Two Chinese citizens have been killed and one injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Laos, a mountainous area that in recent months has seen an increase in violence and in years past was the scene of clashes between government forces and the Hmong ethnic minority. China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday that the incident took place about 8 a.m. on Sunday in the province of Xaysomboun (pronounced Sai-sum-boon) when the victims, one…
Posts published in January 2016
The author is a former editor of the Journal of Association of Pakistani descent Physicians of North America (APPNA) Before I continue with predictions about some other countries, I would like to point out that in my predictions last week for this year I had predicted that General Raheel Sharif would neither ask for nor be offered an extension of his service as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). Almost within a day the…
The author is a freelance columnist with a profound interest in Global Affairs, English Literature and Psychology At its very outset, the year 2016 has unleashed the long held fears of the global community over the gravity of the Saudi Arab-Iran conflict that has now transited from an age old proxy war into a direct diplomatic standoff. Barely two days into the New Year, Saudi Arabia’s decision to execute the eminent Shiite cleric Nimr-al-Nimr along…
The author is a researcher based in Islamabad Saudi Arabia and Iran are two regional powers in the Middle East, that act as two big divides in the region- as far as the religious ideologies are concerned. Both the states are backing their allies in their respective neighboring countries. This funding has led to many armed conflicts where these states are not direct participants though: Iran is largely being supported by Russia, while KSA is…
KARACHI: Sindh Rangers Director General Major Gen Bilal Akbar disclosed on Friday the arrest of an important Taliban leader to establish his claim about recent success made by the paramilitary force in the targeted operation in Karachi as well as restoration of peace to a large extent. But at the same time he rejected the idea of direct role in governance, saying “it’s not our job”. The Rangers chief made the disclosure at an academic…
KABUL: As many as 28 Taliban fighters were killed and 25 others wounded in different crackdowns within past 24 hours, said a statement. In a press release issued here, Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that Afghan National Army (ANA) in collaboration with Afghan National Police (ANP) and National Directorate of Security (NDS) has conducted joint operations against insurgents in different areas of Parwan, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Kandahar, Zabul, Urzgan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Badakhshan, Baghlan…
The third round of quadrilateral meeting on Afghan peace process will be held on 6th February in the capital city of Pakistan, the officials said Thursday. A spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Qazi Khalilullah told reporters that representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States and China will meet next to discuss the Afghan peace process. Khalilullah further added that the meeting would focus on ongoing efforts to lay out a roadmap to peace for the war-shattered…
The general chosen by Barack Obama to command the Afghanistan war through the end of his presidency has signaled an intention to intensify counter-terrorism efforts and re-evaluate the schedule for troop reductions. Army Lieutenant General John Nicholson told the Senate armed services committee on Thursday that stopping the growth of the Islamic State and the re-emergence of al-Qaida in the theater of America’s longest war will be his “first and foremost” priority. “We need to…
John Kerry was in Beijing Wednesday to beseech Chinese leaders to help punish North Korea for its escalating nuclear misbehavior. To see why the Secretary of State’s efforts are unlikely to bear fruit, consider the recent war of words between Beijing and a Kerry lieutenant who dared utter an inconvenient truth about China’s role in illicit weapons proliferation. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman told reporters last week that “when North Korea and Iran seek…
BEIJING — A Canadian man who ran a cafe near China’s border with North Korea will be tried on charges of spying and stealing state secrets, prosecutors announced on Friday, nearly a year and a half after he and his wife were detained by the police. The man, Kevin Garratt, will be tried in Dandong, a city in Liaoning Province, Xinhua, the official news agency, said on Thursday. It gave no date for the trial.…
The writer is a veteran journalist and founding member as well as executive editor of The Nation. The peace mission of Pakistani Prime Minster Mian Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia and Iran reflected more the panic in Islamabad than the weight of Pakistan. Now that it seems to have been succeeded by a lowering of the tensions, he and his government are doing their best to take credit. However, the killing of 24 people at…