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Posts published in April 2016

China Gives Police Broad Powers Over Foreign Nonprofits By JOSH CHIN in Wall st Journal blogs, Apr 28, 2016

BEIJING—Chinese legislators passed a law on Thursday granting police broad authority to supervise foreign nonprofit groups, reinforcing President Xi Jinping’s drive to consolidate government control over China’s society, culture and economy. The law says any activities of foreign nonprofits that threaten national security or ethnic harmony will be punished. A draft of the law released last year drew an outpouring of opposition from foreign governments, rights groups, business associations and academics for being overly broad…

Facilitating terrorism in Kabul; by Kunwar Khuldune Shahid in The Nation, April 28th, 2016

The writer is a member of staff. For the second time in nine months Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has lashed out at Pakistan in the aftermath of a Taliban orchestrated terror attack in Kabul. On August 7 last year, deadly bombings targeted an army complex, police academy and an American special forces’ base in Kabul, killing at least 51. On April 20, at least 64 were killed as Taliban militants targeted a security team protecting…

Taliban Captures Check Posts in Dahan-e-Ghori Of Baghlan by Tariq Majidi in Tolo News, April 27,2016

Taliban captured several police check posts in Dahan-e-Ghori district of northern Baghlan province on Tuesday night and have reportedly surrounded the district. Baghlan provincial council members accused government of negligence and said that the Taliban have increased their activities in Baghlan and neighboring provinces. “After the collapse of the check posts in Dahan-e-Ghori, the Taliban have actually expanded their presence and in addition to that there [in Dahan-e-Ghor] there were two important check posts of…

Pakistan interested in Russian air defence system, advanced tanks Report in The Nation, April 28, 2016

MOSCOW – Pakistan and Russia are in talks on sales of helicopters, air defence systems and modernised tanks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Sputnik on Wednesday. Pakistan is eyeing to modernise its Air Force, Asif said on the sidelines of the fifth Moscow Conference on International Security. “We are in touch with Russia on different types of weapons such as helicopters. We are even considering the Russian air defence system and advanced tanks. We are…

Pak-India dialogue: EDITORIAL in Dawn, April 28th, 2016

ONCE upon a time, a mere several months ago, a meeting between the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India was meant to herald the start of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. That meeting has yet to take place.  Instead, the foreign secretaries, Aizaz Chaudhry and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, met on the sidelines of an Afghanistan-focused conference in New Delhi and, from competing official accounts in Pakistan and India, sounded every bit the politicians that they are not…

Stuck in neutral: Editorial in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2016.

If there is a silver lining to the seemingly sterile talks between Foreign Secretary Aziz Ahmed Chaudhry and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, it is that they took place at all — rather than did not. Beyond this there seems, at least on the surface, to have been little movement. It is unwise to read anything definitive into contacts such as this as their detailed content is never in the public domain, and official communiques…

Talks between foreign secretaries of Pakistan, India remain inconclusiveTalks, terror and spies: edit in The News, April 28, 2016

There has scarcely been a worse time for the resumption of talks between Pakistan and India. We have finally, after years of allegations, gathered sufficient evidence of Indian interference in Balochistan, thanks to the capture of a senior RAW official in the province. India, meanwhile, continues to blame us for the attack in Pathankot, which may have originated from Pakistan but has no link to the state. Against this backdrop, the meeting of the two…

For The Public: edit in The Nation, April 28, 2016

The Delhi talks achieved what it perhaps set out to do; appease the agitated public that their respective governments are holding their ground in this seemingly futile diplomatic exercise. The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan raised their respective preferred topics on Tuesday without really addressing each other’s concerns and political conjunctures that have led up to the dialogue.Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry dutifully raised the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and the capture…

No headway in talks with Jaishankar during New Delhi meeting, says Aizaz By Kamran Yousaf in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2016.

ISLAMABAD:  Islamabad on Wednesday admitted that the recent foreign-secretary level talks between Pakistan and India could not achieve any ‘major breakthrough’ as New Delhi refused to give any timeframe for the start of comprehensive bilateral dialogue. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar met in New Delhi on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul conference as part of latest efforts to break the impasse in bilateral ties. Speaking…

Pakistan may use F-16s against India, review sale, US lawmakers tell Obama PTI report in Times of India on line, Apr 28, 2016

WASHINGTON: Top US lawmakers have expressed concerns over the Obama administration’s decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying the aircrafts could be used against India and not in combating terrorism. They have also urged the Obama Administration to review its decision in this regard. “Many members of Congress, including me, seriously question the judgment and timing of such a sale. Additionally, Indo-Pak tensions remain elevated and some question whether the F-16s could…

Govt orders foolproof security of Chinese workers: by MOHAMMAD SALEEM in Dawn, Apr 28, 2016

FAISALABAD: The Punjab government has directed the police in 10 districts to improve security arrangements at the residences of Chinese nationals and the project sites where they are working. A survey conducted by the Home Department on April 12 last pointed out security lapses and underscored the need to improve safeguards for the protection of the Chinese nationals and their physical assets. As many as 5,925 Chinese engineers and workers are engaged in various assignments…