Pakistan Archives - Page 10 of 16

China strengthening military base in Gilgit Baltistan by constructing mega infrastructures: Activists

27Jul

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

China strengthening military base in Gilgit Baltistan by constructing mega infrastructures: Activists

Activists in the Gilgit-Baltistan region are worried that Beijing is using military power to build Diamer Bhasha Dam with an aim to counter India’s growing influence in the region as Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan takes swift steps and kicked off construction work at the mega infrastructure.“We have to look at commencement of construction of Diamer Dam in context of Chinese attacks and occupation of Indian lands in Ladakh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. China is concerned about India’s growing interest in acquiring control over Gilgit Baltistan,” said Senge H Sering, director of the Washington-based Institute of Gilgit Baltistan Studies.“China knows that Gilgit Baltistan is a legal part of India and if the international community helps India then Pakistan will not find many

25Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

So many questions

For the nth time, Prime Minister Imran Khan was seen inaugurating the Bhasha Dam with the COAS and Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence in attendance. Now, since there is no urgent national security threat prompting them to be seen together to fortify the nation, we can only infer that they are signaling their continued resolve to remain on the “same page” amidst renewed rumours of an impending Minus-1 change in the political scenario. Therefore, it become pertinent to address a host of serious questions about governance and accountability not just to the handsome PM but also to the two powerful gentlemen.Why is the corruption inquiry against the PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in the BRT, Malam Jabba and Billion Tree Plantation cases not being vigorously pursued by NAB when i

Under pressure, expansionist China begins to wilt

23Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Under pressure, expansionist China begins to wilt

China’s has brazenly challenged Japan in the East China Sea, grabbed territory in the South China Sea, laid claims to Indonesian islands 1500 kms away and encroached upon territory in eastern Ladakh. It has repeatedly threatened Taiwan with invasion, throttled democratic rights in Hong Kong, and threatened Australia with economic retribution and cyber-attacks.For the first time, the Quad, in a concrete show of solidarity, reacted with alacrity to the Dragon’s unethical and premeditated expansionist agenda.The US dispatched two modern aircraft carrier battle groups to the SCS area. It agreed to supply more sophisticated weapons and equipment to Taiwan. In continuation of the reciprocal trade war, the US raised the stakes for the Chinese by taking effective steps at ‘de-coupling’ in sensitiv

Threat of Omani airspace ban looms over PIA

21Jul

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Threat of Omani airspace ban looms over PIA

A threat of a ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights in the airspace of Oman looms large as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) assured them that credentials of all pilots had been scrutinized to ensure flight safety.While expressing concern over the recent safety issue with the PIA, the Omani Civil Aviation Authority warned Pakistan that the national flag carrier could be barred from using its airspace, sources said.They added that the Omani authorities also asked Islamabad to explain what curative measures had been taken to ensure safety of flights.Earlier, the European Union Air Safety Agency suspended PIA authorization to operate to the EU member states for six months.The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also shared its concern over the serious lapse in the l...

Despite wolf warrior diplomacy, China fails to secure ‘expansionism’ beyond Pakistan, N.Korea

20Jul

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Despite wolf warrior diplomacy, China fails to secure ‘expansionism’ beyond Pakistan, N.Korea

A former Lt Governor of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands has said that China appears to have failed to secure its "expansionism" beyond Pakistan and North Korea, “neither of which has a viable alternative”."Yet today as the world stares at the inevitable and punishing price of Covid, the Chinese state has still not let go of its expansionist impulse, and there is renewed pushback even from its 'beneficiaries'. Is the Dragon running out of tricks?" questioned Lt General Bhopinder Singh.Singh said a 'wolf warrior diplomacy' – “an unashamedly expansionist, combative, and possessing hegemonic instincts”, is the new form of statecraft that has made China proactive, as opposed to reactive.He asserted that Chinese President Xi Jinping's advanced his hawkish expansionism through ensnaring proje

Indian, Iranian diaspora hold protests in London against China’s expansionist policies

20Jul

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Indian, Iranian diaspora hold protests in London against China’s expansionist policies

Indian diaspora and a group of demonstrators led by displaced Muslims of Iranian origin demonstrated outside the Chinese embassy in London on July 12 against China’s expansionist policies and aggression at its border with India.The protestors were joined by a few activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They demanded that China should free Hong Kong and stop exploiting resources in Gilgit Baltistan, the part of erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.The demonstrators also raised slogans of “Down with China” alleging it an occupier.“We are the victim of Chinese aggression as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Gilgit Baltistan and over 6,000 Chinese army and engineers are present in PoK with an aim to expand CPEC project,” said Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza, a political activi

Pakistan no longer retains ‘same strategic firm’ for US: Think tank

20Jul

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Pakistan no longer retains ‘same strategic firm’ for US: Think tank

A European think tank has noted that Pakistan's regional machinations no longer serve a strategic purpose for the United States as it used to be in the past for former American administration. Instead, Washington now appears to be gearing up for a bigger and multifaceted battle with China.According to European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), the fact that Pakistan, China's sworn best friend, no longer holds the same charm for the US it once did was made evident in the US State Department report which highlighted the fact that Islamabad had been designated as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and that it had been re-designated as a CPC in 2019.The State Department report also drew attention to the fact that Pakistani "...

After Galwan backlash, China beats peace drum

20Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

After Galwan backlash, China beats peace drum

It seems China is trying to discover the virtues of peace after its actions in Galwan valley. Recently, Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong, in a videographed message, proffered pastoral nuggets of diplomatic wisdom - trust and cooperation between the two countries, the need to move forward and to build on what has been achieved over the last 70 years. Although that’s fine, he missed the point that the unprecedented violence in Ladakh flows from China’s pattern of behaviour over many decades.If we break down his message, he said, “Suspicion and friction is the wrong path. We need mutual respect, treat each other as equals, be open and inclusive.” The ambassador is clearly putting the onus on India for the “suspicion and friction”. It suits his narrative to overlook China’s behaviour pa

Experts decry proposed 14th amendment in so-called AJK Interim Act 1974 by Pakistan

20Jul

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Experts decry proposed 14th amendment in so-called AJK Interim Act 1974 by Pakistan

Political activists and experts have condemned the proposed 14th amendment Bill to the 1974 Interim Constitution of so-called Azad Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as it further restricts the freedom of expression and opinion among the people in the occupied territory, while strengthening the grip of the Pakistani state over the region even more.In a webinar organized by the Jammu Kashmir International People’s Alliance (JKIPA), Junaid Qureshi, the director of European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said that Pakistan has over the years been duplicitously projecting itself as a strong votary of the now near-defunct 1948 UN Resolutions that specified a referendum in the entire erstwhile Princely State of J&K.“The reality, though, is that the onus of implementing the first stage

The slow poison of Osama: A man, an organization, and the spreading of terror

19Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

The slow poison of Osama: A man, an organization, and the spreading of terror

Since Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan fondly remembers the founder of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, as a “martyr”, it only makes sense to remember him.Osama bin Laden’s Syrian mother was one of the many wives of his millionaire Yemeni father. While his brothers went to the West for higher education, Osama preferred going to Jeddah’s Abdel Aziz University where his fondness for Islamic studies was spurred by two charismatic teachers, Muhammad Qutb and Abdallah Azzam — the first an Egyptian, a brother of the great Ikhwan leader, Syed Qutb and the second, a Palestinian who merged the Qutb doctrine of jahiliyya (ignorance) with modern jihad against the West.In 1980, Osama came to Peshawar to conduct jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.By 1984, Osama got used to spending a lot of t