By Abubakar Siddique Think of Pakistan and Afghanistan as a giant chessboard. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, and General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, head of the Pakistani army, sit on its opposing ends. And both men are waiting for each other to make the next move. The two allies await each other’s promised offensive against Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Washington has encouraged Pakistan to move its forces into North Waziristan, where powerful Afghan Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and an assortment of Pakistani, Arab and Central Asian militants wield … Continue reading Pakistan, US play waiting game

By Stephen Blank China announced in late April the sale of two nuclear reactors to Pakistan. This deal is clearly against the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the spirit if not the letter of the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) [1]. Nevertheless, the United States has not and may not even register a protest to this sale in spite of its implications for regional stability. Washington’s desire for Beijing’s support for effective sanctions on Iran dampens the political will to take Beijing to task on other international issues [2]. Although the announcement of this deal does not come … Continue reading China puts down marker in nuclear power race

By Asutosha Acharya Amid media reports indicating that Tamil organizations made up of diaspora in different countries are still making desperate attempts to keep alive the concept of “Tamil Eelam”, suspected pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) elements, for the first time since the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka in May 2009, allegedly executed a terrorist attack in neighboring India. On the morning of June 12, suspected LTTE cadres blasted railway tracks at the Perani railway station in Villupuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Passengers of the approaching Tiruchirapalli-Chennai Rockfort express escaped unhurt … Continue reading Tamil diaspora keeps ‘Eelam’ dreams alive

By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON – The timing of the publication of a major New York Times story on the vast untapped mineral wealth that lies beneath Afghanistan’s soil is raising major questions about the intent of the Pentagon, which released the information. Given the increasingly negative news that has come out of Afghanistan – and of United States strategy there – some analysts believe the front-page article is designed to reverse growing public sentiment that the war is not worth the cost. “What better way to remind people about the country’s potential bright future – and by people I mean … Continue reading Pentagon strikes it rich

By Peter Zeihan STRATFOR often discusses how Russia is on a bit of a roll. The United States distraction in the Middle East has offered Russia a golden opportunity to re-establish its spheres of influence in the region, steadily expanding the Russian zone of control into a shape that is eerily reminiscent of the old Soviet Union. Since 2005, when this process began, Russia has clearly reasserted itself as the dominant power in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine, and has intimidated places like Georgia and Turkmenistan into a sort of silent acquiescence. But we have not spent … Continue reading One fight Russia can’t afford

US objects to China-Pakistan nuclear deal. Hypocritical? The Obama administration objects to China selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan, which has never signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. But the US sealed a similar deal with India. // <![CDATA[ var pgallerycarousel_itemList = [ {"url_sm":"\/var\/ezflow_site\/storage\/images\/media\/images\/0616-pakistan_missile_test.jpg\/8143927-1-eng-US\/0616-PAKISTAN_MISSILE_TEST.jpg_full_380.jpg","url_lg":"\/var\/ezflow_site\/storage\/images\/media\/images\/0616-pakistan_missile_test.jpg\/8143927-1-eng-US\/0616-PAKISTAN_MISSILE_TEST.jpg_full_600.jpg","caption":"A Pakistan-made Ghaznavi missile is launched at an undisclosed location in Pakistan on May 8. That day, Pakistan successfully test-fired two ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the military said. The US is criticizing a China-Pakistan civilian nuclear deal because Pakistan is not a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.","credit":"Pakistan Inter Services Public Relations\/AP","related":""} ]; // remove quote … Continue reading US Hypocritical?

Nasa breakthroughs: the space agency’s most thrilling discoveries and pictures Nasa scientists have provided some of the most inspiring, eye-catching and terrifying headlines of recent years. Here is a selection of the agency’s remarkable announcements. telegraph.co.uk An image of a solar flare released by Nasa Photo: NASA/REUTERS Nasa warns solar flares from ‘huge space storm’ will cause devastation Britain could face widespread power blackouts and be left without critical communication signals for long periods of time, after the earth is hit by a once-in-a-generation “space storm”, Nasa has warned. Nasa discovers evidence ‘of alien life’ on Saturn’s moon Titan Evidence … Continue reading Nasa breakthroughs?

COMMENT: How I wonder what we are —Fauzia Yazdani The chief minister of Punjab failed on all counts as he did not visit the families of the deceased, meet with community representatives and condemn the role of organisations that flourish in Punjab to obliterate Ahmedis from the face of the earth President Asif Ali Zardari, on June 3, 2010, signed two recently ratified international conventions, adding Pakistan to the list of countries that have ratified all conventions related to good governance, sustainable development and human rights. The two conventions are: the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and … Continue reading I wonder what we are?

dawn.com Pakistan to psych test bin Laden hunter Gary Brooks Faulkner is pictured in this January 17, 2006 booking photo by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office in Port Collins, Colorado released to Reuters on June 15, 2010. – Reuters PESHAWAR: Pakistani agents plan to conduct psychological tests on an American construction worker arrested on suspicion of wanting to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden, an investigator said Wednesday. Gary Brooks Faulkner was detained Monday in the remote mountains of Chitral, once a rumoured hiding place of bin Laden, near Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, armed with a pistol, dagger, sword and … Continue reading Gary Brooks Faulkner goes to Pakistan to find Osama!