By common consent Pakistan stands at a critical juncture. The Islamist insurgency in Afghanistan has spread into its western tribal areas, where al-Qaida and Taliban militants are now firmly established. The “war on terror” alliance with the US is under severe strain as Washington noisily criticises the army's failure to curb extremism. Meanwhile 71% of […]
American Special forces entered South Wazirstan to target Al-Qaeda early Wednesday morning. This is a new and significant development because prior to this attack, Americans and NATO forces normally used air power to bomb suspected terrorists in Pakistani tribal areas. This attack signals that Americans and NATO forces are increasingly taking matters in their own […]
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan ‚ Helicopter-borne American Special Operations forces attacked Qaeda militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan early Wednesday in the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil, American officials said. Until now, allied forces in Afghanistan have occasionally carried out airstrikes […]
PESHAWAR/BEIJING: Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday claimed they had kidnapped two Chinese telecommunications engineers and two Pakistanis and that abductions would continue until the government stopped attacking militants. Talking to Daily Times over telephone, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said the two Chinese engineers, their guard and driver were in the custody of his colleagues. He said […]
A failed assassination attempt on Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the capital Islamabad highlights insecurity in the nuclear-armed country just three days before a presidential election will name Pervez Musharraf's successor. Pakistan has been rocked by a spate of violence that has seen hundreds die in suicide bombings and explosions over the past […]
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibilty for an assasination attempt on Yousuf Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister. Shots were fired at the pime minister's motorcade on Wednesday near Islamabad's international airport, but officials and police said Gilani was not in the car at the time. The Taliban said it was behyind the attack and said it […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan ‚ Shots were fired at the motorcade of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Wednesday afternoon near the capital, Islamabad, but Mr. Gilani was not in the motorcade at the time, Pakistani officials said. Mr. Gilani was returning to Islamabad after a visit to the city of Lahore, and had departed Chaklala Air […]
Given the bleak economic and security situation in Pakistan, it is easy to forget that 2008 has also been a year of positive events for the country. February's elections proved that it is possible to hold free and fair polls in Pakistan, that in such circumstances undemocratic leaders such as Musharraf and his allies will […]
ISLAMABAD ‚ Pakistan's top security official Monday admitted that al Qaida's leadership moved freely in and out of the country and vowed that “no mercy” would be shown to extremists based in its tribal territory that borders Afghanistan . In the past, Pakistan has been heavily criticized for rejecting evidence that al Qaida was largely […]
KHAR, Pakistan: A lashkar of the Salarzai tribe launched a campaign against militants on Sunday, attacked their strongholds in the area and destroyed 10 houses and a number of the so-called "command' centres in the Bajaur tribal region. Militants, in the meantime, freed six soldiers they had earlier kidnapped. Before deciding to launch the operation, […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The killing of women for honour is a demand of the tribal traditions, Balochistan Senator Israrullah Zehri informed the Senate on Friday. Zehri was responding to Senator Yasmeen Shah's statement in which she had drawn the House's attention towards reports that five women had been buried alive in Balochistan in the name of […]
The New York Times reported that General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, chief of staff of the Pakistan Army met Mike Mullen, David Petraeus, David McKiernan and other top U.S. officials aboard Abraham Lincoln to discuss how best to beat the Taliban in tribal areas. Well, good, finally these guys are waking up!!! For years, thoughtful and […]
Joe Biden (D-DE), presidential runningmate for Dem nominee and well-favored Obama, and his stance on China: 2000. Voted for the US-China Trade Relations Act, to normalize trade relations with China. 2001. Speech to the Asia Pacific Council of the American Chambers of Commerce: "Our top priority should remain integrating China into the community of nations, articulating […]
Lahore, July 28: When Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gillani, visits Washington this week, he will face tough questions about securing Pakistan 's federally administered tribal areas (FATA) along its border with Afghanistan . So will his hosts in Congress. For a key question on Islamabad 's mind is the fate of stalled legislation creating […]
Fresh clashes have erupted in N.W.F.P and 23 Taliban fighters were killed, and the administration had to impose curfew to control the situation. The situation in N.W.F.P has been deteriorating for years now and despite the very best efforts by the army, the terrorists are getting stronger and more confident. They are also increasing their […]
