by Zeeshan Hashim in The Nation blogs, July 3, 2017 at11:36 pm Zeeshan Hashim is an economist in a public policy thinktank PRIME based in Islamabad I think the prevalent questions in the minds of Pakistani society regarding CPEC are that what will be the consequences of Chinese entering the domestic market? Either they will occupy the whole market by monopolising it or they will compete fairly in the market or they will destroy our…
Posts published in July 2017
AP report in South China Morning Post, July 4, 2017 An environmental watchdog group says its investigation has found that a little-known town in southern China is a major hub for ivory smuggling by organised criminal gangs. The Washington-based Environmental Investigation Agency said in a report on Tuesday it had uncovered a network of ivory trafficking syndicates operating out of Shuidong in Guangdong province, near Hong Kong. The group says its investigators worked undercover posing…
By Arifur Rahman Rabbi & Md Tauhid-Uz-Zaman in Jessore And Hedait Hossain Molla in Khulna Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) found missing litterateur and columnist Farhad Mazhar in Abhaynagar upazila, Jessore late last night. The noted columnist had gone missing on Monday morning. A team of RAB 6 rescued him from a Dhaka-bound bus of Hanif Paribahan in the upazila’s Noapara area around 11:30pm, RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan confirmed to the…
Report in Dawn, July 3rd, 2017 KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal on Sunday directed the police to ensure extraordinary security for Chinese and other foreign nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects as well as other development projects in the province. Taking notice of the Saturday incident of firing on some Chinese nationals in Ghotki, the home minister called for extra care and appropriate steps for the safety and security of…
Arising in extreme brutality, neo JMB still poses as a threat to public safety. While several of its top leaders have been killed in operations of the law enforcement agencies, the organisation is trying to get back on its feet with new leadership. Its present leader is Kamrul alias Asad, who may have other aliases too. Neo JMB reportedly had even been planning a large scale attack this Ramadan. Certain officials of the law enforcement…
Report in The Daily Star, July 3, 2017 Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque believes militants will not be able to carry out attacks as their strength has been reduced through continued police operations since the Holey Artisan attack. He admitted that militancy wasn’t uprooted altogether, and stressed that its network was destroyed. Most of the senior militant leaders were either killed or captured in police raids, he said talking to reporters at…
Report in The Daily Star, July 03, 2017 Green activists yesterday reiterated that the government should backtrack on the proposed Rampal power plant to be built in the vicinity of the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, with a session of Unesco World Heritage Committee ongoing over the listing of “heritage sites in danger”. The United Nations and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have already warned the government not to build the plant,…
By Nadia Ali in PAKISTANTODAY, July 3, 2017 Home to around one hundred and seven households, Hussaini is a small but beautiful village along Hunza River, surrounded by tall, robust mountains in the valley of Gojal in Upper Hunza. One of the most striking things about this breath-taking village is the foot bridge that welcomes one on the way. This bridge is made up of small wooden planks about six feet long, tied together with…
by Sheikh Sabiha Alam in Prothom Alo, July 2, 2017 Bangladesh Islamic Foundation has a service offering explanations and information on Islamic issues. A Robi or Banglalink cell phone subscriber can call 8155 to talk directly to the Islamic scholars or alem of the foundation. They offer explanations on preventing and countering militancy. After the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, the most important tool to draw youth away from militancy was ‘counter narrative’.…
by Mohammad Jamil Khan in The Dhaka Star, July 2, 2017 The country’s policing system has been witnessing significant changes in the aftermath of the grisly Holey Artisan attack. The capacity of police has been strengthened to counter religious extremism. Workshops are being organised for police members to make them aware of militancy and how to deal with the menace. Counterterrorism teams have been formed in all 64 districts in the last four months to…
Report in The Dhaka Star, July 2, 2017 Kushtia: Counterterrorism officials claimed to have arrested three suspected female militants, including the wife of “Neo JMB” chief Ayub Bachchu, raiding a hideout in Kushtia’s Bheramara yesterday. The hideout busted in the drive, codenamed “Tepid Punch”, was a safe haven for the top leaders, including ameer and Shura members of the banned militant outfit, claimed police. The arrestees are Tithi Khatun, 32, wife of Ayub Bachchu alias…