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Posts published in “Day: August 18, 2016

Relations with India not to hurt Iran-Pakistan ties: envoy Report in Dawn, August 16th, 2016

PESHAWAR: Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost has said that his country is ready to provide all possible support to Pakistan in the war against terrorism and for the development of its economy. Talking to media personnel at the Iranian consulate here on Monday, the ambassador said that ties between Iran and India wouldn’t put any negative impact on relations between Pakistan and Iran. “Iran’s agreements with India on the Chabahar port will never affect…

Construction of ‘Pakistan gate’ at Iran border in its final stagesy: report in The Nation, August 15, 2016,

TAFTAN: The construction of ‘Pakistan gate’ at Iran border in Taftan has entered into its final stages as only two months are required for its completion, officials said on Monday. The foundation stone of two 30-feet long gates was laid on July 17 by Collector Customs, Saeed Gadhaun; Brigadier Khalid Baig; Commandant Taftan Rifles Colonel Kashif Ijaz Chaudhary and Deputy Commissioner Chaghai Qadir Buksh Parkani. The total cost of the gate has been recorded at…

Intellectual Roots of ISIS, A new book illuminates disparate elements of Salafi-jihadism. By KYLE W. ORTON in The Wall St Journal, Aug. 15, 2016

Why did Prohibition in America fail? The Pakistani Islamic scholar Abul Ala Mawdudi argued that it was because the law “required people to accept human rather divine reasoning.” What was needed was a harsh and absolute divine mandate to root out evils like alcohol. As the Ottoman empire was being swept away and national-independence movements were about to overrun the Muslim world, men like Mawdudi began articulating a new ideology that would meld medieval and…

Pakistan’s long distance relationship with Afghanistan will never end By Mureeb Mohmand in The Express Tribune blogs,August 15, 2016

the writer is an Express Tribune reporter from FATA. Banaras Khan was eight when he came to Pakistan in 1979, shortly after the Russians arrived in Afghanistan. He was the second eldest son, who crossed the Pak-Afghan border at Mohmand by foot with only his mother. His father had two wives – and he chose to settle down with Banaras’ stepmother in Peshawar. Banaras and his mother came with nothing to a country completely foreign…

Analysts Warn of Fallout Amid Ghani-Abdullah Scuffle TOLOnews.com, 12 August 2016

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has hit back at his Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah over his recent remarks that he, Ghani, is not taking solid steps to address certain national issues, saying he does not believe those who do not believe him. Speaking to a gathering of Afghan youths on Friday, the president said that those who support corrupt elements in fact try to obscure the government’s reform agendas. “I am a transitional president, the…

Special forces of Taliban fighting in Helmand province By KHAAMA PRESS – Mon Aug 15 2016

The special forces of the Taliban group are fighting in southern Helmand province which has been witnessing growing violence during the recent weeks. Equipped with modern and sophisticated weapons, the Taliban special forces belong to the ‘Red Unit’ which have been deployed to Helmand with an aim to capture large swathes of Helmand, including the provincial capital, Lashkargah. A special forces commander, Sayed Murad, has told Reuters “The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that…

Taliban takes control of Dahana-e-Ghori in North of Afghanistan KHAAMA PRESS – Sun Aug 14 2016

The Taliban militants have taken control of Dahana-e-Ghori district in northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan earlier tonight. A provincial council member speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the fall of the district. The government security officials have not commented regarding the report so far. The Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on Dahana-e-Ghori district four days ago that led to heavy clashes in the area until the control of the district was fully taken…

Afghan Army Struggling to Hold Territory Against Resurgent Taliban By MUJIB MASHAL in The New York Times, Aug 15, 201

CHAH-I-ANJIR, Afghanistan — As Taliban fighters push toward the southern city of Lashkar Gah, members of Afghanistan’s elite forces are trying to hold their ground here, about 10 miles from the city, the capital of Helmand Province and a critical link in the defense of the entire region. The Afghan government’s need to rely on the special forces, highly trained for commando raids, to guard the perimeter of the city exposes a stark reality. As…

Atmar warns against ISIS expansion if found sanctuaries in Pakistan KHAAMA PRESS – Mon Aug 15 2016

The National Security Adviser of Afghanistan Mohammad Hanif Atmar has warned against the expansion of insurgency by the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group if they managed to gain sanctuaries in Pakistan. In an interview with RFE’s Pakistan service, Atmar said if the terror group finds sanctuaries and financial resources in Pakistan the issue will be prolonged and expanded in the region. Atmar further added that the leader of…

Matthew Barrett: at wrong place, at wrong time: by ANWAR IQBAL in Dawn, August 15th, 2016

WASHINGTON: Matthew Craig Barrett, the American arrested by authorities in Pakistan for containing maps of a sensitive area, claims that he has already been cleared by the Supreme Court of all charges. The statement Mr Barrett gave to investigators in Islamabad, which was later shared with US authorities, shows him to be an ordinary citizen who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In his statement, Mr Barrett tells in some…

Another blind alley: Editorial in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2016.

Whilst this newspaper consistently supports the efforts of the current or any other government in the quest for peace with India, the latest invitation from Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, sadly smacks of futility. He said on August 12 that Pakistan is to invite India to engage in dialogue on the issue of Kashmir following weeks of unrest and numerous deaths and injuries in the valley in the last three months.…