July, 2016
IN THE NEWS: TALIBAN RECRUIT RELIGIOUS STUDENTS TO RETAKE KUNDUZ (JULY 31, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten Taliban Recruit Religious Students To Retake Kunduz SOURCE: Gandhara Sunday, July 31, 2016 By AJMAL ARYAN and ABUBAKARr SIDDIQUE KUNDUZ, Afghanistan — The sound of small arms fire sporadically rings out inside a mud walled compound in rural Kunduz, a province in northeastern Afghanistan bordering Central Asia. […]
IN THE NEWS: INVESTING IN A NEW SILK ROAD (JULY 31, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten Investing in a new Silk Road SOURCE: The Express Tribune Sunday, July 31, 2016 By SHAHID JAVED BURKI Experts attach special significance to the importance of “connectivity” – linking the countries in the Asian continent with one another. Two facts that underlie China’s current economic situation are […]
IN THE NEWS: NO COMPOSITE DIALOGUE WITH INDIA SANS KASHMIR ON AGENDA, SAYS FOREIGN OFFICE IN PAKISTAN (JULY 29, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten No Composite Dialogue with India sans Kashmir on agenda: FO in Pakistan SOURCE: The frontier Post Friday, July 29, 2016 (Posted) ISLAMABAD (APP): Pakistan on Thursday ruled out the possibility of holding Composite Dialogue with India without having Kashmir issue on agenda, saying Kashmir remained the centre […]
IN THE NEWS: HOW TO HELP EMBATTLED KASHMIR (JULY 29, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten How to help embattled Kashmir SOURCE: The News International Friday, July 29, 2016 By AYAZ AMIR Islamabad diary We have a Kashmir joke in the form of Maulana Fazlur Rehman as head of the National Assembly’s Kashmir Committee – anything to keep the Maulana happy. But we […]
IN THE NEWS: AS RAJNATH SINGH LEAVES FOR ISLAMABAD, HOPES FOR ANOTHER WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY (JULY 28, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten As Rajnath Singh leaves for Islamabad, hopes for another window of opportunity SOURCE: The Indian Express Thursday, July 28, 2016 By WALI AHMAD *Now that Home Minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Islamabad for the SAARC meeting, he doesn’t seem to have the same advantage, conducive environment or […]
IN THE NEWS: GENERAL PERSPECTIVE – INTERVIEW WITH MAHMUD ALI DURRANI (JULY 28, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten General perspective: Interview with Mahmud Ali Durrani SOURCE: Dawn Thursday, July 28, 2016 By FAHD HUMAYUN In the rough waters that make up Pakistan’s foreign affairs, navigating policy turns can run the risk of both crashing and capsizing. Major General (retd) Mahmud Ali Durrani – Pakistan’s 23rd […]
IN THE NEWS: AMERICA IGNORES PAKISTAN AT ITS PERIL (JULY 27, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten America ignores Pakistan at its peril SOURCE: The Nation Wednesday, July 27, 2016 By JOHN MCCAIN Over the July 4 weekend, I made my annual trip to Afghanistan to visit US troops and military commanders. I also travelled to Pakistan to meet civilian and military leaders and […]
IN THE NEWS: A NEW CHAPTER IN PAK-AFGHAN RELATIONS (JULY 27, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten A new chapter in Pak-Afghan relations SOURCE: Daily Times Wednesday, July 27, 2016 (Posted) In a recent interview to Geo’s Saleem Safi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused Pakistan of insincerity towards Afghanistan. He said that the state-to-state relations with Pakistan are a bigger challenge for Afghanistan than […]
IN THE NEWS: PPP CHIEF LOOK FOR NEW TEAM (JULY 26, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten PPP chief looks for new team SOURCE: The Nation Tuesday, July 26, 2016 By SHAFQAT ALI ISLAMABAD – Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has played the first big shot of his political career by sacking his party’s chief minister in Sindh and he is in […]
IN THE NEWS: ETHNIC POLARISATION: AFGHANISTAN’S EMERGING THREAT (JULY 26, 2016)
Selected by Olivier Immig & Jan van Heugten Ethnic polarisation: Afghanistan’s emerging threat SOURCE: Al Jazeera Tuesday, July 26, 2016 By DAVOOD MORADIAN *Despite Afghans’ proven records in ethnic harmony, the growing ethnic polarisation can easily spread across the society In Afghanistan’s “theme park of challenges”, ethnic politics is becoming a key contested debate, alongside […]