Just 20 years ago, the bulk of the Chinese air force consisted of vintage aircraft from the 1950s and 1960s. Now, China is on track to become the second country in the world to field a fifth-generation stealth fighter, a rather remarkable feat. As it is currently designed, the J-20 Mighty Dragon jet is a large fighter jet that boasts a considerable payload and fuel capacity, making it well-suited for operations requiring travel over long…
Posts published in “Day: November 17, 2016”
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The future of more than 100 Turkish citizens working for private schools set up by the PakTurk International Schools and Colleges network plunged into uncertainty after the government has declined to extend their visas and intended to send them back to Turkey. The decision is significant because it came at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to arrive on a two-day visit to Pakistan on Wednesday. In addition it has…
ISLAMABAD: Ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan, the interior ministry has asked the Turkish staff of Pak-Turk schools and colleges to leave the country by Nov 20. The management of the educational network on Tuesday expressed concern over the “abrupt move” and assured the students and parents involved that it stood firmly against any proposal for “ingress of some other organisation into the teachers and staff of the schools”. A senior…
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to stick to its decision to boycott Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s upcoming address to a joint session of parliament. Talking to reporters after presiding over an emergency meeting of the party’s parliamentary group at his Banigala residence on Tuesday, PTI chairman Imran Khan said that in the light of the Turkish ambassador’s request the party had reviewed its decision, but it had come to the conclusion that…
India has the uncanny habit of ramping up tensions along the Line of Control whenever its relations with Pakistan take a nose dive. As with most other things, this unfortunate tendency has only become worse under the Narendra Modi government. After the militant attack of the India army camp in Kashmir, Modi launched what he called “surgical strikes” but which were just the usual round of unprovoked firing across the LoC. Now India is at…
THE death of seven Pakistani soldiers, announced by the military’s media wing on Monday, as a result of cross-LoC Indian shelling is tragic and deserving of the strongest condemnation. The incident once again underscores the dangerously frayed state of Pakistan-India relations in the aftermath of September’s Uri attack. Disturbingly, there are no signs that the belligerence will end soon. Ever since militants attacked a military facility in the India-held Kashmir town, there has been regular…
Seven Pakistani soldiers lost their lives on Sunday night in cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LOC) in Bimber sector – in what is the worst army death toll on a single day since the ceasefire was agreed between India and Pakistan since 2003. That is not all; according to authorities, the civilian death toll from Indian shelling has risen to at least 26 in the past few weeks while another 107 have been…
While Indian Air Force Chief has set aside any probability of war, the continuous cross-border attacks do not bode well for peace. An attack of the sort from the Indian side late on Sunday led to the killing of seven Pakistani soldiers. Soon after the incident the AJK government was given a heads-up for the evacuation of villages along the LoC. The border incidents have adversely impacted the lives of people living in adjacent areas…
Indian shelling across the Line of Control, which has led to the martyrdom of seven Pakistani soldiers, is the latest and the most deadly ceasefire violation in the present episode of heightened tensions between the two states. The loss of lives of these seven Pakistani soldiers is immensely sad, and the nation will remember their valiance and their sacrifice for the safety and security of the country. Following the Indian shelling, Pakistan requested the United…
THE current low point in Pakistan-India relations has not just been damaging in terms of diplomacy. The fallout is also evident in cultural ties. While Indian producers refused to have Pakistanis work in their films, the fledgling cinema industry here has also felt the impact. Nearly a month ago, the cinema owners’ association decided to halt the screening of all Indian films. Whether this was an independent decision or influenced in part by those eager…
ISLAMABAD: Urging the United Nations to take notice of frequent ceasefire violations by India on the Line of Control (LoC), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that deliberate escalation of tension on the border by Indian forces was a threat to regional peace and security. Chairing a meeting at the PM’s House on the deteriorating situation along the LoC, he said Pakistan was exercising maximum restraint in the face of Indian violence, which should…