Section: Pakistan Today (Pakistan)
Russia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia
And a new confrontation in the Middle East Russia buying into American suspicion that ISIS bombed the Metro jet (“99.9pc sure”) will mean only one thing. Putin will green-light ground troops into Syria, further raising the stakes in the Levant. Russian pride will not take the affront lightly and, if proved, the government will sell the ground...
Afghanistan turns to India for military helicopters, likely to rile Pakistan
Afghanistan is poised to acquire four attack helicopters from India to help it fight a growing Taliban insurgency, a small but significant deal marking a shift in Kabul’s search for allies that is likely to anger Pakistan. Soon after he took over, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held off military assistance from India while he courted...
Putin, Merkel edge Obama to new low in Forbes power ranking
Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first sitting United States (US) president to slide out of the top two power rankings as published by Forbes, beaten not just by Russian President Vladimir Putin but also German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now been ranked ninth as he jumped six places from last year. He is...
Pak-US security chess
Moves of carrots and brackets Notwithstanding several official clarifications, curiosity continues. The repeated rejections, that no deal would come out of Sharif’s visit to Washington, have flaunted some impressions. It was already being expected that no deal is not likely to come to fruition during Sharif’s visit, and the...
Russian airline blames ‘external’ factors after IS releases ‘video proof’ they shot down aircraft in Egypt
The Russian passenger jet that crashed in Egypt came down because of “external” factors, the airline company said Monday, hours after Islamic State released ‘video proof’ they shot down the aircraft. “There are no technical failures that could lead to the plane breaking up in the air,” Alexander Smirnov, a senior official at Kogalymavia...
Bodies of Egypt crash victims arrive in Russia
A plane carrying the remains of 144 people killed when a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt landed in Saint Petersburg early on Monday, hours after investigators probing the doomed flight said it had broken up in the air. The emergency Russian plane, the first to bring back the bodies of those who died when the A-321 plummeted from the sky above...
Kerry on mission to reassure nervous Central Asia
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Central Asia on Saturday for a five-day, five-nation tour of the “Stans,” to reassure them they will not be forgotten. Concern is mounting in the region that, as the US operation in Afghanistan finally draws towards a close, Washington will lose interest in its landlocked northern neighbours. He landed...
Internet freedom falls for fifth year in row: survey
Global online freedom declined for a fifth consecutive year as more governments stepped up electronic surveillance and clamped down on dissidents using blogs or social media, a survey showed Wednesday. The annual report by non-government watchdog Freedom House said the setbacks were especially noticeable in the Middle East, reversing gains seen...
Peace process in Afghanistan
Can’t be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned I have always objected to the Pakistani foreign policy position that solution to Afghan situation should be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Even Afghan President and government reject this position when they repeatedly blame Pakistan for aiding and facilitating the Afghan Taliban thereby making it the party to...
Syria operation shows Russia can counter ‘any threats’: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow’s intervention in Syria demonstrates it can counter any threats, as the Kremlin flexes its muscles on the world stage. “The operation has confirmed that Russia is ready to adequately and effectively respond to terrorist and any other threats to our country,” Putin said in a speech...
