The writer is an associate research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. While security continues to dominate the news on Afghanistan, the long-running political crisis in the war-ravaged country is about to take a turn for the worse. As the National Unity Government (NUG) is nearing the two-year completion of its term, it is confronted with a serious political deadlock and constitutional crisis. The future of the incumbent government hinges on…
Posts published in “Day: September 23, 2016”
Following two years of intense negotiations, the Afghan government and one of the country’s largest militant groups Hizb-e-Islami finally clinched a ground-breaking peace deal on Thursday, a move which has drawn widespread reaction from the Afghan political elite and the international community. In response to the deal, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement on Thursday that it was encouraged by the signing of the peace agreement. “UNAMA supports the…
A draft peace agreement between Hezb-e-Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was signed between the Afghan government and the party in Kabul today. The signing of the agreement concluded in the presence of media during a press conference in one of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council that led the talks with the party since the beginning. The agreement was signed following some days of delays that led to speculations that the deal was facing issues to…
UNITED NATIONS: The United States, Afghanistan and India have agreed to align their assistance with the priorities to help the government in Kabul, said an official statement. Delegations from the three countries met in New York on Wednesday on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, for a round of Afghanistan-India-US consultations. “The meeting provided a forum for the US government and the government of India to explore ways to coordinate and align…
ISLAMABAD: Amid reports about his upcoming role in the political stage in Pakistan, former military dictator Pervez Musharraf has reached the United States for a 3-week visit where he is likely to have meetings with lawmakers and other officials of the United States at the Capitol Hill, sources told The News here on Thursday. According to close aides of former president Pervez Musharraf, he would speak at Washington Ideas Forum scheduled to be held from…
PRIME MINISTER Nawaz Sharif has made his case at the UN for the world to pay attention to the Kashmir dispute and for India to engage Pakistan in a sustained dialogue. In a speech that was neither compelling nor entirely forgettable, Mr Sharif struck a different note to the incessant warmongering in both India and Pakistan in recent times. Specifically on the Kashmir dispute, however, Pakistan faces a complicated task in trying to get the…
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech to the UN General Assembly hit all the right notes. Unlike previous addresses by Nawaz himself and his predecessors, which mentioned Kashmir only in passing, a substantial part of this speech was devoted to the rights of Kashmiris. Nawaz was wise in framing Kashmir as far more than just a territorial dispute between estranged neighbours; he focused on the daily brutalities committed by Indian soldiers on a people whose only…
The Prime Minister fulfilled his promise to highlight the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly during his speech on September 21. Talking about the need to resolve this issue in a peaceful manner, the PM spoke about the human tragedy that has unfolded in Kashmir over the last several weeks. Civilians who have launched a largely peaceful protest campaign have been targeted by the Indian military. Over a hundred individuals have lost their lives…
The prime minister touched upon a number of issues that concern Pakistan, the region and the world at large in his UNGA address. Highlighting the Indian atrocities in the occupied Kashmir, Sharif demanded an investigation into the atrocities like the use of pellet guns, extra-judicial killings and thousands of arrests. Talking about Pak-India relations he said Pakistan wants peace which is “not possible without resolving the Kashmir issue”. He also praised the results of Operation…
Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Mohamed Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) received much fanfare back home as he did not hesitate in discussing the Kashmir issue along with the excesses of the Indian army in the Indian-occupied valley. Prime Minister Sharif also expressed Pakistan’s commitment to attainment of peace with India, its opposition to an arms race with India, and the need for dialogue between Pakistan and India on the…
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won plaudits at home for his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday. His focus on the Kashmir issue and transgressions carried out by India in the aftermath of Burhan Wani’s murder in the most public of forums won over both supporters and opposition alike.Nawaz Sharif will come home to a happy public, pleased that he made Kashmir his focus in the UNGA address.But domestic appeasement should not…