The writer is a former COAS, Pakistan. The dispute between the two strands of Islam has existed for the last fourteen hundred years, yet they have learnt to live peacefully with traditional grace and there is no fear that the present dispute “will grow something like the murderous religious wars of Catholics and Protestants in the 16th and 17th century that devastated Europe.” What has complicated the matter is “the conspiracy” which has created the…
Posts published in “Day: January 22, 2016”
The simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with their baggage of longstanding sectarian and geopolitical rivalry, threatened to be a source of great destabilisation in the region. Indeed, Pakistan, with its substantial Shia population and by virtue of sharing a contiguous border with Iran, was particularly caught in the crosshairs as the fears of an internal sectarian discord were a cause of grave concern. But it appears that Pakistan’s self-appointed role as a conflict…
With a potential crisis brewing in the Middle East and Gulf region, the Pakistani leadership took on what seemed impossible in international relations. In an attempt to broker peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Pakistan’s two Sharifs, prime minister and army chief, headed to Riyadh on Monday before visiting Tehran a day later to start the process of reconciliation. Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr resulted in a suspension of diplomatic ties…
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — The pulsating lights and opulent decor of Kabul’s wedding halls usually offer Afghans a brief sanctuary from war and hardship. But the aftermath of a recent marriage celebration underscored the ever-encroaching grip of the Taliban on lives in the capital city, even as Taliban fighters continue to make other gains across the country. Threats by the Taliban, who were overthrown in late 2001, remain a daily problem for any Afghan connected to…
Following investigation into two security incidents in Kabul city, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has sacked some high ranking police officers for negligence in their duties. MoI says the decision was taken to remove police chief of 12th district for failing to prevent attack on a girls’ school in Arzan Qimat area. Besides damages, watchman of Ahmad Shah Baba School also lost life when it came under the attack and set on fire by unidentified…
At least 23 anti-government armed militants were killed during clearing operations by the Afghan armed forces during the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the operations were jointly conducted by the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in conjunction with the security personnel belonging to the other security institutions. A statement by MoD said at least 14 militants were also wounded during the operations and 6 suspected militants were detained by the security…
Islamabad: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday the United States is committed to supply eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan despite Indian efforts to block delivery. “The Obama-led administration is committed to supply eight F-16 fighter jets despite efforts by India and former Pakistani ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani to block the delivery,” Asif said while addressing the National Assembly. The defence minister’s statement comes days after reports said the US Congress has…
The attributes of a State are defined by: a territory having geographical borders, its population, adjudication, law enforcement and sovereignty. The geographical borders have to be defended at all costs. The defense of a country does not merely imply taking appropriate measures against a military aggression by another country but also accounts for stopping any infiltration of any kind including the non-state actors or terrorists through the borders. If the geographical borders of a country…
The writer is an author and journalist. IT took yet another militant attack across the border and increasing pressure from outside powers for us to finally act against Masood Azhar and his militant network — although one is not sure how serious we are in cleaning out the stables this time. Although proscribed some 14 years ago, his organisation continued to operate freely despite the evidence of its being involved in militant activities at home…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s intelligence sources insist that after failing to create rift between country’s civilian and military leadership on the issue of Pathankot incident, India is now preparing to directly point finger on ISI and Pakistan Army to present them as the major impediment in the normalization of relationship between the two countries. These sources said that India is working on the agenda of getting Pakistan isolated but failing to do so is maddening New Delhi…
LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that findings of the Pathankot airbase attack inquiries will be made public in a couple of days. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said military and civil agencies were working on the leads provided by India and a report would be compiled and shared with the media in a couple of days. He refused to speak further on the issue. Rana Sanaullah regretted that facts…