After joining the “war on terror” following the attacks on the United States in September 2001, Pakistan saw a significant rise in attacks by tribal movements and groups linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The security forces have borne much of the brunt of the violence but hundreds of civilians have also been killed. 2007 […]
Once again, Karachi is burning, and everyone has a theory. On April 29, at least 34 people were killed in an escalating wave of violence across the port city. Most of the dead were Pathan, though the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also claimed losses. Even before funeral processions were organised and the last fires […]
With President Zardari due to arrive in Washington next week, the US has piled on the pressure on the civilian government. On Wednesday, President Obama explicitly spelled out his concern: ‘The civilian government there right now is very fragile and [doesn’t] seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services.’ Perhaps Mr Obama meant less […]
PESHAWAR: Suspected militants have warned female teachers and students in Peshawar to wear a veil and accompany male members of their families while going schools, or face action. A resident of the Achini village (upper), who asked not to be named, told Dawn that suspected militants had sent threatening letters more than once to the […]
WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Barack Obama is reaching out to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the chief rival of President Asif Ali Zardari, in hopes to find a way to strengthen the country’s government, The New York Times reported late Friday. Sharif, who served prime minister twice during the 1990s, represents the Pakistan […]
KARACHI: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani criticised on Friday US President Barack Obama’s statement that the civilian government in Pakistan was ‘fragile’, asserting that his government was strong and state institutions were functioning ‘effectively’. He was speaking at a news conference at the Chief Minister’s House after chairing a meeting on the law and order […]
WASHINGTON: US presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke on Friday voiced the Obama administration’s full confidence in the ability of the democratic Pakistani government to deliver services for its people as he rubbished media reports implying that Washington might be concerned about the performance of the elected government to the point of seeking change. Referring to stories […]
KARACHI: At least 25 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a fresh wave of ethnic violence in different parts of Karachi on Wednesday. About 20 vehicles were torched. Tension and panic gripped parts of the city as unidentified attackers went on a shooting spree, killing most of the victims at point-blank range. […]
RAWALPINDI: Following successful operation against militants in Lower Dir, security forces on Tuesday afternoon launched an offensive against the Taliban militants in the Buner district. “The aim of the offensive, which began at 4 pm, is to eliminate and expel the militants from Buner,” Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told a news […]
The point of no return could be crossed in the near future if the Taliban are not subjected to decisive and telling action. The government dithered and the army stayed its hand even as the militants who want nothing less than the state’s overthrow flexed their muscles and moved from Swat to Buner and then […]
‘Operation Pathway’ was perhaps destined for failure the moment the UK’s top counter-terrorism officer was photographed with files providing details of planned police raids on Pakistani students. The officer concerned was forced to resign and the police action, which had been in the works for months, was moved forward at short notice. The result: mass […]
The Interior Advisor, Rehman Malik, says an operation by the Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Army in Lower Dir has killed 30 militants, but maintains that the operation has nothing to with the Swat deal. In the next breath he also says, “If the militants do not lay down arms after the enforcement of Sharia laws in […]
ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged on Monday £10 million in assistance to help Pakistan fight extremism and militancy, but expressed no regrets over the arrest of Pakistani students against whom no evidence has been found. ‘We will stand up to extremism together. We will reverse this trend and take them (extremists) on. We […]
BUNER: Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district. The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five days. They have robbed government and NGO offices […]
LAHORE: Pakistan’s top opposition leader, former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, expressed concern Monday about a controversial peace deal with Islamist militants but backed off calls he made last month for a “revolution” to topple the government. Unable to contain an insurgency through military force, Pakistan’s government agreed last week to let Taliban militants impose sharia, […]