China bridges last Mekong gaps By Brian McCartan BANGKOK – The last remaining physical gaps on the north-south roadway set to connect China to Thailand and further afield through Southeast Asia will soon be bridged, opening a new land route that promises to expand intra-regional trade. China has recently agreed to finance the construction of two bridges across the Mekong River inside Laos, which until now have represented the regional project’s missing links. Both bridges are key components of a grand infrastructure plan known as the Greater Mekong Subregion’s (GMS) North-South Corridor, which aims to create more efficient and rapid … Continue reading Mekong and China

Turkey and Israel: The broken alliance By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – Depending on who one listens to in the Middle East, Turkish-Israeli relations are either very much repairable or have reached a point of no return after the killing of nine Turkish citizens on board the Free Gaza flotilla off the shores of Gaza last month. A best-case scenario would be for Israel to try and fix the mess resulting from the affair through a basket of political gestures, while a worst-case scenario would be war between the two countries. War, though, is not on anybody’s mind except for a … Continue reading Turkey and Israel

Pakistan seethes at bad-boy image By Zahid U Kramet LAHORE – While Pakistan – and even the Taliban – have reacted angrily to a report that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has “strong” ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan, the sensitive issue highlights Islamabad’s growing concerns over losing what has for many years been its key role in Afghanistan as a United States ally. The London School of Economics (LSE) this weekend released a report that said its research “strongly suggested” that support for the Taliban was the ISI’s official policy, adding that the intelligence agency “orchestrates, sustains and strongly influences … Continue reading Pakistan – bad-boy?

COMMENT: Discrediting Pakistan —Shehrbano Taseer Pakistan’s valiant efforts against the terrorists cannot afford to be condemned and doubted. Those men hold in their mortal hands the power to abolish life altogether An Amnesty International (AI) report published on June 10, 2010, is the latest in a series of damaging articles/reports concerning the current state, and future, of Pakistan. AI has claimed that Pakistanis living in the northwest tribal areas live in a “human rights-free zone” under the Taliban, and that the Pakistani government has failed to provide them with protection, “ignoring their plight” and “treating the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan … Continue reading Discrediting Pakistan

PENSIEVE: The power of Jugni —Farrukh Khan Pitafi Jugni is nothing short of a literary device used by the poet to refer to either his own person or a pure soul unmolested by the charms of mortal life. And it is relevant because purity and innocence are under mortal pressure in Pakistan Gradually and silently, the music scene of the country is being revolutionised. Ever since 2008 we are witnessing a surging interest in classical and folk music, thanks to the hard work of Rohail Hyatt and his Coke Studio. With every new season we receive the gift of fond … Continue reading Jugni

VIEW: Karachi’s targeted killings —Ali K Chishti Gang wars in Lyari are a major concern as these have only recently taken a new turn where Nabeel Gabol, the MNA from the area, is finding it difficult to maintain Lyari as his stronghold post-Rehman Dakait Targeted killings are an instrument where perpetrators choose to target unarmed enemy individuals in the hope of coercing surrender without having to defeat the enemy’s forces directly. During times of war, civilians often become victims of famine, disease and exposure or perish in the crossfire of opposing forces. These deaths, though tragic, do not qualify as … Continue reading Karachi’s targeted killings

COMMENT: The slanted truth —Dr Mohammad Taqi Believers in the thesis that Afghanistan provides Pakistan with strategic depth are so scared of this shared bond that they had vetoed Afghania — represented by the letter ‘A’ in the word Pakistan — as the new name for the province previously known as NWFP “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” — Emily Dickinson. Three men had their right hands severed for petty theft last month by the Taliban in the Ghaljo village of Orakzai Agency. After initial treatment at a hospital in Kohat, they contacted a prominent civil and human … Continue reading The slanted truth

BOOK REVIEW: Political commentary —by Dr Amjad Parvez Taliban Ya Jamhooriat: Pakistan Dorahey Par By Wajahat Masood Nigarshat Publishers; Pp 400; Rs 500 Pakistan is undoubtedly facing many challenges today. Apparently, 9/11 had no connection whatsoever with Pakistan. Its planners were based in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, it was used as a pretext to initiate the implication of Pakistan in the long run. Pakistan is an atomic power with the seventh largest army in the world. Unfortunately, its economy is in shambles. The state institutions are on the downward slide, devoid of any sympathy for the masses. In the diction of the … Continue reading Taliban Ya Jamhooriat

Rejection of refugees By Rafia Zakaria dawn.com The sad legacy of the refugees points to a much deeper problem within Pakistan’s notions of identity. –File Photo The history of Pakistan could well be written as the history of its refugees. The partition of British India saw the largest movement of people in the 20th century with nearly 14 million moving between the newly created nation states. According to the 1951 census, over seven million Muslims migrated to Pakistan with a similar number of Hindus migrating to India. As is well known, most of the refugees migrating to Pakistan settled in … Continue reading Rejection of refugees leaves open for manipulation by mullahs

Bollywood stars shine at ”Raavan” world premiere in London dawn.com The actors performed their own stunts in the film but Aishwarya Rai said the production was as taxing emotionally and creatively as it was physically. -Reuters Culture ‘3 Idiots’ sweeps protest-hit Bollywood awards in Sri Lanka ‘3 Idiots’ sweeps protest-hit Bollywood awards in Sri Lanka LONDON: Bollywood came to London on Wednesday as Indian cinema’s star couple, husband and wife Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, hit the red carpet for the world premiere of the Hindi film “Raavan.” Hundreds of screaming fans lined the red carpet at the British Film … Continue reading ”Raavan”