The writer is an independent political and defence analyst. The death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor in a drone attack in Balochistan on May 21 has raised several serious issues about the formulation and management of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The most serious deficiency exposed in our foreign policy is the slow and outdated response of our government machinery. Pakistan was the last to acknowledge the death of the Taliban leader. It was only after…
Posts published in “Day: May 30, 2016”
The writer is an Islamabad-based security expert The benefits of globalisation have clearly multiplied around the world. At the same time, security threats have also mushroomed, along with the efforts of states to reap speedy economic gains. These factors are pushing regions to bank on ‘collective connectivity’ to achieve their common goals of economic development and security. In South Asia, Pakistan’s strategic and geographical position and vitality impress proponents of regional integration, but unfortunately we…
The writer is a professor of psychiatry and consultant forensic psychiatrist in the UK Another US drone strike, another round of condemnations within Pakistan. The latest attack killed the Afghan Taliban chief, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, in Balochistan leaving editorial pages wondering if Pakistan government is doing enough to convince the United States to wean off. US’s strategy to employ weaponised unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, to kill alleged terrorists in Pakistan has…
The writer is a former caretaker finance minister Pakistan’s relations with the United States matter. Every time the country’s economy did well, it was with American support. While that type of support is unlikely to play a major role in the future, the break with the past needs to be a matter managed. It should not be determined by such events as the killing of Mullah Mansour, the head of the Afghan Taliban, by an…
A local reporter of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been arrested in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. A media support agency, NAI, said Nematullah Kariab was arrested by the security personnel from Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of eastern Nangarhar province. According to a statement by NAI, the provincial officials and BBC in Afghanistan are confirming the detention of Mr. Kariab but they are unaware regarding the reason behind his apprehension. The head of NAI…
At least 11 policemen were killed in a Taliban attack in southern Helmand province on Sunday night, local officials said. In addition, seven other policemen were injured. The attack took place in Gereshk district of the province after dozens of Taliban insurgents attacked a number of police outposts and started clashes, police chief of 505 Bost zone Esmatullah Dawlatzai said. Dawlatzai said that seven other policemen were missing. However, there were no reports about Taliban…
A local teenager, Khalil-ur-Rahman Afghan, says he has invented a gadget that could be used to foil terror attacks from a distance. He said his gadget, which is much like a jamming device, works from 300 meters away, while a similar, foreign product, works only up to 100 meters away. The 17-year-old boy urged government to help him to improve his invention and introduce it to the security organizations. Afghan has made the gadget from…
LAHORE – Major General Naeem Baloch emerged as the “master handler” of the Afghan intelligence service operatives in Balochistan with Maj General Momin as his key lieutenant to advance subversion in the volatile province, security agencies sources told The Nation yesterday. Six operatives of Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) including a serving army lieutenant had been captured by country’s premier security service Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in different catch operations in Balochistan. In…
LANZHOU NEW AREA, China —This city is supposed to be the “diamond” on China’s Silk Road Economic Belt — a new metropolis carved out of the mountains in the country’s arid northwest. But it is shaping up to be fool’s gold, a ghost city in the making. Lanzhou New Area, in Gansu province, embodies China’s twin dreams of catapulting its poorer western regions into the economic mainstream through an orgy of infrastructure spending and cementing…
The first edition of a new military newspaper was published Saturday, replacing the publications circulated among China’s seven military area commands before they were reorganized into several battle zone commands. Renminlujun (People’s Land Forces) will be published from Tuesday to Saturday every week. Its front page on Saturday featured a profile on the inauguration of the Army of the People’s Liberation Army, and articles concerning the building of a strong and modern new land force.…
In the wake of the drone strike that killed former Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the FIA has made a series of arrests in connection with the issuance of a fake Pakistani identity card and passport to the deceased chief. A Pakistani CNIC and green passport with the cover name of Wali Muhammad had been found, miraculously unscathed from the drone attack site, and since then a witch hunt has been carried out to…