LAHORE: A report by an Islamabad-based think-tank shows weakening of the civilian government’s writ, mainly because of, “activism” and “visibility” of the military leadership in formulating the country’s foreign and internal security policies. Democracy has not yet recovered from the shock it suffered during the 2014 Islamabad sit-in (by the PTI against alleged rigging of 2013 elections) as informal and ad hoc platforms took more precedence over institutional ones, says the report prepared by Pildat…
Posts published in “Day: May 19, 2016”
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistanis appear to be deciding that, yet again, there is only so much good news they can handle. Over the past two years, Pakistan has appeared to be rebounding from a miserable decade. Major terrorist attacks continue to decline, building off the nine-year low recorded in 2015. The economy has settled, and a plan by China to invest billions to upgrade Pakistani shipping routes remains on track. And some previous hardships of…
The acting provincial governor of northern Balkh province and Chief Executive of Jamiat-e-Islami party Ata Mohammad Noor has claimed that several people were left dead in an attack by the supporters of Junbish Milli party which is led by Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum. According to a statement by Noor, the attack was carried out late on Tuesday night which followed by a major attack by the Taliban militants in Almar district. The statement…
Afghan Ministry of Defense has raised concerns about the infiltration of the enemy into the ranks of the security forces but say a new strategy will be implemented to counter this problem. At a recent National Security Council (NSC) meeting, President Ashraf Ghani ordered the immediate implementation of the strategy to fight this problem. According to officials, the NSC recently approved the strategy. “The influence of the enemy in the security forces is really dangerous.…
The Afghan government has signed the draft peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Khan said. He told reporters that the draft agreement has been signed and will become enforceable once the Hezb-e-Islami party signs it. Khan further added that the group has agreed to have no links with the anti-government armed militant groups, insisting that Hekmatyar’s only demand is to remove his name from the international blacklist. Welcoming…
ISLAMABAD: The four-nation initiative for reconciliation in Afghanistan is faced with an uncertain future as it failed to make headway amid growing differences among the participating countries over dealing with the Taliban. The fifth meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China ended on Wednesday without any agreement on a future strategy for bringing the insurgents to the negotiating table and without any agreed date or venue for…
The writer is a senior journalist. India has further escalated the arms race in the Subcontinent – first, by testing the nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile last month and now with the successful launch of a supersonic interceptor ballistic missile last Sunday. With COAS Raheel Sharif in China, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz have vowed to match the escalation. The question that arises is: should we continue to…
The writer is a consultant based in New York and is a graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy After an arduous journey from King’s Landing to Meereen, Tyrion Lannister has found himself in a position of power. He must wrestle back a deadly insurgency, keep the many external enemies of the liberated city at bay, and ensure that the city of Meereen survives in the absence of its queen. As the new…
NEW submarines, missile defence and now a missile test — India’s breakneck acquisition and development of nuclear weapons systems and platforms are thoroughly alarming and wholly unwelcome. Already Pakistani officials have warned that the Indian moves are threatening to change the military balance of power regionally and implied that a Pakistani response is all but inevitable.Good sense and a more comprehensive understanding of national security appear to be falling victim to narrow, militaristic views of…
Amid mounting pressure by the US, Pakistan has refused to be part of talks regarding the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), which bans the production of fissile materials used in making nuclear weapons. Pakistan has expressed its concerns over the disparity shown by the US towards its treatment of New Delhi and Islamabad, and has refused to freeze its nuclear programme, terming it deterrence against aggression from India. The non-proliferation of fissile material is an…
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has expressed Pakistan’s intent of making a bid for membership into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Club, claiming that Pakistan has the “credentials” to join the NSG and should be given the opportunity to work towards global non-proliferation. Islamabad is set to apply alongside New Delhi, considering that to maintain strategic balance and security in the region, Pakistan must do the needful. A face-off is likely to be expected in…