Pakistan Archives - Page 7 of 16

New China-Pakistan relationship undermines U.S. in Afghanistan

28Aug

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

New China-Pakistan relationship undermines U.S. in Afghanistan

In an attempt to secure Beijing's influence in Afghanistan, China and Pakistan have begun an unprecedented intelligence-sharing arrangement, designed to help China exploit its economic investments in Afghanistan while also stifling outcry over its persecution of the Uighur population near China's western border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.The timing of the new relationship has become disturbing as President Donald Trump decides to pull out U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Now, American intelligence officials, who believe China will capitalize on ongoing problems in the administration's effort to secure a peace deal with the Taliban, says that Beijing will further expand its influence into other contested parts of the region."The reality is now dawning within the intelligence community," say...

Why India revoked Kashmir’s special status one-year ago

28Aug

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Why India revoked Kashmir’s special status one-year ago

A year ago, on August 5, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution which protected Kashmir’s special status and in order to dissuade protests, Indian security forces imposed a curfew on Kashmir.Both Pakistan and many human rights groups reacted with outrage. Electronic billboards in Islamabad ticked off the days, hours, and minutes since India had imposed a curfew, never mind the hypocrisy of Pakistan as it did the same to Gilgit-Baltistan. Meanwhile, human rights groups’ consistent refusal to recognize that an end to terrorism is a precursor to rights improvement blunted their moral authority.Prior to India’s decision to change Kashmir’s status, Pakistan-based terrorists regularly crossed into Kashmir and India, more broadly, to attack both security a

26Aug

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

## Pitiful state of Pakistan ##

In July 2018, Pakistan was accused by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) of not doing enough to counter terrorism and subsequently was put on FATF’s grey list. It is only after FATF’s approval that millions of dollars in grants and aid are given to countries combating terrorism.The next session of FATF, which has seen delays due to COVID 19 pandemic, is due again shortly. Pakistan’s recent admission and subsequent denial of designated global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who is accused by India of the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb attacks that claimed the lives of more than 250 and wounded 900 innocent civilians, is testimony to the pitiful state Pakistan has got herself into. Not only that, this demonstrates Prime minister Imran Khan’s desperation for seeking financial aid (admitting that Dawoo

How abrogation of Article 370 reduced stone-pelting in Kashmir

24Aug

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

How abrogation of Article 370 reduced stone-pelting in Kashmir

After the abrogation of Article 370 last year and the bifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories, peace has finally returned to the valley and life is getting back to as one normally knows it.Sitting peacefully and looking at the dark blue sky, Mohammed Yousuf says all the protests and stone-pelting incidents that we used to see every day no longer takes place after the nullification of Article 370 in August last year.The youth here has become prudent. The game that few people played with the youth of Kashmir has stopped. Today’s youth is focused on their studies.Stone pelting refers to assault by throwing stones, by a section of Kashmiri youth on security forces, deployed for crowd control. The deadly attacks had become a routine form of protest in the streets o

Pakistan’s ‘Durand Line’ is perhaps bloodier than LoC

24Aug

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Pakistan’s ‘Durand Line’ is perhaps bloodier than LoC

The clashes between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani troops along the Durand line - the international land border between Afghanistan and Pakistan – is now every day news.Between July and August, the Afghan Taliban have claimed that they have killed many Islamabad soldiers. The citizens of Khyber Pakhtoonqkhwa are, once again, sounding the alarm and the good old strategy of chaos so dear to Pakistan army and intelligence is becoming more and more complex and elaborate.According to locals, Islamabad is playing on the usual different tables, sponsoring both Taliban and ISIS -Khorasan. According to US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad these two organizations are each other’s’ “mortal enemies, and in the war against ISIS, Taliban have played an important role”. For more than a year the Taliban are re

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor faces new threats from militancy

23Aug

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor faces new threats from militancy

Ever since its launch in 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been facing a lot of cynical scrutiny, with the United States cautioning that CPEC projects are neither transparent nor cost-efficient, and warning Islamabad that it is subjecting itself to expensive loans under China’s Belt and Road Initiative – through which Beijing has pledged more than US$60 billion so far.However, supporters of the project, including the Pakistani government, say that Islamabad will not end up being a client state of Beijing’s, and that the CPEC is its best shot at economic development.Indeed, the CPEC has not progressed as planned, with several large projects shelved and others still uncompleted. The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to slow things down further, even though Pakistan has approved

Article 370 abrogation is brightest light of hope for PoK, Gilgit Baltistan: Activist

22Aug

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Article 370 abrogation is brightest light of hope for PoK, Gilgit Baltistan: Activist

The revocation of Article 370 offered the brightest light of hope for people in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan ever since the occupation of their land by the Pakistani military in 1947, said Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza, a political activist hailing from POK region.“It has broken the chain of violence which started on October 22, 1947 and continued right up to 2019. Cross border infiltration, violence against Kashmiri Pandits, target killings, drug smuggling under the guise of independence movement all came to an abrupt halt on August 5, 2019 with the abrogation of Article 370,” activist Mirza said.He believes that there is a significant decline in violence across the Valley, no protests on July 13 which was falsely hailed as a Kashmir Martyrs Day, the pending bloodshed that P

‘Political absurdity’: India slams Imran Khan over new ‘political map’

21Aug

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

‘Political absurdity’: India slams Imran Khan over new ‘political map’

Reacting to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s new “political map of Pakistan” that counts Jammu and Kashmir and Junagadh in Gujarat as its territories, India has called out Pakistan PM’s obsession and termed the act as an “exercise in political absurdity.”“We have seen a so-called “political map” of Pakistan that has been released by PM Imran Khan. This is an exercise in political absurdity, laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian state of Gujarat and our union territories of Jammu Kashmir and of Ladakh,” the Government of India said in a statement.India’s foreign ministry also slammed Pakistan for their malafide intentions and said it confirms the reality of “Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandizement supported by cross-border terrorism.”“These ridiculous asserti

Pakistan nerve center of terrorism: Indian envoy to UN

21Aug

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Pakistan nerve center of terrorism: Indian envoy to UN

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti, has lashed out at Pakistan for harboring terror groups, saying it is home to the largest number of listed terrorists internationally and designated terrorist entities.Ambassador Tirumurti said that it is a well-known fact that Pakistan is the “nerve center of terrorism”. “Pakistan is home to the largest number of listed terrorists internationally designated terrorist entities and individuals, including Jamat-ud Dawah, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen, they are continuing their operations from Pakistan,” he said.Referring to United Nations' 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, Tirumurti said that there is a clear acknowledgement that the leadership

India set to highlight Pakistan’s inaction in upcoming FATF meet

21Aug

By Nectar GanNo Comments

India set to highlight Pakistan’s inaction in upcoming FATF meet

Pakistan, which was already troubled by Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) decision to keep the Islamic nation in the Grey list, is in a bit of a predicament because now, Indian agencies have planned to highlight its inaction in the Pulwama, 26/11 Mumbai attack and Daniel Pearl murder cases when the task force meets for its next plenary in October.“The Pakistani establishment has to prove that it is serious about dismantling the terror-funding infrastructure, which is possible only by ensuring that cases against the key figures and organizations involved in raising funds and masterminding terror attacks attain finality and such elements are punished. Given that no such concrete steps are being taken, we need to flag the issue,” said a government official.A deadline looms over Pakistan an