Posts published in “Day: July 18, 2016”

Roughly 20 militants were killed in two air strikes carried out by Afghan Air Force in Helmand province, the provincial media office said in a statement on Sunday. According to the statement, the air raids were carried out in Lashkargah city and Marjah district over the past 24 hours. The statement said Taliban commanders are among the militants killed in the operations. No casualty has incurred to civilians during the air strikes, the statement added.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/26273-20-militants-killed-in-helmand-air-strikes

REPORT in Pakistan Today Cross-border travellers are facing issues as bus service between Afghanistan’s Jalalabad and Pakistan’s Peshawar city remains suspended for the past two months due to pressure by the Afghanistan government. Popularly known as Pak-Afghan Dosti Bus Service, the transport facility was initiated about eleven years ago between the two countries. Reportedly, breadwinners of over 1,000 families are out of jobs, since the bus service through the Torkham crossing has been suspended. Federal…

The writer is a former ambassador to the US, India and China and head of UN missions in Iraq and Sudan. PARAPHRASING Disraeli there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and half-truths. They can be in the form of statements or even questions such as the chorus led by President Bush after 9/11 on ‘why do they hate us?’ Questions are premised on assumptions that are often implicit rather than explicit. Politically motivated…

Over 15 years in the Afghan war, having spent billions of dollars and losing thousands of lives, the talk in Washington, DC amongst some of the policymakers and think tanks is whether Pakistan is a friend or a foe. Pushed by the Indian lobby or not, the current political climate in DC is such that it’s hard to remain neutral on Pakistan, let alone have a soft stance towards the country, with propositions to halt…

The proceedings of a hearing in the US Congress titled ‘Pakistan: friend or foe’ has drawn a clear line as to where the US Congress stands in reference to Pakistan. Never has an ally lambasted another so vociferously, as the US Congress did to Pakistan in this hearing. The allegations were startling and at certain points, beyond absurd. If what was said in Congress is taken at face value, Pakistan almost sounds like one of…

Now that the PM is back and settled, hopefully he will give foreign policy some urgent attention – along with the host of problems that have been waiting for him on the domestic front, especially Panama Papers, TORs, etc. It’s obviously no good counting on Sartaj Aziz for any clarification for Pakistan’s deepening regional and international isolation. He’s already brushed it under the carpet. There’s no isolation, no problems with Washington, and definitely no need…

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan on Thursday said that the next US president will continue to support air strikes against militants without consulting any world leaders, including Pakistani leaders. Speaking to participants at the Brookings Institute in Washington, Brennan said that air strikes were key to repressing insurgents on the battlefields. He said the killing of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was an intentional decision. The CIA chief also said the Taliban…

Islamabad – Pakistan yesterday announced moving the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) against India over construction of controversial 850MW Ratle Hydroelectric Plant (RHEP) and 330MW Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (KHEP) in Indian Occupied Kashmir. “Talks for 2.5 years with India on resolution of Pakistan’s objections regarding Kishanganga and Ratle Hydroelectric Plants (HEPs) failed and Pakistan with the consent of stakeholders decided to take it to full court of arbitration,” Minister for Water and Power Khawaja…

WASHINGTON: The United States, while still avoiding a public stance, has been quietly engaged with both India and Pakistan for promoting a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, says the US State Department. The Kashmir valley has been in the grip of widespread protests since July 8 when Indian security forces killed Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani. Indian forces have also killed dozens of protesters since last week. Pakistan, as a UN-recognised party to the Kashmir…

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government said on Thursday that candidates for the legislature must acknowledge the semiautonomous city as an “inalienable part” of China and faced possible criminal penalties if they did not uphold the pledge. Some scholars and lawmakers said the announcement, made days before nominations open for a legislative election in September, could harm political freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong law. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese…