. Based on a survey conducted by the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) in 15 provinces, more than 70 percent of those interviewed believe that peace talks between government and the Taliban will fail. “70.6 percent of the interviewed people said peace talks in Afghanistan have been a failure all the while,” said Ghulam Reza Ebrahimi,…

Senior U.S. general wants to start striking the Taliban again By Missy Ryan and Greg Jaffe in The Washington Post, March 14, 2016 at 7:38 PM

Washington: A senior American general has proposed resuming offensive strikes against the Taliban, exposing a rift between the military and senior administration officials over the U.S. role in the war in Afghanistan, according to military officials. Senior Pentagon officials complained that Gen. John F. Campbell, who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan until earlier this month, broke with standard military procedure when he forwarded his proposal in recent weeks directly to the White House without the…

Some issues still remain in Pak-US F-16 deal By Wajid Ali Syed in The News, March 15, 2016

WASHINGTON: While the US government’s intent to sell eight fighter jets to Pakistan has been green signalled by the Congress, the final deal still hinges on many intricacies, including the financing of jets before they could fly out to Pakistan and help combat terrorism with more precision and resources. The 30-day obligation to get approval from the Senate passed last Saturday. The opposition to the deal and effort to block it was rejected by 71…

Chinese courts convict more than 99.9 per cent of defendants By Neil Connor in The Telegraph, March 14, 2016 at 11:46AM GMT

Beijing: Chinese courts found guilty all but a tiny minority of defendants last year, despite claims by Beijing to be confronting wrongful convictions and upholding the rule of law. Only 1,039 of more than 1.2 million people were found not guilty in the country’s Communist Party-controlled courts – resulting in an acquittal rate of around 0.08 per cent. China’s conviction rate is commonly well above 99 per cent, with 778 acquittals and 1.184 million convictions…

Labor protests multiply in China as economy slows, worrying leaders By Javier C. Hernández in The Boston Globe, Mar 15, 2016

GUANGZHOU, China — For nearly seven years, Li Wei rose before dawn for his 10-hour shift at the steel plant, returning home each night soaked in sweat, the clank of heavy machinery still ringing in his ears. But last month, the 31-year-old welder stood outside the plant with hundreds of co-workers, picketing against pay cuts and singing patriotic battle hymns. Within a week, the authorities declared their strike illegal, threatening fines and imprisonment. The police…

Saudis Issue a Response to Criticism by Obama By GARDINER HARRIS in The NY Times, Mar 15, 2016

onday that President Obama failed to appreciate all that the kingdom has done to stabilize the Middle East, fight terrorism and support American priorities, hitting back after the president called Middle Eastern governments “free riders” on U.S. initiatives. “You accuse us of fomenting sectarian strife in Syria, Yemen and Iraq,” Turki al-Faisal, a Saudi prince and former ambassador to the United States and Britain, wrote in an open letter published Monday in the English-language Arab…

Saudi prince fires back at Obama over ‘free riders’ remark: report in South China Morning Star, Mar 15, 2016

A senior member of the Saudi royal family has criticised comments made by Barack Obama in a recent magazine article, suggesting that the US president’s harsh remarks about the kingdom were a “curveball” in America’s relationship with one of its main Arab allies. Prince Turki al-Faisal made his criticism of Obama’s comments in an open letter, “Mr Obama. We are not ‘free riders’,” published Monday in the Arab News newspaper. Prince Turki, a former Saudi…

Riyadh’s love for New Delhi worries Islamabad: by SHAFQAT ALI in The Nation, Mar 15, 2016

ISLAMABAD – Riyadh’s growing love for New Delhi is causing serious concern to Islamabad as the country’s diplomats scrambled to stop the traditional ally from moving away towards the historic rival, The Nation learnt. The diplomatic tremor came after Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country’s relations with Pakistan did not come at the expense of the Kingdom’s ties with India. He expressed the hope that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to…