Terroristan - October 8, 2018

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Manish_P
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Manish_P »

Back to the same old? Assuming the report is true of course..

US hints at offering FTA for Islamabad’s help in Afghan talks
US Senator Lindsey Graham, who visited Islamabad this week, is believed to have discussed with Pakistani leaders a proposal for a free trade agreement (FTA) in return for Islamabad’s assistance in ending the Afghan war, official sources told Dawn.

At a news briefing in Islamabad on Sunday, Senator Graham also urged US President Donald Trump to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and use this “unique opportunity to change (America’s) relationship” with Pakistan from tactical to strategic.

Senator Graham first proposed offering an FTA to Pakistan, after a recent visit to Afghanistan. “If we can go to Pakistan and put a free trade agreement on the table to get the Pakistanis to push the Taliban to the peace table, and you can end the Afghan war,” he said.
Manish_P
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Manish_P »

Bart S wrote:Racist comments by Paki captain caught on mic!
https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/sa ... 1548216448
His apology is a revealing reflection of the Paki character of not wanting to be caught.
The skipper tweeted: "I wish to extend my sincere apologies to any person who may have taken offence from my expression of frustration which was unfortunately caught by the stump mic during yesterday’s game against SA.

"My words were not directed towards anyone in particular and I certainly had no intention of upsetting anyone.

"I did not even mean for my words to be heard, understood or communicated to the opposing team or the cricket fans. I have in the past and will continue in future to appreciate the camaraderie of my fellow cricketers from across the globe and will always respect and honour them on and off the field.”
Peregrine
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Manish_P wrote:These series of cartoons (about their economy) are brilliant. What is the source Peregrine sir ?

PS: Could we have a separate thread just for cartoons about terroristan?
Peregrine wrote:Image

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Manish P Ji :
This is from the Express Tribune :- https.tribune.com.pk

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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

SC orders end to all commercial activities on cantonment lands in Karachi - Shafi Baloch

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an end to all commercial activities on military lands in Karachi while ordering Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to summon a cabinet meeting and determine how the city will be restored to the form envisioned in its original master plan.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, which is hearing a case pertaining to illegal constructions in the city, at the outset expressed severe displeasure at the absence of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and cantonment board officials during today's proceedings.

Only Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani and Advocate General for Sindh Salman Talibuddin were present in court.

The apex court directed all concerned secretaries to take part in the cabinet meeting and ordered them to come up with a comprehensive report about how the city will be restored to its planned shape, which is to be submitted in two weeks.

Later, while ordering an end to commercial activities on cantonment lands, Justice Gulzar wondered why the armed forces and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were running wedding halls and cinemas.

He inquired if it was their job to do so.

Taking aim at the CAA, he noted that a wedding hall was being operated near the Karachi airport, which had been the target of a terrorist attack in the past.

Then, turning to the armed forces, he asked what a wedding hall was doing operating so close to the Central Ordnance Depot, meant for stockpiling active ammunition and weapons.

"Have some fear of God!" he thundered.

He also asked why walls were being erected along main thoroughfares based on the wishes of an armed forces officer, who, the judge said, wishes to use them to generate revenue from billboards.

"And, behind these walls, big buildings are being constructed," he noted. "If they [the people involved] had their way, they would be constructing buildings on the streets as well."

Rejecting a report presented by the Sindh government and Karachi Development Authority officials, Justice Gulzar lambasted them for "singing lullabies" for the court.

"This report of yours is of no use," Justice Gulzar thundered. "If we passed an order on the basis of this report, your entire government would be sent reeling."

"Don't tell us bedtime stories," Justice Gulzar censured the Sindh advocate general. "You do know AG sahab, what it means to sing someone lullabies? It means, 'Listen to this lullaby and go to sleep'."

"We are not here to be sung to sleep," Justice Gulzar said.

"You have a good secretary in Mumtaz Ali Shah, and yet you have been able to achieve nothing," he complained.

The court ordered that the Sindh government's report be submitted along with formal architectural plans and suggestions.

"Let me make it clear: This city will be restored to its original master plan," Justice Gulzar asserted.

"Look at at what the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) has done to the coastal strip," he remarked.

"They have encroached so far into the sea that if they had their way, they would build another city on the sea itself.

"The owners of DHA will [then] encroach on the entire sea all the way to America and plant their flags there," the judge commented.

"They are currently wondering how they can make inroads into India as well," he added.

Court orders public park to be made on TP-II, Askari Park to be handed over to civil authorities
The apex court also ordered the occupation of the Sewerage Treatment Plant-II (TP-II) to be dealt with post haste.

Justice Gulzar asked the managing director of the Water Board if the land had been emptied yet, to which the director said the issue had been handed over to the KMC as per the court's orders.

The court subsequently ordered the land to be turned into a public park.

Similarly, the court ordered that Askari Park, which was made on the land of the old 'Sabzi Mandi', be opened for public use and a wedding hall constructed their demolished immediately. A number of other wedding halls and marquees have also been identified for being built in violation of laws, including Global Marquees near FTC on Sharea Faisal.

"...[A]ll cantonment lands meant for cantonment purposes are to be used only for cantonment purposes and not for any other use and their use shall be restored," read the written order of the court.

"A report in this regard shall be made available to this court on the next date; in particular cantonment areas Rashid Minhas Road, Karsaz and Shahrah-e-Faisal are initially pointed out and a report in this regard be made available to this court," it added.

The order also directed the removal of encroachments from Railways land, lands along the Malir River, Korangi Industrial Area and all other places meant for parks, playgrounds and other amenities under the city plan.

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Mollick.R
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

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The increasing Chinese footprint in Islamabad
Around 10,000 Chinese live in Islamabad, according to figures provided by diplomatic officials. Another 35,000 or so live in other parts of Pakistan. Most of them are working on projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Others are young professionals employed by Chinese corporations in construction, energy and mining sectors. There are also small business owners and students — a majority of them coming from northern and western parts of China
Due to the short nature of their stay, most of them do not feel the need to learn local languages. Their cultural understanding of Pakistan also remains limited. Their isolation is heightened by the availability of facilities that cater exclusively to a Chinese clientele
Islamabad is yet to experience a substantial economic and financial impact from its Chinese population. For one, their presence has had no discernible bearing on house rents.
The real estate market in Islamabad faced a severe slump early in 2018 when around 1,600 houses fell vacant after a number of foreign missions shifted their offices and staff residences to the Diplomatic Enclave either due to security reasons, or under orders from the city authorities. “Rents fell by one-third,” says the executive of a major Islamabad-based real estate firm, wishing not to be identified by name. The Chinese presence did not compensate for that.

“Many local houseowners thought having an expat Chinese community would be a bit like having the Americans here,” says the executive. “They were in for a surprise when they discovered that the Chinese are tougher negotiators than most seasoned locals. They neither have issues with security the way westerners do, nor are they as extravagant,” he says. They rent houses at below-market rates and make payments only in rupees, he adds.

When employers rent houses for their Chinese staff, they populate them to full capacity. “Sometimes they fit 15 people into a single portion of a house and even make the CEOs share lodgings with six others.”

This explains why the Chinese living in Islamabad are mostly found in comparatively cheaper areas of the city — such as the G and I sectors. Only a few professionals, who have landed well-paying jobs with private companies, choose to reside in the upscale F sectors.
Islamabad has many manifestations of Pakistan-China friendship — ranging from huge convention halls like the Pak-China Friendship Centre to food and tea stalls with murals of Chinese President Xi Jinping or the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong.
Then there are some other signs of large-scale Chinese presence in the city. The number of Chinese children in various private schools across Islamabad, for instance, is increasing, with many teachers reporting at least three or four Chinese students in their classes. A few schools even have more Chinese students than Pakistani ones.

A number of new restaurants have also popped up across the city to cater to a burgeoning Chinese population. Some of these are owned and run by Chinese while others have local owners but a Chinese staff. They offer hotpots, dumplings, pulled noodles, ramen, fish and tofu that taste nothing like the Chinese cuisine most Pakistanis are used to.
The restaurant purchases its supplies from a supermarket called Firstop — located two floors below it in the same plaza. Its shelves are stocked with every Chinese product imaginable — from office equipment and skipping ropes to mushrooms and pickled chicken feet.
More recently, a new trend has emerged: marriages between Pakistani women and Chinese men. Several marriage bureaus in China have Pakistani women as potential brides on their lists. There are also matchmakers operating within Pakistan who pair Chinese men with Pakistani Christian women.

One ostensible reason for this trend is that Chinese men do not ask for dowry. They also offer the possibility of a more comfortable life, in either Pakistan or China, than most Christian women have here. On the flip side, these marriages provide an opportunity to Chinese grooms to settle down in Pakistan — away from the one-child policy back home.
Most of the 800 or so Chinese students in Pakistan are enrolled at the International Islamic University. They chose to study in the university because a relative or a neighbour might have also done so. “I came to know about the International Islamic University because my brother was studying here,” says Li Tong, who is also from Ningxia. Chinese students also hear about the university through WeChat groups, he says.

Some of these students take up Islamic names much like how Chinese take up western names when they go to Europe or North Africa to study or work. They mostly study Islamic subjects — something they cannot do in their home country.

According to Tong, many Chinese students in Pakistan do not complete their degrees and, instead, start running small businesses. His elder brother, for instance, is running a small travel and transport company in Islamabad.

Most of them never want to return to China. “Because conditions are tough for Muslims back home, they would prefer to stay on in Pakistan,” says Tong.
https://herald.dawn.com/news/1398787/th ... -islamabad
Peregrine
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Image

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Rohit_K
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Rohit_K »

This week -

Pilot martyred as PAF aircraft crashes near Mastung
https://www.dawn.com/news/1459302/pilot ... ar-mastung
A pilot of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was martyred in an air crash near Balochistan's Mastung area on Wednesday. The accident occurred during a training mission being carried out in a multi-role aircraft, said a statement issued by the Directorate of Media Affairs of PAF. "The PAF reports with regret that an F-7PG aircraft, while on a routine operational training mission, crashed near Mastung," it said. The PAF statement said that the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. However, a board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause.

Image

Last year in June, two PAF pilots were martyred when an FT-7PG crashed during landing at the Peshawar Air Base. F-7PGs were first inducted into the PAF in 2002 as a replacement for the F-6, which were then decommissioned. Later the force inducted the trainer FT-7PGs. The PAF had previously operated F-7Ps. At least 13 F-7PGs/FT-7PGs have been lost during their 17 years in service. The PAF has more than 50 of the Chinese-made aircraft in its fleet.
Traffic policeman killed in Karachi
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Crime/475235-On ... ed-Karachi
KARACHI (Dunya News) – A traffic policeman was killed on Monday as unidentified terrorists resorted to firing in Garden East area of Karachi. According to details, the deceased Ehtasham Ahmed was going on duty when unknown men appeared on motorcycle and opened fire on him.

DIG Traffic told that the victim was deployed at check point near Quaid-e-Azam shrine and received three bullets on his arm and chest. His uncle told that Ehtasham and his friends had rented a house in Lasbela three days back. The victim belongs to Hyderabad and has three brothers. The suspects fled the scene after the incident, however, security personnel have launched an investigation into the matter to arrest them.
Saudi Police Opens Fire At Pakistanis Protesting Over Unpaid Wages
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/s ... 38428.html
Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 24th January) The Saudi police on Thursday shot dead several Pakistanis who were protesting for their salaries. The Pakistani employees were protesting for not getting their salaries for a year in Al Jubail city of Saudi Arabia. They were killed in a confrontation with the police. The Saudi police arrested several Pakistanis as well. The Pakistani embassy in Saudi Arabia has been informed of the incident. The Pakistani diplomats will take necessary action.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by wig »

Hindu girl abducted, forcibly married off to Muslim man in Pakistan

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/p ... 2019-01-24
Manish_P
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Manish_P »

:shock: Looks like the honorable judges are either close to retirement or have already prepared their nests abroad.
Peregrine wrote:SC orders end to all commercial activities on cantonment lands in Karachi - Shafi Baloch

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an end to all commercial activities on military lands in Karachi while ordering Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to summon a cabinet meeting and determine how the city will be restored to the form envisioned in its original master plan.

He also asked why walls were being erected along main thoroughfares based on the wishes of an armed forces officer, who, the judge said, wishes to use them to generate revenue from billboards.

"The owners of DHA will [then] encroach on the entire sea all the way to America and plant their flags there," the judge commented.

"They are currently wondering how they can make inroads into India as well," he added.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

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No cultural, religious repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang: Pak diplomat - PTI
Senior Pakistani diplomat Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday put up a staunch defence of the controversial education camps in China’s volatile Xinjiang province, where thousands of Uighur Muslims have been reportedly detained, saying there is no forced labour or cultural and religious repression in the region.PTI
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by chetak »

x posted from the paki army thread.

paki panic has truly set in.

why is the paki army still harping on the CPEC ponzi scheme and why is it trying to hard sell it to India when all the slimy facts are only too well known??

what exactly is the paki army (scam/profit) angle with the CPEC and India??

So, when is the paki army transferring technology to the Indian Army to start manufacturing cornflakes, since bajwa is keen on talking business??


Qamar Bajwa's 'outreach' to Bipin Rawat likely to be stymied by bureaucracy, but keeping channel open a good idea


Qamar Bajwa's 'outreach' to Bipin Rawat likely to be stymied by bureaucracy, but keeping channel open a good idea



Tara Kartha

Jan 24, 2019

The Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat’s statements often come thick and fast, but they’re usually newsworthy. Recently however, General Rawat was less focussed on hurling threats at Pakistan, and instead sought to clarify that a report in The New York Times which alleged he had been quietly approached by the Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Bajwa for talks, was completely incorrect. The media house then reported that General Bajwa reached out to his counterpart well before the general elections that brought Prime Minister Imran Khan to power. It then went to state rather curiously that “a key objective for Pakistan in reaching out to India is to open barriers to trade between the countries, which would give Pakistan more access to regional markets. Any eventual peace talks over Kashmir are likely to involve an increase in bilateral trade as a confidence-building measure”.

Now that’s curious. While the military in Pakistan is all-encompassing in its “interests” at a national level, it is hardly General Rawat’s brief to talk trade with his counterpart. It is undoubtedly true that Pakistan’s chief is now showing a healthy interest in trade and investment issues, since he is fast realising that the key to getting a better deal for his institution lies in reviving the lagging Pakistani economy.

His speech to the Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in October 2017 underlined his concern at Pakistan’s “sky-high debt”, warning that “the region will sink or sail together. I want to convey to our neighbours to the east and to the west that our destinies are inextricably linked”. At the end of his speech, Bajwa added that the springboard for this shared development was the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In other words, the chief seemed to be not only opting for opening up trade with neighbours, he was also selling the CPEC as a vehicle to do so.

That’s a lot for any army chief to say. Certainly, General Rawat, for all his eloquence and all too frequent chats with the press, can hardly draw such grand designs without clearance from half a dozen ministries. So the question is: What was the objective of the Pakistani Army chief in reaching out to his counterpart, when he would know full well that the Indian Army is very properly (and rigorously) bounded about by the civilian bureaucracy and the political leadership as befits a democracy? Military to military” talks — or ‘mil to mil” as they are called — are hardly ever precursors to a formal political dialogue.

It’s usually the politicos who sit together first, and then later — much later — the militaries sit down and talk to each other, usually on subjects linked to their domains. None of this is to say that militaries don’t talk to each other at all. But these issues are usually single subject meetings: like flag meetings to discuss border violations. For instance, a flag meeting at the Brigade-level was held in Poonch just two months ago, to discuss “how to strengthen the ceasefire”. That’s politesse. The reality is that the one probably inflicted one too many losses on the other, and there was a decision to fend off any possible escalation. That’s fairly standard stuff, and hardly the kind of reaching out that the Pakistani chief has in mind.

While considering the Pakistani Army chief's motives, the underlying fact remains that talking to the centre of power in Pakistan is very much in India’s interest. That just about everyone else sees it as in their respective interest is apparent in the fact that every foreign diplomat worth his salt will make his bow to the civilian leadership, and then hasten to army headquarters to get the real lowdown on what’s possible and what’s not with regard to a bilateral relationship on in wheeling and dealing on Afghanistan.

So while agreeing the ‘mil to mil’ talks are desirable, the problem remains how to get it off the ground in a situation where the politicians can't (or won't) talk to each other. In such a scenario, it is possible for the two chiefs to meet quietly at another location in much the same way as the two National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan have met in Bangkok and other such convenient cities. Alternatively, they could meet at a location where both army chiefs are present in an official capacity. There is no shortage of locations. The point is what subject they are to discuss.

NSAs on both sides can and do talk freely. But with all due respect, the Indian Army chief is hardly capable of having dialogue with authority on any other subject other than war-making or its avoidance. Other than that, the only other subject that could possibly be discussed is Kashmir, which the army knows and knows well. And in the final analysis, that is all there is to discuss: not in its substance, but quite literally in its terms of reference.

In other words, is Pakistan willing to go ahead with resolution of Sir Creek for instance, and open up trade while putting aside the issue of Kashmir? It’s a black and white situation, with the Indian Army chief only required to assess his opposite number’s position on this vital question. Other add-ons — like Indian involvement in CPEC — has to await entirely separate dialogues, probably with the Chinese rather than Islamabad.

And finally, while in Pakistan the army decides what it is going to talk about, in India it is the bureaucracy that takes the final call. So the actual question is whether any bureaucrat worth his sacrosanct file will allow this kind of leeway to a rather more than loquacious army chief. That answer is probably a resounding 'no'. That’s regrettable. Talking to the top is always a good idea, even if you have to crane your neck while doing it.
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

chetak Ji : – Your Post 25 Jan 2019 20:41 :

Qamar Bajwa's 'outreach' to Bipin Rawat likely to be stymied by bureaucracy, but keeping channel open a good idea

This Article is based on the N Y T Article Pakistan’s Military Has Quietly Reached Out to India for Talks - Maria Abi-Habib - Sept. 4, 2018

Me thinks Gen. Waste Bajwa has tried to open a “Channel” to the Indian Army so that the discussions may be held by the Indian Government with the Terroristani Army. This trial Balloon got pricked and fizzled out by the Indian Bureaucracy. End of!

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Peregrine
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

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Double Entendre!

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chetak
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by chetak »

Peregrine wrote:chetak Ji : – Your Post 25 Jan 2019 20:41 :

Qamar Bajwa's 'outreach' to Bipin Rawat likely to be stymied by bureaucracy, but keeping channel open a good idea

This Article is based on the N Y T Article Pakistan’s Military Has Quietly Reached Out to India for Talks - Maria Abi-Habib - Sept. 4, 2018

Me thinks Gen. Waste Bajwa has tried to open a “Channel” to the Indian Army so that the discussions may be held by the Indian Government with the Terroristani Army. This trial Balloon got pricked and fizzled out by the Indian Bureaucracy. End of!

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you are right, saar.

nobody here will talk to any paki army guy but the paki army is hurting really bad.

their "elected" fearless leader is not welcome in any respectable country except some obscure places where they like flea bitten camels.

Once you give them such legitimacy, by talking to them on diplomatic and foreign relations issues, they will become uncontrollable in their demands.

I suspect that the rejection may have caused the recently increased aggression in cashmere.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by SSridhar »

That Tara Kartha article on Qamar Bajwa et al has too many errors.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Kashi »

chetak wrote:I suspect that the rejection may have caused the recently increased aggression in cashmere.
And they are badly hurting there as well.

Hence we have rambles such as this...

[url=httpsAoA72://tribune.com.pk/story/1896675/1-army-ready-defend-motherland-misadventure-coas/]Army ready to defend motherland against any misadventure: COAS Bajwa[/url]

Army chief General Qamar Bajwa said on Friday that Pakistan Army was fully prepared to defend the country against any misadventure.
chetak
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by chetak »

Kashi wrote:
chetak wrote:I suspect that the rejection may have caused the recently increased aggression in cashmere.
And they are badly hurting there as well.

Hence we have rambles such as this...

[url=httpsAoA72://tribune.com.pk/story/1896675/1-army-ready-defend-motherland-misadventure-coas/]Army ready to defend motherland against any misadventure: COAS Bajwa[/url]

Army chief General Qamar Bajwa said on Friday that Pakistan Army was fully prepared to defend the country against any misadventure.
the pakis can call it motherland but many in India will not call their own country motherland.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

X Posted on the I W T Thread

Water crisis brews between India and Pakistan as rivers run dry - Faseeh Mangi, Chris Kay and Archana Chaudhary

Women and children walk miles each day in search for water in a crowded, downtrodden
district of Pakistan’s financial capital, Karachi— a scene repeated in cities throughout the country.

Across the border in India, government research indicates about three-quarters of people don’t have drinking water at home and 70 percent of the country’s water is contaminated.

As rivers and taps run dry, water has the potential to become a major flash point between archrivals India and Pakistan. Both have repeatedly accused each other of violating the World Bank brokered 1960s Indus Waters Treaty that ensures shared management of the six rivers crossing between the two neighbors, which have fought three major wars in the past 71 years.

The latest dispute is over hydroelectric projects India is building along the Chenab River that Pakistan says violate the treaty and will impact its water supply. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is sending inspectors to visit the site on Jan. 27. Indian leader Narendra Modi — who faces elections in the next few months — has vowed to proceed with construction, and it remains unclear how the impasse will be resolved.

“Tensions over water will undoubtedly intensify and put the Indus Waters Treaty — which to this point has helped ensure that they have never fought a war over water — to its greatest test,” Michael Kugelman, a senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington said by email.

“The prospect of two nuclear-armed rivals becoming enmeshed in increasing tensions over a critical resource like water is unsettling and poses highly troubling implications for security in South Asia and the world on the whole,” he said.

For now, relations between India and Pakistan appear to be stable, and even looking more positive. Khan’s six-month-old Pakistani government has sought to mend ties with India, and has said the country’s powerful military supports those efforts — a notion greeted with skepticism in New Delhi.

Still, all sides see the long-term risks of a conflict over water: Khan himself is attempting to raise $17 billion via the world’s largest crowd fund for the construction of two large dams, one of which would be built in the disputed territory of Kashmir. In a region that’s home to about a quarter of the world’s population, failure to manage water shortages could be catastrophic.

“Any future war that happens will be on these issues,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, Pakistan’s military spokesman, told reporters last year, referring to water issues. “We need to give it a lot of attention.”

The most serious threat to the water agreement of late followed a terrorist attack on an Indian army camp in September 2016, when Modi stated that “blood and water and cannot flow together” and vowed to review the treaty.

If Modi is re-elected “there’s a possibility that water may become a tool to try bring Pakistan to heel,” said Ashok Swain, professor of peace and conflict research and the director of research at the School of International Water Cooperation at Uppsala University in Sweden.

“He may not do something immediately after resuming power but if relations with Pakistan deteriorate, by 2020-21, it’s a possibility,” Swain said. And although Pakistan’s new political leaders are aware the two dams being built by India are only one part its problem, “a water conflict with India can be a good way to hide their own mismanagement.”India's Ministry of
Water spokesman Sudhir Pandey didn't respond to phone calls, while Pakistan's Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah was unavailable to comment.

Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are among the world’s eight most water stressed countries. Waiting for hours or going days without water supply is the new normal in some crowded South Asian cities. The Indus river, one of Asia’s longest that originates in the Tibetan Plateau and flows into the Arabian sea near Karachi, has shriveled to a shadow of its former self. Water scarcity has led to regular protests in cities from Shimla in India to Lahore in Pakistan.

Most South Asian nations are heavily dependent on agriculture that consumes the majority of fresh water supply. Rice and sugarcane are grown by flooding the entire area with more than four feet of water. About 60 percent of households in India rely on agriculture while about half of Pakistan’s labor force is employed by the industry.

“South Asia has a water crisis,” said Pervaiz Amir, a regional expert for the Stockholm-based Global Water Partnership, pointing to the cities of Karachi and India’s capital, New Delhi. “You immediately start a ripple effect, first it is poverty that will increase. In the southern areas of Pakistan, extremism and terrorism will increase.”

Global agencies have made dire predictions that Pakistan — despite having the world’s largest glaciers — will face mass water scarcity by 2025. Already availability per capita has dropped by a third since 1991 to 1,017 cubic meters, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In most areas of Karachi flowing piped water is a rarity and its more than 15 million residents receive less than half of their daily needs. Even when it is supplied in the densely populated district of Lyari it only reaches a handful of houses through a leaking line that passes through mounds of garbage and leaves it smelling of sewage.

“When water comes, women come from far, far away to fill water,” said 30-year-old fisherman Abdul Qadir, pointing out dilapidated pipelines in Lyari’s Khadda Market area. “There is a line of more than 200 people here.”

Last year a judicial report showed that 91 percent of Karachi’s water was unsafe to drink. Pakistan’s poorest urban dwellers have access to only 10 liters per capita — just one fifth of the requirement, according to James Wescoat, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The World Economic Forum rates the water crisis as the biggest risk in Pakistan, with terrorist attacks third on the list. Waseem Akhtar, Karachi’s mayor, told Bloomberg the city needs to fix widespread leakages and theft, but funding is scarce.

Neighboring India’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply by 2030 and will lead to a six percent loss in the country’s economic growth by 2050, according to the New Delhi-based government think-tank NITIAayog.

While a solution will need regional cooperation, there's been little coordination between India and Pakistan apart from their decades-old river-sharing agreement. Still, officials on both sides of the border recognize they need to act with urgency.

“We have a near crisis,” said S. Massod Hussain, chairman of India’s central water commission. “We need better management of our water resources.”

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by SSridhar »

Kashi wrote:[url=httpsAoA72://tribune.com.pk/story/1896675/1-army-ready-defend-motherland-misadventure-coas/]Army ready to defend motherland against any misadventure: COAS Bajwa[/url]
Motherland? That's a blasphemous reference to their 'vatan'; it is a Fatherland.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by arun »

Hack Thooo .... Disappointing to read that the Big Bazaar Super Market Chain put corporate profits before doing the right thing and had to be coerced into doing the right thing of keeping products originating from the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan off Big Bazaar shelves:

Shiv Sainiks protest against sale of Pakistani items in Big Bazaar; store relents, pulls Pak goods off shelves
arun
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by arun »

X Posted from the “Oppression of Minorities In Pakistan” thread.

The “Official” mouthpiece of the Christism’s Catholic sect, Vatican News, reports on blatant Mohammadden discrimination targeting Christist’s of the catholic sect in the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

Pakistan blocks young Catholics bound for WYD Panama

Hardly surprising discriminatory conduct by the Government of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Such is the horror of being a Non Mohammadden “Dhimmi” in a Mohammadden majority country like Pakistan as Christist of the Catholic sect, Asia Bibi, is finding out with the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan continuing to prevent her from leaving the dhimmi concentration camp horror of that is Pakistan:

Asia Bibi 'still living like a prisoner'
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by arun »

X posted from the “Oppression of Minorities in Pakistan” thread.

The horrors of living as a Non Mohammadden in the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan revealed once again as the Mohammadden belief based doctrine of “Mā malakat aymānukum” aka "what your right hands possess" aka Non Mohammadden Women are fair game to play the role of sex slaves for Mohammadden men, reserved for Non Mohammadden “Dhimmis”, finds disgusting expression:

Hindu girl abducted, forcibly married off to Muslim man in Pakistan
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by SSridhar »

Dutch envoy to return to Pakistan - AFP
The Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan is to return to Islamabad next month after receiving a death threat last year, reportedly from Islamists angry over anti-Islam tweets by far-right politician Geert Wilders, Dutch media said on Saturday.

Ardi Stoios-Braken “will fly back to Islamabad in early February,” the daily tabloid Algemeen Dagblad reported. She received word last October “that a letter [which spoke of a specific threat] had arrived at the Embassy.”
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Fourth member of PM’s Economic Advisory Commission resigns - Irshad Ansari

ISLAMABAD: Another prominent member of the PTI government’s Economic Advisory Commission (EAC) has stepped down citing ‘personal reasons’, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Former chief economist of Pakistan Sakib Sherani is the fourth member of the 18-member EAC to have resigned since its establishment in September 2018. The EAC was set up by Prime Minister Imran Khan to seek expert advice on economic and financial policies of the government.

The commission comprised seven members from the government and 11 from the private sector.

Officials at the finance ministry have sought to downplay Sherani’s resignation, saying that he had said in the first meeting of EAC that it wouldn’t be possible for him to continue as member for too long because he was already working as a consultant.

According to sources, Sherani has informed the prime minister and Finance Minister Asad Umar about his resignation.

Second mini-budget: Tax cuts, incentives to boost growth

Sherani is the fourth member of the EAC to have resigned within four months and 25 days of the formation of the premier commission. Finance Ministry officials claim that Sherani has resigned due to personal reasons. However, sources say that is not the case.

Sources say that Sherani has stepped down in protest against the government move to bypass the EAC in the preparation of the Finance Supplementary (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019, and five-year macroeconomic framework and midterm budgetary framework.

Atif Rehman Mian, Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance at Princeton University, was the first to quit days after the formation of the EAC on September 1, 2018.

Atif Mian, who belongs to the Ahmadiyya community, was asked by the government to step down after politico-religious parties agitated his appointment on the commission.

The withdrawal of Atif Mian’s nomination, for which the PTI government drew flak on the social media, didn’t go down well with other private members of the EAC. PTI in General and Imran Can't in Particular have to follow the Diktats of Waist Bajwa or it is OFF WITH THE HEAD!

Dr Asim Ijaz Khwaja, Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, pulled out of the EAC, saying “being a Muslim I can’t justify this”.

Dr Khwaja announced his quitting on Twitter. “Have resigned from EAC. Painful, deeply sad decision. Grateful for chance to aid analytical reasoning but not when such values compromised. Personally as a Muslim I can’t justify this. May Allah forgive/guide me&us all. Ever ready to help. Pakistan Paindabad,” he had written on his official Twitter handle.

Mini-budget to decrease revenue by Rs7b, says Dawood

Dr lmran Rasul, Professor at Department of Economics, University College, London, followed suit a day later.

“With a heavy heart, I have resigned from the EAC this morning. The circumstances in which Atif was asked to step down are ones I profoundly disagree with. Basing decisions on religious affiliation goes against my principles, or the values I am trying to teach my children,” Rasul wrote on his Twitter handle.

After the resignation of Sherani, the number of private sector members on the EAC has also come down to seven. The remaining members on the commission from the private sector are Dr Farrukh lqbal, Dr Ashfaque Hassan Khan, Dr ljaz Nabi, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Dr Asad Zaman, Dr Naved Hamid and Syed Salim Raza.

From the government side, the commission’s members are finance minister, Planning Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Finance Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan, SBP Governor Tariq Bajwa, Adviser on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by yensoy »



Sometime back I said that we were still heavily dependent on Pakistan keeping its airspace open for Indian carriers to operate flights from most of north India to the Gulf, and for most of India to Europe and beyond.

Now the threat has proven real, via Spicejet cargo flights to Afghanistan being denied Pakistani airspace. Of course the Spicejet cargo route to Afghanistan is particularly sensitive issue to Pakistan deep state, however the shot across the bow has been fired. I don't think this is going to escalate, mainly because we have no means at our disposal to counterattack, other than showing them in a bad light (especially to a US, Afghan and international audience).
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Vikas »

arun wrote:Hack Thooo .... Disappointing to read that the Big Bazaar Super Market Chain put corporate profits before doing the right thing and had to be coerced into doing the right thing of keeping products originating from the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan off Big Bazaar shelves:

Shiv Sainiks protest against sale of Pakistani items in Big Bazaar; store relents, pulls Pak goods off shelves
'Shan Masala' enjoys prominent shelf space in Big Bazar in Mumbai. I don't think many buyers would know the origin of the brand unless you read the very hard to read print and apparently it is imported via Dubai route.
Not sure why India needs to import Spices from any country, least of all Pakis who would share part of the profits to terroristan army to kill Indian soldiers.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by mappunni »


'Shan Masala' enjoys prominent shelf space in Big Bazar in Mumbai. I don't think many buyers would know the origin of the brand unless you read the very hard to read print and apparently it is imported via Dubai route.
Not sure why India needs to import Spices from any country, least of all Pakis who would share part of the profits to terroristan army to kill Indian soldiers.
Same goes to innumerable Indian grocery stores in the US which sell Porkistani products. Example Roohafza from Porkistan when real ones from India are available.

Recently found Himalayan salt being sourced from Porkistan.

My daughters high school band was ordering shirts and being a committee member go to see the samples and put in a strong word and got the ones made in Porkistan out of the list. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Why Pakistan, India need backchannel diplomacy - Kamran Yousaf

India continues to spurn peace overtures by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. Last week, Islamabad shared a draft agreement with New Delhi on the Kartarpur Corridor. It also requested India to send its delegation to Islamabad for talks to finalise the agreement that would allow Sikhs from India to visit the Shrine of Baba Guru Nanak without visa. But the Modi government, instead of responding to the initiative, made a counter-proposal asking Pakistan to send its delegation to New Delhi for talks. The Foreign Office here termed India’s response childish. However, the Foreign Office spokesperson made it clear that despite India’s obduracy, Pakistan’s response would be ‘mature and well considered’.

India’s approach clearly suggests that the Modi administration is not serious about having any engagement with Pakistan at least before the parliamentary elections across the border. Pakistan has gone out of the way on Kartarpur initiative despite lukewarm Indian response. Initially, India thought that Pakistan’s announcement to open the Kartarpur corridor was just rhetoric. But in November last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan formally launched the ground-breaking of the corridor. India sent two ministers while former Test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu attended the ceremony as special guest.

Doubts still persisted as to whether this proposal would ever be implemented given the current state of relationship between the two countries. But Pakistan once again proved that it was keen to make the corridor operational on the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in November this year when it formally shared the draft agreement and invited India for talks. That puts the Indian government in a difficult situation. Given that Sikh community across the border is excited and looking forward to the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, the Indian government cannot simply brush aside Pakistan’s initiative. But the Modi government feels that sending a delegation to Pakistan may give a wrong signal to the domestic audience particularly to the right- wing Hindu groups. At the same time saying ‘no’ to Pakistan’s offer will certainly invite strong reaction from Sikh voters. It is because of this reason that India tried to outsmart Pakistan by making a counter-proposal. If Pakistan does not agree to it, the Modi government would say ‘look who is backtracking’. And if, for example, Pakistan does send its delegation to New Delhi, the Indian government would take the credit for the Kartarpur initiative — something that may help boost its vote bank among the Sikh community.

But irrespective of who gains what, this episode clearly shows how much ground both Pakistan and India have lost because of the tense ties for the past many years. The two neighbours now even fight over the venue of talks on the Kartarpur Corridor, an otherwise humanitarian gesture that should have been finalised without any hitch. This is all because of widening trust deficit between the two neighbours. And when there is no or little communication between the two sides, this trust deficit widens further. There is no doubt that the Pakistan-India relationship is an intricate one. But this does not mean that the two countries cannot address or at least reduce the trust deficit. For this they require greater engagement. From 2004 to 2009, Pakistan and India had a sustained period of dialogue process. There were meetings at the official as well as at the highest levels. But it was all due to the ground work done by the two sides through backchannel or quiet diplomacy.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly expressed his government’s desire to mend fences with India since taking charge in August. But his initiative has not been reciprocated by the other side. Perhaps, the two sides need to revive the backchannel diplomacy in order to arrest a further slide in ties. Me thinks India does not like using Terroristan's Back Channel!

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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

X Posted on the I W T Thread

Pakistan makes poor use of its water resources: report - Amin Ahmed

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World Bank says ecosystems like rivers, lakes, wetlands and Indus delta are in rapid decline.

ISLAMABAD: A new report of the World Bank says Pakistan gets a poor economic return from its significant water resources, observing that the best use of water endowment is not made in the country.

The economic costs from poor water and sanitation, floods and droughts are conservatively estimated to be four per cent of the GDP, or around $12 billion per year. These costs are dominated by the costs of poor water supply and sanitation, says the report titled “Pakistan Getting More from Water”.

The economic costs of degradation of the Indus delta are estimated to be around $2 billion per year, while the costs of pollution and other environmental degradation have not been assessed. These estimates of economic benefits and costs cannot be directly compared or aggregated, but they demonstrate that the country gets a poor economic return from its significant water resource.

The country does not make the best use of its water endowment and the water use is heavily dominated by agriculture, which contributes around one-fifth of the national GDP, but less than half of this is from irrigated cropping. Irrigation contributes around $22 billion to annual GDP.

The four major crops — wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane — that represent nearly 80pc of all water use generate less than 5pc of the GDP — around $14 billion per year. Other economic contributions from water are difficult to accurately assess, but hydropower generation is economically significant, with a current market value of $1 billion to $2 billion.

The report says scant attention is paid to the environmental outcomes from water and water-dependent ecosystems — rivers, lakes, wetlands and the Indus delta — are in rapid decline. This decline is characterised by biodiversity loss, greatly reduced stocks of freshwater and estuarine fish stocks, and a loss of other ecosystem services, including the storm protection afforded by coastal mangrove forests. Excessive water withdrawals and widespread pollution are the main causes of decline, but river fragmentation by infrastructure and changed sediment regimes contribute.

Water security is undermined by poor water resource management and poor water service delivery — including irrigation and drainage services — and domestic water supply and sanitation services. In addition, some growing, long-term water-related risks are not adequately recognised and are poorly mitigated.

Water resource management is compromised by poor water data, information, and analysis; weak processes for water resources planning and allocation; environmentally unsustainable levels of water withdrawal; widespread pollution; and low water productivity in agriculture.

Inadequate monitoring and data management prevent robust water resource assessments and accounting to guide water planning and management and prevents reliable flood and drought forecasting.

Water resources planning has historically focused on supply augmentation and has not addressed sustainable resource use or been linked adequately to broader economic planning. Although provincial water shares have been formally defined, they have been demonstrated to be economically suboptimal, and there is insufficient clarity on risk sharing during times of acute scarcity.

These deficiencies are expected to become starker with increasing water demands and climate change. Water resources management does little to protect water-dependent ecosystems either by way of environmental flows or pollution control.

The report points out that no formal mechanisms exist within provinces for reallocating water between sectors to match shifting demands or to cope with extreme drought. Irrigation water allocation is suboptimal in terms of efficiency, equity, and transparency, contributing to the low productivity of irrigated agriculture and causing a lack of trust between farmers and service providers.

Irrigation service delivery is poor and contributes to low productivity. Hydraulic efficiency of water distribution is very low, and water delivery across command areas is inequitable. Irrigation services are not financially sustainable and financial performance is declining. Service tariffs are set too low and are decoupled from service quality, and the operational costs of service providers are far too high.

Climate change is the biggest longer-term and currently unmitigated external risk to water sector. Climate change is not expected to greatly alter average water availability over coming decades, but inflows will become more variable between and within years, increasing the severity of floods and droughts. Climate warming is expected to drive water demands up by 5pc to 15pc by 2047, in addition to the demand increases from population and economic growth.

In the upper Indus Basin, accelerated glacial melting will increase the risks of dangerous glacial lake outburst floods. In the lower Indus Basin, sea level rise and increases in the frequency and severity of coastal storms will exacerbate seawater intrusion into the delta and into coastal groundwater. In coastal Sindh, this will further degrade groundwater quality, ground water dependent ecosystems, and irrigation productivity.

A careful assessment of all water resources, drawing on a range of data and past studies, suggests that the current total average annual renewable resource is 229 billion cubic metres (BCM). Only 4pc of this is outside of the Indus Basin.

There is no single simple solution to address water security. It will take concerted effort on many fronts by all governments and water users over many years. Large infrastructure gaps must be addressed, which require significant financial resources. Provincial-level water sector financing has increased in recent years, but federal financing has declined significantly in proportional terms.

Collectively, sector financing is well below the recommended levels. This is the case for major infrastructure, reforms, and insti­­tutional strengthening; urban services; flood mitigation; and environmental management. The biggest challenges, however, are ones of governance, especially regarding irrigation and urban water. The governance challenges relate to inadequate legal frameworks for water at federal and provincial levels, and the incompleteness of policy frameworks and the inadequacy of policy implementation. The policy deficiencies stem from institutional problems, including unclear, incomplete, or overlapping institutional mandates, and a lack of capacity in water institutions at all levels.

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Kashi »

Can't the Bakis take no for an answer??

I am sure their tallel bilaathel will be happy to fulfill their any and all aspirations for front, back and side-channel talks.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by menon s »

Saqib Nisar and the Italian lady.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N2HVDoUKtE&t=1548s
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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Saudi investment in Pakistan stokes tensions with China - ADNAN AAMIR

Riyadh's billion dollar refinery projects in Gwadar seen irking Beijing

China has poured huge amounts of money into developing the port of Gwadar, a key hub in its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, but Pakistan has now opened the door for Saudi investment in an oil refinery in the area, stoking tensions.

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Saudi Arabia's multibillion-dollar investment in Gwadar at the southernmost tip of Pakistan is complicating Islamabad's delicate relations with Beijing.

China is wary of the increasing Saudi presence in their strategically important neighbor as Riyadh prepares to sign an agreement to build Pakistan's largest oil refinery when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Islamabad next month.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih visited the proposed site for the oil refinery in Gwadar on Jan. 15. Pakistan's Board of Investment Chairman Haroon Sharif told media that Saudi Arabia is expected to invest around $15 billion in the country in the next three years.

Gwadar is a coastal town on the Arabian Sea and where China has invested heavily to develop a strategically important port for its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. The CPEC includes a network of highways, railways and energy infrastructure that span the entire Pakistan and is a signature project of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative.

Pakistan's decision to involve Saudi Arabia in the development of Gwadar is controversial because Beijing has already poured huge amounts of money and resources there. The multibillion-dollar new investment is expected leave space for Riyadh to break Beijing's economic stronghold, experts said.

China doesn't like Saudi Arabia's encroachment in Pakistan, said Mohan Malik, a professor at Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. But he also added that "Beijing cannot be averse to sharing the burden of propping up Pakistan with Saudi Arabia at a time of dwindling economic assistance from the United States."

There is also concern over Chinese companies being blocked out by Saudi in Gwadar. "[Saudi oil refinery] might elbow out Chinese energy companies from similar endeavors, undermining China's own economic gains from BRI," said Luke Patey, senior research fellow of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies at the University of Oxford.

Islamabad's decision to invite Saudi Arabia, however, is also seen as its plan to diversify financial and economic sources. "Pakistan does not want to put all of its eggs in one basket, " said Malik Siraj Akbar, a Balochistan analyst based in Washington. "Pakistan's strategy to diversify its sources of financial support will reduce its dependence on one single country."

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been knocking on the doors of many countries, trying to get the assistance needed for development as well as financial help to overcome a balance of payment crisis. In addition to the International Monetary Fund and China, Pakistan has been seeking assistance from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The prime minister is set to visit Qatar for the first time at the end of this month.

Pakistan turns to 'friends' after failing to secure IMF bailout

The expanding presence of Saudi Arabia in Gwadar is also irritating Pakistan's western neighbor Iran.

The site of the proposed oil refinery in Gwadar is just 70 km from the border of the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan. This Iranian province, populated by ethnic Sunni-Baloch, faces terrorist attacks. Tehran blames Saudi Arabia for supporting Sunni-Baloch militant groups against Iran which is majority Shia Muslim.

"[Growing presence in Gwadar] would heighten concerns about Saudi designing to foment trouble in neighboring Sistan-Baluchistan province in order to further contain Iran," Malik said.

If Saudi presence is not confined to economic activities and used as political leverage, Islamabad risks jeopardizing Chinese investments in CPEC and elsewhere in the country, said Malik Siraj Akbar. "This approach will make the region a hub of renewed tensions and violent clashes between local Iranian and Saudi proxies."

Apart from irking China and Iran, the proposed Saudi investments in Gwadar are also creating domestic political problems.

During a parliamentary session on Jan. 14, legislators from Balochistan -- home province of Gwadar -- threatened to protest during the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince. "We will tell the Saudi [crown] prince that Balochistan is not for sale and that elected representatives of the [Gwadar] port city have not been taken on board regarding the [oil refinery] development activities," said Aslam Bhootani, a National Assembly member from Gwadar.

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by kancha »

@mSaleemJaved

Believe it or not, Chinese Embassy activates SOS alarm ‘to check preparations of performance’.

Imagine if Pakistani embassy in Beijing does so. All will be kicked out.

This is what modern day master-slave relationship looks like.

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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

X Posted on the I W T Thread

Poor use of water resources - Editorial

Our national life is characterised by long years of complacency and unconcern and then anxiety following wake-up calls. The authorities are being repeatedly warned by experts on water issues. Water scarcity has been increasing in the country with the passage of time due to shortage of storage capacity. Most of the rainwater flows to the sea as no new dam has been built after 1968.

Now the World Bank says Pakistan gets a poor economic return from its significant water resources. The economic costs from poor water and sanitation, floods and droughts are estimated to be 4pc of GDP, or Rs12 billion a year. FOUR PERCENT OF TERRORSTANI GDP WOULD MEAN US$ 12 BILLION The economic costs of degradation of the Indus delta are estimated to be around Rs2 billion. Taken together all this puts the country’s economic managers in a bad light. The report says little attention is paid to the environmental outcomes from water and water-dependent ecosystems – rivers, lakes, wetlands and the Indus delta. They are in rapid decline. This is causing biodiversity loss, greatly reduced stock of freshwater and reduced protection from storms provided by coastal mangrove forests. Excessive water withdrawals and widespread pollution are the main causes of decline. It says water security is undermined by poor water resource management and poor water service delivery—including irrigation and drainage services – domestic water supply and sanitation services. Some growing long-term water-related risks are poorly mitigated. It says there is no proper system of data collection, analysis of data and action based on analysis. It warns that climate change will make water inflows more variable between and within years, increasing the severity of floods and droughts. The biggest challenges pertain to governance, especially in irrigation and urban water supply. These challenges mainly relate to inadequate legal frameworks and the inadequacy of policy implementation.

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Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

Pak-supported terror groups will continue attacks in India, Afghanistan: US spymaster - PTI | Jan 29, 2019, 22:39 IST

WASHINGTON: The terror groups supported by Pakistan will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in both India and Afghanistan, America's spymaster has said.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also said Pakistan's "narrow approach to counterterrorism cooperation - using some groups as policy tools and confronting only the militant groups that directly threaten Pakistan - almost certainly will frustrate US counterterrorism efforts against the Taliban."

"Militant groups supported by Pakistan will continue to take advantage of their safe haven in Pakistan to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan, including against US interests," Coats told the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Coats and heads of other top American intelligence agencies appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on their worldwide threat assessment.

Prominent among them included CIA director Gina Haspel, who has just returned from a trip to India; FBI director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency director Robert Ashley.

The comment on South Asia is part of US intelligence community's assessment of worldwide threats in 2019 and was presented in the form of a written document to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence by Coats.

Coats said that the challenges facing South Asian states will grow in 2019 because of Afghanistan's presidential election in mid-July and the Taliban's large-scale attacks, Pakistan's recalcitrance in dealing with teror groups, and Indian election that risk communal violence.

"We assess that neither the Afghan Government nor the Taliban will be able to gain a strategic military advantage in the Afghan war in the coming year if coalition support remains at current levels," he said.

Afghan forces generally have secured cities and other government strongholds, but the Taliban has increased large-scale attacks, and Afghan security suffers from a large number of forces being tied down in defensive missions, mobility shortfalls, and a lack of reliable forces to hold recaptured territory, Coats said

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by VKumar »

Sometime back I said that we were still heavily dependent on Pakistan keeping its airspace open for Indian carriers to operate flights from most of north India to the Gulf, and for most of India to Europe and beyond.

Now the threat has proven real, via Spicejet cargo flights to Afghanistan being denied Pakistani airspace. Of course the Spicejet cargo route to Afghanistan is particularly sensitive issue to Pakistan deep state, however the shot across the bow has been fired. I don't think this is going to escalate, mainly because we have no means at our disposal to counterattack, other than showing them in a bad light (especially to a US, Afghan and international audience).[/quote]

Doesnt PIA overly India?
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by SBajwa »

VKumar wrote:Sometime back I said that we were still heavily dependent on Pakistan keeping its airspace open for Indian carriers to operate flights from most of north India to the Gulf, and for most of India to Europe and beyond.

Now the threat has proven real, via Spicejet cargo flights to Afghanistan being denied Pakistani airspace. Of course the Spicejet cargo route to Afghanistan is particularly sensitive issue to Pakistan deep state, however the shot across the bow has been fired. I don't think this is going to escalate, mainly because we have no means at our disposal to counterattack, other than showing them in a bad light (especially to a US, Afghan and international audience).

Doesnt PIA overly India?
Off course all their flights going to indonesia, Singapore, Australia, etc.
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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by Peregrine »

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Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018

Post by yensoy »

VKumar wrote:Doesnt PIA overly India?
You want to do an equal-equal with Pakistan? Their flag carriers fly fewer flights per week from all of Pakistan to all of East (4 or so, not counting their flight to India) than we have from 3rd tier city Jaipur heading to Dubai per week (9).
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