External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup in New Delhi said, "We have learnt that 2 Indian nationals, Ganesh Thapa and Govind Singh from Dehradun died tragically in the blast in Kabul today morning."
Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said on Tuesday that Islamabad was "making successful efforts" against New Delhi's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), ahead of the important plenary in Seoul this week.
Aziz's remarks come days after India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that New Delhi was "not opposed" to Islamabad's entry to the 48-nation bloc.
India and Pakistan have both applied for the NSG membership and both countries are lobbying with the member nations to seek support for their bids. Pakistan's all-weather friend China has been consistently opposing India's bid for NSG membership.
Pakistan has a strong case to gain NSG membership on merit and non-discriminatory basis, Aziz said in a statement.
"We have been making successful efforts against India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership," he said.
Aziz was briefing the National Assembly to counter opposition criticism that Pakistan lacks a foreign minister and was losing out in influencing friendly countries in the face of India's growing diplomatic outreach.
Aziz rejected the accusations and said that Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi's recent visits to Muslim countries -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Iran -- haven't led to "deterioration" in Islamabad's relation with those countries.
The advisor strongly denied that Modi's visits to the Islamic countries were an example of the "failure of Pakistan's foreign policy" and added that Islamabad is "working upon its policy of non-interference" in the affairs of other states.
"The impression was given that our (Pakistan's) relations with Muslim countries have deteriorated after Modi paid visit to two such countries," he said.
He highlighted Pakistan's "historic and religious" relations with Muslim countries, saying that ties with Iran are "moving in the right direction", and that after the lifting of sanctions against Tehran, Pakistan-Iran relations are getting strengthened.
He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), CASA-1000, TAPI and Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project are concrete achievements, which will help increase connectivity with the region. He pointed out that with the SCO membership, Pakistan's political role in the region will be enhanced.
what about the maker of those shoes, did they get them from china???Falijee wrote:Pakistani Man Arrested For Blasphemy After Selling Shoes With Hindu Symbol
Remains to be seen, if this is a "serious arrest" to show the world that Pakistan is concerned about minority rights or since public memory is short, the culprit will be "let go", after a light slap on the wrist, so he can celebrate Eid with his family ! My bets are on the latter option !Pakistani police have arrested a man under the majority-Muslim country's strict blasphemy laws for selling shoes with a sacred Hindu symbol.
District Police Chief Farrukh Ali said the shopkeeper, Jahanzaib Khaskhili, was arrested on June 20 in the southern town of Tando Adam.
Ali said the shoes, emblazoned with a symbol for the sacred Hindu syllable Om, were confiscated.
If convicted, the shopkeeper faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
I cant believe how he made this diplomatic blunder!! China was acting as though it was not specifically about India, but only wanted to make sure proper procedure was laid out (papers signed in triplicate with one carbon copy attested by 2 witnesses in front of a sitting magistrate, another copy with proper stamp paper and the original submitted to the ministry with 90 day comment period, followed by issuing a public tender and then counter signed by district collector).SSridhar wrote:Pakistan claims 'success' in thwarting India's NSG bid - Agencies
Shows the usual Pakistani mindset. I don't mind losing both my eyes, but India must have a scratch on her face !
Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said on Tuesday that Islamabad was "making successful efforts" against New Delhi's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), ahead of the important plenary in Seoul this week.
Nobody in the world will see more dysfunctional country and dysfunctional ruling elite than this country Pak.Anujan wrote:Pakistan claims 'success' in thwarting India's NSG bid - Agencies
Shows the usual Pakistani mindset. I don't mind losing both my eyes, but India must have a scratch on her face !
=Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said on Tuesday that Islamabad was "making successful efforts" against New Delhi's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), ahead of the important plenary in Seoul this week.
I cant believe how he made this diplomatic blunder!!
Now Pakistan has come out and said it has thwarted the bid.
Obviously everyone knew this was the case. But it takes a special kind of idiot, posing as a diplomat, to come out and say it in the open.
Donald Trump believes American Muslims are hiding something. “They know what’s going on. They know that [Omar Mateen] was bad,” he said after the Orlando massacre. “They have to cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad. … But you know what? They didn’t turn them in. And you know what? We had death and destruction.”
(The "good" samaritan?)This is a common idea in the United States. It’s also a lie. First, Muslims like me can’t see into the hearts of other worshipers. (Do you know the hidden depths of everyone in your community?) Second, Trump is wrong that we don’t speak up when we’re able.
I know this firsthand: I was the one who told the FBI about Omar Mateen.[/quote]I met Omar for the first time in 2006 at an iftar meal at my brother-in-law’s house. As the women, including his mother and sisters, chatted in the living room, I sat with the men on the patio and got to know him and his father. Omar broke his Ramadan fast with a protein shake. He was quiet — then and always — and let his dad do the talking.I’d seen them before at the oldest mosque in the area, the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce. We have a lot of immigrants in our community. They grew up in other countries, often with different sensibilities. A few don’t understand American culture, and they struggle to connect with their American-born or American-raised kids.I came here from Pakistan in 1979 when I was 6 years old, grew up in Queens (like Omar) and Fort Lauderdale, went through the American education system, and assimilated well. So I was able to make better inroads with young people in our community, including that introverted teenager I met at the iftar. I tried to stay in touch with the younger generation, acting as a mentor when I could.I saw Omar from time to time over the next decade, and we developed a relationship because most of the other Muslim kids in his age group went elsewhere for college, and he stayed behind. We mostly spoke over the phone or texted with one another a half-dozen times per year. We talked about the lack of social programs at the mosque, especially for teens and young adults like him. I often played pranks on him. Once, around 2009, I attached LED lights to the tires of his car, so when he drove the wheels glowed neon. He laughed when he figured it out a few days later.Soon after Omar married and moved to his own home, he began to come to the mosque more often. Then he went on a religious trip to Saudi Arabia.(Has not come out in the mainstream press yet !) There was nothing to indicate that he had a dark side, even when he and his first wife divorced.But as news reports this week have made clear, Omar did have a dark outlook on life. Partly, he was upset at what he saw as racism in the United States – against Muslims and others. When he worked as a security guard at the St. Lucie County Courthouse, he told me visitors often made nasty or bigoted remarks to him about Islam. He overheard people saying ugly things about African Americans, too. Since Sept. 11, I’ve thought the only way to answer Islamophobia was to be polite and kind; the best way to counter all the negativity people were seeing on TV about Islam was by showing them the opposite. I urged Omar to volunteer and help people in need – Muslim or otherwise (charity is a pillar of Islam). He agreed, but was always very worked up about this injustice.Then, during the summer of 2014, something traumatic happened for our community. A boy from our local mosque, Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, was 22 when he became the first American-born suicide bomber, driving a truck full of explosives into a government office in Syria. He’d traveled there and joined a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, the previous year.( There were earlier reports which suggested that other than normal things were preached at that mosque; the FBI should investigate if Saudi funding was "available" to the mosque !)We had all known Moner; he was jovial and easygoing, the opposite of Omar. According to a posthumous video released that summer, he had clearly self-radicalized – and had also done so by listening to the lectures of Anwar al-Awlaki, the charismatic Yemen-based imam who helped radicalize several Muslims, including the Fort Hood shooter.Immediately after Moner’s attack, news reports said that American officials didn’t know anything about him; I read that they were looking for people to give them some background. So I called the FBI and offered to tell investigators a bit about the young man. It wasn’t much – we hadn’t been close – but I’m an American Muslim, and I wanted to do my part.Everyone in the area was shocked and upset. We hate violence and were horrified that one of our number could have killed so many. (After an earlier training mission to Syria, he’d tried to recruit a few Florida friends to the cause. They told the FBI about him.)(After the damage was already done !)
After my talk with the FBI, I spoke to people in the Islamic community, including Omar, about Moner’s attack. I wondered how he could have radicalized. Both Omar and I attended the same mosque as Moner, and the imam never taught hate or radicalism. That’s when Omar told me he had been watching videos of Awlaki, too, which immediately raised red flags for me. He told me the videos were very powerful.
After speaking with Omar, I contacted the FBI again to let them know that Omar had been watching Awlaki’s tapes. He hadn’t committed any acts of violence and wasn’t planning any, as far as I knew. And I thought he probably wouldn’t, because he didn’t fit the profile: He already had a second wife and a son. But it was something agents should keep their eyes on. I never heard from them about Omar again, but apparently they did their job: They looked into him and, finding nothing to go on, they closed the file.
Omar and I continued to have infrequent conversations over the next few years. I last saw him at a dinner at his father’s house in January. We talked about the presidential election and debated our views of the candidates that were running – he liked Hillary Clinton and I liked Bernie Sanders. This banter continued through texts and phone calls for several months. My last conversation with Omar was by phone in mid-May. He called me while he was at the beach with his son to tell me about a vacation he’d taken with his father to Orlando the previous weekend. He’d been impressed by the local mosque.
What happened next is well-known. We’re still in shock. We’re totally against what he did, and we feel the deepest sadness for the victims and their families. If you don’t agree with someone, you don’t have the right to kill them. We are taught to be kind to all of God’s creation. Islam is very strict about killing: Even in war – to say nothing of peace – you cannot harm women, children, the elderly, the sick, clergymen, or even plants. You can’t mutilate dead bodies. You can’t destroy buildings, especially churches or temples. You can’t force anyone to accept Islam. “If anyone slew one person, it would be as if he killed the whole of humanity,” says the Koran.
Sounds all sweet and goody-goody; more of a public -relations exercise to maintain the facade that Muslims in Massaland are like "other Americans"; the FBI should revisit the mosque, and have a second look vis -a-vis recordings of the preaching of the Imam, source of funding received by the mosque, possible Pakistani and Saudi connection in terms of "Imam training", donations etc ; the same template should be followed for ALL mosques in US!I had told the FBI about Omar because my community, and Muslims generally, have nothing to hide. I love this country, like most Muslims that I know. I don’t agree with every government policy (I think there’s too much money in politics, for instance), but I’m proud to be an American. I vote. I volunteer. I teach my children to treat all people kindly. Our families came here because it is full of opportunity – a place where getting a job is about what you know, not who you know. It’s a better country to raise children than someplace where the electricity is out for 18 hours a day, where politicians are totally corrupt, or where the leader is a dictator.
I guess the Aam Aadmi of Pakiland, are not up to date as to what's happening in the Ummah world, or due to press censorship are being kept in the dark about the "behind the scenes" informal alliance between Ummah head Saudia and Israel, both of whom are sworn enemies of the other Islamic rival, Iran ; and whatever happened to the recent Paki efforts to send feelers to Israel ; start with importing " small thing" (like dates) and maybe, just maybe, Israel will be willing to sell you their cutting edge military technology, and in this way your = = dilemma will be solvedA Hyderabad institution, Karachi Bakery, faces calls of boycott following allegations that it was selling Israeli dates.
Over the last week, social media was flooded with anti-Semitic messages that Karachi Bakery was selling Israeli dates as part of its Ramadan gift hamper. Many Twitter users said that as Muslims their sentiments were hurt as they perceive Israel to be an aggressor in the ongoing occupation of Palestine./quote]Reacting to the boycott calls, Karachi Bakery told The News Minute, '' A few days ago a few of our regular customers observed Israeli dates in our stores and asked us about it. So, we immediately removed those Israeli dates from all the stores in Hyderabad. We are doing this business for the past 60 years so we always depend on good product or brand, but we never depend on the place from where the product is coming from.” The bakery stated that they are now selling dates from Iran.
The older generation feels happy when the younger generation accomplishes what it yearned for but
never got till that point. These thoughts come to my mind as I reflect upon the meeting between Jawad
Mohammad Baloch, 29 — nearly half my age–, president of the Baloch Republican Party, Germany chapter, with Shaul Mofaz,former Israeli defense minister in Frankfurt.
I am staring at the email I sent almost ten years ago to the Israeli military attache in Washington DC, who had at that point of time declined my request for a meeting. I sent the email on behalf of the World Baloch Jewish Alliance, within 25 days of one of the darkest days in Balochistan history: the assassination of elder statesman Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 79. Bugti, a former governor and chief minister of Balochistan, was assassinated on August 26, 2006 by elite commandos of Pakistan military on the orders of military dictator and coup leader General Pervez Musharraf, who did not even know how to pronounce Balochistan correctly.
I had informed the then Israeli military attache that I was “crestfallen” over the response. “Friendship between Israel and Jews with the secular people of Balochistan is essential for peace in the Middle East and the world,” I wrote to the military attache. “The World Baloch Jewish Alliance aims and objects include replacing hate with love and mistrust with understanding. Its goal includes everlasting bonds of friendship between Israel and the stateless but valiant Baloch people.” At the time I had befriended Jack Zeller, PhD., of Kulano, and had planned to meet the military attache in his company.
A Press release of the BRP issued by Shah Nawaz Bugti from Geneva said a delegation of BRP Germany participated in an event, organized by the German-Israel Congress, to highlight Pakistani state atrocities and human rights violations in Balochistan.
The press release said the BRP team met with high political figures of Israel and Germany including Shaul Mofaz, a former Minister of Defence and Sacha Stawski, organizer of Israel Congress Germany, and briefed them about the situation in Balochistan.
Joint collaboration between India and Israel in this effort will make a difference to the Baloch people !The BRP, which is led by Swiss-based Brahumdagh Bugti, 33, has been actively highlighting the Baloch struggle across the European countries. Bugti through a tweet, supported Jawad Baloch endeavors: “Gaining worldwide recognition & support is key for a national movement to succeed. BRP focuses to play this role as a Baloch national party.” Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, had also addressed the fourth German-Israeli Congress through video link.
Jawad Baloch, who was accompanied by Adil Baloch, informed this scribe that Mofaz had promised to
get back to the BRP leaders.
Flare-up of Afghanistan-Pakistan border tensions signals a shift of dynamics in their historically thorny relationship.
Julian Huxley once wrote that "a nation is a society united by a common error as to its origins and a common aversion to its neighbours".
If there is any truth to Huxley's remark, the recent bloody border clashes between the Afghan and Pakistani military forces illustrate the common aversion of the Afghans towards their antagonistic eastern neighbours, Pakistan.
The incident, which left three border guards and two children dead on the Afghan side of the Torkham crossing in eastern Afghanistan, stirred anger throughout the country.
Transcending internal differences, Afghans poured into streets in protest and some began marching towards Torkham to render support to the Afghan National Army.
A video clip has gone viral on the social media, showing a group of men, claiming to belong to the Taliban forces, declaring war on Pakistan and urging others to join in defending Afghanistan's honour and territorial integrity.
Face-saving attempt
Many Afghan observers think that the incursion was a face-saving attempt by Islamabad to divert domestic attention from its recent setbacks, particularly the US drone attack that killed Taliban leader, Mulla Mansour, in Pakistani territory.
Other disconcerting events of late include the US shift of policy, indicating the end of favouritism to Pakistan, and the opening of Chabahar port, a collaboration of Iran, India and Afghanistan that could isolate Pakistan in regional trade activities.
The seemingly disarrayed, multiethnic Afghan nation came together and showed a common aversion to their aggressive neighbour.
Yet others think that Pakistan was testing the waters and was trying to take advantage of what it perceived as a vulnerable moment in Afghanistan.
A year that has been marked with the highest military and civilian casualty figures and increased political discord in Kabul would probably be an opportune time to settle the disputed border issue.
In either case, Pakistan's calculus proved wrong. The seemingly disarrayed, multiethnic Afghan nation came together and showed a common aversion to their aggressive neighbour.
Beyond a show of unity in the face of foreign aggression, however, the phenomenon signals a wider shift of dynamics in the two neighbours' historically thorny relationship.
The majority of Afghans believe that since the days of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, Pakistan has been playing a ruthless game of manipulation with both the Afghans and their largest benefactor, the US.
Indispensable ally
Since 2001, posing as an indispensable ally in the war against terrorism, Pakistan has been benefitting from a lavish US military and development aid, while continuing to provide a safe haven for the Taliban and the Haqqani network.
The two groups have been responsible for tens of thousands of Afghan casualties and more than 3,500 US military and civilian fatalities.
In the political arena too, Pakistan had skillfully presented itself as the key to peace in Afghanistan and in the war against international terrorism, while threatening the Americans that turning away from Pakistan would result in "nuclear terrorism".
Some argue that Pakistan's interference in Afghan's internal affairs is driven by its insecurity about the Durand Line, the disputed border demarcation upon which the Torkham crossing sits.
As soon as Kabul accepts it as the official dividing line, the argument goes, Pakistan will stop its meddling.
and mutually beneficial formulas, Pakistan has been fixated on imposing recognition of the border by Afghanistan without making any concessions.
Pakistan's ambitions, however, are greater. Their doctrine of gaining "strategic depth" in Afghanistan, which is justified by their fear of an attack from India, is one of the reasons for Islamabad's relentless efforts to install a puppet government in Kabul.
The ISI intelligence agency's grossly misguided Taliban project eventually gave birth to various groups of Pakistani Taliban, the survival of al-Qaeda and the harbouring of various Central Asian and Chinese radical groups.
But Pakistan could not have become a godfather of sorts to most of the world's terrorist organisations had it not been for the puzzling acquiescence, over the past 15 years, of the United States.
Whether it was a case of prolonged underestimation, a strong and generous Pakistani lobby in Washington, or simply a chaotic AfPak strategy - or lack thereof - the US did not challenge Pakistan's behaviour in any serious and consistent manner.
...
Since 2002, the average annual US aid to Pakistan has been roughly $2bn. In 2010 alone, Pakistan received about $4.5bn in military and development aid from the US. Yet, public opinion polls in Pakistan show that the majority of Pakistanis view the US as an enemy.
The Afghan government's policy of genuinely trying to make peace with its neighbour and changing Pakistan's Taliban game was initiated at the beginning of 2015.
China, a long-time ally of Pakistan, and the US, the biggest donor of Pakistan, got on board, and the Quadrilateral Group - along with Afghanistan and Pakistan - launched a fresh round of peace efforts.
This, along with several regional economic cooperation initiatives involving Central, West and South Asian states provided Islamabad with the perfect opportunity to turn around and abandon its Taliban project.
But, Pakistan missed the chance and stubbornly stuck to its old Afghanistan policy, and the Taliban expanded and intensified its onslaught.
The Afghans' reaction to the recent border incident represents the culmination of over three decades of frustration with Pakistani malfeasance. They have fought the British and Soviet empires against all odds. If pressured and humiliated further, the Afghans might take on Pakistan.
Therefore, while the killing of the former Taliban leader, Mulla Mansour, the imposition of conditions on aid to Pakistan and the expansion of military role in Afghanistan are positive signals in the US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, staying the course will be the determining factor in changing Pakistan's behaviour.
Helena Malikyar is an Afghan political analyst and historian.
Rest of the world too acknowledges Pakistan's contribution in the war against terror.Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution in the war against terror, says ISPR
Aditya_V- ji :Aditya_V wrote:This Karachi bakery is in Hyderabad Telegnana India, it is MIM calling for thier boycott
Since, this appears to be a recurring problem, the local administration would be well advised to consider the creation of "donkey police", a sub unit of the Sialkoti Police, with the sole aim of making sure the areas donkeys, known for their delicious meat, are "preserved" safe and sound for the enjoyment of future generationsSIALKOT (Web Desk) – At least eight donkeys were slaughtered after being stolen from different areas of Sambrial during the last night.
As per details, unknown persons slaughtered at least eight donkeys after stealing them from different areas of Sambrial. The accused also took away their meat and hides.
According to media reports, more than 150 donkeys were slaughtered after stealing from various areas of the tehsil, while their meat and hides were mystery disappeared.
First, I thought that there was a (Paki) law on the books which specified that minimum requirements for legislature should be "graduate degrees" ; but, as with all things in Pakistan, the catch was that "Madrassah graduates will be deemed graduates for the purpose of seeking seats!!!PESHAWAR (Web Desk) –Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday witnessed a scuffle between two legislators of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the House.
PTI MPA Babar Saleem brawl with his own party’s senior minister Shahram Khan Tarkai erupted after the MPA carried a motion regarding Department of irarTechnology (IT) when Senior Minister Shahram Khan Tarkai found it invasive, got up from his seat and aggressively headed towards Saleem along with Provincial Minister Atif Khan thrashing him badly.
Other members of the assembly then intruded into the fight and dispersed both the members engaged in physical contact. The speaker adjourned assembly session until Wednesday.
It is important to mention here that both the lawmakers belongs from the same district Swabi.
Hyderabad's (Telangana) Karachi bakery is owned by (sindhi) Hindus.SSharma wrote:^^ the above is our very own hyd's karachi bakery
i can attest to their veg "hot dogs".... you will forget mcd veg burgers if you try those.
I don't think there can be any doubt about this. "I hate the ISI and repeatedly say so on my own local TV show" is plausible deniability 101, Paki style. There is probably no better confirmation that both Omar and Siddique Mateen are ISI people. In fact, the "TV show" is probably funded from the same bank account that under-wrote Ghulam Nabi Fai.SSridhar wrote:Exactly, the same ideas crossed my mind too.ramana wrote:Falijee, The Orlando shooter could be a sleeper for the Pakis.
Brain Clueless is revealing the links.
Mateen going nuts is realted to Mullah Mansour getting droned.
The Senior Mateen is supposed to hate the ISI. That is possibly a cover. The serious setback to the US-Pakistani relationship caused the ISI to let loose one of its men upon the American society as a warning to make the GotUS behave. The ISI is swift in retaliating.
There used to be a Karachiwala Halwa shop at Dadar circle.Satya_anveshi wrote:Hyderabad's (Telangana) Karachi bakery is owned by (sindhi) Hindus.SSharma wrote:^^ the above is our very own hyd's karachi bakery
Actually it is just the tip of the iceberg. This is the start of an inevitable new cold war. Real war is not fought with weapons. It is fought financially with diplomacy as its weapon. It is not the wars that actually kill people, it is the fear of war that does killing them every day, slowly. We always need a cold war to be there to make sure real wars do not happen. We already witnessed it between Russia and the US in the past- from the 1950s till 1990s; that the cold war kept mankind guessing its fate
This cold war is not a new concept as I told before. But there are some minor changes in the strategy in this new upcoming cold war between China and India from the previous cold war and the tactics are completely new – although the core concept of using various socio-cultural and the geo-political differences and also the macro-economic factors to ones advantage remains the same.
But we are not here to discuss any China-India related aspect. In this article we stick to Chabahar and everything that is at stake because of a port.
There is one thing Pakistan has to accept. There was not, is not, and will not be any competition for anything between India and Pakistan except for some sports.Indias competition is China. Rather, Pakistan should have known long back that their competition is Iran – and not India. ( in reality Pakistan should compete with Bangladesh ; by all socio-economic indicators, Iran is way ahead of the Pakis !)India and China from every angle and every point of view is capable enough to carry on the battle of business in their own level. Truth is; Iran has the capability to compete with Pakistan in every aspect – be it education, science, technology, defense, and the core and fundamental intra-religious differences. Iran is not an Arab nation which is only oil dependent and society is uneducated and foreign dependent for all sort of development. Rather, they are the decedents of the 7000 year old Mesopotamian civilization and the Indo-Persian human race. So the truth is the big cold war will also carry a small cold war as its baby, and that is between Iran and Pakistan. Chabahar is the very small and first step towards that. But in this article let us just only stick to what advantages Afghanistan will have from Chabahar port.
And the Pakistanis don't like it !First and foremost, Afghanistan is not just a tool in this so called Great Game and Game Changer or whatever fancy name is given to this strategy. Rather – Afghanistan is not even a part of any sort of rivalry or competition between these 2 major and 2 minor players of their upcoming cold war. This concept must be very clear in the first step. A lot of people are talking about China-Pakistan versus India-Iran-Afghanistan and all. But the truth is that this is the wrong concept and such a notion will harm Afghanistans growth and development as well as its peace building. Afghanistan is a growing nation; it needs to rebuild everything that was lost in those 30 years and in no position to be a part of any cold war. Rather Chabahar Port is the gift to Afghanistan from India for its economic growth.
Afghanistan becomes the only landlocked country in the world to have its own sea port. That itself is a big deal. Perhaps the biggest hurdle of Afghanistan is now overcome. Afghanistan no more have to depend on Pakistan for its export and import issues for most products it needs. Pakistan has been a big partner all right but was a bulling and controlling partner of Afghanistan. Whenever there was a thing that they did not like from Afghanistans side they used to seal their borders as punishment so that people in Afghanistan suffer
( With the anticipated "Saudi ization" of the economy, a lot of the Aam Abduls will be dispatched home, adding to the already reserve force of unemployed laborers!)Pakistans first nightmare was – Modi coming to power. They tried to defame him but now it is out of their control. Secondly they never ever thought Modi would be so interested in Afghanistans growth and development. They had thought Modi will be more interested in doing tie-up with more socially open and culturally liberal Islamic nations and not with conservative ones. Thirdly they still are in big doubt how USA could lift their sanctions and ban on Iran. This was a massive blow to them for every past plan they had made. Fourthly, they thought at least UAE and Saudi Arabia will be with them for whatever they do as it was before. But now even that has changed fully.
China suddenly finding itself cornered in long term games understood that Iran cannot be their ally. When there were economic impositions and sanctions on Iran by the USA at that time China tried a lot to make Iran an ally but found out that they are too skilled and advanced to depend on China for anything; plus they have oil-power to go along with it. Hence, Pakistan became their favorite choice by default.
Chinas ambitious plan for overall economic development of Pakistan, including Gawadhar, ...
Yet it flirts with Pakistan in order to undermine India – dual personality; Islam phobic at home, but is making tactical Islamic alliances abroad. And now these things are getting clear to every Afghan too.
It has beginning to happen with tensions at border crossings!Afghanistan has many fears. The biggest being over 2 million Afghan citizens still living in Pakistan as refugees and their welfare might get hampered if Afghan government fully tends towards India.
China, Russia, Iran and India at least have 1 thing in common in regards to Afghanistan. None wants extremism in the name of Islam to rise in their countries exported from outside. They also know that if Pakistan gets a free hand they will again try to use Afghans for the same purpose again. Therefore, all of them would like Afghanistan to grow economically
ndia is making a railroad that will connect Chabahar to Haji Gak which spans almost 1700 kilometers at a cost of $ 400 million. $ 100 million more than the total cost of Chabahar port. 400 km of its work already finished. In Haji Gak India is making $ 11 billion steel factory which will employ 75,000. It will help Afghanistan be able to export iron and steel all over the world. The $ 17 billon copper factory of Mes Ainak being made by China can also utilize Chabahar as that will be a lot cheaper due to railroad making transport a lot cheaper. And everything from Dubai can come and go by within 5 hours as it’s very near
The International Airport of Chabahar is called Konarak – named after an Indian temple city. This is a living proof that the actual ancient port of Chabahar is older than Alexanders time. That airport may start having a flight each day directly from Kabul and Mumbai and many other cities once in a week. India, Iran and Afghanistan can together enhance the joint tourism sector via Chabahar in the future. Iran is also giving a 1 sq km (1 km X 1 km) land for Afghan businessmen to store their trading items. But to make sure only original and quality products at cheapest possible price comes to Afghanistan some rules must be made
Can Pakistan do an = = in this regardfghan citizens need not fear that one day Iran will tell them that the port belong to them and not to Afghanistan. India is Irans biggest importer of oil and India is investing another $ 20 billion in Iran for more oil extraction, direct gas pipeline under the sea, and mega-factories to be set up by 2020. India will also have its own Army present in Chabahar just in case any problem occurs from Pakistan side. But more importantly there are lots of things that the Steel factory and the Iron ore mine shall need including Dynamites to break mountains and transporting those safely would be a top most priority. It is a start of a new journey which will change geography and it will be remembered after 100 years.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz has said the Afghan government should offer Taliban something they cannot gain in battlefield in a bid to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Sartaj further added “We can only bring the Taliban on the table using our influence, but ultimately Afghanistan has to talk with them. They (Afghan government) should strengthen their position on ground and secondly they should offer them (Taliban) something which they cannot gain on battlefield and lastly, the process should be consistent.”
This is not the first time Sartaj has admitted regarding Pakistan’s influence on Afghan militant groups including the Taliban group.
Earlier, Sartaj said the Pakistani government could use certain leverages to encourage the Taliban group to participate in direct peace talks with the Afghan government, including some facilities the Taliban leadership uses in Pakistan such hospitals.
In an interview with the state-owned PTV, Mr Sartaj however said “Most of the groups fighting in Afghanistan are fighting from within but the perception persists that Pakistan should take action against them.”
He also claimed credit for the formation of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group and said Pakistan had succeeded in forming the Quadrilateral Coordination Group at the last Heart of Asia Conference and the group formed a good mechanism.
“Our viewpoint was that you (Nato and Isaf) have been fighting for the last 15 years but could not bring peace, now dialogue is the only option for if Taliban cannot occupy Afghanistan they can continue this fight for years.” (Indirect threat notice to Afghanistan ?)
The Afghan officials insist that the Taliban group and Haqqani network leaderships are based in Quetta and Peshawar cities of Pakistan as they enjoy the facilities provided by certain elements in Pakistan to use the sanctuaries provided to act openly and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan. -KP
Is anyone listening to him now !The former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has blamed India for Torkham clash among the Afghan and Pakistani forces.
Musharraf issued an online statement ( so nowadays no interviewers are knocking on his door "begging" for an interview and his agent in Massaland has informed him that "demand", for his "speaking engagements" has gone down dramatically, since his "coming out" as an Islamist
“Afghanistan must not play into the hands of the divisive and subversive agenda of India and become anti-Pakistan,” Musharraf alleged.
He said Afghanistan and Pakistan have shared values, ethnic, linguistic and religious linkages adn common cultural tradition, saying “We must preserve and strengthen them at all cost.”
Clashes among the Afghan and Pakistani forces started late on Sunday night after the Afghan forces prevented the installation of a gate by the Pakistani forces in Torkham.
The Afghan border guards are saying the Pakistani forces initially started unprovoked firing after they were stopped to install the gate, calling it against the bilateral agreement between the two nations.
At least 3 Afghan border guards have lost their lives during the past three days as heavy clashes erupted occasionally during this period.
A senior Pakistani army officer was also wounded during the clash and died after he was submitted to the hospital but there are no exact officials details available regarding the casualties of the Pakistani forces.
[/Ahmed Syed Omar Sheikh -- the British jihadist who was released from a jail in New Delhi in return for the lives of passengers on board an Indian Airlines flight hijacked by the Jaish-e-Mohammad in 1999 -- is believed to have had an even more complex relationship with intelligence services. Pakistan’s former President, General Pervez Musharraf, charged in his autobiography In the Line of Fire that Sheikh was recruited by the British intelligence service MI6 to infiltrate jihadist groups operating in the Balkans. “At some point”, General Musharraf claimed, “he probably became a rogue or double agent”. But there is also credible evidence that Sheikh was closely linked to Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence -- and the Al-Qaeda.
Educated at the exclusive Forest School in London and the Aitchison College in Lahore, Sheikh went on to study applied mathematics and economics at the London School of Economics. But he dropped out of university after his first year, after joining the Islamist student movement, and went on to serve with jihadist groups in Bosnia. Imprisoned in New Delhi from 1994 to 1999 for kidnapping western tourists, Sheikh is known to have met with British officials nine times at Tihar jail. The London Times later reported that the United Kingdom offered him a secret amnesty in exchange for information on his relationship with the Al-Qaeda. But after Sheikh was released by India -- and became the subject of international arrest warrants -- he was reported to have visited his parents in the United Kingdom in 2000 and 2001. The United Kingdom has never explained its failure to arrest Sheikh on his arrival in London.
It was only in the wake of the 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States that Sheikh was charged by the United Kingdom with kidnapping its nationals in New Delhi -- a delay that his victims described as “a disgrace.” Former ISI Director-General Lieutenant-General Mahmud Ahmad was alleged to have used Sheikh to wire $100,000 to Mohammad Atta, a key member of the Al-Qaeda cell which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks. No hard evidence emerged to corroborate these accounts — but General Mahmud was indeed removed from office. Sheikh is now awaiting execution of a death sentence awarded for the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
Hyd one is definitely a recommended place (owners are known to us since decades). Their main branch is near Mozamjahi market (near Naampalli Rly station). They are exporting two varieties of biscuits/cookies to US at least (fruit and nut, and cashew) and should be found in Indian groceries stores. I am certain you will get hooked to them when you try them once.SSridhar wrote:There used to be a Karachiwala Halwa shop at Dadar circle.
Ok. Thanks onlee.sum wrote:Singing the enemy’s song
not surprising to see less poverty around the Indian border regions of Punjab. During partition there were many rich zamindars and wealthy families here, all of whom were killed or driven away from their lands by the barbarians. Must be a lot of acquired wealth from then along with the other geographical/historical factors of course.Peregrine wrote:Cwapistan's Incidence of Poverty :
Cheers
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab ... 55131.htmlFor Pakistani smugglers, pushing drugs into Punjab through the international border is a new form of jihad (holy war). This has been revealed by Ramzaan (32), a Pakistani drug smuggler who was arrested from the Sowana border outpost in Fazilka district on June 13.
He has told the Punjab Police that the smugglers are being motivated to spread the ‘poison’ in the border state to ruin the young generation of ‘kafirs’ (infidels).
Narendra Bhargava, Fazilka SSP, said, “The accused claims that he was reluctant to push drugs despite being offered Rs 5 lakh for an operation. However, some unidentified men brainwashed him into smuggling, saying that it was jihad too.”
Ramzaan, a farm labourer and the father of four girls, has revealed that his accomplices Shaukat and Sulleman, who were shot dead by the police and the Border Security Force (BSF) last week, used to smuggle heroin to India once or twice a month. Shaukat, a landlord owning 30 acres, knew various entry points along Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu borders, he told the police.
According to the police, this is the first time that a Pakistani smuggler has been captured alive ever since the state launched a multi-pronged war against drugs in 2014, even as 19 smugglers from the neighbouring country have been killed by the BSF and the state police in the past five years.
The police claim that drug smuggling was earlier considered part of narco-terrorism as smugglers were allegedly used by Pakistani spy agency ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) to transport guns or help terrorists infiltrate. Central intelligence agencies have been alerted about the ‘drug jihad’.
PoK has been conveniently left out, it's obvious that it would have been coloured all red otherwise.rshinde wrote:not surprising to see less poverty around the Indian border regions of Punjab. During partition there were many rich zamindars and wealthy families here, all of whom were killed or driven away from their lands by the barbarians. Must be a lot of acquired wealth from then along with the other geographical/historical factors of course.