As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a three-day visit to Japan on Thursday, some Japanese media lauded that the trip could potentially “make history.” Modi’s trip has drawn attention for three reasons: Japan will officially roll out an Indian Ocean-Pacific strategy that it has planned for years; the two countries have signed a civilian nuclear agreement; and both sides have hinted they would include the South China Sea Arbitration in their joint statement. This…
Posts published in “Day: November 14, 2016”
The writer teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad. THE oligarchy which runs Pakistan, often called the establishment, is in a quandary. The problem is that whatever it says through its diplomats abroad — and with however much energy — the world insists on perceiving Pakistan as an ideological state wedded to exporting jihad. This is undesirable, but so also is the idea of changing course. Writing in this newspaper, Ambassador Munir Akram admits that Pakistan…
In a major step to check black money, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has announced that the currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 will cease to be a legal tender from midnight on Tuesday, 8th November. Prime Minister Modi announced this in a surprise address to the nation on Tuesday night. He said that the decision was taken to root out the menace of corruption. Notes of Rs 100, Rs 50, Rs 20,…
Says he’ll be a dictator for those doing politics of violence; PM doesn’t know who’s Justice Amir Raza; Bilawal is a ‘non-serious kid’ who insults political leaders calling them ‘chacha’; all districts to have passport offices from Feb next year ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said Dawn’s story was not a security leak but a fabricated news and he had asked the newspaper’s editor to call Cyril Almeida back from the…
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that the controversial story published by daily Dawn last month about a high-level national security meeting was not a ‘leak’ but a concocted report. Reported on October 6 by Cyril Almeida, the story claimed on the authority of unnamed sources that the civil leadership of the country had warned the military establishment against international isolation for not taking action against certain militant groups. The report, rejected…
ISLAMABAD: A Sikh pilgrim was denied entry on Saturday at the Wagah border check-post by the immigration officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) due to dubious expiry date on his passport. A total of 2,008 Sikh pilgrims arrived at the check-post in three trains to attend the three-day anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, FIA sources said. One of them was denied entry due to doubtful expiry date on his passport and his name…
MUZAFFARABAD: The unprovoked Indian shelling in civilian-populated areas along the Line of Control (LoC) has damaged hundreds of houses and schools in the Nakyal and Battal sectors. In the Nakyal sector, Indian army has been shelling residential areas for the past three weeks. In addition to small arms, Indian troops are using 120mm mortar shells to hit structures, including schools and guest houses. “Indian forces are deliberately targeting residential areas. Heavy mortar shelling has damaged…
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani cinemas are all set to screen Iranian films after a ban on Indian content in the country. The move came in a bid to save the declining Pakistan film industry and restore its glory. The industry was previously functional with screening of Indian movies but after the imposition of the ban it is somewhat facing difficulties, IRNA reported. Pakistan film distributors have initiated formal contacts in Iran and Turkey for the import…
ISLAMABAD: A Senator of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday tabled a motion in the upper house for a ban on currency notes with 1,000 and 5,000 denominations. Usman Saifullah, who is also a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, tabled the motion and said there are increased chances for currency notes of bigger denominations to be used in money-laundering and corruption; hence, big currency notes are being discouraged across the world. Citing…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan fears that India’s latest escalation on the Line of Control (LoC) could lead it to a strategic miscalculation. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry on Friday conveyed this concern to the envoys of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during a briefing on the aggravating situation on the LoC and Working Boundary (WB) where Indian forces, which have been targeting civilian populations, have now begun using heavy weapons. The briefing for…