The US strategy in this region after hyphenating Afghanistan and Pakistan together under the ‘Af-Pak’ jargon has brought more agony and flux to millions of people of both countries rather than bringing enduring peace and stability as wrongly propagated by the US-led West. The slang of Af-Pak now appears to had been coined for perpetuating the chorus of ‘do more’ from Pakistan and for sustainability of this unending stipulation, last week’s State of Union address…
Posts published in “Day: February 4, 2016”
Kabul: Criticizing the United States for snail’s pace counter terrorism efforts, the former president Hamid Karzai said that Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US is meaningless if there was no peace in the country. “At a time when there is no peace, inking the security pact with the US doesn’t benefit Afghanistan,” Karzai told Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency (FNA) on Wednesday. “We had demanded the US to start the process of peace in…
Local officials in Nangarhar said Wednesday that most farmers in the eastern province have resumed poppy cultivation in their areas, accusing government of focusing on security issues rather than assisting them in agriculture. “Poppies have been cultivated in 12 districts in Nangarhar over the past year. We are trying to stop the trend with the help of the people and the farmers,” said provincial counter-narcotics director Edris Sapai. Meanwhile, Nangarhar police said they will try…
A number of MPs from Baghlan province on Wednesday raised the issue of the controversial deal of Dand-e-Ghori and said it will provide an opportunity for insurgents to build a strong base in the strategic city of Pul-e-Khumri and recruit people there. They warned that more fighters will besiege the area if attention is not paid to the issue. “Really, the Dand-e-Ghori deal is a suitable opportunity for the Taliban to build their capacity and…
ISLAMABAD: Intelligence agencies of Pakistan and Afghanistan will hold talks in Kabul on Thursday to try to reduce the trust deficit between the two neighbours. Director General ISI Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar would travel to Afghanistan for a meeting with the acting chief of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Masoud Andarabi. The US is facilitating the meeting which would also be attended by Chinese officials as observers. The meeting which earlier was planned to…
ISLAMABAD: The head of Afghanistan’s top spy agency is due to travel to Islamabad today (Thursday) on a crucial visit that seeks to restore trust marred by a blame game between the two neighbours. Director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) Masoud Andarabi will hold talks with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhtar and other senior officials on a whole range of security matters, a security official said on condition of anonymity.…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and United States on Wednesday discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of infrastructure development and defence in a meeting held here. According to a press release issued here the discussion was held during a call on by the US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale to the Secretary Defence Lt. Gen (R) Muhammad Alam Khattak. During the call areas of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation in the field of infrastructure development and defence came…
ISLAMABAD: The defence ministry has expressed concern over the delay in release of the $350 million tranche of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) by the US Congress for want of a certification by the American defence secretary that Pakistani counter-terrorism operations were disrupting the Haqqani Network’s sanctuaries on its soil. “The issues of the decrease in Coalition Support Fund and the economic difficulties in dealing with the crises of North Waziristan’s internally displaced persons also…
WHILE there are differing accounts of why exactly Bollywood actor Anupam Kher was not issued a Pakistani visa, one thing is clear: the episode is reflective of the byzantine and thoroughly nebulous visa regime that exists between India and Pakistan. The actor, who was supposed to attend the Karachi Literature Festival, which kicks off tomorrow, says he was denied a visa as Pakistan’s interior ministry did not issue a no-objection certificate.However, Pakistan’s high commissioner in…
Summary China’s long-standing rivalry with Japan in the East China Sea is heating up once again. In addition to their standing disputes over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and Beijing’s attempts to break through the first island chain, it is looking more and more likely that Japan will wade into the South China Sea conflict as well. In response, China is turning to new capabilities and tactics in the East China Sea in an attempt to outmaneuver…
These are grim times for the Chinese economy. In the two years since property markets peaked and subsequently began to slow in most cities across China, it has become abundantly clear that the approach to economic management that sustained double-digit annual growth for two decades has exhausted itself. The unprecedented stock market volatility of the past year, along with signs of spreading unemployment and labor unrest in many regions, are important reminders that the transition…