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That Pakistan needs an alternative vision and leadership is beyond doubt. Any forward movement will depend on our national ability to recreate ourselves in our own eyes before we can have an impact on how people think about us or what they are willing to offer. Such were my thoughts as I stood in the [...]
The other day I had a conversation with a man less than half my age, a well-educated democratic Pakistani, and on-the-ball as far as happenings are concerned in what is not Jinnah’s Pakistan but rather a mishmash of Ziaul Haq’s theocracy and a corrupt, dysfunctional, governance-free autocracy. A question I posed: who now is the [...]
WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan engaged in preparatory talks on Monday, ahead of a strategic dialogue which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says will forge even closer ties between the two allies. Meanwhile, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani concluded his consultations with senior American military commanders in Florida on Monday [...]
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Sunday employed an air-to-air refuelling skill successfully, thus, attaining another milestone to prove itself. The attainment
LONDON: Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has warned that the Pakistani army’s offensive in the tribal areas is pushing the country to the brink of “civil war”, in comments published in a newspaper. He also blamed US-Pakistan military attacks in the areas bordering Afghanistan for creating the Pakistan Taliban, in the comments in London’s Evening [...]
ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani presided over a meeting of key federal secretaries at the General Headquarters (GHQ) to finalise agenda for the upcoming strategic dialogue with the US administration on Tuesday. According to sources, federal secretaries for finance, foreign affairs, commerce and agriculture, along with the secretary in charge [...]
Just how much disregard does the army have for rules and civilians? Let’s rewind to a year and a half ago. On Sept 30, 2008 the front page of Dawn announced: ‘Kayani shakes up army command’. The accompanying article reads: “In a major reshuffle in the army’s top command, Chief of the Army Staff Gen [...]
The discussion in Turkey on a botched coup attempt some years ago raised some hopes of Pakistan following a similar route. Operation Sledgehammer, as the attempted coup in Turkey was codenamed, involved senior military officers and aimed at creating internal chaos to allow for a military takeover. The Turkish military is generally uncomfortable with an [...]
ISLAMABAD: Cross-border flow from Afghanistan is hampering the campaign to crush the Taliban and the Pak-Afghan border is a joint responsibility, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Athar Abbas said. NATO, therefore, must participate in putting an end to the cross-border flow, Abbas said. There are now 821 Pakistan Army checkpoints on the border and [...]
WASHINGTON: General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will be the first army chief to participate in the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue to be held here on March 24. Also for the first time, the Americans are expected to include their defence secretary Robert Gates and national security adviser General James Jones. ISI chief General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who [...]
With the fairly substantive and meaningful shake-up in the top hierarchy of the Pakistan Army now complete, the key issue of Lt Gen Shuja Pasha continuing as the ISI head being the last major decision, it can be said without doubt that the politicians have surrendered the policy control and initiative on all key national [...]
ISLAMABAD: The Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has given a one-year extension in service to Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha to allow him to complete his tenure as three-star general and, more importantly, as head of the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Sources told our correspondent a summary for [...]
ISLAMABAD: The constitutional reforms package being finalised by a parliamentary committee seeks to amend Article 6 of the Constitution “to make it impossible” for the superior judiciary to sanctify military coups, Law Minister Babar Awan said here while talking to mediamen. “Drastic changes are envisaged in Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution that will [...]
It is amusing to note that there has not been a thorough discussion in the media on the army chief’s decision to give extension in service to a couple of lieutenant generals on his own — something which has major implications for the state. The little that has appeared in the print media indicates that [...]
ISLAMABAD: Marked by over Rs93 billion higher grants for security-related spending, Pakistan’s current expenditure rose by more than 15 per cent and the budget deficit by about 62 per cent during the first half of the current fiscal year. According to provisional data on half-yearly (July-Dec) budgetary operations released by the finance ministry, the government’s [...]
WASHINGTON: The US Air Force plans to deliver 1,000 laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan this month to help Islamabad in its offensive against militants on the Afghan border, a spokesman said on Tuesday. The Air Force is providing the kits after having delivered 1,000 MK-82 bombs last month to Pakistan’s military, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffry Glenn [...]
NEW DELHI: Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir called on Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday. According to sources, in the meeting they exchanged views over the secretaries level talks held on Thursday. Pakistan handed over a road map for composite dialogue to India and made it clear that composite dialogue is the [...]
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan emerged on Thursday from their first official talks since the Mumbai attacks with a vague promise
ISLAMABAD: A serving Pakistani Army officer has been named in one of the three dossiers handed over by India to Pakistan for his suspected involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks. The dossier has also named another retired Major and two other officers as ‘Major Iqbal’ and ‘Major Samir Ali. The three dossiers were handed [...]
ISLAMABAD: The Senate approved on today the National Command Authority Bill, 2010, aimed at ensuring proper control, supervision and safety of nuclear facilities, material and systems. The bill already approved by the National Assembly will become an act of parliament after president’s assent. The Senate rejected through voice vote a number of amendments proposed by [...]
Misbah-ul-Haq appointed Pak Test team captain
Swiss ‘Return of Illicit Assets Act’: Pakistan can get billions back!
Cricketer Muhammad Asif finally brings his bride Sana Hilal home, Veena Malik Shocked
Veena Malik seeks court’s help for registration of an FIR against Muhammad Asif
In mom’s wedding sari, Sania Mirza says “Nikah Kabul Hai”; it’s Sania Shoaib from now
What’s going on between Pak cricket legend Wasim Akram & Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen?
Potential to generate 50,000mw electricity from Thar coal field for 800 years
