The Foreign Office has made it clear that Pakistan is making substantial efforts for peace in Afghanistan, but the country alone is not responsible to bring the Afghan Taliban on the table for dialogue. This is an apparent response to Afghan president’s recent speech, in which has renounced Pakistan’s efforts to play their part. The road to a peaceful settlement is inevitably bumpy, with Afghanistan far from moving towards reconciling.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s speech, threatening…
Posts published in April 2016
At least 33 militants were killed in air and ground operations of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said at least 29 militants were also wounded during the operations which were conducted in Faryab, Herat, Baghlan, Helmand, and Maidan Wardak provinces. A statement by MoD said at least 18 of the militants were killed and 21 others were wounded in Garzewan district of Faryab, while…
The First Vice-President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum on Monday spoke about disputes and tension between high-ranking officials within the National Unity Government (NUG). Speaking from Jawzjan, where he is leading troops in clearance operations, Dostum told local tribal elders that the National Security Council (NSC) has in the past tried to curtail his anti-terrorist operations. “I suggested [trips] many times to the National Security Council and many times I told them about [a possible] Kunduz…
ISLAMABAD: In response to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s allegations, Pakistan on Tuesday rejected that it differentiates between terrorist groups. Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that Pakistan condemns all forms and manifestation of terrorism and it is committed in the fight against this menace. Pakistan itself is the biggest victim of terrorism in which thousands of our security personnel have sacrificed their lives, he said. The spokesperson said Pakistan is making serious efforts for peace…
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office subtly admitted on Tuesday that a move to resuscitate the troubled Afghan peace and reconciliation process was under way. “Pakistan, along with other QCG [Quadrilateral Coordination Group] countries, was engaged in serious efforts for early direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban under the principle of shared commitment,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said at the Heart of Asia Senior Officials meeting in Delhi. FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria, in…
The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Syed Abrar Hussain was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MoFA) over heavy artillery shelling by Pakistan in eastern Nangarhar province. According to a statement by MoFA, a formal protest was lodged regarding the shelling by handing over an official Memo of the Afghan government to the Pakistani Ambassador. The statement further added that the deputy minister in administrative affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr.…
ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban on Wednesday confirmed a delegation is currently visiting Pakistan but said they are only discussing issues pertaining to refugees, the release of a senior leader and other prisoners. Diplomatic sources had earlier told The Express Tribune that a three-member delegation from the Afghan Taliban’s political office in Qatar arrived in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the restarting of peace talks with Kabul. Taliban’s Qatar office confirmed the visit; however, it did not…
WASHINGTON: “More than ever,” says legendary US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh when asked if he still believes Pakistan helped the United States get Osama bin Laden (OBL). When the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist first made this claim in an article published last year, it shook Washington and forced the White House to reject the story as false. Major US media outlets also rejected his claim as incorrect. But Mr Hersh repeated the claim in his new…
BEIJING—Chinese lawmakers are on the verge of approving a contentious law that treats overseas nonprofit groups as potential security threats. Part of a campaign against unwanted foreign influences, the law is likely to expand the influence of the country’s domestic security forces and give police the power to put undesirable groups on a permanent blacklist. Lawmakers reviewed a third draft on Monday and the legislature’s legal committee was pushing for passage this week, China’s official…
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has issued new rules that give prosecutors in Washington greater oversight and control over national security cases after the collapse of several high-profile prosecutions led to allegations that Chinese-Americans were being singled out as spies. The new rules are intended to prevent such missteps, but without undermining a counterespionage mission that is a top priority for the Obama administration. In December 2014, the Justice Department dropped charges against two former…
By GORDON LUBOLD in Washington and JEREMY PAGE in Beijing A new potential flashpoint has emerged in the standoff between China and the U.S. over disputed areas of the South China Sea amid concerns that Beijing is considering expanding the area where it is seeking to reclaim islands and extend its influence. China has been expanding and developing islands in the Spratly Islands chain. But the U.S. military about a month ago observed Chinese ships…