Three high ranking TTP officials killed in Afghanistan: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hafizullah and two of his aides were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to official sources. Hafeezullah was the head of the TTP in the Upper and Lower Dir areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province before
A letter to Barack Obama from the Afghan experts: To the President of the United States: Mr. President, We have been engaged and working inside Afghanistan, some of us for decades, as academics, experts and members of non-governmental organisations. Today we are deeply worried about the current course
Russia leads Eurasia – by Shiraz Paracha: The United States faces embracement as leaders from 56 countries, including head of states and governments gather for a two-day international summit in Central Asia. After a gap of 11 years, the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
Fake Mullah Mansour and the double-game of the ISI: Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor By DEXTER FILKINS and CARLOTTA GALL Source: NYT KABUL, Afghanistan — For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if
Afghanistan: NATO’s mission impossible – by Shiraz Paracha: During the weekend, leaders of 28 NATO countries gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, for a face saving meeting as it became clear that the Western military alliance could face a humiliating defeat in one of the world’s poorest countries. Contrary
Media-military-militant Alliance – by Shiraz Paracha: On the eve of NATO summit in Lisbon, the state-funded BBC World Service and the Pakistan military, apparently, provided a PR opportunity for the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, where he claimed in an interview with the BBC
Strategic grandeur – by Raza Rumi: As if Pakistan’s domestic woes were not troubling, the unravelling of the US strategy and its implications are eluding even the best of strategists. Mind you, Pakistan is a place every third person is a ‘strategy’ expert and the term
Smuggling and its effects on economy – by Shaukat Masood Zafar: Smuggling severely harms the economy of a country in multidimensional ways. It undermines the local industry, discourages legal imports and reduces the volume of revenues collected from duties and levies by the state. Unfortunately a parallel underground economy has
Military Mullah Nexus – by Shahid Mahmood: Related articles on LUBP: General Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s letter to Mullah Baradar – by Hakim Hazik Taliban Apologist Court bars extradition of Mullah Baradar It is not a self-created tragedy that almost one million people gave up their lives
Central Asia, battlefield of powers – By Shiraz Paracha: Energy resources of Central Asia, the containment of Russian and Chinese influence in the region, and the monitoring of Iran are the main motives of the United States and the NATO presence in Afghanistan and in parts of the
Afghan vote deemed successful, despite Taliban attacks: Kabul – Afghan government officials said Saturday that parliamentary elections were ‘successful,’ despite Taliban attacks aimed at disrupting the vote. ‘I want to congratulate all Afghans on the completion of successful parliamentary elections,’ Fazel Ahmad Manawi, chief of the
Sleeping with the enemy – by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: The floods are devastating. They have been called the most unprecedented disaster due to natural causes in recent years. Although there are some analysts who argue that this is not a natural disaster but a man-made one since the
Mad in the middle- By Nadeem F. Paracha: The political and social aspects of Islam in Pakistan can be seen as existing in and emerging from three distinct clusters of thought. These clusters represent the three variations of political and social Islam that have evolved in
Good and Bad Taliban: Attack on Women Doctors: Violence against the women in the whole region is not strange thing. But when it comes to Taliban and their brutalities against the women, denial prevails, arguments are given that Taliban do not attack women etc etc. When BiBi
We got leaked- by Sindhyar Talpur: Wikileaks, an international whistle-blowing website, recently leaked US and Allied forces military documents highlighting the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. One of the many things highlighted is Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI’s, double game in the War. If you
The road to perdition- by Dr. Muhammad Taqi: First published in Daily Times In the Obama lexicon, the word victory does not exist in the Afghan context. Indications are there that the Pakistani security establishment has been outsourced the effort to tame the Taliban to allow the
Dangerous Conspiracy Theories – by Peter Chamberlin: Dangerous Conspiracy Theories By: Peter Chamberlin How could a bunch of “lone wolf” researchers be considered dangerous to the United States? The official explanation given is that we confuse those who hear or read what we have to say,
Pakistan’s status Post-WikiLeaks leakage – By Sehrish Khan: Source: PICTURES BEYOND THE PICTURE As the week ends, the most controversial and conflictive details of the Afghan war come to surface, marking the greatest information leak-out of the US military. The details were provided to The New York
Views on news – by Sindhyar Talpur: This is an essay not on the News itself, but presentation of news and the power of media. The question I’d like to put up is whether our electronic media showing responsibility? On 19th July 2010 Pakistan and Afghanistan
Fatal obsession: Raza Rumi It is a matter of public record that the founder of Pakistan had stated that Indo-Pakistan relationship will resemble that of the USA and Canada. Even before the Partition, Jinnah in a 1946 press conference stated, “the
US exit means Taliban’s entry – by Kuldip Nayar: Before the Soviet forces entered Afghanistan in 1979, I used to visit Kabul regularly. I found President Mohammad Daud a fatherly figure who had no idea of what was happening in his country. Even otherwise, he was dependent on
Pakistan and terror – by Anas Abbas: Cross posted from Anas Abbas’ blog Attacks reminiscent of DAATA DARBAR and Ahmedi bombings have been a norm in Afghanistan and Pakistani Tribal Areas since the last 20 years. One must not forget the sufferings of Afghans and Pashtuns