Posts published in “Day: July 21, 2016”

The writer is a freelance columnist. Trust the politicians and media pundits to draw parallels between what is happening in Turkey and the situation here in Pakistan. Does it make sense to compare the sloppy coup attempt by a rebel faction within the Turkish military with the civil-military impasse in our country? The failed coup was against the civil as well as military leadership of Turkey, and both joined hands to quell it. So why…

The writer is an independent social scientist and author of Military Inc. It was indeed interesting to watch the excitement in Pakistan’s media regarding the army mutiny in Turkey touted by many as an attempted coup. It almost felt as if the popular uprising by the people and rejection of the military had happened in Pakistan. So, many eyebrows were raised on Imran Khan’s comments pointing that there was no comparison between Pakistan and Turkey,…

The writer teaches security studies at Austin Peay State University in the US. The enigmatic coup-attempt in Turkey on the night of July 15 and 16 signals something ominous about the future of Turkey, NATO, and the entire region. There’s more to read into the event than what appears on the surface. We don’t know much about the nature of the coup, but it has definitely tarnished the “Turkish Model” of success, which its Arab…

A media report stating that nearly 100 Indian tanks have been positioned near the Indo-China border to counter any possible threat grabbed people’s attention on Wednesday as more Chinese firms are looking to increase their investment in India. China’s Ministry of Commerce said in Beijing on Tuesday that Chinese outbound investment increased by 58.7 percent in the first half of the year, as the country has sought to further integrate itself into the world economy.…

It is an open secret that Pakistan is godfather of different terrorist outfits, including but not limited to the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Muhammad, al-Qaeda, Harkatul Mujahideen, and Daesh. Documents have been recovered from Daesh fighters, showing they receive command from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to wage war against Afghanistan generally and in Nangarhar province particularly. These documents are solid evidence that the neighboring country is sponsoring terrorist organizations as a tool to pursue foreign policy…

The shadow provincial council chief of the Taliban group for southern Helmand province was killed during the ongoing clearance operations in this province. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Mullah Hamza was among 34 militants killed during the operations conducted in Greshk, Marjah, Sangin and Nahr-e-Saraj districts. According to a statement by MoD, the operations were conducted jointly by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the past 24 hours. The statement further…

About 11 militant groups, including 80 fighters, on Tuesday laid down their arms and joined the peace process in Badghis province, local officials said. The militants had been operating in Jawand district in the province for the past eight years, officials added. One of the fighters who was previously loyal to Taliban said: “People from different groups were among the Taliban. Their acts were completely against what they said and preached. Everyone was working for…

A number of analysts said Tuesday that government has made several promises over the past six months to eliminate insurgents and clear areas under their control, but the presence of militants and their activities reveal that Kabul’s security plans are mostly symbolic. Critics said they believe that most of government’s military movements are defensive and that they are not chasing down insurgents in their hideouts. “There has been no proper security plan to eliminate insurgents.…

Taliban insurgents launched an attack on Tuesday morning close to the Salang Pass tunnel on the key highway from Kabul to the northern parts of the country. According to officials, the insurgents – totalling about 20 – have since fled the area. Reports indicate that the insurgents came in from the remote Shenwari district but then fled when security forces arrived at the scene, which is in a rugged, mountainous area. Officials said at least…

A three-day military drill will be conducted from Tuesday in waters near the South China Sea, China’s maritime authorities announced Monday. According to the Maritime Safety Administration of China, the military exercises will be held each day from 7 am to 5 pm, and passage through the area will be prohibited. “It is a routine exercise under the Chinese navy’s annual plan, and is not targeted at any country or any particular event,” Wang Xiaopeng,…