ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Afghanistan are yet to make a meaningful joint effort to purge their border of terrorists who are still using it as buffers to continue with the violence and turmoil in the region, The Nation has reliably learnt. Background discussions with senior government aides, diplomats and analysts revealed that both Kabul and Islamabad have so far shown dismal progress on their bilateral border management plans even though they had agreed to reactive…
Posts published in “Day: January 25, 2016”
DUBAI: The Afghan Taliban said Sunday that its “political office” in Qatar is the only entity authorized to carry out negotiations on its behalf, reinforcing the authority of the man who took control of the group amid a tussle over command following the death of long-time leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Taliban made the declaration in a summary emailed by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid of a statement it made during unofficial, closed-door talks taking place in…
By JESSICA DONATI and MARGHERITA STANCATI DOHA, Qatar—Taliban envoys laid out preconditions for peace talks to begin during meetings with people close to the Afghan government on Sunday, reiterating that a formal process can’t start as long as foreign troops remain in the country. The Taliban also called for lifting United Nations sanctions that ban its leaders from flying internationally and tie up their financial assets. They also said their political office in Qatar should…
BEIJING — As a bloody offensive by the Taliban spreads in Afghanistan and with American combat operations there officially ended, anxious Chinese leaders find themselves under pressure to take a more active role in the long-stalled peace process, according to scholars and current and former diplomats. For observers of Chinese diplomacy, that kind of commitment is surprising since China often tries to take a hands-off approach in regions and nations at war. “The big backdrop…
General Abdul Raziq, Kandahar Police Chief, said it is too early to predict possible outcomes of peace talks. However, he believes that current peace efforts are only “killing time”. He said that the peace process, since its establishment, has not yielded any results so far. “Peace is the desire of all Afghans. We hope peace comes to our country. As we all know it has been 14 years that the government is trying to restore…
The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore Pakistan’s attempts to engage Saudi Arabia and Iran to defuse tensions at the highest level are obviously very welcome because of the imperatives that Pakistan has, given its own large Shia population. An all-out war between Iran and Saudi Arabia holds up a terrible prospect for sectarian violence in Pakistan, which we just cannot afford. Yet one is less than sanguine about the chances of the success…
The writer is a freelance columnist. Pakistan is undertaking a difficult mission to diffuse tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has a natural inkling for this sort of enterprise—indeed a romance. Theoretically it seem all too simple, however, practically it is an impossible mission. Saudi arrogance and Iranian shrewdness both are equally unsurmountable and impenetrable, presenting may be only a shade of difference as far as their handling difficulty is concerned.…
Manama – Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir has denied the existence of a Pakistani mediation between his country and Iran, Gulf News and albawaba.com reported. Reports last week said that Pakistan had offered to mediate between the two countries and end a tense situation sparked by the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions in the Iranian capital Tehran and the northern city of Mashhad. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Riyadh and Tehran…
Karachi: The Sindh police’s counter-terrorism department says that it has not detected the direct presence of the Islamic State (ISIS) or Daesh in Karachi or other parts of the province so far, but there are self-styled militants operating in small, individual groups after becoming inspired by the Middle East-based terrorist organisation. “We haven’t come across any actual Daesh operative in Karachi or the rest of Sindh, but there are people who have pledged allegiance to…
The writer is Executive Director News, Express News. I am the leader and I see red. Blood red. Red is the colour of rage. But rage is not a plan of action. Here I sit in my study as yet another day dissolves into the cold darkness of the night. Finally I am alone. I need to clear my head and organise my thoughts. Alone. The responsibility on my shoulders weighs a tonne. I know…
MOSCOW: The Russian Army’s Commander-in-Chief Oleg Salyukov on Friday announced that Russian ground forces will hold its first ever military exercises with Pakistan in the coming year, according to TASS news agency. The Russian Army is scheduled to hold seven international drills in 2016, including the “the first ever Russian-Pakistani special drills in mountainous terrain.” “As part of interaction with our foreign colleagues in 2016, we have scheduled seven joint exercises with the involvement of…