Posts published in “Day: November 7, 2016”

ISLAMABAD: Top Afghan political leaders sprung into action to broker peace talks between the government in Kabul and Taliban, a leader involved in the process said on Sunday. Sayed Ishaq Gailani, a former MP and leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan, said that politicians were in contact with the Taliban office in Qatar and there would be more such interactions. Speaking with The Express Tribune from Kabul over phone, Gailani, however, expressed disappointment…

BOZ QANDAHARI, Afghanistan — A day after a battle in this village on the outskirts of Kunduz, residents readily pointed out the smears of what they said was American blood on a packed-dirt street. But they were less forthcoming about whether there had been any Taliban in their neighborhood when the Americans were killed on Thursday. The dead-end street is so narrow, 10 feet across and hemmed in by the high mud walls around homes…

The writer works for the Jinnah Institute. As Hillary Clinton moves into the Oval, the question in Islamabad is whether a fresh administration will bring with it the promise of a Pak-US reset. Given the PML-N’s growing incapacity at home and abroad, and problems untangling the American knot, cashing in on hard-won geostrategic gains and servicing lobbying efforts on the Hill, a diplomatic do-over with DC is long overdue. But accrediting the dysfunction in the…

PESHAWAR: The wrangling between federal government and different political parties over the issue of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is turning into a legal battle as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar is set to file a writ petition in Peshawar High Court on Monday for development of the western route at par with the eastern route of the corridor. The petition will be filed in accordance with the decision taken in a meeting of parliamentary parties’…

BEIJING: Two international think tanks have warned that Chinese investments in Pakistan will not boost the domestic economy. Instead, it will push Islamabad towards a major debt problem. This comes after the International Monetary Fund recently said that the Beijing-funded China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has raised Pakistan capital account deficit to seriously high levels. “In conclusion, the CPEC is unlikely to be a game changer for Pakistan’s economy,” London-based Capital Economics said in a…

Diplomatic observers struggle to reach a consensus definition of the complicated Sino-US relationship, but all agree it’s too important to be ignored or damaged by miscalculation or mismanagement. It also stands out as arguably the most important bilateral relationship to be managed by the next US president, irrespective of whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump wins Tuesday’s election. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the relationship between the…

hina’s finance minister Lou Jiwei, who has been struggling in recent years to tackle the country’s huge debt problems, is stepping down as he approaches retirement age. He will be replaced by Xiao Jie, a former tax bureau chief who has previously suggested that the government has room to raise taxes on its citizens. The announcement was made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Monday, the top legislature which has the…

A key ally of Wang Qishan, the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption tsar, has been appointed China’s top spy master, taking over one of the most secretive ministries that is undergoing a shakeup after senior officials were accused of graft. Chen Wenqing started his career as a policeman in Sichuan province and was Wang’s deputy at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection when it investigated Zhou Yongkang, the former national security chief who oversaw the country’s…

Beijing has sent Tibetan “living Buddhas” to historic sites of the Communist Party, including the hometown of late leader Mao ­Zedong, for patriotic education sessions, according to Chinese media reports. Some 20 living Buddhas took part in the sessions, in which they vowed allegiance to the central government, according to Tibet.cn, the region’s major news portal, on Saturday. “I feel that our country is wealthy and powerful. It’s a socialist new China built by numerous…

BEIJING—China’s top legislative body effectively barred two Hong Kong politicians from taking office as local lawmakers in a decision that overrides Hong Kong’s legal authority. The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress on Monday ruled that people elected to Hong Kong’s legislature can’t be allowed to retake their oaths of office if their first attempt is deemed invalid, according to a statement. The decision was “necessary” to protect the “dignity” of Hong Kong’s legal…