ISLAMABAD: Pakistan would stay away from the showdown between Saudi Arabia and Iran, both the countries having a long history of acrimonious relations. Highly-placed diplomatic sources confided to The News on Sunday evening that Saudi Arabia had postponed its Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir’s visit to Pakistan and Riyadh had informed Islamabad about the deferment. The Saudi government has informed Pakistan about the reasons of the postponement of the visit and sited his…
Posts published in “Day: January 4, 2016”
ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Shia Muslims protested today to condemn Saudi Arabia’s execution of a leading cleric Nimr al-Nimr, as fury over the killing spread. The 56-year-old Shia cleric was put to death along with 46 Shia activists and Sunnis who the Saudi interior ministry said were involved in al Qaeda killings. Some were beheaded, others were shot by firing squad. In Lahore, around 1,500 took to the streets, calling Nimr’s execution a gross…
The writer is a freelance journalist. THE year began with heady rhetoric from Gen Raheel Sharif. Speaking in Quetta on New Year’s Day he stated that this would be the year that terrorism would be eradicated from Pakistan. At roughly the same time, Sindh’s counterterrorism department was arresting in Karachi a recruiter for the militant Islamic State group who reportedly sent three young men to fight in Syria. And a day later, across the border,…
The level of denial by the government and its spokespersons regarding the presence of the Islamic State (IS) in Pakistan has moved from the risible to the ridiculous. The spokesperson for the Foreign Office (FO) holds a weekly briefing for the media, and on January 1 was categorical that the IS has no presence in Pakistan and that even the shadow of its footprint would not be allowed. He assured those present that national security…
Pakistan’s military intelligence agencies have claimed that there is no concrete evidence of Islamic State (IS) presence in the country. Rejecting rumors, they have blamed the panic generated, as a consequence of ‘half-baked’ reports of the civilian anti-terror setup. During background interviews with sources from a top security agency, it was made clear that newly created civilian anti-terror sections were confusing members and affiliates of the Hizbut Tahrir with that of IS because of their…
KABUL: The Islamic State (IS) militants have grabbed lands of people in eastern Nangarhar province, said Shinwari tribal elders. The tribal elders expressed their deep concerns over increasing presence of IS, also known as Daesh, in their respective areas. Shinwari tribal elders said that the Daesh militants have grabbed their lands and were forcing them to leave their houses. Aref Shinwari, a tribal elder, told Azadi Radio that they briefed President Ashraf Ghani…
LAHORE: The Sindh Emir for Daesh and al-Qaeda, Umar Kathiyo, has been arrested, though the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials deny getting hold of him. Umar Kathiyo is stated to be one of the main accused in the Safoora Goth massacre in Karachi. Security agencies arrested Daesh Islamabad Emir Amir Mansour from Sialkot, while Daesh commander Abdullah Mansouri, arrested from Lahore, has been shifted to Islamabad, according to sources. Sources said the law-enforcement agencies…