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Posts published in June 2016

Another senior police officer falls foul of interior minister MUNAWER AZEEM in Dawn, June 29th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry, who removed a senior police officer on Monday, claimed that it had done so on the basis of an “anonymous complaint”. Superintendent of Police (SP City) Rizwan Gondal has become the fifth officer of the Islamabad police to be removed on the orders of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Police officials told Dawn that the officer was victimised by the same interior ministry official who had earlier secured the removal…

Terrorism and the drug trade: by Dr Ikramul Haq in The News, June 29, 2016

The writer is an advocate of the Supreme Court and adjunct faculty at LUMS. June 26 marks the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The day was decided by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987 to raise the level of awareness in the international community about the dangers of drug abuse, to prevent its spread and to encourage all efforts to combat the menace at international level. Terrorism, drugs-for-arms and money laundering,…

No to proxy wars: By Imtiaz Alam in the News, June 29, 2016

The writer is a senior journalist. Army chief General Raheel Sharif has called for an end to the ongoing proxy wars that are causing greater destabilisation in the region. How far can this approach help stabilise the region and bring the adversarial countries on the same page? This most important pronouncement by Gen Sharif came at a time when Pakistan’s international and regional isolation had become too obvious, despite the denial mode that was not…

37 ISIS militants killed, 44 wounded in East of Afghanistan By KHAAMA PRESS – Tue Jun 28 2016,

At least 37 ISIS militants were killed and 44 others were wounded during the ongoing operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the operations are being conducted as part of Shaheen-18 in Kot district. MoD further added that the militants were killed or wounded during the airstrikes and artillery raids on ISIS positions. The operations in Kot district are being conducted as the loyalists of the terror group launched…

District chief judge shot dead by gunmen in Kabul city By KHAAMA PRESS – Tue Jun 28 2016,

A senior judiciary official was shot dead by unknown gunmen in capital Kabul earlier today, the security officials said. The assassination of the senior judiciary official in Kabul comes as the Taliban group vowed to target the court officials following the execution of a group of militants by the Afghan government last month. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Chief Fraidonn Obaidi confirmed that an individual was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the 5th police…

4 Taliban militants killed in latest US drone strike in Kunduz province By KHAAMA PRESS – Tue Jun 28 2016

At least 4 Taliban insurgents were killed in the latest drone strike carried out by the US forces in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan. According to the local security officials, the airstrike was carried out late on Monday night in Chardara district. A commander of the 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army Gen. Abdul Qahar Aram confirmed that 4 Taliban insurgents were killed in the air raid. Gen. Aram further added that the…

3,000 kgs of explosives seized before reaching Kabul for Eid attacks By KHAAMA PRESS – Tue Jun 28 2016

At least 3,000 kgs of explosives were seized by the Afghan intelligence operatives before the militant groups manage to transport them to Kabul for a series of attacks. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the explosives were packed in 50 sacks and were loaded on two trucks. According to a statement by NDS, the two trucks were identified by the intelligence operatives and were confiscated in Pul-a-Alam district of Logar province. The statement further…

Dostum’s Remarks Cause Concern Over Afghan Stability by Sayed Sharif Amiri in Tolo News, 28 June 2016

Claims by First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum that he and his supporters have been side-lined from power by his partners in government, have raised serious concerns by observers about the stability of Afghanistan. A number of critics have said recent remarks by Dostum about power sharing in the National Unity Government (NUG) as well as about a lack of coordination between government leaders over governance, will affect the country’s political system. They said this…

State Warns Political Parties Against Armed Activities by Nabila Ashrafi in Tolo News, 28 June 2016

The Afghan government has warned political parties engaging in military activities or being involved with armed groups, that their status as such will be terminated. This warning form the Afghan Ministry of Justice on Tuesday added that no political party was above the law. This follows in the wake of armed groups linking themselves to Jamaat-e-Islami and Junbish-e-Melli and who have clashed with each other in north of the country. Both parties have denied links…

Over 50 Districts Face Severe Security Threats, MoI admits :by Tamim Hamid in Tolo News, 29 June 2016

More than 50 districts in the country are facing serious security threats, nine of them are currently out of government’s control, says the Mol. The districts out of government’s control include Nawzad, Disho, Baghran and Musa Qala districts in Helmand, Wardooj and Yumgan districts in Badakhshan, Kohistanat district in Sar-e-Pul, Nawa district in Ghazni and Khak Afghan district in Zabul province. “The districts are in the northeastern, southern and also other parts of Afghanistan. The…

Lured by Jobs in Afghanistan, Nepalis Face Risks and Death By KAREEM FAHIM and BHADRA SHARMA in The NY Times, June 29, 2016

KABUL, Afghanistan — With their wraparound sunglasses and easy smiles, the Nepalese contractors who guarded the Canadian Embassy had become respected fixtures in Kabul, part of a larger community of South Asian security guards who stood sentry at foreign missions all around the capital. Driven to work in Afghanistan by collapsed economic prospects back home, the contractors were able to send desperately needed money back to their families. But nothing here is without risk. Last…