As Balochistan witnessed protests across the province in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, rallies were also held across the western border of Pakistan. But the protests in Afghanistan were not in support of Balochistan or condemning Modi: they were targeted against Pakistan. The Chaman crossing at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been indefinitely closed following the burning of Pakistani flags at the Friendship Gate at Chaman. Afghanis were celebrating their 97th Independence…
Posts published in “Day: August 22, 2016”
The burning of a Pakistani flag at the Chaman border by a group of Afghan protesters is a regrettable incident, one that is bound to damage the already flagging bilateral relations. On its own, the attack – a small group pelting stones at the Friendship Gate – is perhaps the least serious border incident between the two neighbours in recent history, but coupled with the expanding crisis in Kashmir and the prevailing political tension in…
The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have recaptured the control of the key Khanabad district in northern Kunduz province. According to the security sources, the control of the district was retaken following hours of clashes since this morning when the Taliban militants captured some key government compounds. The sources further added that the Taliban insurgents were forced to retreat after the Afghan forces launched an operation to retake the district. There are still…
An Afghan cleric who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan was close to Afghan Taliban group, it has been reported. Sheikh Ghulam Hazrat was among three religious clerics who have been shot dead by unknown gunmen in Pakistan during the recent days. His father Sheikh Khwaja Muhammad Hazrat was also killed along with him in the attack and the dead bodies of the two men were reportedly shifted to…
QUETTA: A flag meeting between security officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan to reopen the Friendship Gate at Chaman border ended without any result on Saturday afternoon, a well-placed para-military officer who declined to be named told Dawn.com. The two sides adopted strict security measures on their respective borders during the meeting, convened at the request of Afghan border officials. The two sides deliberated over issues related to the porous border that the two countries share.…
A deadly persists among Afghanistan and Pakistan along the Durand Line close to Chaman city, the capital of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The two sides failed to resolve tensions as the gate between the two countries remains closed since Thursday. Gen. Mohammad from Afghanistan participated in talks with the Pakistani side led by Gen. Jahazeeb to resolve the issue but no breakthrough was made during the talks. The Pakistani officials claim several Afghan demonstrators attacked…
MUZAFFARABAD: In an unusual move, the chief secretary of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) issued a ‘clarification’ on Saturday in response to allegations levelled by the regional chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) about rigging in the recently held AJK elections. “I strongly contradict and regret the irresponsible statement of Barrister Sultan Mahmood that the chief secretary and inspector general (IG) played a key role in stealing the (July 21) elections,” Chief Secretary Sikandar Sultan…
Nine years after taking off his police uniform for the last time, 42-year-old Wu Youming feels more than content about his life. The ex-policeman, who now lives in Beijing’s Songzhuang art zone, spends most of his time taking care of his son and daughter, squeezing in some drawing and organizing art exhibitions when he has free time. Labeling himself a naiba (house husband), Wu used to be regarded as a rebel in the police force.…
DORALEH, Djibouti – It was February this year when camel drivers first spotted the Chinese troops staking out a patch of coastal scrubland about 8 miles from the largest U.S. military base in Africa. Chinese navy ships had visited this tiny East African nation before. They sometimes picked up supplies in the old French port, farther down the arid coast, during antipiracy patrols off Somalia. This time, the Chinese military was here to stay. The…
Djibouti: China has begun construction for a military post at a key location in eastern Africa, right next door to a US one. A 90-acre plot which is due for completion next year, the the naval outpost is expected to feature weapons stores, ship and helicopter maintenance facilities and possibly a small contingent of Chinese marines or special forces, according to foreign officers and experts monitoring its development. China has invested huge amounts in East…
BEIJING (AFP) – Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi expects China to support historic peace talks with armed groups near the countries’ troubled joint border, she said on Friday (Aug 19) during a landmark visit overshadowed by a stalled dam project. “We do believe that as a good neighbour China will do everything possible to promote our peace process,” Ms Suu Kyi told reporters in Beijing ahead of meeting China’s President Xi Jinping.…