Tribal Shias as cannon-fodder to fight the Taliban menace: Pakistani security establishment is playing a dangerous game by forcing Shias of tribal areas to rise against Taliban. On 10 October, Army forced Shia tribe Alizai to form a lashkar in Orakzai agency while providing little protection and logistic support
Aslam Beg: The mouth-piece of Taliban: In his op-ed in Daily Nawaiwaqt, the mouth-piece of the Taliban, the notorious patron of rogue elements in ISI, General (retired or retarded?) Mirza Aslam Beg suggests that the Taliban attacked the Islamabad Marriott Hotel because the hotel was
Talking to the Taliban: Implications for Pakistan: The talk in Afghanistan of sitting down with the Afghan Taliban and thrashing out a solution to the conflict is now overt. To nudge the initiative forward, the Governor of NWFP, Mr Owais Ghani, has reiterated his earlier stance
PML(N), please adopt an open mind: In its editorial on 10 October 2008, Daily Dawn deplores the undue haste with which some political leaders including those belonging to PML(N) (as well as Jamaat-e-Islami) declared the in camera briefing unsatisfactory. This suggests that PML(N) is busy
We must back Army against terrorists!: The Pakistan Parliament’s In Camera Session It is time to distinguish political opportunists from those who are willing to root out the menace of terrorism from Pakistan. It is time to be united to wage an all out war
Terrorists and their propaganda network in Pakistan: In his column in today’s Express, Anwaar Ahsan Siddiqi notes that the supporters of Taliban and terrorists (e.g. Irfan Siddiqi, Ansaar Abbasi, Hamid Mir, Kashif Abbasi etc) have a very organized propaganda network to justify acts of terrorism in
Sectarian Killings in Pakistan under “Police Patronage”: Sign the Petition To: Govt. of Islamic Republic of Pakistan The President & Prime Minister of Pakistan, and The Governors, Chief Ministers, I.G.Police, Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan, N.W.F.P Provinces. The barbaric sectarian violence in Pakistan is taking its toll again
Army, India, Al-Qaeda and Zardari: On the day President Asif Ali Zardari sat down at the Presidency and discussed national security and operational preparedness of the armed forces with the Services Chiefs, an AFP report noted that “A month after coming to power, President
Militant activity in the tribal belt: As long as militant activity in the tribal belt was directed outwards, it never attracted our attention. And when these militants turned inwards, we were caught napping. Harmonising interests Talat Masood …………..The result is our security forces turning a
Bhakkar bombing; a joint work of Sipah Sahaba and Al Qaeda: ANOTHER day, another district, another suicide bombing. The victims, however, are always new. Every suicide bombing tears a new hole in the social fabric of Pakistan and the Bhakkar attack is no different. The senseless death of at least
War on terror is Pakistan’s own war —Ijaz Hussain: Is this our war? —Ijaz Hussain The mere ownership of the war by the government is not enough to fight it effectively. It is imperative that the people own it too Ever since Pakistan joined the US-led war on
Sectarian killers enter Punjab: The following report confirms that there is no difference between terrorists who are operating in different names. In other words: Taliban = Al-Qaeda = Sipah Sahaba = Lashkar Jhangavi = Jaish Muhammad = other terrorist groups. Unfortunately most of
Fixing the tribal areas – Rustam Shah Mohmand: In the following column, Rustam Sham Mohmand suggests that Pakistan must ensure that there should be no training camps of any sort, by any group, in the tribal areas, (as well as in other parts of the country?). The
In Pakistan, a Shia-Sunni war to oust Taliban: Nirupama Subramanian, The Hindu, Sep 03, 2008 According to Shia leaders and independent analysts, the Taliban control the Sunni tribes in Kurram and want to battle the Shias until they have control of the region. Kurram is not the
On 9/11 anniversary, Pakistan has a new breed of Taliban: Thursday, September 11, 2008 By Amir Mir LAHORE: Seven years after the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States that shook the entire world, Pakistan, despite being a key American ally in the war on terror, continues to be
Was Jinnah a Secularist? – by Amir Mir: Perhaps the most contentious issue in Pakistan since its very inception in 1947 is the nature of the state. Should Pakistan be a sharia based Islamic state or should she be a Modern democratic secular state? The
Book Review: The True Face of Jehadis – By Amir Mir: The True Face of Jehadis; Inside Pakistan’s Network of Terror Amir Mir Roli Books Private Ltd Pages xvii+ 308, Rs. 395 Review by: Kalim Bahadur Amir Mir’s volume The True Face of Jehadis is a very comprehensive and a
The kidnapping of Farahi: By Rahimullah Yusufzai Kidnapping for ransom is a flourishing business in Pakistan and not a day goes when a number of people aren’t kidnapped in different parts of the country. But the issue is highlighted when someone important is
Sectarian war in Parachinar: A Sunni-Shia clash has killed 30 and wounded 130 in Parachinar, the major city of the Kurram Agency on the border with Afghanistan. The Sunnis accused the Shia of having hurled a hand-grenade at their central mosque in Parachinar