A Wild Goose Chase with the Taliband‏ (Hasnain Kazim) I only spoke to him once on the phone in person. “Come alone,” he said, in an unexpectedly friendly voice. I asked if I could just bring along one fellow journalist, the Pakistani man who had put me in contact with him and who could translate from Pashto into Urdu. Taking a deep, pensive breath, he responded, “Alright. But nobody else, please,” before hanging up the phone. A few days earlier, I’d heard that this senior Taliban commander was supposedly coming here, to Islamabad. He was reportedly arriving from the mountainous … Continue reading Mullah hugs!

Home truths (Fatima Bhutto ) Everybody seems to be an expert on the Islamic Republic of Pakistan these days. You can’t turn left without running into some pundit or pontificating layperson moaning heartily about Pakistan’s future lording it with their imaginary Pakistan PhDs over all and sundry. Baronesses, David Miliband, the fellow who reads the news – they’re all Pakistan wonks now. It used to be that, upon telling someone you hailed from Pakistan, you’d get a benign smile: “Oh, yes, next to India.” Yes, next to India, and Iran and China and Afghanistan. Now, the mere mention of Pakistan elicits … Continue reading Pakistan was created for Mullahs to run wild!

By Peter Lee While Western attention was focused on Saudi Arabia’s possible provision of energy guarantees to China in return for a “yes” vote on Iran sanctions, Iran was working to leverage its natural gas reserves into economic alliances with China, India and Pakistan. In addition to awarding concessions to China, on February 8 Tehran invited Beijing to take the place of India in one of the most contentious energy projects in South Asia: the Iran-Pakistan-India or “Peace” natural gas pipeline. However, economics and the realities of the confrontation with the United States over Iran’s nuclear program may force China … Continue reading Iran aims for an energy break-out

By Brian McCartan BANGKOK – Myanmar’s up and down relationship with neighboring India is on the up again with a new commitment for coordinated counter-insurgency operations along their mutual border. While previous promises to tackle armed groups failed in the actual implementation, analysts suggest there could be new impetus for strategic cooperation. India’s Home Secretary G K Pillai led a delegation to Naypyidaw in January for three days of secretarial-level talks with Myanmar officials led by Brigadier General Phone Swe. The elimination of insurgent camps in Myanmar across the border from India’s violence-plagued northeastern region, featured in discussions. India also … Continue reading India, Myanmar: Reluctant brothers in arms

By Mohammed A Salih WASHINGTON – Reiterating accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, the United States ambassador to Iraq said on Wednesday that he was in “100% agreement” with remarks by the top US commander in Iraq regarding Iran’s involvement in a highly controversial decision that eventually barred 145 candidates from running in Iraq’s parliamentary elections next month. Among the candidates banned by Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Commission (AJC) are Saleh al-Mutlak and Dhafer al-Ani, two prominent Sunni Arab lawmakers. Speaking at the Washington-based US Institute of Peace Wednesday, Christopher Hill said Iran had a “malevolent interest” in … Continue reading US envoy accuses Iran over poll ban

By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – There is rising concern in Iraq over the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 7, with two main options now on the table. One option is for the polls to take place amid widespread Sunni resentment – and a boycott similar to the one of 2005. That would lead to an overwhelming victory for Iran-backed politicians like Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, ex-premier Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Adel Abdul Mehdi of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC). Another scenario is that the elections will be called off altogether, due to rising violence and Sunni … Continue reading Allawi flirts with Iraq’s elections

By Robert M Cutler MONTREAL – Headline stories have announced that China is no longer the largest holder of United States Treasury holdings. As Bloomberg News noted, for example, “China’s Treasury holdings peaked at $801.5 billion in May, and net sales in November and December were the first consecutive months of reductions since late 2007.” However, Chinese concern over US Treasury holdings is hardly new. Nine months ago, Premier Wen Jiabao publicly expressed worry over the safety of the country’s China’s Treasury holdings, and other officials have continued to air concerns about the increasing US fiscal deficit. It was known … Continue reading China diminishes US Treasury holdings

By Kazuhito Yamashita Japanese agriculture is in a freefall decline. In the years between 1960 and 2005, the share of agricultural output in gross domestic product (GDP) dropped from 9% to 1%, the food self-sufficiency ratio from 79% to 41%, and agricultural land, indispensable for food security, from 6.09 million hectares to 4.63 million hectares. Meanwhile, the ratio of part-time farm households, which derive more than half their income from non-farm employment, increased from 32.1% to 61.7%. The percentage of farmers over 65 years old also jumped from 10% to 60%. Gross agricultural output in 2006 was 8.5 trillion yen … Continue reading High rice prices feed Japan’s farming woes

By Brian M Downing In the past week, American, British and Afghan troops launched a major campaign around the southern Afghan city of Marjah in Helmand province – part of the counter-insurgency program begun in earnest last year. Shortly thereafter, far to the south in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, a major Taliban figure was taken into custody. The two events may help bring about a negotiated settlement. All go in Marjah Operations began near the central Helmand town with little prospect of a large-scale battle with Taliban bands that had operated freely there. The much-publicized buildup to the … Continue reading Two cities and the Afghan insurgency

By Zahid U Kramet Talks about the first high-level talks between India and Pakistan since the November 2008 terror attack on Mumbai began on a hesitant, yet proactive note. India was considering Pakistan’s proposal for a “composite dialogue” to bring long-term stability to the region, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik told an inter-ministerial meeting on February 10. And when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said a day later that the government believed it should not decline the Indian offer and resume engagement as soon as possible, the gate was opened for foreign-secretary level bilateral talks now scheduled … Continue reading India wants talks to focus on terror