WASHINGTON: The United States regards as many as 70 per cent of the insurgents operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas as ‘reconcilable’ and the new US strategy for the region may reflect this, diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn. On Friday, the Commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, and […]
WASHINGTON: Former president George W. Bush recast the US relationship with India, forging closer ties. Could President Barack Obama do the same for US policy towards its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan? Upon taking office January 20, Obama ordered a sweeping review of the US strategy for fighting the war in Afghanistan, and US military and diplomatic […]
WASHINGTON: Former president George W. Bush recast the US relationship with India, forging closer ties. Could President Barack Obama do the same for US policy towards its nuclear-armed rival Pakistan? Upon taking office January 20, Obama ordered a sweeping review of the US strategy for fighting the war in Afghanistan, and US military and diplomatic […]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani is unlikely to launch a military takeover to end an ongoing political crisis threatening the one-year-old civilian government, according to the United States’ top military officer. ‘He is committed to a civilian government. He is committed to the democracy that’s there,’ Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs […]
NEW YORK: Overwhelmingly, Pakistanis are worried about the impact of extremism on their country and people, says a new survey conducted by PEW (IRI) global research. In 2008 72 per cent said they were concerned about Islamic extremism in their country, and over half — 54 per cent — said they were very concerned, the […]
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 13 — On one side of the provincial high court complex, a majestic red-brick monument to British colonial rule, it was business as usual Friday morning. Lawyers in black robes and white bibs rushed to hearings and conferred with clients, while clerks filled out legal petitions between sips of tea. On the […]
Prepared for new stimulus measures China is prepared to issue new stimulus measures if necessary, Premier Wen Jiabao said on a press conference. Apart from the RMB 4 trillion stimulus package and additional tax cuts of as much as RMB 600 billion, China has prepared plans to cope with more economic difficulties. Mr. Wen repeated […]
WASHINGTON: The United States seems eager not to criticise the Zardari government for its crackdown on opposition activists, although it also wants to appear neutral in the Zardari-Sharif imbroglio. On the judicial dispute, the United States still seems unwilling to support the demand for the restoration of judges despite a change of government in […]
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan — Police overwhelmed anti-government protesters Thursday in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, arresting opposition leaders and preventing several hundred lawyers and activists from leaving for a planned demonstration in Islamabad. The government of President Asif Ali Zardari contends that public gatherings could serve as a focal point for terrorists and otherwise endanger […]
ISLAMABAD – With each image of police dragging demonstrators into vans, and each announcement of protest rallies banned, more and more Pakistanis are saying the same thing: We’ve seen this before. The fledgling civilian government’s crackdown on opposition parties and activist lawyers behind calls for a mass protest march on the capital is hitting many […]
Britain and the US are trying to broker a compromise between Pakistan’s two major political parties as confrontation threatens to push the country towards collapse. For the past two days British and American officials have been involved in intense mediation between President Asif Ali Zardari’s government and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. London and Washington are […]
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 12 — Police wielding long batons dragged anti-government demonstrators into black vans Thursday at a highway toll plaza outside the southern city of Karachi, where several thousand people were attempting to join a caravan heading for the capital, Islamabad, for a mass protest this weekend. In a second day and night of […]
RAIWIND, Pakistan — In an effort to defuse the Pakistani political crisis, the American ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, traveled to see the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif to urge him to reconcile with Pakistan’s president, Mr. Sharif said. Later on Thursday, the Obama administration’s special envoy to Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke, spoke by video conference call […]
KARACHI, Mar 12 (IPS) – Barely a year after being elected, the Pakistan government faces a political storm involving a street agitation spearheaded by lawyers and opposition political parties allied with religious parties. Lurking on the sidelines is an army unused to civilian command even as religious militants create havoc around the country. None of […]
FDI approval process eased In an effort to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), China gave local governments more authority to approve incoming overseas capital. The simplification of the approval process comes after four months of falling FDI to China as U.S., European and Japanese companies cut investments in factories and workers in China. Local governments […]
