PAKISTANI workers based in Saudi Arabia send home billions of dollars in remittances every year. But now, in their time of need, it appears that the state’s response to their problems has been inadequate. The stories emerging from the kingdom are harrowing, as accounts published in this newspaper on Tuesday illustrate. Affected workers who spoke to this paper say they have not been paid for many months, while others complain that there have been days…
Posts published in “Day: August 10, 2016”
LAHORE: The management of the PakTurk Schools has removed the Turkish principals of 28 schools and colleges of the chain besides dissolving the board of directors (BoD) having representation of Turkish nationals. The drastic change is being seen to thwart the likely handing over of the control of the school system to any organisation by the government. A source in the federal government told Dawn that the Turkish government had suggested handing over of the…
When Dr Ashraf Ghani took over as president of Afghanistan he was perceived as the man to do business with since, unlike all others on the political scene, his hands were not stained with the blood that had been spilt in Afghanistan over the past so many years. His assumption of office was therefore welcomed by many, except a few of his diehard opponents, and so was his early visit to Pakistan which gave rise…
The author is deputy director of Center of South Asian Studies, Fudan University. Recently, it was reported that Beijing had invited a Taliban delegation to visit China. The story has captured widespread attention. The role China plays in Afghanistan has since become a heated topic. Afghanistan’s significance to China mainly lies in its geographical location, non-traditional security and its economic value. As the “Heart of Asia,” Afghanistan is located in the center of Eurasia and…
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan security forces are struggling to head off an intensified Taliban offensive in Helmand Province in recent weeks, heavily relying on American airstrikes as the insurgents have again tightened the noose around Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, according to officials and residents. Even as Afghan and American officials insist that they will not allowanother urban center to fall, concerned about the political ramifications for the struggling government in Kabul as well…
The Afghan National Army (ANA) forces and the Taliban insurgents suffered casualties amid tense situation in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. The provincial government media office in a statement said one Afghan soldier lost his life and five other were wounded in the latest wave of violence in three key districts of the province. The statement further added that the clashes recently erupted between the Afghan forces and the Taliban insurgents in Nad-e-Ali, Garmsir, and…
At least 43 militants including loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group renounced violence and surrendered to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the militants belonged to 4 groups led by militant commanders Mohammad Ayoub, Mohammad Wali and Juma Baz. A statement by NDS said the militants were conducting insurgency activities in Achin, Nazian, and…
EVEN as the news was first breathlessly relayed across the country, the questions quickly mounted.Days later, there are still no answers and Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan’s statements have only deepened the mystery.Matthew Craig Barrett, an American citizen expelled from Pakistan five years ago in nebulous circumstances, returned to the country over the weekend after being granted a visa by the Pakistani consulate in Houston, Texas.Despite being on a so-called blacklist, he was cleared by…
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is in the process of quizzing blacklisted US national Matthew Craig Barrett, who has claimed that he had come back to Pakistan to explore the possibility of permanently moving here. A case has been registered against Barrett under the Foreigners Act and the Pakistan Customs Act. Sources told Dawn that Barrett had tried to justify his arrival in Pakistan — despite being on a government blacklist — saying that…
The writer is a Karachi-based lawyer currently enrolled for a doctorate in constitutional law. The Indian Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in Islamabad, here for the SAARC Interior Ministers’ conference. Indian media was convinced through its sources that the prospect of a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was bleak from the very start at most. The Indian media also reported that the Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was to…
Militant commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin reportedly “asked” Pakistan to assist Kashmiris in an armed struggle against Indian forces if a peaceful solution to the problem was not possible. He was speaking during a press conference at the Jamaat-e-Islami headquarters, Idara Noor-e-Haq. Salahuddin, who is also the head of Mutahhida Jihad Council, said that the killing of Burhan Wani gave a new meaning to the struggle in the India-held Kashmir. He urged Pakistan…