Posts published in March 2016

BEIJING—A Chinese news portal’s publication of a mysterious letter calling for President Xi Jinping’s resignation appears to have triggered a hunt for those responsible, in a sign of Beijing’s anxiety over bubbling dissent within the Communist Party. The letter, whose authorship remains unclear, appeared on the eve of China’s legislative session in early March, the most public political event of the year. Since then, at least four managers and editors with Wujie Media—whose news website…

President Rouhani visited Islamabad at a time when the Middle East is facing destabilising terrorist threats and the Gulf is reeling under the impact of shrinking oil revenues while Iran has emerged as an island of stability with a great economic potential. Top Western leaders and representatives of multinational companies are visiting Tehran to benefit from the opportunities offered by the lifting of the sanctions. Pakistan which has the advantage of being a neighbour should…

WHILE Iranian and Pakistani leaders are quick to point out the historical, cultural and geographical links Tehran and Islamabad share, the truth is that there is much unrealised potential within this relationship.  The recently concluded two-day visit of President Hassan Rouhani to Pakistan, in which the Iranian leader led a large delegation of officials and businessmen, can be a turning point in improving bilateral relations in every sphere — political, economic, cultural etc.  For long,…

Pakistan needs to strengthen the hands of President Hassan Rouhani viz-a-viz his domestic opponents who in the past have shown no love for it. President Rouhani, in his first visit to this country after removal of nuclear-related Western sanctions, also needs to go beyond normal rhetoric and exhibit whatever improvement in relations means when he says: “destabilisation of others causes everlasting conflicts that benefit nobody”. The apprehension of the Indian spy (naval officer) with an…

President Hassan Rowhani of Iran and his delegation have returned home, and both sides will consider the last two days work as time well spent. Iran is fast emerging as an important trading partner and energy supplier. Work on the much-delayed gas pipeline is far advanced on the Iranian side and needs to be put on fast-forward in Pakistan. Iran is said to be able to provide gas for Pakistan “within a few months” –…

NEW DELHI / RIYADH: Military chiefs from 39 countries met on Sunday in Riyadh for talks on a Saudi-initiated international ‘anti-terrorism’ coalition and lay the ground work ahead of ministerial-level meeting of member states. Saudi Arabia announced the creation of the Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) in December, saying its members would share intelligence, counter violent ideology and deploy troops if necessary to combat extremists. “This coalition comes to complement previous efforts exerted” in the fight…

Every time the Islamic State strikes, Islam suffers. Anti-Muslim hashtags trend on social media; fear, animosity and distrust rise among communities; leading to an ill-fated divide between Muslims and the rest of the world. It is now more important than ever, to distance Islam — clearly and officially — from the ‘Islamic State’. It is imperative, as this organisation gains in numbers, to distinguish between this ill-advised group of executioners — who are motivated, not…

The writer is pursuing a PhD in Computer Vision from NUST and is an assistant professor at Bahria University. In two words: nothing new. And this is exactly why its mass appeal and organised presence is very unlikely. Although I have always had serious reservations about the statements coming from the foreign ministry, I would side with them on this one. In order for a movement to be popular and organised, one needs to offer…

At least 46 militants including loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in the latest clearance operations conducted by the Afghan national security forces. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the operations were conducted in the past 24 hours in Helmand, Nuristan, Badakhshan, Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. According to an operational update by MoD, at least 18 militants were killed and a vehicle along with three bikes were…

At least 48 anti-government armed militants and 4 Afghan soldiers were killed amid intensifying violence across the country. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said at least 55 militants were also wounded and others were wounded during the same operations. According to an operational update by MoD, at least 22 of the militants were killed and 2 others were injured in airstrike conducted in Marjah district of Helmand. The operational further added that 15 militants were…