What a stunning interview! I've never heard a more blunt, more realistic analysis from a loyal Pakistani. Where did you dig this out?
Islamic Republic of Pakistan : News, Discussions & Updates
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What a stunning interview! I've never heard a more blunt, more realistic analysis from a loyal Pakistani. Where did you dig this out?
It dilutes the hold of the Pak Army on the country if law is handed over to all the Mullahs.
With the current mainstream political lot effectively sidelined , its only a matter of time that religious parties of various hues start making their mark on Pakistan . What follows then is typical of what we're seeing in nations like Egypt or Turkey - the stage being set for a clash between the military and the mullahs. That's where events currently enacted are taking Pakistan .
A natural progression. I don't see why it should be otherwise.They're merely fulfilling the promise held out by their founding fathers .. In ways completely unintended.
PAKISTAN’S STANCE ON MILITANTS ALIENATED THE US. IS CHINA NEXT?
Self-serving politics threaten not only to strain Pakistan’s relations with the United States, but heighten tensions in the geostrategic region of Balochistan, a vital node in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative that has been earmarked as home for China’s second foreign military base.
Pakistan’s short-sighted political battles are being fought at a time of worsening relations with the US over alleged Pakistani support of militants and concern that the US may withdraw from the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran. This potentially creates a dilemma for China, which is heavily invested in Pakistan with more than US$50 billion committed to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a collection of infrastructure projects.
Beijing may freeze further CPEC-related investment until the country’s domestic politics stabilise. So far, China is believed to have invested US$29 billion of its committed US$56 billion.
“Political events in Pakistan have sent China in a watchful mood … I am concerned if we continue to throw surprises to the outside world, then anyone can be forced to rethink their economic investments,” Pakistan’s chief CPEC negotiator, Ahsan Iqbal, told Pakistani daily The News.
The crackdown constitutes a double-edged sword. Pakistan and its military needs to be seen to be acting against internationally designated terrorist groups, yet Saeed has been treated over the years with kid gloves. His organisation was allowed to continue operations under multiple guises, and although he was put under house arrest several times, he was never put behind bars. It isn’t clear whether the crackdown by the PMN-L-led federal government of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has the backing of the military.
Saeed has recently attempted to move into mainstream politics with the support of the military. The military is motivated not only to keep control over defence, security and foreign policy, “but also give these former militant groups that have served the state a route into the mainstream where their energies can be utilised”, a senior military official said. Saeed headed the militant terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of South Asia’s most violent groups.
China, despite its concern about Pakistan’s political stability, sees the military’s use of proxies against India as beneficial, yet it also needs stability in Balochistan to secure its massive investment.
Pakistan could well be the ultimate loser in institutional battles that appear focused more on vested interests than on resolving issues that have long held the country back, such as extremism, intolerance and a lack of fundamental human rights.
In pursuit of their own interests, neither the US nor China appear willing to help their Pakistani allies look beyond their narrow and most immediate concerns towards the development of policies that would launch the country on a path of security, stability and economic prosperity.
Self-serving politics threaten not only to strain Pakistan’s relations with the United States, but heighten tensions in the geostrategic region of Balochistan, a vital node in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative that has been earmarked as home for China’s second foreign military base.
Pakistan’s short-sighted political battles are being fought at a time of worsening relations with the US over alleged Pakistani support of militants and concern that the US may withdraw from the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran. This potentially creates a dilemma for China, which is heavily invested in Pakistan with more than US$50 billion committed to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a collection of infrastructure projects.
Beijing may freeze further CPEC-related investment until the country’s domestic politics stabilise. So far, China is believed to have invested US$29 billion of its committed US$56 billion.
“Political events in Pakistan have sent China in a watchful mood … I am concerned if we continue to throw surprises to the outside world, then anyone can be forced to rethink their economic investments,” Pakistan’s chief CPEC negotiator, Ahsan Iqbal, told Pakistani daily The News.
The crackdown constitutes a double-edged sword. Pakistan and its military needs to be seen to be acting against internationally designated terrorist groups, yet Saeed has been treated over the years with kid gloves. His organisation was allowed to continue operations under multiple guises, and although he was put under house arrest several times, he was never put behind bars. It isn’t clear whether the crackdown by the PMN-L-led federal government of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has the backing of the military.
Saeed has recently attempted to move into mainstream politics with the support of the military. The military is motivated not only to keep control over defence, security and foreign policy, “but also give these former militant groups that have served the state a route into the mainstream where their energies can be utilised”, a senior military official said. Saeed headed the militant terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of South Asia’s most violent groups.
China, despite its concern about Pakistan’s political stability, sees the military’s use of proxies against India as beneficial, yet it also needs stability in Balochistan to secure its massive investment.
Pakistan could well be the ultimate loser in institutional battles that appear focused more on vested interests than on resolving issues that have long held the country back, such as extremism, intolerance and a lack of fundamental human rights.
In pursuit of their own interests, neither the US nor China appear willing to help their Pakistani allies look beyond their narrow and most immediate concerns towards the development of policies that would launch the country on a path of security, stability and economic prosperity.
Pakistan 'won't allow' UN sanctions monitoring team access to Hafiz Saeed
NEW DELHI: Pakistan won't allow a sanctions monitoring team+ of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) any direct access to 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed or his entities when it visits the country later this week, diplomatic sources told The Nation.
The UN team's visit will take place - on January 25 and 26 - amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India on the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him.
Saeed and his organisation the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) were put under sanctions by the UN in December 2008, a month after the Mumbai terror attack. The terrorist, who was released from house arrest late last November, in fact petitioned the UN after his release asking for his name be removed from their list of sanctioned terrorists. They didn't.
Pakistani officials insist the UNSC team's trip is a routine visit.
The UNSC team, one Pakistani diplomatic source said, will visit to discuss "official information" on issues relating to the banned outfits and implementation of UN sanctions.
"They will not seek access to the JuD or Hafiz Saeed and if they do that, we will not allow it.
We have been in talks and this visit was scheduled," said the diplomatic source.
The UNSC sanctions list includes the JuD, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Taiba (also banned by Pakistan, and of which the JuD is a front), among other organisations and individuals.
Last week, Pakistan's prime minister said there's no case against Saeed, which is why he can't be prosecuted. However, just days before that statement by the PM, Pakistan banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the related Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation and other organizations on the UNSC sanctions list.
This double-speak did not make the US happy. After the PM's statement, the US State Department sternly said Pakistan should prosecute Saeed "to the fullest extent of the law".
"He (Saeed) is listed by the UNSC 1267, the al-Qaida Sanctions Committee for targeted sanctions due to his affiliation with Lashkar-e- Taiba, which is a designated foreign terror organisation," said a US State Department spokesperson.
The US Department of the Treasury has also named Saeed a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings the terrorist to justice.
NEW DELHI: Pakistan won't allow a sanctions monitoring team+ of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) any direct access to 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed or his entities when it visits the country later this week, diplomatic sources told The Nation.
The UN team's visit will take place - on January 25 and 26 - amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India on the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him.
Saeed and his organisation the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) were put under sanctions by the UN in December 2008, a month after the Mumbai terror attack. The terrorist, who was released from house arrest late last November, in fact petitioned the UN after his release asking for his name be removed from their list of sanctioned terrorists. They didn't.
Pakistani officials insist the UNSC team's trip is a routine visit.
The UNSC team, one Pakistani diplomatic source said, will visit to discuss "official information" on issues relating to the banned outfits and implementation of UN sanctions.
"They will not seek access to the JuD or Hafiz Saeed and if they do that, we will not allow it.
We have been in talks and this visit was scheduled," said the diplomatic source.
The UNSC sanctions list includes the JuD, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Taiba (also banned by Pakistan, and of which the JuD is a front), among other organisations and individuals.
Last week, Pakistan's prime minister said there's no case against Saeed, which is why he can't be prosecuted. However, just days before that statement by the PM, Pakistan banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the related Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation and other organizations on the UNSC sanctions list.
This double-speak did not make the US happy. After the PM's statement, the US State Department sternly said Pakistan should prosecute Saeed "to the fullest extent of the law".
"He (Saeed) is listed by the UNSC 1267, the al-Qaida Sanctions Committee for targeted sanctions due to his affiliation with Lashkar-e- Taiba, which is a designated foreign terror organisation," said a US State Department spokesperson.
The US Department of the Treasury has also named Saeed a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings the terrorist to justice.
Bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan drops by $2 billion
The Pakistani officials are saying that the bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has dropped by almost two billion US dollars.
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Zahidullah Shinwari has said the bilateral trade between the two countries reached to $500 million a year.
He said the trade volume between the two neighboring countries was $2.5 billion as he blamed the strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad behind the reducing trade volume between the two countries.
They also called on the relevant federal government officials to play their role in enhancing the Pak-Afghan trade.
Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad remains rife as the two countries often blame each other of remaining reckless to act against the terror groups using each other’s soil to plan and coordinate attacks.
The Afghan officials are saying that the Taliban and Haqqani network leaders are based in the key cities of Pakistan, including Quetta and Peshawar from where they plan and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan.
The US officials have also often criticized Pakistan for remaining reckless to act against the sanctuaries of the terror groups, specifically the Haqqani terrorist network.
However, Pakistan rejects the allegations and claim that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan use the Afghan soil to coordinate attacks in Pakistan.
On the other hand, the Afghan government has stepped up efforts to find alternative routes to gain access to international markets to boost trade as the key Chabahar Port in Iran started operations during the recent months besides Kabul and New Delhi have launched the air corridor to help Afghan traders gain access to international markets.
The Pakistani officials are saying that the bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has dropped by almost two billion US dollars.
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Zahidullah Shinwari has said the bilateral trade between the two countries reached to $500 million a year.
He said the trade volume between the two neighboring countries was $2.5 billion as he blamed the strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad behind the reducing trade volume between the two countries.
They also called on the relevant federal government officials to play their role in enhancing the Pak-Afghan trade.
Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad remains rife as the two countries often blame each other of remaining reckless to act against the terror groups using each other’s soil to plan and coordinate attacks.
The Afghan officials are saying that the Taliban and Haqqani network leaders are based in the key cities of Pakistan, including Quetta and Peshawar from where they plan and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan.
The US officials have also often criticized Pakistan for remaining reckless to act against the sanctuaries of the terror groups, specifically the Haqqani terrorist network.
However, Pakistan rejects the allegations and claim that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan use the Afghan soil to coordinate attacks in Pakistan.
On the other hand, the Afghan government has stepped up efforts to find alternative routes to gain access to international markets to boost trade as the key Chabahar Port in Iran started operations during the recent months besides Kabul and New Delhi have launched the air corridor to help Afghan traders gain access to international markets.
Embassy official missing with sensitive papers booked
ISLAMABAD: An army official appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Austria some five months ago disappeared along with some sensitive documents, Dawn learnt from officials on Tuesday.
A case of his disappearance and missing documents was registered at the Tarnol police station on a complaint of a defence ministry’s official under Sections 109 (abetment) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the resident of Sara-i-Kharboza was enrolled in the Pakistan Army as sepoy and appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Vienna, Austria, in August last year. He was given a sensitive assignment by the defence ministry, it added.
He was made an official in charge of some important and sensitive national affairs there, it stated, adding that “it was very important duty, besides sensitive for country’s sovereignty”.
The official had been found absent from his duty since Jan 2 this year, the FIR stated, adding that on checking of embassy’s record the documents carrying sensitive information were also found missing.
After his disappearance, the man contacted his family and asked his wife to shift to her parents’ house at Tarnol in Islamabad, the FIR stated.
According to his wife, her husband left the embassy of his free will and will “return after five years”.
So far the man had not contacted his department or the Pakistani embassy in Vienna to inform them about his whereabouts, the FIR stated, adding that the wife, parents and brother of the man were in contact with him, but avoiding sharing information about him with the police.
“It is suspected that he might have become a tool in the hands of enemy of the country,” it stated.
In reply to a question, a police official on condition of anonymity said that the defence ministry had asked the law enforcement agency to investigate and interrogate his family to trace his whereabouts and arrest him.
ISLAMABAD: An army official appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Austria some five months ago disappeared along with some sensitive documents, Dawn learnt from officials on Tuesday.
A case of his disappearance and missing documents was registered at the Tarnol police station on a complaint of a defence ministry’s official under Sections 109 (abetment) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the resident of Sara-i-Kharboza was enrolled in the Pakistan Army as sepoy and appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Vienna, Austria, in August last year. He was given a sensitive assignment by the defence ministry, it added.
He was made an official in charge of some important and sensitive national affairs there, it stated, adding that “it was very important duty, besides sensitive for country’s sovereignty”.
The official had been found absent from his duty since Jan 2 this year, the FIR stated, adding that on checking of embassy’s record the documents carrying sensitive information were also found missing.
After his disappearance, the man contacted his family and asked his wife to shift to her parents’ house at Tarnol in Islamabad, the FIR stated.
According to his wife, her husband left the embassy of his free will and will “return after five years”.
So far the man had not contacted his department or the Pakistani embassy in Vienna to inform them about his whereabouts, the FIR stated, adding that the wife, parents and brother of the man were in contact with him, but avoiding sharing information about him with the police.
“It is suspected that he might have become a tool in the hands of enemy of the country,” it stated.
In reply to a question, a police official on condition of anonymity said that the defence ministry had asked the law enforcement agency to investigate and interrogate his family to trace his whereabouts and arrest him.
A country which uses UN for every damn thing, doesnt want to give access to one of its citizen who is designated as Terrorist by the same organisation......... Irony....... What else is required to get the tag of nation which support terrorism???
Lord Nazir's house robbed, documents, valuables stolen
SOUTH YORKSHIRE: In an unusual case of robbery, important documents and other valuables were reportedly stolen in wee hours of Wednesday from the residence of British-Pakistani Lord Nazir Ahmed in Rotherham, Geo News reported.
According to details, unidentified robbers broke into the residence of British-Pakistani Lord Nazir and taken away numerous valuables, as well as important documents. However, Lord Nazir was not present at his home and remained safe.
Speaking to media, Ahmed said, “There's a possibility that it could be aimed to sabotage a campaign in Kashmir against Indian aggression and brutality,” adding that theft was carried out in an organised manner, smashing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the residence.
Lord Nazir further said that he was working against an anti- Pakistan campaign in London.
"It is an attempt to deliver me a warning," he stated, saying, however, that he was neither frightened nor worried.
Ahmed said he was waiting for to discuss the issue with British police and local intelligence agencies.
SOUTH YORKSHIRE: In an unusual case of robbery, important documents and other valuables were reportedly stolen in wee hours of Wednesday from the residence of British-Pakistani Lord Nazir Ahmed in Rotherham, Geo News reported.
According to details, unidentified robbers broke into the residence of British-Pakistani Lord Nazir and taken away numerous valuables, as well as important documents. However, Lord Nazir was not present at his home and remained safe.
Speaking to media, Ahmed said, “There's a possibility that it could be aimed to sabotage a campaign in Kashmir against Indian aggression and brutality,” adding that theft was carried out in an organised manner, smashing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the residence.
Lord Nazir further said that he was working against an anti- Pakistan campaign in London.
"It is an attempt to deliver me a warning," he stated, saying, however, that he was neither frightened nor worried.
Ahmed said he was waiting for to discuss the issue with British police and local intelligence agencies.
Pakistan is walking on thin ice and the current climate is creating a path of uncertainty by the politicians AND the army. The result? The common man will no doubt suffer.
One cant expect to UN to step in when it comes to matters regarding Kashmir then back off when it comes to allowing access to Hafiz Saeed.
Is their something to hide?
Sitting on my perch 1000s of miles away i, like any laymen would suggest if there is no evidence or no case for him to answer then let him be thrown in the dock and be questioned.
Pakistan must realise this stance on the international stage creates an atmosphere of untrust.
A few days back i posted that Pakistan must change this type of behaviour and i was sent an email suggesting i was unpatriotic and had "sold out" and am not a true Pakistani. (This shows this forum is getting "spectators"
) If i blindly refuse to follow / believe the manure Pakistan politicians and army seniors feed me - then im fine with that. In short if this twat is innocent of any wrong doing then let him face the music and dance - otherwise the silence and non - action speaks volumes......
Officially, it is "Full Speed Ahead!" with the accelerator mashed to the wall, but not realizing that reverse gear is engaged.
Does this table include children educated in government aided or privately funded madrassas? If that number is also falling, it could be a problem. Of course, if its increasing also then it is a problem. No idea how to read those numbers.
That is a very short sighted view. If there is an increase in school drop outs, that is an increase in the chance of these kids being brain washed into things, we in India do not want them to be. For e.g JuD nut jobs or LeT idiots.well you wont find me complaining about it