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Posts published in “Day: October 27, 2016

Doha’s peace process: op-ed by K. Iqbal in The Nation, Oct 24, 2016

The writer is a freelance columnist. The urge for Afghan peace, at least theoretically and at times breaching the boundary of wishful thinking, is too strong amongst all stake holders. That’s why any and every initiative, howsoever elusive looking it might be, attracts wide spread acclaim.Afghan government and Taliban leadership are, once again, in talks, in Doha.Two rounds have already taken place beginning September.Though multiple sources have confirmed the formal contacts, available details about the…

Peace on terror: op-ed by Marvi Sirmed in Pakistan Today, Oct 23, 2016

The writer is an Islamabad based freelance columnist Even after a much-hyped Peace Agreement between Afghanistan’s National Unity Government (NUG) and militant leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-i-Islami Gulbadin (HIG), peace in Afghanistan remains elusive. Amidst criticism from Human Rights Watch, and celebratory statement by the US terming the Agreement as ‘a step forward towards peace’, Hekmtyar got immunity for all his past crimes. The peace process, however, needs to be ‘Afghan led and Afghan owned’ as…

Peace talks crop up again: By Rahimullah Yusufzai in The News on Sunday, Oct 23, 2016

The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar. One of the intractable and enduring issues of our time is the conflict in Afghanistan and every now and then the question props up whether the Taliban would eventually hold peace talks with the government in Kabul or continue on the war path. This issue cropped up again recently when a news report claimed that Taliban representatives held two rounds of secret talks with Afghan…

Doha talks Minus Pakistan : edit in Pakistan Today, Oct 23, 2016

News of Kabul-Taliban talks in Doha has always been followed by swift denials from both sides; especially when they did talk. This time seems no different. Post-Hikmetyar, especially, there’s every reason for this process to finally get off the mark. This is one notable difference though. Pakistan was not invited and, from the looks of things so far, played no part in the process whatsoever. Kabul has long been wary of Islamabad’s real intention, to…

Taliban delegation in Pakistan for talks: by IFTIKHAR A. KHAN in Dawn, October 23rd, 2016

ISLAMABAD: A three-member delegation from the Taliban’s Qatar office is currently in Pakistan to meet authorities — the first such contact following the breakdown of Islamabad-brokered talks between Kabul and the Taliban in May. The visit comes days after Taliban leaders reportedly held informal meetings with Afghan and US officials in Qatar. “The delegates — Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar, Maulvi Salam Hanafi and Jan Muhammad — have been in Pakistan for the past two days,” a…

Chinese media confirms Afghan Taliban leaders’ talks in Islamabad Report in The Naion, October 23, 2016

ISLAMABAD: Three senior Afghan Taliban representatives from the Qatar political office are “involved in talks” with Pakistani officials here last week about the “refugees problems,” reports Chinese media quoting Taliban spokesman Zabihuallah Mujahid. However, Mujahid clarified that the visit has no link with the reported talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar. Reports suggest that the delegation from the Qatar office arrived in Pakistan three days ago. The Taliban delegation is comprised…

Pak-Afghan trade halves ‘due to transit trade glitches’ By Tahir Khan in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2016.

ISLAMABAD: Former deputy trade minister of Afghanistan Muzamil Shinwari has said that bilateral trade with Pakistan has gone down substantially due to ‘problems’ in transit trade. “If these problems are not addressed, bilateral trade could witness further decline,” warned Shinwari, who was the chief negotiator for the 2010 Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). “The Pak-Afghan trade volume was $2.5 billion in 2010 which has now come down to $1.8 billion,” Shinwari told The Express Tribune…

Afghan Taliban release drone footage of suicide attack Report in Pakistan Today, Oct 23, 2016

Kabul: Afghanistan’s Taliban have released drone footage showing a suicide bomber driving a Humvee into a police base in Helmand province and blowing it up this month. An Afghan government official said the video posted online appeared to be authentic. The use of video taken by a drone is unusual for the Taliban but more common among the more media-savvy Islamist groups fighting in Iraq and Syria. The video, 23 minutes long, begins with the…

Afghan forces seize Pakistani truck laden with 1,000 kg of explosives KHAAMA PRESS – Sun Oct 23 2016

The counter-terrorism forces of the Afghan police confiscated a truck carrying at least 1,000 kg of explosives in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said three suspects including two Pakistani nationals were also arrested in connection to the transportation of the explosives. MoI further added that the explosives were of Ammonium Nitrate type which are mainly used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Device (IED). According to MoI, the transportation of the explosives…

Get over the F16s: By Hussain Nadim in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2016.

Pakistan-US relations aren’t as bad as the media or the think tank reports may like one to believe. If anything, the US is far more sensitive to Pakistan’s needs and challenges than it ever was in the past six or more decades. However, engaged in a long war and decades of relationship pivoted around Afghanistan, the bi-lateral relations are bound to hit the rock, especially when there is baggage of unresolved issues and no defined…

US ‘will act alone’ against all terror networks, If Pakistan won’t do it… By Special Correspondent in The Nation, October 24th, 2016.

WASHINGTON – The United States has called on Pakistan to go after all terrorist networks operating on its soil, reiterating that it will not hesitate “to act alone” to “disrupt and destroy” them. “The problem is that there are forces within the Pakistani government — specifically in Pakistan’s Inter- Services Intelligence or ISI — that refuse to take similar steps against all the terrorist groups active in Pakistan, tolerating some groups – or even worse,”…