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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>Progress: CPEC hailed as key to the future</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974689/progress-cpec-hailed-as-key-to-the-future</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974689/progress-cpec-hailed-as-key-to-the-future#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 15 18:43:51 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=974689</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Chinese investment will open new avenues of progress and prosperity in this region]]>
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				<![CDATA[Chinese investment and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will open new avenues of progress and prosperity in this region, said People’s Republic of China Ambassador Sun Weidong.  He was addressing a reception hosted by Sitara Group of Industries on Saturday.


Read: CPEC group forecasts energy shortfall to increase to 10,844MW

He said that during Chinese president’s visit a number of agreements were inked which have catalysed economic cooperation between the two countries. He also mentioned the establishment on Chinese Consulate General office in Lahore and said that it would not only play its role in strengthening bilateral relations but also facilitate the business community of Punjab.The consulate general will initiate new programmes for the promotion of people to people contacts between the two countries, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2015.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.]]>
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			<title>China pledges $10 million special grant for rehabilitation of Fata residents</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/921343/china-pledges-10-million-special-grant-to-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/921343/china-pledges-10-million-special-grant-to-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 15 09:36:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=921343</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Cash will be provided to support govt's efforts for rehabilitation of residents, promote social development in FATA]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[China will provide $10 million to Pakistan as per an agreement signed between the Chinese ambassador and secretary economic affairs division of Pakistan, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.

“Sun Weidong, the ambassador of China to Pakistan, together with Muhammad Saleem Sethi, Secretary of Economic Affairs Division of Pakistan, signed an agreement between the government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the special grant,” a press release issued by the Chinese embassy said.

Read: Pakistan, China ink two MoUs for cooperation in water, power sectors

The agreement comes after President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in April this year.

China had earlier this year approved a grant worth $129 million for development in the region. In this regard, various projects and programs will be implemented. Moreover, the China has also shown willingness to provide more assistance for up-gradation and betterment of FATA region.

“China firmly supports the efforts of Pakistan to safeguard its national security and the Chinese side will continue to provide assistance within its capacity for the reconstruction and livelihood improvements of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata),” it said.

Further, the grant will be provided in cash to enable Pakistan to ensure rehabilitation of Fata residents based on the mutual understanding between both the countries and to help improve people’s wellbeing, maintain stability and promote social development.

After the launch of a major military offensive last year to eradicate strongholds of Taliban and other militants in North Waziristan tribal area, China has provided assistance for the reconstruction and development of Fata.

Read:Pakistan-China Economic Corridor: a cost-benefit analysis

Last year, the Chinese government had provided $10 million to Pakistan as aid for IDPs and flood-affected people. Further, Pakistan and China announced the $46 billion China, Pakistan Economic Corridor in April.]]>
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			<title>Mega projects: Zardari calls for more Chinese investment</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/390521/mega-projects-zardari-calls-for-more-chinese-investment</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/390521/mega-projects-zardari-calls-for-more-chinese-investment#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 12 03:18:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[p.r]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=390521</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan and China signed a ten year MoU for cooperation in science, technology and space sciences.]]>
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				<![CDATA[President Asif Ali Zardari has called for greater Chinese investment in infrastructure projects and in this context proposed the setting up of energy fund for the hydropower projects, spokesperson to the president, Senator Farhatullah Babar, said.


The President said this during his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Beijing on Thursday.

Soon after the meeting Pakistan and China signed a ten year MoU for cooperation in science, technology and space sciences. The MoU signed by Ambassador Masood Khan and China’s Administrator for Science and Technology Organization for their respective countries was also witnessed by the two presidents.

During the meeting the two leaders discussed a host of issues ranging from the whole gamut of bilateral relations to the recent developments at the regional and international level.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Sino-Pak defence cooperation: Pakistan Navy inducts first fast attack craft</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369112/sino-pak-defence-cooperation-pakistan-navy-inducts-first-fast-attack-craft</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369112/sino-pak-defence-cooperation-pakistan-navy-inducts-first-fast-attack-craft#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 12 03:42:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=369112</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PNS Azmat is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Navy is fully prepared to counter any force challenging the country’s sovereignty or threatening the security of its territorial waters, said the naval chief on Monday.


Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila was speaking as the chief guest at the commissioning ceremony of PNS Azmat, Pakistan’s first fast attack craft (missile) at the Xingang Shipyard in Tianjin, China.

Admiral Sandila said the induction of PNS Azmat will supplement Pakistan Navy’s combat potential, according to a press release issued by the navy in Islamabad.

Terming it a milestone in defence and strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China, he said the attack craft would indeed provide synergy in defence of the country’s sea frontiers.

“Its immense firepower coupled with stealthy features makes it a real versatile platform which would not only prove vital for ensuring effective presence in our area of operations, but would bring a new dimension of operation of stealthy platform of this tonnage,” he said.

Admiral Sandila said the commissioning of PNS Azmat concluded the construction of fast attack craft (missile) in China and the construction of a second craft will be completed in Pakistan by the end of 2012.

PNS Azmat is the first of Azmat class fast attack craft (missile). Contract for construction of two fast attack craft was signed on the basis of transfer of technology (ToT). In that, the first craft was to be built in China and the second is being constructed at Karachi Shipyard &amp; Engineering Works.

The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-surface missiles and has stealth features.

(With additional input from APP in Tianjin, China)

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Pak-China friendship extends to new military exercises</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/283201/pak-china-friendship-extends-to-new-military-exercises</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/283201/pak-china-friendship-extends-to-new-military-exercises#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 11 09:20:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=283201</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The exercise will encompass techniques and procedures involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations environments.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan and China Joint two-week long military exercise “YOUYI-IV” is scheduled to be held in mid November in Pakistan, aimed at a mutual exchange of experience and information through a comprehensive training programme in real time.

The exercise will encompass techniques and procedures involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations (LIC) environments. The joint interaction in the form of the military exercise aims at sharing and enhancing expertise of both armies in countering terrorism.

Exercise “YOUYI”, which literally translates to "friendship" was initiated by the two countries in 2004. The Pakistan Army was the first foreign army to conduct any exercise on Chinese soil.

So far three exercises have been conducted, including two in China and one in Pakistan. These exercises were mandated to boost the existing professional relationship between the two friendly armies.

Pakistan and China have enjoyed extremely close and brotherly relations, which have matured and strengthened over the years.]]>
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			<title>Karzai travels to India amid regional tension</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266570/karzai-travels-to-india-amid-regional-tension</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266570/karzai-travels-to-india-amid-regional-tension#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 11 07:23:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=266570</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Afghan President Hamid Karzai begins a two-day visit to India.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Afghan President Hamid Karzai begins a two-day visit to India on Tuesday that could boost the two countries' economic ties and lead to an agreement for India to train police in a visit likely to irk Pakistan as tension grows in the region.

(Read: When Karzai comes to Delhi)

India is one of Afghanistan's biggest bilateral donors, having pledged about $2 billion since the 2001 US led-invasion, for projects from the construction of highways to the building of the Afghan parliament.

India wants to ensure a withdrawal of US troops by 2014 does not lead to a kind of 1990s civil war that spreads militancy across borders. But it also knows its traditional foe Pakistan has far greater influence in Afghanistan.

Karzai's visit, in which he will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has been scheduled for months.

But it comes as Afghanistan appears increasingly frustrated with Pakistan, with many senior officials accusing its intelligence agency of masterminding the assassination last month of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Kabul's chief peace negotiator with the Taliban.

Karzai himself has said there is a Pakistani link to the killing, and investigators he appointed believe the assassin was Pakistani and the suicide bombing was plotted in the Pakistani city of Quetta.

"At this juncture, the visit will cause great heartburn in Islamabad," said Saeed Naqvi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi.

"That is unfortunate from the Indian perspective because anything achieved in the visit will be seen by Pakistan as an insult."

Wary of Pakistan, Indian officials have always said they want to focus on what they like to call "soft power" – economic aid and trade. But India could offer more security training to Afghanistan, something almost certain to annoy Pakistan.

India has already trained a small number of officers from the Afghan National Army at defence institutions in India.

Economic focus

But India treads carefully. It suspects Pakistan involvement in several major attacks, including two bombings of its embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009, seen as warnings from Islamabad to stay away from its traditional "backyard".

Without a land border with Afghanistan and dependent on Pakistan for any overland trade, India knows it influence is limited.

"India will want to play its part in keeping Afghanistan stable, but it is focusing mainly on economic ties," said C. Raja Mohan, senior fellow at New Delhi's Centre for Policy Research. "It does not does not see itself as a counterbalance to Pakistan. It knows that Pakistan is setting the terms there."

Karzai may also be wary of upsetting Pakistan, a country crucial for forging any peace deal with the Taliban.

"Karzai wants to sign a strategic deal with India during his trip but it may hurt his recent call on peace talks with Pakistan," said Ahmad Saidi, a Kabul-based political analyst.

"If Afghanistan want to move forward with a peace process, it should attract Pakistan's attention."

India does have historical ties to former Northern Alliance leaders who battled the Taliban in the 1990s.

Some believe that India could increase its influence with these leaders if Afghanistan moves back toward civil war.

But for the moment, trade appears to be what matters.

A consortium led by state-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL) could invest up to $6 billion in mines, railroads and a steel plant in a race with China to lock in raw materials for two of the world's fastest-growing economies.

The contract for the Hajigak iron ore mines in Bamiyan province is potentially the single biggest foreign investment project in Afghanistan.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Sino-Pak friendship: All weather partners</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266556/sino-pak-friendship-all-weather-partners</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266556/sino-pak-friendship-all-weather-partners#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 11 05:01:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=266556</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan keen to portray its &quot;all-weather friend&quot; as an alternative ally to Washington.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan, facing a crisis in relations with the United States, has embarked on a charm offensive with China this week, keen to portray its "all-weather friend" as an alternative ally to Washington.

Here are some facts about ties between China and Pakistan:

‘All weather’ partners

	China and Pakistan call each other "all-weather friends" and their close ties have been underpinned by long-standing wariness of their common neighbor, India, and a desire to hedge against US influence across the region.
	After the United States killed Osama bin Laden -- the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks -- in Pakistan on May 2, China called the event a "progressive development" but also defended the Pakistani government, which has been criticized in the United States for failing to find bin Laden, if not harboring him.

Conventional arms, nuclear power, port access                      

	China has been Pakistan's biggest supplier of conventional arms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's database, and many analysts believe China supported Pakistan's nuclear weapons program in past decades.
	China has helped Pakistan build its main nuclear power generation facility at Chashma in Punjab province, where a second, 330 MW unit started last week, and it has plans to build two more there, despite international misgivings about risks to nuclear safety and the integrity of non-proliferation rules.
	Last year, the China National Nuclear Corp said it was also in talks about building a separate 1-gigawatt atomic plant in Pakistan.
	China has helped build the deep-sea Gwadar port on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast, partly with a view to opening up an energy and trade corridor from the Gulf, across Pakistan, to western China.
	According to a Pew Global Attitudes Project (pewglobal.org) survey of Pakistani public opinion in 2010, 85 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of China, and 3 percent said they had an unfavorable view. By contrast, 17 percent had a favorable view of the United States, and 68 percent had an unfavorable view.
	Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has visited China frequently, and urged China to invest more in his country.

Trade hopes

	Annual two-way trade was worth $8.7 billion in 2010, a rise of 27.7 percent on the previous year, according to Chinese statistics.
	Trade flows go heavily in China's favor, and last year it exported goods worth $6.9 billion to Pakistan, a rise of 25.5 percent on 2009, while Chinese imports from Pakistan were worth $1.7 billion, a rise of 37.2 percent.
	Pakistani officials have recently said the neighbors could increase bilateral trade to $15 billion a year by the end of 2012.
	China helped build Gwadar port in Baluchistan, and the Karakoram Highway, connecting northern Pakistan to far western China, which could be upgraded to provide a conduit for Chinese energy imports from other markets.

Security concerns

	China has urged mainly Muslim Pakistan to take action against Uighur militants from the western Chinese region of Xinjiang who have slipped in to Pakistan in past years.
	On July 5, 2009, violence broke out between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang, killing 197 people, many of them Han residents attacked by Uighurs. Pakistan deplored the riots, winning praise from China for its stance.
	During a visit to Xinjiang in August, President Zardari promised to work closely with China in the fight against terrorism, after Chinese officials blamed militants trained in Pakistan for an attack in the region.
	The safety of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan has also been a major concern for China. Several Chinese workers were killed in militant attacks in Pakistan in recent years.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>China treads carefully amid US-Pakistan rift</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266552/china-treads-carefully-amid-us-pakistan-rift</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266552/china-treads-carefully-amid-us-pakistan-rift#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 11 04:46:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=266552</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[China does not want to upset warming relations with India by getting mired in subcontinent security tension.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan, facing a crisis with the United States, has leaned closely to longtime partner China, offering its "all-weather friendship" with Beijing as an alternative to Washington.

But Pakistan will be disappointed if it hopes to replace American patronage with the same from China.

While China does not welcome the US presence near its border, it wants stability on its western flank and believes an abrupt withdrawal of Washington's support for Pakistan could imperil that. It also does not want to upset warming relations with India by getting mired in subcontinent security tension.

Maintaining that delicate balance, China will continue supporting economic cooperation with Pakistan but go slow on defense cooperation. While outwardly all smiles and warm pledges of friendship, China will quietly keep things at arms length.

"I think they see what's going on in the US-Pakistan front at the moment as reason to tread very carefully," said Andrew Small, a researcher at the German Marshall Fund think-tank in Brussels who studies China-Pakistan ties and often visits both countries.

"They are taking extra care to make sure that what's going on in the relationship is correctly understood, not reflecting any willingness to rush in or fill the gap or exploit differences."

Pakistan's brittle relationship with the United States, its major donor, has turned openly rancorous. Washington accused Pakistan's powerful ISI spy agency of directly backing the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network and of providing support for a September 13 attack on the US mission in Kabul.

Pakistan has angrily rejected the accusation and warned the United States that it risked losing an ally if it kept publicly criticizing them over militant groups.

Meanwhile, as it often does in times of crisis, Pakistan has been trumpeting its ties with China.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani declared Beijing and Islamabad were "true friends and we count on each other" after talks with China's visiting public security minister, Meng Jianzhu.

President Asif Ali Zardari stressed the point last week that Pakistan had other options should its deteriorating relationship with Washington prove beyond repair, and pointedly praised China for its assistance in "stabilizing the situation."

Publicly at least, China has gone out of its way to reassure Pakistan.

'Wary of offending India'

In May, just weeks after US forces killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil, Premier Wen Jiabao reassured visiting Gilani of their longstanding friendship and spoke of the "huge sacrifices" Pakistan had made in the global struggle against terrorism.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman echoed that line just last week, saying "Pakistan is on the front lines in the fight against terrorism" and China hoped "the relevant countries respect every country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

But China's assistance also has limits.

"The 'all-weather friendship' doesn't mean that all of Pakistan's bills should be paid by us," said Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

"China does not have that ability, nor does the US or any other country. It all depends on Pakistan itself."

China regards Pakistan as an important strategic counterweight against its longstanding rival, India, and a hedge against US influence across the region. It also wants to use Pakistan as a gateway to the Muslim world and needs Islamabad's help to combat Islamic separatists in its far-western Xinjiang region on their common border.

China is a major supplier of military hardware to Pakistan and also a major investor in areas such as telecommunications, ports and infrastructure.

But China's leaders have no desire to turn that limited stake in Pakistan into a heavy security footprint.

"The partnership is as deep as it needs to be for China," Scott Harold, associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation, said. "They've got what they want diplomatically and economically."

During Meng's visit last week, Beijing bolstered its cooperation with Pakistan, with the signing of $250 million in economic and technical agreements, Zardari's office said.

Many of Beijing's deals with Pakistan have had a strategic payoff in helping to balance US influence in the region.

China invested more than $200 million to help build the deep-sea Gwadar port on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast, partly with a view to opening an energy and trade corridor from the Gulf, across Pakistan to western China.

China also helped Pakistan build its main nuclear power generation facility at Chashma in Punjab province. Two reactors are in operation and two more are planned. Analysts say China pointedly agreed to expand the Chashma complex to counter a 2008 nuclear energy deal between India and the United States.

But Beijing appears much less interested in a bilateral defense accord, despite a report by Pakistan media that Islamabad had been secretly lobbying for such an agreement.

"I don't think that's the sort of space that the Chinese want to get into," said Small of the German Marshall Fund. "I don't see why they would suddenly want to be stuck with the liability of Pakistan, particularly vis-a-vis India, given the way Pakistan has behaved in a number of crisis situations."

In each of Pakistan's wars with India, China has been fairly restrained, to the point of being almost neutral.

Analysts say China is wary about tilting the relationship too much in favor of Pakistan, to avoid offending India, with which China wants to develop better economic ties.

Annual two-way trade with India was worth $65.2 billion in 2010, compared with bilateral trade with Pakistan of $8.7 billion, according to Chinese statistics.

Ultimately, Beijing has little to gain from a rift between Islamabad and Washington, experts say.

"If US-Pakistan relations deteriorate, and the region falls into instability, China will not be able to shoulder the responsibility by itself and other regional actors will have a difficult time cooperating to restore stability," said Hu Shisheng, an expert on South Asia at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations think-tank.

"The US still has to be responsible for the stability of this region."]]>
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			<title>Information ministry seeking control of Pak-China Friendship Centre</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266162/information-ministry-seeking-control-of-pak-china-friendship-centre</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/266162/information-ministry-seeking-control-of-pak-china-friendship-centre#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 11 20:54:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=266162</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ministry officials say the centre can help promote cultural activities.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is making efforts to take control of Pakistan-China Friendship Centre, presently under the supervision of Capital Development of Authority (CDA), it has been learnt.


“There is no logic in giving a cultural centre to a civic body,” said a senior official of the information ministry. He said that cultural activities do not fall under the purview of CDA, which serves to provide civic facilities to residents of Islamabad.

He said that the centre could be used generate revenues to fund the various cultural activities conducted by the information ministry.

The official said that the information minister will soon write to the prime minister to bring the Pak-China Friendship Centre under supervision of the information ministry, as an allied department of Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).

Sources said that some senior officials of CDA are reluctant to give up control of the centre, which includes a fully equipped auditorium with 800 seats, an exhibition centre, a conference room for 250 people and a multipurpose hall.

In the last meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan also expressed her reservation over giving cultural departments to different ministries. She said that since PNCA has been given to the information ministry then the Pak-China Friendship Centre should also be given to the same ministry as it is a cultural centre and has nothing to do with CDA.

The Pak-China Friendship Centre, inaugurated early this year, was a gift from the Chinese government. The Rs2.5 billion project took two years to complete and was left under the control of the Ministry of Culture.
However, after the devolution of the ministry under the 18th Amendment, the centre was handed over to CDA, Islamabad’s civic body, while other cultural department including Lok Virsa and PNCA were given to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Report denied: Chinese investment in Thar coal</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265507/report-denied-chinese-investment-in-thar-coal</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265507/report-denied-chinese-investment-in-thar-coal#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 19:38:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265507</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Expression of Interest, the terms of which could not be worked out cannot be termed as abandoning of an investment.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Secretary, Sindh Coal &amp; Energy Development Department has contradicted reports appearing in a section of press that a Chinese company has pulled out from Thar coal field.  An article captioned “China Pullout Deals Blow to Pakistan” was published in The Wall Street Journal on 30th September 2011, and carried over by some other newspapers subsequently, which gave an impression as if a certain investor company had “abandoned” or cancelled its investment because of security concerns. According to a statement issued by the Department of Coal and Energy Development M/s Kingho Group of China did not have any project nor had entered into any “pact” or “deal” with any authority for investment in Thar coal field. The factual position, according to the statement, is that in March this year an expression of interest was received from M/s Kingho Group of China. The proposal sought extraordinary concessions which could not be accepted by the evaluation committee of Thar Coal and Energy Board. The statement further says that “A mere Expression of Interest, the terms of which could not be worked out, cannot be termed as “abandoning” of an investment”.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Breakdown of the “Grand Bargain” — I</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265280/breakdown-of-the-%e2%80%9cgrand-bargain%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%94-i</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265280/breakdown-of-the-%e2%80%9cgrand-bargain%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%94-i#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 17:36:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahid Javed Burki]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265280</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Arab Spring will affect not only the entire Middle East. It is also likely to profoundly impact South Asia.]]>
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				<![CDATA[More often than not, change that makes history happens slowly, mostly unnoticed. Why it occurs is left to the historians to explain and argue about. Sometimes revolutions bring about change as happened in 18th century America and France and 20th century Russia and China. What we are witnessing now in the Arab world is a revolution. In the series of articles I begin today, and will continue to contribute to this space for weeks to come, I will explore the relevance of what is happening in the Arab world, not only for the countries that are its part, it will profoundly affect the rest of the world as well. And its impact on Pakistan will be significant. Well understood by the policymaking elite, the revolution on the Arab street could change Pakistan’s situation for the better.

The Arab Spring is a movement that has brought the citizenry of the several countries affected by this unfolding drama to the centre stage of politics. If all goes well, those in power will no longer be able to ignore the wishes and aspirations of the people. People will have influence on the making of economic and social policy and policies affecting relations with the outside world. It will not be possible for the leadership in these countries to disregard what the ‘street’ thinks and believes in. Over time ‘the street’ will be replaced by the representatives of the people who will be able to hold the executive branch of the government responsible for the actions it takes. What keeps western leaders awake at night is the fear that they will have to make more than a phone call to persuade the various heads of state to walk their way.

They should also lose some sleep over the fact that by slipping over into the neighbouring regions, the peoples’ movement may further erode the global presence of the West. The Arab Spring will affect not only the entire Middle East and most non-Arab Muslim countries in the area. It is also likely to profoundly impact South Asia. That is likely to happen not only because a third of the South Asian population — half-a-billion out of the total of 1.5 billion people — are Muslims. There will be consequences for different countries in the region for different reasons. The peoples’ revolution would have come to Pakistan if the country had not opted in early 2008 for democratic governance. But it will still come through a different route, one which will take it out of the American orbit in which the country moved for more than half a century into one that has at its center some of the regional powers — Turkey, Egypt, perhaps also Pakistan itself.

The Anna Hazare movement in India has already exposed the shortcomings in the traditional democratic structure in which the elected parliament does not always seem to represent what the electorate really wants. That is why a large number of people, mostly from the expanding middle class, felt that their economic gains in recent years were not matched by any kind of political profit. Troubled by the fact that while their economic advance was the product of hard work and risk-taking enterprise, large fortunes had been made and were being made by misusing the power of the government. In Hazare they found a ‘saint-politician’ they were happy to support. The Indian system may also need some change as it is not working for the people of the less well performing regions of the vast country –they constitute the majority of the Indian population. The income and performance gaps between the states on the west coast compared to those in the country’s east are increasing. Millions of people in the poorer states feel and resent that the tide of ‘rising India’ is passing them by.

Bangladesh, the third largest country in the South Asian mainland, is also struggling to find its political feet. Like other South Asian countries, it has also not been able to institutionalise the process of political transition. Political power if not usurped by military leaders as was in its case and was also the case of Pakistan, tends to flow through dynastic channels. In Pakistan three major political parties are controlled by families. Pakistan Peoples Party is engaged in the process of preparing the third generation after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to take over its leadership. If the current plans succeed, India’s Congress Party will be handing over the reins of management to the fourth generation. In Bangladesh the two mainstream parties are led by the leaders who owe their positions to the members of their families who were once the country’s presidents. The current prime minister has removed one provision in the constitution through an amendment that had previously ensured some order in the transfer of power. The country’s president will no longer be able to let a caretaker administration take the responsibility for holding elections at the appointed time and in way that ensured political fairness.

One of the main lessons of the Arab Spring seems to have been lost on the leadership groups in South Asia, in particular on the families that have governed for so long and without being seriously challenged by political processes. One reason why so many people came out on the streets or assembled in public squares in so many different countries was the frustration with the fact that no political means were available for bringing about regime change. It is no coincidence that the three regimes that fell in less than one year had been in place for decades. The presidents of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya had governed for a total of 120 years. Populations frustrated with their performance and seeing no improvements in their own situation chose to rebel rather than continuing to remain passive and tolerant. There were many reasons why the street and the public square succeeded. One of the more important ones was that the established order did not have the support of the world outside the borders of the countries where people desired change. The “grand bargain” between the political elite and the West that had scaffolded the rule by the former finally broke down.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Desperate times</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265257/desperate-times</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265257/desperate-times#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 15:43:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265257</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The people of Pakistan are known for their philanthropy but the media should be used to launch an extensive campaign.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The sight before us is not a pretty one at all. Millions of people, notably in the province of Sindh, are in desperate need of help after floods which according to the UN displaced 1.8 million, killed 415 destroyed over a million houses and swept away crops over 2.16 million acres.

It is quite obvious a huge amount of work needs to be done. The problem appears to be that there is no money to do it. The UN has said an appeal for US $357 million made two weeks ago has been funded by only six percent. This is merely a drop in the ocean when seen against the swirl of waters that leave people helpless and hopeless. It is quite obvious that without a massive mobilization of funds not enough can be done to assist them. The UN agencies and other groups on the ground are doing what they can; food supplies are being provided by the World Food Programme and Unicef is offering clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. But these international agencies warn that they will soon run out of money and be unable to do anything at all. In other words, people will be left quite literally to fend for themselves even though they are in no position to do so. Some of those affected were also hit by floods last year and have yet to recover from the crippling blow delivered by that catastrophe. They simply cannot sustain more hardship. The struggle to keep children and the sick alive is already on. The Sindh government had announced an emergency situation in all the districts of the province. But there is no certainty what this has resulted in or whether the schemes announced by the Prime Minister after his visit to the affected areas have had any impact in real terms.

One question we need to ask ourselves is why there appears to have been less compassion and concern for the flood victims this year compared to 2010. It is true the international community is displeased with the lack of transparency in the use of donations doled out at that time and has already made it clear more funds will not be offered until a proper accountability mechanism is set up. But even within the country there seems to be too little concern and only a relatively limited effort to deal with what is a calamitous situation. Perhaps they have simply run out of the energy to cope with yet another disaster; perhaps they have no money to spare and maybe there has been too little publicity given all the other crises that we face on so many fronts.

But this of course is not the fault of the stricken people of Sindh. The latest UN statement has made clear just what their plight is. The question to be asked is what is to be done to assist them. Emergency measures are required. We cannot simply wait and watch — or rely entirely on the international agencies that seem to be doing what they can. A draining away of what limited funds they still retain would be a disaster. Even the hands now at work would be tied. So, do we have solutions? They are not easy to find. The amounts the government has been able to persuade China and Iran to offer have not been very generous. Other than this, assistance from other countries has not been exactly forthcoming (perhaps because of a credibility problem following last year’s floods). At the official level we need to find more friends and draw international attention to the urgency of the situation and the fact that the people of an entire province appear to have simply been forgotten and left literally marooned in their own misery.

At home, greater fund-raising efforts are needed. The people of Pakistan are known for their philanthropy but the media should be used to launch an extensive campaign asking for sustained help, and by providing audiences with figures such as those above mentioned by the UN. All of this, of course, suggests that we learnt nothing from last year’s devastation. It indicates also that the federal and provincial disaster management authorities need to be far more proactive and efficient than they have been thus far in the distribution of flood relief, and in the drawing of contingency plans for the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Down the isolationist abyss</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265297/down-the-isolationist-abyss</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265297/down-the-isolationist-abyss#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 15:42:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rasul.bakhsh.rais]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265297</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[In being overly critical of the western world and promoting fear, we may end up creating an atmosphere of xenophobia.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Sadly, there is not just one but many destructive ideas that prominent sections of Pakistani society have embraced with asking any questions. The one such outlandish idea is that the western countries are enemies of all Muslim countries, societies, and people. This narrative forms the core of intellectual discourses among religious groups, the lower-middle classes, and the largely uneducated public that gets the first and last lesson of world politics from their prayer leader. It is more disturbing to find this view gripping the minds of college and university teachers, as they pass on their flawed worldview to their impressionable students.

This anti-western tirade doesn’t end there. Our popular media persons — sadly without deep learning, knowledge and wisdom — never miss an opportunity to cultivate and sustain the image of the west as the enemy. They do this in several ways — by providing primetime slots regularly to conspiracy mongers, and allowing them to spin stories that may have nothing to do with reality.

Before I comment on why it may not be a helpful narrative for Pakistan, let me say a few words about the polarised worldview many of us have, where we see a conflict between ‘us’ and the ‘others’ (of course, this frame of mind exists also in western societies). Such divisions have rested on race, ethnicity, and religion.

It is precisely the world coming together through trade, tourism, investments, markets and migration that produce a sort of us-and-other imagery which is based on fear, anxiety about losing identity, and privilege. The conservative reactionaries in the western world and their counterparts in Pakistan and other Muslim countries work through the same fear psychosis — and this is that ‘the other’ is here to rob us of both our values and material comforts.

Interestingly, the western reactionary uses fear of alien culture and ghettoised communities just like Muslim reactionaries who fall back on religion and parochial identities to work against pluralism. Uncritically, the reactionaries in our part of the world use the same idiom of values, religion, history and symbolism, which they use to shape their societies, and in drawing boundaries of inclusion and exclusion (couched mostly in religious terms). These are at best very simplistic impressions of a very complex human world at home and abroad, as no society today is based on a single culture, religion, or value system. Under the grand narratives of the western and Islamic worlds are cultures, religions, multiple identities and competing worldviews.

What we hear and see on our television screens with pseudo intellectuals screaming at each on talk shows, or on our streets with religious groups demonstrating, the message is not encouraging at all. While, India, our historic friend China, and forward-looking countries like Turkey are integrating with the western world, notably the US, we want to do anything that would turn them away from us. That will not be wise.

In being overly critical of the western world and promoting fear, we may end up creating an atmosphere of xenophobia. Not that we don’t have it already, it will get worse and make it difficult for our present and future leaders to engage with the outside world. Our media persons and their celebrity guests don’t realise that the sustained — and unqualified — enemy image of the west that they show has produced violent social groups and movements which question the legitimacy of all Muslim regimes, labelling them as puppets.

Our homegrown reactionaries, in their political plan to isolate Pakistan, will only end weakening it further and causing further polarisation. We must not fall into this trap.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>National Day Message: China is a beacon of hope, says Zardari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265077/national-day-message-china-is-a-beacon-of-hope-says-zardari</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265077/national-day-message-china-is-a-beacon-of-hope-says-zardari#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 12:08:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265077</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zardari says that China’s extraordinary rise over the past 62 years bears testimony to the wisdom of its leaders.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Asif Ali Zardari has said that China’s extraordinary rise over the past 62 years bears testimony to the wisdom of its leaders and the genius of its people. “China has become a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for the peoples of developing countries around the world. Pakistan rejoices in China’s phenomenal success and supports its efforts for the promotion of peace and harmony in Asia and beyond,” said President Asif Zardari in his message of felicitation to his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on the occasion of China’s National Day falling on October 1. The president said, “on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, it gives me great pleasure to extend to Your Excellency, and the government and people of China, our best wishes and sincere felicitations on the auspicious occasion of China’s National Day.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>Diplomatic Swing: Grossman starts Asia, Gulf tour</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265052/diplomatic-swing-grossman-starts-asia-gulf-tour</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/265052/diplomatic-swing-grossman-starts-asia-gulf-tour#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 11 12:07:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=265052</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[His trip is scheduled to last until October 14.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Ahead of two major conferences on Afghanistan’s future, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman started a multi-nation tour on Friday through Asia and the Gulf. Grossman was on his way to Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan as well as India and Doha for consultations, the US State Department said in a statement. His trip is scheduled to last until October 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>NEPRA sees no relief from hours-long power outages</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264842/nepra-sees-no-relief-from-hours-long-power-outages</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264842/nepra-sees-no-relief-from-hours-long-power-outages#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 21:04:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264842</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Electricity shortage causes annual loss of two per cent of GDP: annual report.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The country, which is facing up to 18 hours of power outages, has no relief in sight and is losing two to three per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) due to a power system weighed down by corruption and inefficiency, a report says.


The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), in its Annual Report 2011, observed that Pakistan is facing an acute shortage of electricity forcing people to stay without power for more than 9 to 10 hours in some cities and around 16 to 18 hours in rural areas.

Nepra, the power regulator, noted that though work on several electricity projects is under way, the shortfall is expected to reach 4,205 megawatts by year 2014 due to a power system plagued by corruption and imbalances in energy mix that has led to circular debt.

According to Nepra, the energy crisis has its roots in a number of issues including lack of integrated energy planning and demand forecasting, imbalance in energy mix with heavy reliance on oil and costly imported fuel, non-utilisation of vast indigenous resources eg coal and hydel energy and lack of effective planning, structuring and implementation of identified and viable projects.

“Violent protests over load-shedding have become a routine in different parts of the country and shortage of electricity has affected the industry and business,” the report said, adding traders have not been able to achieve export targets and thousands of industrial workers are facing job cuts.

The regulator did admit that the situation had aggravated to such an extent in Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) that survival of power generation companies, the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) and power distribution companies was at stake. On the other side, oil marketing companies (OMCs) and gas companies have not been able to get payments from independent power producers (IPPs) that minimised supply of electricity due to non-payment of dues by Pepco.

Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has also not been able to operate power plants due to a decline in gas supply and has also been unable to arrange alternative fuel because of its weak liquidity position which is directly linked with circular debt. KESC has not produced at optimum capacity to avoid purchasing expensive furnace oil and preferred to purchase cheaper electricity from Pepco and NTDC that is clearly a downside of privatising monopolies. Nepra proposed arrangement of gas supply to end load-shedding in a couple of years.

Nepra noted that gas supply to power plants has declined and called for reversal of the trend in order to keep tariffs reasonable for consumers. It also underlined the need for a proper energy mix in a bid to keep prices of electricity affordable.  Contribution of hydel energy, which was around 65 per cent in overall energy mix, has declined to 34 per cent only, disturbing the energy mix and leading to an increase in consumer tariffs. “Efforts should be expedited to reverse the energy mix towards cheaper hydel and coal resources,” the report said.

Under the current scenario, it is difficult to attract private investment in nuclear technology and China is the only country that is extending assistance to set up nuclear power plants, Nepra observed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>Weekly review: KSE gains despite Pak-US tensions</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264816/weekly-review-kse-gains-despite-pak-us-tensions</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264816/weekly-review-kse-gains-despite-pak-us-tensions#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 20:55:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[bilal.umar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264816</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Expectation of a discount rate cut provided stimulus to the market.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Investors chose to put aside concerns surrounding deteriorating ties between Pakistan and the United States as the stock market continued to make solid gains. The benchmark KSE-100 index rose 1.3 per cent (156 points) during the week ended September 30.


The index had risen by 2.2 per cent (253 points) in the prior week, following revelation of surprisingly low inflation numbers for August. Low inflation numbers have led to speculation that the State Bank of Pakistan will reduce the discount rate in its upcoming monetary policy announcement on October 8.

The SBP, in July, had cut the discount rate by 50 basis points to 13.5 per cent, citing that inflation numbers were expected to remain close to 12 per cent. However, inflation for August stood at 11.56 per cent and is expected to be even lower for September, raising hopes for a further easing by the central bank.

Relations between the US and Pakistan remained tense, but investors were somewhat soothed by diplomatic engagements of the country with neighbours including China and Iran. US senators also toned down their rhetoric towards the end of the week, which provided a boost to the market. Foreigners were highly active  as they were gross buyers of Rs890 million and gross sellers of Rs1.5 billion worth of shares during the week, according to data maintained by the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited

Earlier in the week, the market opened on a negative note and fell sharply by 341 points in the first trading session. However, a recovery was witnessed in the remaining four sessions and the index managed to claw back the losses and close on a positive note.

The announcement at the end of the week that National Savings Scheme rates had been reduced, affirmed investor belief of a rate cut and provided momentum to the market.

Fertiliser offtake rose by 84 per cent in August and even higher numbers are expected for September. The fertiliser sector, as a result, outperformed the market by 2.7 per cent as Engro Corporation grew by 6.8 per cent during the week. Furthermore, the FBR reported that provisional tax collection numbers for the first quarter of FY12 stood at Rs352 billion against the target of around Rs362 billion.

Average volumes stood at 83 million shares per day, up 16 per cent from the previous week.

What to expect?

The market’s focus will now shift to the upcoming monetary policy announcement, where it is expected that a rate cut of 50 basis points will be announced. However, a rate cut of 100 basis points cannot be ruled out, owing to low inflation numbers after the change of base year of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Improvements in ties between Pakistan and the US should also provide a boost to the market, after having a negative impact in the past two weeks.

Monday, September 26

The stock market took a nosedive on panic selling as investor sentiments dropped on the back of heightened tensions with the US and falling global markets.

Tuesday, September 27

The local bourse duly followed global markets again to recover from the massive fall witnessed the preceding day.

Wednesday, September 28

The local bourse continued the bull-run with investors focusing on local triggers and ignoring US tensions. News that US lawmakers are seeking to cut all aid to Pakistan did not surpass the Karachi Stock Exchange walls.

Thursday,
September 29

The stock market wandered around the neutral line before closing up as mixed investor sentiments prevailed. Investors carefully watched the gathering of all political parties along with senior army officials to discuss tensions with the US.

Friday, September 30

The stock market continued its upward trend on Friday, making it four days straight the market ended on a positive note. Oil marketing companies led the bull-run as petroleum prices are expected to be increase by 2.5% to 6% in its monthly review later on Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Tennis: PTF seeks hosting rights</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264775/tennis-ptf-seeks-hosting-rights</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264775/tennis-ptf-seeks-hosting-rights#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 19:44:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264775</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ITF officials say they will consider Pakistan for other tournaments after improvement in the security situation.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) intends to ask the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to compensate it with at least two international events after rejecting Pakistan’s bid to host the Fed Cup next year.

According to the PTF Vice President Irshad Bhatti, the ITF had replied to Pakistan three days ago stating that China has been chosen to host the Fed Cup, a tournament which features 19 countries in all. “The ITF officials say that they will consider Pakistan for other tournaments after improvement in the security situation,” Bhatti told The Express Tribune. He said that the federation will also try to get hosting rights for next year’s Davis Cup ties.


Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Victory for the terrorists?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264684/victory-for-the-terrorists</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264684/victory-for-the-terrorists#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 16:16:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264684</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The question is who of the political or military will talk to Taliban to persuade them to spare Pakistan?]]>
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				<![CDATA[PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has asked the next question: what now? He said on September 30 that he was apprehensive that the joint declaration announced at the All Parties Conference (APC) would not be implemented just like the earlier unanimous resolutions passed at joint sittings of parliament. It goes without saying that the main thrust of the APC statement — which is against the United States — will remain unrealised, just like the earlier statements. But what is important is that the ‘internal thrust’ of the statement too will remain unrealised. The question is: why talk to the Taliban from a position of weakness?

Some of the invitees of the APC feared international reprisal. Maulana Fazlur Rehman recommended talking to Russia and China to prevent America from imposing sanctions on Pakistan through the UN Security Council. He, however, forgets that Russia is still chafing over the defeat of the Soviet Union and complains of Pakistan’s involvement in the recent attacks in Moscow by Chechen extremists. And Maulana Samiul Haq — whose madrassa is named Haqqania — said that the Haqqani network is indigenous to Pakistan despite the fact that it controls several provinces in Afghanistan and attacks Kabul at will. Point to note: like his father, commander Sirajuddin Haqqani attended Maulana Samiul Haq’s madrassa Darul Ulum Haqqania, in Akora Khattak, near Peshawar.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani says he is opposed to “military operations against our own people”. The next question is who will talk to the Taliban — Pakistani and Afghan — to persuade them to spare innocent Pakistanis and safeguard Pakistan’s interests in Afghanistan? It won’t be the PPP government; it can only be the military and its thinking arm, the ISI. Will the Taliban talk? And the other — equally important — question is that what signal will Pakistan’s requesting talks send to the Taliban? Surely, not one that would suggest that Pakistan is seeking negotiations from a point of strength.

Every time someone reports that the Taliban of all brands — including the ones found in abundance in Punjab — are joined at the hip with al Qaeda, he gets mauled. The truth is that talking to the Taliban is actually talking to al Qaeda. The other truth is that al Qaeda is strong because of the network it has developed inside Pakistan. Not only are the non-state actors linked to it but also the madrassa network from Peshawar to Karachi.

Meanwhile, the military, as seen from the recent arrest of a brigadier, is busy cleansing itself of terrorist sympathisers. The new al Qaeda chief, Ayman al Zawahiri — as if in anticipation — has already published a critique of the Pakistan Constitution, laying out the minimum that it will require from the military before agreeing to peace. And the peace that will be achieved in pursuance of the objectives spelled out by the APC will let al Qaeda and its appendages stay on in Pakistan, and with greater power and influence.

In this context, the future looks very ominous. Many ordinary Pakistanis would not want to see in their country a regime like that of the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 1990s. That would be a most frightening possibility, one that clearly most sections of the media either is ignoring or perhaps wouldn’t mind being realised. After all, it has been said, and with some justification, that over the years, society has been radicalised to such an extent that some people may well be sympathetic to the cause of the Taliban, and by that, also al Qaeda. What is most disturbing post-APC is that the Pakistani military seems to think that it is not worth fighting the Taliban and their various allied groups, notwithstanding the fact that most of the 30,000 people who we say have been killed following our participation in the war on terror after 9/11 have died at the hands of the extremists and militants. And it boggles one’s mind to see that how can the politicians of this country not see this clear connection. They are living in a fool’s paradise if they think that with the Americans gone, the Taliban will hand in their weapons and give up their cause to set up a rigid theocratic state in Pakistan. If this is not a victory for the terrorists, one doesn’t know what is.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Felicitations: Pakistan-China enjoy 'all-weather' friendship, says Zardari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264738/felicitations-pakistan-china-enjoy-all-weather-friendship-says-zardari</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264738/felicitations-pakistan-china-enjoy-all-weather-friendship-says-zardari#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 15:28:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264738</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[President felicitates his opposite Chinese number over China's 62nd National day, and 60 years of Pak-China relations.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[President Asif Ali Zardari has said that China’s extraordinary rise over the past 62 years bears testimony to the wisdom of its leaders and the genius of its people. “China has become a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for the peoples of developing countries around the world.”

In a felicitation message to his Chinese counterpart on Hu Jintao on occasion of China’s national day, Zardari said that Pakistan rejoices in China’s phenomenal success and supports its efforts for the promotion of peace and harmony in Asia and beyond.

The President said that Pakistan and China enjoy an all-weather and multifaceted friendship that has stood the test of time.

He said, the unique friendship shared by Pakistan and China is the embodiment of the ideals and aspirations of great leaders who laid its foundations many years ago - Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Ever since, Zardari said, the brotherly and fraternal ties that have become the hallmark of Pakistan- China friendship, have grown from strength to strength every year.

“I am particularly pleased to note that this year - as we celebrate “Pakistan-China Friendship Year” to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries - we have added another chapter to the glorious history of our special relationship,” the President said, adding, “for this the leadership and peoples of both countries are to be commended.”

President Zardari said that Pakistan and China remained committed, as ever, to work together to fashion a better, more prosperous future for our children, and to ensure that they inherit a more peaceful and harmonious world.

“I avail myself of this opportunity to convey my best wishes for Your Excellency’s good health and happiness and for the continued progress and prosperity of the Chinese people,” the President said.]]>
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			<title>US Af-Pak envoy on major Asia, Gulf tour</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264625/us-af-pak-envoy-on-major-asia-gulf-tour</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264625/us-af-pak-envoy-on-major-asia-gulf-tour#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 07:04:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264625</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Marc Grossman to address regional US ambassadors in Doha.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan was headed Friday on a multi-nation tour through Asia and the Gulf ahead of two major conferences on Afghanistan's future, officials said.

Marc Grossman was on his way to Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, India and Doha, as well as Kabul and Islamabad for consultations, the State Department said in a statement.

The trip comes ahead of a November conference in Istanbul and a December meeting in Bonn "to build support for the vision of a stable, secure and prosperous Afghanistan in a stable, secure and prosperous region," it said.

In Doha, Grossman will address regional US ambassadors.

His trip is scheduled to last until October 14.

After the 10th anniversary of the start of the US-led operation to overthrow the Taliban in October, diplomatic focus will turn to the two international conferences on Afghanistan's future.

"A clear and unequivocal message of long-term support to our Afghan friends is our bottom line" for a conference to be held in Bonn on December 5, Germany's UN ambassador Peter Wittig said Thursday.]]>
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			<title>Maulana mouths off: Fazl urges govt to use ‘Taliban card’ carefully</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264408/maulana-mouths-off-fazl-urges-govt-to-use-%e2%80%98taliban-card%e2%80%99-carefully</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264408/maulana-mouths-off-fazl-urges-govt-to-use-%e2%80%98taliban-card%e2%80%99-carefully#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 04:43:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[azam.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264408</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[JUI-F chief calls for political and military leadership to unite against the US.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged diplomatic realpolitik for Pakistan, while at the same time calling for a “tit-for-tat” response against the US, in a press conference here on Friday.

Rehman was critical of US policy and actions in all respects. American policies, Rehman said, reflect contradictions. “On one hand they are trying to hold negotiations with the Afghan Taliban while on the other hand they are putting pressure on Pakistan to go after the Haqqani network.”

Rehman said Pakistan should use the ‘Taliban card’ carefully and not make any hasty decisions. He added that the US has cards of its own and can use them against Pakistan. “The US, at any time, can raise the issue of Quetta Shura,” he warned, referring to Afghan Taliban militants presumably based in the Balochistan provincial capital.

“The possibility is there that the US brings a resolution in the UN against Pakistan’s nuclear programme or declares it a terrorist country,” he said, adding that the US wants to destabilise Pakistan. Rehman also urged Islamabad to expedite efforts on the diplomatic front to ensure any possible US resolution against Pakistan in the UN is vetoed by China and Russia.

Rehman also claimed long-standing links between the Haqqanis and the Taliban. “Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani was part of the Taliban from the day one and we gave them nomenclature of the Haqqani network”, Rehman said. He made a further dig at the US, claiming their current stance was merely a way of drawing attention away from their defeat in Afghanistan.

The JUI-F chief also criticised the US for continuing drone attacks on the innocent people of Waziristan over several years. He said that this was right time for the political and military leadership to bring harmony among their ranks and give a tit-for-tat response to the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>In Kurram Agency, Taliban peril ricochets in the hearts of students</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264226/in-kurram-agency-taliban-peril-ricochets-in-the-hearts-of-students</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264226/in-kurram-agency-taliban-peril-ricochets-in-the-hearts-of-students#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 11 00:59:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[naseer.hussain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264226</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Kidnapped students, suicide training, characterise the once peaceful valley.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Imtiaz Ali, a student, was recently set free by the Taliban after payment of a heavy ransom. On his return, Ali told his ordeal and the Taliban conspiracies that aimed at destroying the future of students in the tribal belts. The information was no news to the militancy-hit region, where students who once held books and pens, are now becoming acquainted with gunpowder and explosives to save themselves from the atrocities of the Taliban in the absence of any action by the government.


Ali said he was kidnapped from the Lower Kurram Agency, on his way back to Parachinar from Peshawar. He had gone to prepare some important documents during his vacation in March, and fell in the Taliban stronghold. “They kept repeating to me that there is no benefit of education, if I wanted salvation for myself and my parents in the hereafter, I should serve Islam and I could achieve my religious goals by training as a suicide bomber.”

Ali stated that the Taliban informed him that the Turi Bangash tribes would not be spared as they were fighting against them and not giving them access to the route that led to Afghanistan for them to continue their activities; the roads will remain blocked, the kidnapping and killings would not stop.

“Those days were worse than hell for me, the Taliban would threaten to butcher me if the ransom was not paid, they would wave a sharp knife in front of my eyes to drive their point home,” the terrified student added, urging the authorities to put an end to the bloodshed that is being carried out in the name of war against terrorism, to change their policies and to shoulder the responsibility of bringing peace to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

“When I came to know that the government and the Grand Tribal Jirga had announced peace agreement in February and opened the Thal-Parachinar Road to traffic, I was very happy,” said Ali. He stated that students from Fata are equally patriotic, they want to serve the country and prove that having a tribal origin does not automatically classify you as a terrorist.

During an address in Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kousar said “Fata has accepted Pakistan, but Pakistan has not accepted Fata, we need to give serious thought to making Pakistan’s future bright, which is not possible by failing to control the situation in Fata.”

Ali’s tale is only one of many who have been caught and exposed to the harsher reality of the extremists’ threat in our midst. The agency, which once had an education ratio equal to Islamabad and Peshawar, has been in the grip of terror for the past five years; attaining knowledge shrunk to a dream for these tribal students who were either kidnapped or killed if they tried to venture to the bigger cities for the purpose.

The ones who paid were set free by the perpetrators, the ones who could not were either burnt alive and butchered — the unfortunate parents of some could not even get a last look at their sons as their bodies could not be identified. Qaiser Hussain, an MSc student, has been in the custody of Talibans, who are demanding a ransom of Rs1.2 million for his release, heightening the local tribes’ worries.

All of (Fata) and in particular Kurram Agency has been hit hard by terrorists. All walks of life have been affected, but the educational system has suffered the most at the hands of the widespread terror by the Taliban of the region. Students enrolled in higher educational institutes in Parachinar are now being trained by the Taliban for suicide bombings.

Kurram Agency, which not only had the highest education ratio but also more female students than males, has been pushed back many years by shortage of local teaching staff, who have been recieving salaries at home since the past five years.

A wave of relief went through the agency after the July 4 operation this year in Central Kurram. But all hopes were dashed as the government ended the operation on August 18, announcing that they had achieved their targets. The Thal-Parachinar Road remains blocked. The Talibans continue to hold onto their check-posts in the Lower Kurram Agency, while communication between Parachinar and rest of the country is almost abandoned as the locals take the alternative dangerous route through Afghanistan for travel to Peshawar.

The writer is a journalist based in Parachinar, Kurram Agency

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>Express effort: Lament for vanishing Urdu made at international conference</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264338/express-effort-lament-for-vanishing-urdu-made-at-international-conference</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/264338/express-effort-lament-for-vanishing-urdu-made-at-international-conference#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 11 21:36:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[irfan.aligi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=264338</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Experts discuss the language used in the electronic media.]]>
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				<![CDATA[If it was a lament for Urdu, the Greek chorus was out in full strength. Scholar after scholar, poet after poet bemoaned the bastardisation, degradation and fallen status of the language at the Express Urdu conference at the Expo centre on Friday. But for all the doom and gloom, there were some souls who also talked about the spread of the language to unlikely parts of the world, spurred by economic and in some cases romantic factors.

In the first session, intellectual Jamil-ud Din Aali wondered why, despite the long struggle of the Anjuman-e Tarraqi Urdu that the government did not use Urdu as the national language in its institutions. “It is encouraging to see, however, that some national institutions have started receiving applications written in Urdu,” he remarked, only to wryly add, “but they still prefer to reply in English.”

Aali was not against English, he stressed. It is an international language with a rich literature. “But we cannot also see Urdu as a secondary language of the country,” he explained.

The conference brought together experts from across the globe, including India, Turkey, China, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and even Norway.

In his lecture, India’s Zubair Rizvi discussed the growth of Urdu in countries of the Middle East, United States and Canada and some in Europe. “Migration for employment was the fundamental cause of the spread of Urdu in many countries,” he said. “The Mushaira culture played a pivotal role in the promotion of Urdu abroad.”

And did you know that before its decline, the USSR, in association with India, was an eminent promoter of Urdu. Russian books were translated into Urdu on a vast scale. The same cannot be perhaps said of Pakistan and China. “However, once, at a conference in Islamabad, I witnessed a 22-member delegation from China speaking Urdu very fluently,” he recalled.

Turkish delegate Prof. Khalil Tauq Err said that the first era of Urdu in Turkey ended with the Second World War but the second era began in 1956 when the University of Ankara started teaching it. Later on, the University of Konia Saljouq founded a department of Urdu in 1985.

Raza Ali Abidi from the UK spoke of Urdu-speaking immigrants arriving in search of employment but unwittingly spreading their language which he wagered was the second most spoken language in the UK. In fact, now you will find British government banners and posters in Urdu.

“Queen Victoria knew how to read, write and speak in Urdu and she even published a booklet, which she distributed among all the attendants in her palace,” he claimed. It is a shame though that now, immigrants, who used to hold Urdu sessions every Sunday for their children, did this no more.

Kabeer Khan from the United Arab Emirates spoke of how Arabic was the official language but Urdu was a medium of communication among the natives and non-natives. Urdu is part of a large number of homes in the UAE because the native Arab males have married Urdu-speaking Indian women and have Urdu-speaking attendants from India. Indian Hindi/Urdu films and Pakistani drama play in almost every home, he added.

Electronic media

In the second session on Urdu in the media, Ahfaz Ur Rehman referred to the language’s “extreme elasticity” because it readily absorbs foreign words and phrases. People use the Roman script for Urdu text to communicate over social media. However, he lamented, Urdu literature-based programmes are limited because the corporate sector does not back them with commercials.

Others spoke of the distortion of Urdu in the media where anchors make grammatical mistakes. “They should have self accountability to judge their ability and if found guilty of distortion, they should improve their language,” he said.

Zubair Rizvi took a different angle. He said that today, the circle of Urdu in India may have narrowed but the media has played an impressive role, especially Indian TV channels.

The third session was about the relationship of Urdu with regional languages of Pakistan. Six scholars were invited to shed light on it, including Dr Saleem Akhter, who headed the session. Saleem Raaz spoke on the relationship between Urdu and Pashto, Bushra Ijaz for Punjabi, Noor Khan Mohammed Hasni for Brohi, Mohtarma Murhab Qasmi for Sindhi and Najeeb Jamal for Seraiki.

The conference continues today and will end with a mushaira.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Links and contacts vs ample evidence</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263942/links-and-contacts-vs-ample-evidence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263942/links-and-contacts-vs-ample-evidence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 11 17:08:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[amina.jilani]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=263942</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US has its men in place, including President Zardari, kept his silence throughout the entire kerfuffle.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The discharge of barrels by Admiral Mike Mullen, in his testimony before the US Armed Services Committee was taken by many in Pakistan — who tend to go over the top when it comes to that needling thing known as ghairat — almost as a declaration of war.

Most of those who should, sprang into action, some who should not, did the same, and from one prime quarter there was silence. Do we know what is really going on?

It would seem that whatever be the action or dialogue, it is between Washington and Rawalpindi, not Islamabad. General Ashfaq Kiyani upped the ghairat frenzy by holding a corps commanders meeting (special) on a Sunday, when all the brass should have been out on their golf courses or enjoying the other perks and privileges endowed upon them by a grateful nation. The PAF reportedly put itself on red alert; a frantic press told us that General Shuja Pasha of the ISI had ‘rushed’ to Riyadh (he had not) at the same time that a Saudi security team had landed to participate in a scheduled exercise. Then a Chinese delegation arrived, also on a scheduled visit which was said to be something quite different — solidarity at a time of grave danger, etc, etc. Now all hopes of succour seem to be pinned on the Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom — the knights in shining armour who will secure the future.

Kayani caused even more flag burning and chest thumping by cancelling a long-standing London visit. He has said nothing that we know of, as all news from Rawalpindi is routed through the seasoned spokesman of the ISPR who confirmed that ‘Pindi has “contacts” with the militant groups, Haqqani’s apparently included. At the same time, a Sindh government PPP spokesman told us that his government, as opposed to Rawalpindi, had “a well considered policy of having no links with the militants”. The party co-chairman, who doubles as head of state, has not uttered a word, wisely, leaving it all up to his appointee, the prime minister, to bluster and bluff his way through the fraught situation which will no doubt in time, subside back into the old routine of the usual allegations and denials.

Meanwhile, in New York, the foreign office novice has done her valiant bit for Rawalpindi, following her brief faithfully, blaming the international community (led by the US obviously) for not doing what it should have done for poor old Pakistan, the front-line warrior in the terrorism war, ignoring the strategic depth so dear to ‘Pindi’s heart. There was much ‘tough’ talk and one sob story. “Today our children are not going to schools because we are using a large part of our resources in the war.” Baloney — her party has no intentions, and never has had any, of providing education to the mass of the beloved awam. That is not part of its ethos.

The bluff and bluster is not that convincing. Kayani has his three-year extension with US blessings and connivance, as does Pasha his one year. The US has its men in place, including President Asif Ali Zardari who we know for a fact, would not be where he is were it not for the mighty superpower — hence his silence throughout the entire kerfuffle. So what is going on behind those closed doors? The top lot has to be faithful allies — that is why they are placed as they are. It seems unlikely that even after Mullen’s broadsides they would turn on the hand that feeds them.

And besides all this, really and seriously speaking, who believes that the ‘Haqqani network’ (a formidable title) does not have friends in high places in the Islamic Republic? The ‘links’ and ‘contacts’ cannot be openly spoken about or revealed in any manner. Men can be murdered for suggesting that Mullen’s “ample evidence” may exist.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>A matter of sovereignty (II)</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263947/a-matter-of-sovereignty-ii</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263947/a-matter-of-sovereignty-ii#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 11 16:02:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[letter.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=263947</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[We are naked, homeless and hungry. May be we should increase our sovereignty ‘rent’, to cover our basic needs.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The last time I checked the title to Pakistan’s sovereignty deed stood transferred to China, so I really don’t know what the fuss with regard to this issue is all about. My fellow Pakistanis should know that as per official statements, the country’s economy is not doing well at all and relies heavily on money borrowed from the World Bank, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank, Japan, America, China or the European Union states. So what ‘sovereignty’ are we really talking about when we say that we will “not compromise on the defence of our frontiers and sovereignty”?
Our brothers and sisters are yet to recover from the last flood and struggling with the present flood. We are naked, homeless and hungry. May be we should increase our sovereignty ‘rent’, so to speak, to cover our basic needs.
Anwar Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Express Media Group: Urdu conference kicks off today</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263736/express-media-group-urdu-conference-kicks-off-today</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263736/express-media-group-urdu-conference-kicks-off-today#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 11 04:01:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=263736</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Two-day international conference titled ‘Urdu and the Contemporary World’ starts today.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A two-day international conference titled ‘Urdu and the Contemporary World’ will start on Friday (today) at Expo Centre here.


Renowned writers, poets and researchers from across the world will participate in the moot and express their views on a variety of topics relating to Urdu.

The conference will conclude with a mushaira.

Delegates from India, Canada, Norway, Britain, China and Turkey will attend the moot that will start at 10 am. The three sessions on the first day will focus on “The Situation in International Urdu Centres”, “Urdu and Mass Media” and “Urdu’s relation with Pakistani Languages”. The second day will be devoted to debating “International Literature: Contemporary Demands and Situation of Urdu”, “Women’s Participation in Urdu Literature” and “The Basic Challenges Facing Urdu: Spellings, Script, Computer”.

The second session of the first day will be presided over by Agha Nasir and the third session will be chaired by Dr Saleem Akhtar. On second day, Dr Gopi Chand Narang, Jeelani Bano and Fateh Muhammad Malik will preside over the first, second and third session, respectively.

A mushaira will be held at the end to the second day in which poets from Pakistan and abroad will recite their poetry.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Steel manufacturers: Chinese firm to help set up billet mill</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263386/steel-manufacturers-chinese-firm-to-help-set-up-billet-mill</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/263386/steel-manufacturers-chinese-firm-to-help-set-up-billet-mill#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 11 20:23:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=263386</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[New plant to have total production capacity of 300,000 tons per year.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Karachi-based Abbas Steel Group has signed up with China’s Sinosteel Corporation to supply machinery and equipment to put up a billet mill to provide raw material for the group’s rerolling industry of wire rod and rebar mill complex.


It will help to secure more reliable and cost effective source of semi-finished steel for internal use in their existing three mills, an industry source told MESteel (mesteel.com). The new plant, due to start trial production by end of this year or beginning 2012, will have a total production capacity of 300,000 tons per year when two construction phases are completed.

Abbas Steel Group has three existing mills which have an installed capacity to produce 150,000 tons of rebar per year and 100,000 tons of wire rods, in addition to smaller quantities of steel shafts used mainly in automobile manufacturing industry and wire rod for downstream engineering industry in Pakistan.

Pakistan produces about 3.5 million tons annually of billets and other semi-finished steel out of a five million ton production capacity – or 70% of capacity level. Price difference between quality billet and ship plate is around Rs5,000-7,000 per ton. This type of steel material is in demand among price-conscious consumers in Pakistan. PPI 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Asian Highways: Pakistan elected network chairperson</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262958/asian-highways-pakistan-elected-network-chairperson</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262958/asian-highways-pakistan-elected-network-chairperson#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 11 12:17:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=262958</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s ministry of communications has been elected as chairperson of the Asian Highways Network Group.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s ministry of communications has been elected as chairperson of the Asian Highways Network Group at a meeting held in Bangkok to work towards improvement in the Asian highways network, which is spread across 28 countries. The gathering was held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The group includes delegations from China, Russia,Iran, India and Malaysia, besides representatives of development and financial Institutions.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Indian onions crowded out by Pakistan and China</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262715/indian-onions-crowded-out-by-pakistan-and-china</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262715/indian-onions-crowded-out-by-pakistan-and-china#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 11 21:21:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ppi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=262715</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ban on the  export of vegetable for a few weeks also impacted orders.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Though the government has lifted the ban on onion exports, the Indian produce is losing out to its rivals from neighboring China and Pakistan due to high prices and uncertain policies, according to exporters.

“We exported a meagre 4,000-5,000 tons of onions last week (from September 20, when the ban was lifted),” a senior office-bearer of the Mumbai-based Agriculture Export Association (AEA) said according to Indian media.

India is the world’s second-largest onion producer after China. The Indian government had fixed the minimum export price (MEP) for onions at $475 a ton after lifting a ban on exports on September 20. The ban was in force for two weeks as a precautionary measure to maintain domestic supply of the bulb and check inflation.

Onions from China and Pakistan, which are selling at $300 per ton and $325/ton, respectively, in international markets, have rendered the Indian produce uncompetitive, the sources said. In normal times, the export figure would be as high as 70,000 tons a month, he added.

“In the absence of Indian onions (due to the ban from September 9-20 this year), many Singapore traders have contracted with Chinese exporters for a month, leaving no place for Indian produce,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Say ‘hello’ to the Great Depression!</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262391/say-%e2%80%98hello%e2%80%99-to-the-great-depression</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262391/say-%e2%80%98hello%e2%80%99-to-the-great-depression#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 11 18:05:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[khurram.husain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=262391</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[We denied importance of tax, power sector reforms for two decades, and now all will come back to bite us in the rear.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Listen carefully to what is going on in the western world, aside from the war hysteria. More and more voices are now saying that another Great Depression is coming our way.

Remember the big takeaway line from that fateful 48 hours after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008? “We may not have an economy on Monday,” warned Ben Bernanke as government leaders met to try and hammer out a bailout for Wall Street after Congress had defeated the first attempt to pass a $700 billion plan.

Well this time it’s bigger and worse. The climax has yet to arrive; we don’t know how far and how deep this thing is going to go.

But we do know this much: the economic event coming our way is unlike anything the world has seen since, at least, 1931, and that’s a very long time ago.

It’s also worth remembering that the Great Depression changed the map of the world. It spelt the death knell for the British Empire, it caused the advanced industrial economies to turn inward, to abandon their commitment to ensuring a disarmed Germany, to adopt a radical new economic philosophy which when put into practice, changed the nature of the modern state.

So it’s not exactly a blip that we’re talking about here, and if there is anything that is driving American priorities in our region, in the war on terror, in Afghanistan, it is the state of their economy at home and not the Machiavellian machinations of our security forces.

With an epoch-making economic event on the horizon, and a historic superpower battle winding down to a nasty close in our neighbourhood, you’d think we’d be a little more humble when regarding our chances of survival in the medium term future.

I’ve written plenty on how it’s a profound folly to cling to the notion that we will be unaffected by the economic crisis developing around the world. We have a way of dealing with things in our culture, and it’s called ‘denial.’ This is how it works: you pursue extremely short-term objectives with a maniacal intensity, for example, cultivating militant extremist groups to use as a tool in a deniably militarised foreign policy towards your neighbours. When confronted with common sense, that these groups will one day escape your own control, you deny that any such thing can ever happen. And you do this for decades.

Then one day the inevitable happens, these groups escape your control, some amongst them pick a fight with the superpower without asking you first, and drag you into a war you never really intended to start. At this point you start playing the victim: ‘We’re the biggest victims of terrorism’ or ‘there were no suicide bombings in Pakistan before 9/11!’. Of course there weren’t! All our suicide bombings were being done in other people’s countries before 9/11.

It’s the same in economic matters too. For instance, we denied the importance of reforms in tax and power sectors for two decades. To meet revenue shortfalls, we relied maniacally on external resources, particularly the IMF, and for the power shortfall, we relied on oil-based power plants that proliferated like mad. Never mind all the warnings that our growing dependence on external largesse, and on imported oil will come back to bite us in the rear one day, deny all that.

Now the inevitable has happened. We’re saddled with power generation capacity that we cannot afford to operate, dependent on foreign inflows that we cannot afford to let go of. These weaknesses in our economy — which matter a great deal when you live through 12 hours of loadshedding — are the wobbly legs that we’re standing on as the winds of a historic storm begin to blow. This is where denial has brought us: to the inevitable moment of truth. Denial will not get us out though, unfortunately, she’s a fickle companion on this road.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Agriculture losses: Flooded breadbasket spells economic misery</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262280/floods-2011-farming-losses-reach-2b-say-experts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262280/floods-2011-farming-losses-reach-2b-say-experts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 11 05:10:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=262280</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The amount of agriculture losses so far is estimated to be Rs163 billion, says the agriculture ministry.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Monsoon floods that sunk Pakistan's arable belt for a second year running have piled farming losses clocking up to nearly $2 billion on top of a humanitarian catastrophe facing up to eight million people in the south.

Crops of grain, cotton, sugarcane, fruit and vegetables have been submerged and experts say the disaster could worsen the country's already dismal growth and inflation prospects.

(Read: Urgent cause: FAO to raise $18.9m to save livestock)

"It could (also) increase inflation by two to three percent by the end of this calendar year - from 13 to a maximum of 16 percent," the official said.

Exports are likely to be hit as Pakistan struggles to provide enough food to feed its own population in the wake of the floods, said independent economist Rauf Nizamani.

"The floods will certainly affect the trade and may cause a loss of at least $3 billion to the Pakistani exchequer," Nizamani said, leaving export receipts at $25 billion for the fiscal year.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that nearly three quarters of southern Sindh province's crops have been damaged or destroyed by the waters, while two thirds of food stocks have also been hit.

Sindh's agriculture ministry said the financial cost of crop losses so far was estimated at 163 billion Pakistani rupees ($1.87 billion).

Cotton faces losses of $998 million, income from chilli crops will be down $427 million and both rice and sugarcane will lose an estimated $135 million, said Aghah Jan Akhtar, the ministry's secretary.

One year after the country experienced its worst-ever floods, affecting 21 million people, farmers were again viewing their fields with despair.

In Mirpurkhas, one of the most fertile and badly-flooded districts, the branches of the cotton plants were blackened with water damage, and the usually white buds were colourless and droopy.

Rice plants that usually bloom above watery paddy fields were completely submerged, while stalks of sugarcane were miserably short at five feet tall.

"This catastrophe struck before families affected by last year's flooding were able to even start recovering," said FAO Pakistan representative Kevin Gallagher.

"The floods and rain deepen the risk of losing more vital livestock assets and for some, missing another opportunity to plant wheat and other essential crops."

"Besides that, we have lost $180 million through the destruction of tomato, onion, banana and other vegetable crops," he said.

Agriculture makes up 23 percent of Pakistan's GDP and a senior finance ministry official, who did not want to be named, estimated that the country's overall growth rate could fall from 4.5 to three percent on current trends.

Pakistan's largest agricultural trading customers are the United States, which takes more than one fifth of cotton, textiles and rice exports, and China, which takes 15 percent.

(Sindh floods: UN launches international appeal)

Badar Khwaja, a farmer in Tando Bago town in Badin district, forlornly pointed at his flooded paddy fields. He had planned to harvest them just one day after the heavy rains began to fall in August.

"The rains have destroyed farmers and peasants alike," said Khwaja.

In nearby Tando Allahyar, known for its quality vegetable production, only 2.5 percent of its usual haul is being trucked to market in Karachi, said local grower Qamar Zaman.

"The situation is too critical. We normally feed everyone, but now are ourselves hungry finding no one to feed us," he said.

Kunri town in Mirpurkhas will lose the distinction of being one of the prominent chilli production areas in Asia as 100,000 acres of the red chilli crops have been submerged, said provincial agriculture minister Ali Nawaz Shah.

"It is yet another blow to our economy," he said.

In a bitter irony for the farmers, their August harvest due to take place before the floods arrived had been delayed due to water shortage.

A lack of irrigation on Sindh's flatlands had already reduced chilli output from one million tonnes 10 years ago to half that in recent years.

"Earlier we suffered because there was no water, but now a deluge has destroyed us," said grower Ghulam Akbar Dars.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan our only all-weather friend: China</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262148/pakistan-our-only-all-weather-friend-china</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/262148/pakistan-our-only-all-weather-friend-china#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 11 03:46:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zia.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=262148</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Grandiose statements accompany trade agreements, aid packages.]]>
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				<![CDATA[With no signs of an improvement in strained Pakistan-US relations, Islamabad and Beijing on Tuesday warmed to each other with rhetoric loud enough to be heard across the Atlantic.

“China categorically supports Pakistan‘s efforts to uphold its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” said visiting Chinese Vice Prime Minister Meng Jianzhu at a meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. Meng went on to say that Pakistan was the only state with whom China enjoyed an “all-weather friendship.”

The PM responded to Meng’s resounding endorsements with equally grand words. “Your friends are our friends, your enemies are our enemies and your security is our security,” he told the visiting leader.

According to a statement from the PM’s media office, Gilani particularly mentioned close ties between China and Pakistan in the fields of terrorism, intelligence sharing and anti-narcotics. During Meng’s visit, China provided over Rs110 million in aid for law enforcement agencies in Pakistan.

“We will cooperate with you to the extent you want us to cooperate,” Gilani told Meng, who also held meetings with Pakistan’s top military and intelligence leaders during his two-day visit. Meng called on the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and senior army officers at GHQ on Monday evening, accompanied by a delegation of high ranking Chinese officials.

Meng, a prominent leader in the Chinese State Council, arrived in Islamabad on Monday at a time when relations between Pakistan and the US had plunged into deeper uncertainty and distrust over the Haqqani network.

Experts said the Chinese were willing to support Pakistan in its efforts to counter pressure by the US but wanted Islamabad to defuse tensions with Washington, at least for now.

Meng stated that the Chinese foreign ministry would soon issue an official statement of solidarity with Pakistan in its right to sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

During Meng’s visit, the two sides signed $250 million in economic and technical agreements, according to the office of President Zardari.

(With additional INPUT from WIRES.)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>US-Pakistan crisis: the either/or tribe</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261707/us-pakistan-crisis-the-eitheror-tribe</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261707/us-pakistan-crisis-the-eitheror-tribe#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 17:31:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Ejaz Haider]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261707</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Killing the fiction of strategic partnership with Pakistan and upping the ante, US has also lost leverage it had.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Somehow, in trying to respond to the United States, we are missing the essential point in the present crisis that has the potential to spiral. So far, we have indignantly challenged the veracity of Admiral Mike Mullen’s accusations and rejected them. That was important but has been done. We now need to go beyond that and to beyond belong some hard facts and choices.

Fact 1: The US is accusing Pakistan of waging a proxy war on it and is putting on a full court press to get the latter to fall in line. This is different from merely alleging that the Network is killing GIs or that its activities are preventing the US from stabilising Afghanistan. Those are the effects; the cause is Pakistan’s support to the Network and, by extrapolation, Islamabad’s active effort to defeat Washington’s interests in Afghanistan. The ally is in fact, according to this narrative, working against the US and is the enemy.

Fact 2: Having done so, Washington has locked itself in a commitment trap — i.e., it cannot simply sit back and let the crisis deescalate unless Pakistan is visibly seen to be doing something to address the US concerns.

Fact 3: By accusing Pakistan of directly supporting the Haqqani Network, the contention over an operation in North Waziristan acquires a different meaning; it is not just about physically occupying that area — though in terms of visibility that is now more urgent than ever — but withdrawing the alleged support to the Haqqanis and accepting Washington’s demands in line with the latter’s interests in Afghanistan and the region.

This narrative can be challenged at many levels and rejected, as has been done, and is being done. But it should be clear that it is not enough to say that this is bollocks. That doesn’t make policy, especially if we are convinced, as it appears from our narrative, that the US is wounded and needs to scapegoat someone. That would in fact mean the dice is loaded against Pakistan anyway.

So, is it a simple choice between escalating and capitulating? No. Those who are suggesting this either/or approach should get out of this business and start doing something more useful.

Pakistan needs to coolly appreciate the options available to the US and to herself. The situation is far more complex for both sides to embark on a direct confrontation without calculating the risks. Quite often, intransigence on issue X is deception because an actor is actually playing for gains on issue Y.

Even allowing for asymmetry, going up on the escalatory ladder by the stronger side is not a neat job. The further up the ladder any side would go, the less likely the chances of success because of what Herman Kahn called a “‘spasm war’ in which both sides would lose all” even as “sufficient asymmetry of capabilities at lower levels would ensure that an intolerable burden would be put on the side forced to raise the stakes”.

This is what Kahn described as escalation dominance: “[The]... capacity, other things being equal, to enable the side possessing it to enjoy marked advantages in given regions of the escalation ladder.” But once escalation begins, there is likely to be “the jet effect of the competing capabilities on the rung being occupied, the estimate by each side of what would happen if the confrontation moved to these other rungs, and the means each side has to shift the confrontation to these other rungs”.

Straightforward? No. “The major difficulty with this approach in operational terms was [and remains] that the escalation ladder was [is] unable to appear as clearly in practice as in theory.”

There are competing capabilities on both sides and both know that. The US also knows that in any confrontation involving military options, Pakistan has options to respond. The calculation for the US would not be how much punishment it can mete out to Pakistan, which can be enormous, but how much of it she can take. That can be a sobering thought.

Given this, it would rely more on non-military punishment, at least in the days to come — combining it with military actions that may not test Pakistan’s red lines overtly — to compel Pakistan to at least do some, if not all, of its bidding. It is important to note that despite the accusations, Mullen told the US lawmakers that a “flawed and strained engagement with Pakistan is better than disengagement”. The relationship cannot be broken because of US constraints. So, how does the US balance its strategy of compellence with its limitations?

The answer should determine Pakistan’s responses. The space relates to the knowledge that Pakistan cannot afford escalation but equally that the US cannot go up the ladder without the risk of jet effect.

This is where non-military means come in. The US could stop bilateral aid to Pakistan. But it also knows that that is unlikely to hurt Pakistan too much. In fact, some economists have argued that such an act may well be to the advantage of Pakistan. However, that is not the only lever. The US can influence other financial support — the IMF, World Bank, other IFIs, state donors that run various projects, etc. There are also other programmes in the development, health and education sectors.

Beyond that lie export quotas, both bilateral and others: if the US declares Pakistan a state sponsoring ‘terrorism’, that would unleash a sanctions regime which will severely impact Pakistan’s access to capital. They have done this with many states, including Iran and Sudan (both are better placed because of oil to take the brunt).

If money flows are terribly hit, Pakistan’s economy, already tottering, could begin to unravel. This coupled with selective military actions that seek to avoid direct confrontation with Pakistani troops could be a plausible scenario.

But what is important to note is the paradox: by killing the fiction of a strategic partnership with Pakistan and upping the ante, the US has also lost the leverage it had when, for instance, it mounted the Abbottabad raid. And if Pakistan begins to unravel, that could pose its own dangers to US interests. So, we now have a Pakistan that doesn’t want escalation but is more prone to reacting to US actions. That means a lesser ability by the US to compel Pakistan to change its behaviour through overt actions that could beget a response.

Other actors like India, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran thrown into the equation make the calculus even more complex. Both sides are therefore faced with the tremendous challenge of managing risks associated with any spiralling effect at a time when they are getting locked into commitment traps.

Corollary: Let’s get rid of either/or analyses and begin to formulate a strategy informed by the terrible complexity of the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>China announces aid for Pakistan law enforcement agencies</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261546/china-announces-aid-for-pakistan-law-enforcement-agencies</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261546/china-announces-aid-for-pakistan-law-enforcement-agencies#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 12:28:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261546</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[China announced aid of eight million yuan (over Rs110 million) for LEAs.]]>
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				<![CDATA[China has announced aid of eight million yuan (over Rs110 million) for the law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, Express 24/7 reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made during a meeting between the Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Chinese Vice Premier Meng Jianzhu in Islamabad today.

Regional security, bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting.

Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Malik maintained that action will be taken against all groups involved in terrorist activities.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese Vice Premier said his country acknowledged the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the war on terror.

He also asserted that China will always stand by its neighbour in difficult times.

Pakistan turns to China as ties with US suffer

Pakistan, facing a crisis in relations with the United States, appears to be seeking more support from powerful ally China.

Pakistani officials have been heaping praise on China since its public security minister arrived here on Monday for high-level talks as Washington piles pressure on Islamabad to cut ties with a militant group blamed for attacks on US targets.

"We are true friends and we count on each other," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said after talks with Meng on Tuesday.

Prime Minister thanked China for a categorical statement extending support to Pakistan when it needs the most.

“We will co-operate with you to the extent you want us to co-operate,” assured Gilani.

He added the two countries together can progress and prosper and bring the dividends of development to their people.

Meng said relations between the two countries have been nurtured through generations and expressed the resolve to follow the legacy.

Gilani termed China as its close friend, saying “Your friends are our friends, your enemies are our enemies and your security is our security.”

"Thank you once again for (the) supportive statement in favour of Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity."

Washington accuses Pakistan's powerful ISI spy agency of directly backing the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network and of providing support for the Sept 13 attack on the US Kabul mission.

Pakistan furiously rejected the allegations and warned the United States that it risked losing an ally if it kept publicly criticising Pakistan over the militant groups.

Making the point that Pakistan has other friends, President Asif Ali Zardari said in a statement: "In these peculiar circumstances when the country was grappling with many challenges simultaneously, Chinese assistance has been most welcome in stabilising the situation."

The military, Pakistan's most powerful institution, also said it appreciated its giant Asian neighbour's support. Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani thanked Meng for China's "unwavering support".

Meng termed his meeting with the President and the military leadership as “very meaningful and productive”

He said Pakistan was the only country enjoying all-weather friendship with China.

China and Pakistan call each other "all-weather friends" and their close ties have been underpinned by long-standing wariness of their common neighbour, India, and a desire to hedge against US influence across the region.

Pakistan is now turning to China again as it engages in the harshest war of words with Washington since it joined the US "War on Terror" after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

Clinton urges Beijing to open dialogue with Washington on Pakistan

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Pakistan has made "important contributions in the international fight against terrorism".

"China understands and supports Pakistan's formulating and implementing its counter terrorism strategy based on its national conditions," said Hong.

The United States seems frustrated at its inability to influence Pakistani policy on militants.

In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at the United Nations on Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Beijing to open a dialogue with Washington on Pakistan.

"We have stated this before, but there's clearly an urgency given recent developments and also given the close relationship that exists between Pakistan and China," a State Department official said in a briefing to reporters.

A senior Pakistani government official called the report speculative but said Islamabad has such strong defence ties with China that no formal pact was needed.

During Meng's visit, the two sides signed $250 million in economic and technical agreements,  Zardari's office said.

China is a major supplier of military hardware to Pakistan and also a major investor in areas such as telecommunications, ports and infrastructure.]]>
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			<title>Pak-US tensions: Foreign ministry seeks international support to deter US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261225/pak-us-tensions-foreign-ministry-seeks-international-support-to-deter-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261225/pak-us-tensions-foreign-ministry-seeks-international-support-to-deter-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 04:52:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[qaiser.butt]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261225</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Veteran diplomats say strikes in North Waziristan likely, economic sanctions possible.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[As tempers run high between Pakistan and the US over the Haqqani network, Islamabad has launched an international effort to avert the possibility of foreign forces on its soil.


An official source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Pakistan has directed its envoys in western countries, including Nato allies, to muster support that could dissuade the US from taking action, whether military or economic, against Pakistan.

Additional Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Alamgir Babar is in regular contact with the US State Department in an attempt to alleviate tensions, the source told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

Armed hostilities unlikely

Veteran diplomats, however, say armed hostilities are unlikely. “The recently initiated cold war against Pakistan is aimed at cowing down Islamabad, but this threatening posture will not translate into a physical confrontation,” former Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand told The Express Tribune. Similar views were expressed by former Pakistan foreign secretary Tanveer Ahmed Khan during a televised interview on Sunday.

On the other hand, both the former diplomats are of the view that Pakistan may face harsh US economic sanctions in case negotiations fail. Both countries are aware that neither can afford an all-out war, Mohmand said, adding that “the problems being faced by Americans in Afghanistan will not allow the US to go beyond a selected strike in Fata.”

Mohmand did not rule out a selected strike, or a short operation by US forces in North Waziristan similar to the Abbottabad raid. “Some adjustment will ultimately occur in the rigid stands and demands of both the countries,” he said.

Where China comes in

Referring to the Chinese role in the Pak-US conflict, the former diplomat said that Islamabad had so far failed to gain help and economic assistance from China.

“Trade between China and India has crossed over $66 billion while we have so far not been able to gain any meaningful support from our friend,” Mohmand said.

The views of former naval chief Admiral Fasihuddin were similar, who said that the war of words was a battle for economic and strategic dominance in the region.

Spill-over possibilities

Fasihuddin did not rule out an army action against Pakistan by the US and warned that “[possible] US strikes in North Waziristan may spill over into urban areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa”.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and military brass have taken a strong stance, stating clearly that a unilateral US strike would not be tolerated. It is yet to be seen whether Islamabad will follow through on this message.

Meanwhile, senior officials in the foreign ministry suggested that a physical confrontation, while not imminent, remained possible in the current circumstances.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Hajj conference: Tehran, Islamabad to discuss pilgrim security</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261357/hajj-conference-tehran-islamabad-to-discuss-pilgrim-security</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261357/hajj-conference-tehran-islamabad-to-discuss-pilgrim-security#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 04:07:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261357</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Iranian delegation invites Pakistan religious affairs ministry officials to discuss security issues for pilgrims.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[An Iranian delegation, headed by Qazi Asghar, representative of Wali-e-Faqih (religious guardian) in Iran’s hajj and pilgrimage affairs department, has invited officials of the Pakistan religious affairs ministry to discuss security-related issues for pilgrims who visit holy shrines every year.


Asghar extended the invitation during an interaction on Monday with parliamentarians and officials of the religious affairs ministry. He briefed members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs about his country’s hajj arrangements.

Religious Affairs Secretary Shaukat Hayat Durrani also briefed the delegation about Pakistan’s arrangements. Iranian officials informed the committee that they are preparing a proposal [a memorandum of understanding] to tackle all issues, including the security of pilgrims. However, they did not share any details about this proposal during the meeting.

The delegation will participate in the International Hajj Conference on Tuesday (today) and meet Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Shah to discuss rising security concerns for pilgrims in the region.

The Iranian delegation will also meet delegations from other countries during the conference. Participants are flying in from India, Bangladesh, China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and will give a briefing on hajj policies in their respective countries.

The issue of pilgrims’ security will remain a focal point of this conference, said Joint Secretary Shahzad, who is preparing the agenda for the conference. “Security for visitors is the prime responsibility of religious guardians of all countries,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Eastern Alliance: Pakistan lobbying for defence pact with China</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261311/eastern-alliance-pakistan-lobbying-for-defence-pact-with-china</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261311/eastern-alliance-pakistan-lobbying-for-defence-pact-with-china#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 01:19:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zia.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261311</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan made overtures to China early this year when its relationship with US was weakened by several controversies.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan seems to have been secretly lobbying in recent months for a bilateral defence pact with China. The efforts have been met with caution in Beijing, however, and officials say there is little hope for an immediate breakthrough.


Diplomatic and military officials told The Express Tribune that Pakistan made overtures to China early this year when its relationship with the US was weakened by several controversies. Islamabad used backdoor and regular diplomatic channels in an attempt to convince the Chinese leadership that the agreement was mutually beneficial, the officials said. “Our view is, and it is also shared by authorities in Beijing to an extent, that this will send a strong signal to the world that Pakistan is not alone … an emerging world power is standing behind it,” an official said.

He added that Pakistan formally raised the issue during a visit by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to China early this year, immediately after the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US commandos. “He put forward Pakistan’s desire formally,” said an official who was privy to the development but requested his name not be mentioned due to the sensitivity of the issue.

(Read: China endorses Pakistan’s response to US raid: PM)

However, the Chinese leadership, officials said, advised Pakistan not to push for an agreement that could put Islamabad and Beijing in trouble with both Washington and New Delhi. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry refused to either confirm or deny that Pakistan was seeking a formal pact with China, though both countries cooperate extensively in defence production and civil nuclear technology.

“I don’t want to comment on it,” was the brisk answer by Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua when her comments were sought. Recent diplomatic events seem to add weight to the officials’ claims, though. Gilani’s visit to China, in which he declared the country Pakistan’s best friend, ruffled feathers in the US. One key US Senator said the comments made it harder to convince a sceptical US public that providing aid to Pakistan was a good idea.

“Frankly, I’m getting tired of it, and I think Americans are getting tired of it as far as shoveling money in there at people who just flat don’t like us,” said Idaho Republican Senator James Risch.

Experts appeared to be divided on how China is responding to Pakistan’s request. General (retd) Hamid Gul, former chief of the ISI, said he believed China would go to any extent to support Pakistan but expecting a defence pact at this stage was little too ambitious.

Defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa took a different position, saying it was possible to imagine that Islamabad and Beijing were involved in talks on the issue, as they already cooperated regularly on defence matters. “They (Pakistani leaders) might be trying…and it looks workable as well,” said Siddiqa. “There might be a lot of reservations in Washington and New Delhi. But it is unlikely to trigger a conflict,” she added. 

(Read: With us or against us? A decade on, Pakistan is wavering)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>US-Pak relations: Escalating tensions spur diplomatic frenzy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261318/us-pak-relations-escalating-tensions-spur-diplomatic-frenzy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/261318/us-pak-relations-escalating-tensions-spur-diplomatic-frenzy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 11 00:43:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=261318</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Separate talks held with US, Saudis and Chinese as Kayani cancels UK visit.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Amid simmering tensions between Pakistan and the United States, Islamabad on Monday saw a flurry of diplomatic activity, both overt and covert, directed at defusing the situation.


US Ambassador Cameron Munter, recently returned from Washington, held a meeting with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. Under more secrecy, senior Saudi intelligence officials met the ISI chief in an attempt to bridge the divide between Pakistan and the US. To add further speculation, a delegation led by Chinese vice Prime Minister Meng Jianzhu, who is also China’s top security official, landed in the capital and held talks with Pakistani civilian and military leaders.

(Read: Chinese vice prime minister arrives in Islamabad)

In a related development, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani cancelled a trip to the UK, where he was due to meet Defence Secretary Liam Fox. Pakistan Army spokesman General Athar Abbas said the visit had been “postponed indefinitely” but would be re-scheduled. Abbas put the decision down to “the current situation at home” but refused to elaborate further. It is presumed that Kayani called off the visit apparently to continue in-house talks on mounting US pressure for Pakistan to abjure its alleged support for the Haqqani network.

Saudis as intermediaries?

Sources claim that Saudi Arabia is quietly working to mediate between Pakistan and the United States.

The meeting between Saudi intelligence officials and Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha took place at the Chaklala Airbase, sources said. Some media reports claim that the ISI chief, after a “crucial” meeting with the Saudi intelligence officials, dashed to Jeddah for further consultations.

When approached, however, a senior military official confirmed that a delegation of Saudi intelligence officials was on a visit to Islamabad, but insisted it had nothing to do with the ongoing row between Pakistan and the US.

“We have counter-terrorism cooperation with the US and the visit was part of that cooperation,” said the official, who also strongly denied reports that the ISI chief had rushed off to Saudi Arabia.

Munter and Bashir agree on ‘deeper engagement’

Both the US embassy and the foreign ministry attempted to downplay the hype over the issue of the Haqqani network after a meeting between US Ambassador Munter and Foreign Secretary Bashir.

“It was a regular meeting but also indicates the fact that Pakistan and the US have a broad-based relationship,” said Mark Stroh, US Embassy spokesperson.

“Both agreed on dialogue and deeper engagement at all levels,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Tehmina Janjua, adding that the meeting between the two was a follow-up on the three-and-half-hour meeting between US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in New York on September 18.

(Read: A meeting in New York)

An American diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the situation is “still tense and fluid.” He declined to elaborate.

Pakistan and China cooperation

China’s Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu arrived in Islamabad on Monday and was scheduled to meet senior officials. Although agreements for economic and technical cooperation were signed, there may have also been discussions on Pakistan’s ties with the US.

“China is always there for us,” said Interior Minister Rehman Malik as he welcomed Meng. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar echoed Malik’s views, saying: “The Chinese leader reaffirmed China’s continuing support for Pakistan in its fight against militancy and the promotion of regional peace and stability,”

Babar said that during two rounds of talks, mutual cooperation, the regional situation, the fight against militancy and the recent devastation caused by heavy rains in Sindh were discussed.

“The President said that Pakistan greatly appreciates China’s support for Pakistan on all issues of major concern. He said that the Chinese role was very important to usher in a new era of peace and stability in the region,” he added.

Pakistan and China signed a number of agreements, including those on relief goods, emergency humanitarian assistance and the rehabilitation of some damaged parts of the National Highways network. One of the agreements signed involved approximately $250 million of Chinese assistance.

Later the President hosted dinner for the Chinese dignitary and his delegation that was also attended by some federal ministers and senior officials.

Meeting with CJCSC

Earlier Meng Jianzhu met General Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee. According to ISPR, the media wing of the Pakistan Army, both leaders discussed matters pertaining to mutual interests and the emerging geo-strategic situation of the region. Jianzhu appreciated the role played by the armed forces of Pakistan in the fight against terror. Wynne highlighted the converging interest of Pakistan and China, both in security and economic arenas.

Iranian delegation arrives tomorrow

Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar will pay an official two-day visit to Pakistan on September 28-29. “Bilateral meetings have been regularly held between us and the Pakistanis to discuss security and other forms of cooperation,” said Mehdi Mohammadi-Fard, deputy interior minister for parliamentary and international affairs, quoted by the Iranian Fars News Agency. The two countries will sign a security agreement on the sidelines of the visit.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan’s volleyball campaign ends</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260930/pakistan%e2%80%99s-volleyball-campaign-ends</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260930/pakistan%e2%80%99s-volleyball-campaign-ends#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 11 19:21:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Team goes down to India 3-2 in Asian Championship.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s campaign at the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship in Iran ended after they suffered a 3-2 loss to India in the second round.

After losing the first two sets 25-23, 25-23, Pakistan bounced back to level the match by taking the following sets 25-19, 25-18. However, India won the decider 15-13 to advance to the next round and send Pakistan packing.

“We gave the Indians a hard time,” Pakistan coach Mazhar Hussain told The Express Tribune. “We gave our best. I just think that my players succumbed to the pressure. India are a better side and play more tournaments than us.”

Meanwhile, South Korea outplayed China 3-1 and Thailand beat Chinese Taipei by the same scoreline to progress to the next round of the tournament.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>What could be the possible motives for America’s recent diatribes?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260846/what-could-be-the-possible-motives-for-america%e2%80%99s-recent-diatribes</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260846/what-could-be-the-possible-motives-for-america%e2%80%99s-recent-diatribes#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 11 16:41:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shahzad chaudhry]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=260846</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Most credible way out of Afghanistan for US is to leave chaos behind where intervention may be needed time to time.]]>
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				<![CDATA[It isn’t really all a conspiracy theory but I don’t mind if we begin with this premise. What has befuddled analysts as well as non-analysts in recent times is the question that what has America gained by its adventure in Afghanistan, which has also cost it over a trillion dollars?

Let’s detail some of these gains: Al Qaeda has undoubtedly been weakened and is no longer a significant force in the AfPak contiguity. The flip side, however, is that al Qaeda now has its tentacles spread on newer shores: in Yemen, the Arabian peninsula, Southeast Asia, the Maghreb and also various cells reported to be presented in Europe.

It all began with George W Bush’s “smoke ‘em out” determination. Of course, no one will deny the need to commiserate with the Americans on the dastardly 9/11 tragedy, but the invasion of Afghanistan only seems to have ended up spreading al Qaeda to other regions of the world. Instead of containing it, it has been transformed into a geographically diverse movement, and one cannot rule out that it will not plan or carry out further attacks. Furthermore, the result also has been an overly indebted American economy, the threat of another recession, a fracturing polity and, all in all, a humiliating drawdown of American stock in the world. Nations pay for a long time after their leaders make poor decisions and bad choices; in the case of superpowers this is even more acute.

The next sin, and an opportunity lost, was when Barack Obama chose to stay the route in Afghanistan. He shunned Iraq because he had a choice, but never got the nerve to dump Afghanistan. He may continue to explain that to his grandchildren with grand moral overtones and religion-draped patriotic zeal, but he will find it hard to explain to his Democratic Party Caucus, how he lost the magical superiority that he and his party had achieved in the 2008 elections. Perhaps he was too weak to answer the call of his conscience and do what he always knew was the right course, but he could not appear as a wimp to the American electorate.

That meant that the US would remain embroiled in Afghanistan. Let us assume that Afghanistan’s key strategic location as a saddle amidst energy-rich Central Asia, a deviant Iran, and a nuclear and religiously polarised Pakistan, was the underlying objective. It certainly would have been a laudatory objective worthy of both time and treasure for the lone superpower of the time. There are two ways for America to entrench itself in Afghanistan to achieve any of the above interests as well as to checkmate China and Russia from making forays into the mineral-rich region. One would have been to convert Afghanistan to an entity that would mirror America and create socio-political identities that would keep both in a natural embrace — a kind of America away from America. That was not to be though; initially the US diverted its focus back to Iraq, and then when attention went back to Afghanistan, a lot of time had elapsed and the US economy was unable to support two wars at the same time. That is when the counterinsurgency mission scaled itself down to counterterrorism. As such Afghanistan hasn’t morphed into a mini-America and has not developed socio-political linkages that would have given the US a natural parking slot and pervasive presence.

The next option, and that still is very much on the cards, is to sign a strategic agreement for a prolonged presence in the country. Under this, Afghanistan would have control and ownership of military bases that the US may occupy at any time of its choosing. That would clearly need a multi-partisan acquiescence in Afghanistan and a long surviving political structure that will continue to honour the agreement. So in case there is a future coalition government in that country with a Taliban presence, this arrangement, of the US having access to bases, may not materialise.

An extended formulation of the same concept, to enable America to revisit the region at the time of its choosing, is to leave enough turmoil behind for Washington to say that it believes that its vital interests, vis-à-vis energy-rich Central Asia and strategically important Iran and Pakistan would remain threatened, and hence it would be able to invite itself to justify a prolonged presence. Even Karzai isn’t game for the longer-term bases deal and is insisting that any such proposal be decided by a loya jirga.

Hence, America’s most credible way out of the quagmire it finds itself in, is to leave a sustaining chaos behind instead of a sustained peace and a political order that will keep creating conditions where US intervention may be necessary from time to time.

Enter the Haqqanis, and America’s wrath for both Pakistan and the Haqqanis. If the Haqqanis, as the more formidable militant group, can continue to cause this region and Afghanistan to be engulfed in conflict, that should foot the bill. What better if Pakistan, too, can be coerced into taking on the Haqqanis and create a wider zone of a continuing conflict. Perhaps that may put into perspective the outbursts from America’s military and political leaders, all pinning blame in recent days on Pakistan.

It was interesting to hear an American analyst say on an Indian television channel, that all of America’s and India’s “pains” could be removed if the Pakistani military were brought under civilian control. That’s insidious: not only would they like the military to take on the Haqqanis, they would like the politicians to push the military to take on the Haqqanis, and in doing so both would be at odds with each other. That way the turmoil would be just about perfect. Add to that what goes on in Balochistan and Karachi, and you have a coalescing set of conditions inviting foreign (read American) intervention on humanitarian grounds — to ward off a possible ethnic and/or civil war (the latter threatening the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets).

Of course, much of this is conjecture and some may call it a conspiracy theory. In any case, it awaits the test of time. Till that happens, however, it is worth remembering that what remains supreme are interests and that altruism in global politics is a misplaced notion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Chinese vice prime minister arrives in Islamabad</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260502/looking-east-islamabad-takes-heart-from-chinese-leader%e2%80%99s-visit</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260502/looking-east-islamabad-takes-heart-from-chinese-leader%e2%80%99s-visit#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 11 10:40:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=260502</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan, China, Saudi intelligence officials to meet in Islamabad later today.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Vice Prime Minister of China Meng Jianzhou has arrived in Islamabad on a two day visit to Pakistan.

Jianzhou will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and the political and military leadership during his visit.

The talks will focus on bilateral relations, the regional situation and matters of mutual interest.

Jianzhou was received at the airport by Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khan.

Saudi, Chinese and Pakistani intelligence officials to meet in Islamabad

A trilateral meeting between intelligence officials from Saudi Arabia, China and Pakistan will held in Islamabad today, Express 24/7 reported.

The trilateral meeting between officials will focus on United States (US) allegations against Pakistan and the future course of action in this regard.

Earlier, Director-general (DG) ISI Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha met Saudi officials at Chaklala base.

Sources said Saudi officials had conveyed a positive signal of considerable support to ISI officials during the meeting.

Updated from print version (below)

Looking east: Islamabad takes heart from Chinese leader’s visit

Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to counter growing American pressure might get a rare boost when Chinese Vice Prime Minister Meng Jianzhu arrives in Islamabad on Monday to discuss regional security, officials said.

“The visit (by the Chinese leader) has a symbolic as well as substantial value … it will definitely send a message across the Atlantic,” an official at the foreign ministry said, describing the tour as a big relief for Pakistan.

A spokesperson for the ministry, however, apparently made an attempt to downplay the trip, saying it was prescheduled and in the context of the 60th anniversary of Sino-Pak friendship.

(Read: Pakistan-China relations)

“It is a very important visit … but it doesn’t have to do anything with other developments taking place in the region,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Tehmina Janjua told The Express Tribune.

She said Meng, who also holds the portfolio of state security, would be meeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and other functionaries.

Officials said the Chinese vice premier is also scheduled to meet military chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) Lt-Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

At a news conference on Monday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the visiting Chinese leader, who is his counterpart as well, is coming to Pakistan on an invitation extended by him and that the two will be meeting.

Malik said talks between him and Meng would focus on those Chinese separatists who were arrested by Pakistani law enforcers and handed over to authorities in Beijing.

Officials said China had assured Pakistan of diplomatic and economic support in case the US kept piling up pressure on Islamabad for its alleged inaction against the Haqqani network, a group of Afghan militants allegedly based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region.

“Short of physical intervention, they (Chinese) are willing to stand by Pakistan by all means,” said General (retd) Hamid Gul, a former head of ISI who returned from a week-long visit to China over the weekend.

Experts say the support from China or lack of it would determine how well Pakistan can hold its nerves together in the face of mounting US pressure in the run-up to the Afghan endgame.

(Read: The irony of Afghanistan and the real endgame)

Meng is also likely to take part in some ceremonies scheduled to be held in connection with the 60th anniversary of Pakistan-China friendship and will be meeting heads of various political parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Prithvi-II: India tests nuclear-capable missile</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260618/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-4</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260618/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-4#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 11 06:57:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=260618</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Prithvi-II has a striking range of 350 kilometres and is capable of carrying a 1,000-kilo warhead.]]>
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				<![CDATA[India tested a short-range nuclear-capable missile along its eastern coast on Monday, an official said, as part of the nation's efforts to build up its atomic deterrent.

The trial of surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile was carried out from a range in the state of Orissa and hit its target in the Bay of Bengal, test range director SP Dash said.

"The test was successful and met all the mission objectives," Dash told AFP.

The Prithvi, which is domestically built and developed, can carry nuclear or conventional payloads and has already been inducted into the armed services.

India's Defence Research Development Organisation is developing a series of missiles as part of the country's deterrent strategy against neighbouring Pakistan and China, which also have nuclear weapons.

With a striking range of 350 kilometres, the missile is capable of carrying a 1,000-kilo warhead.

Prithvi is the first missile to be developed under India's ambitious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and has been tested several times over the years.

A medium-range nuclear-capable Shourya missile was tested on a ground target at the same site on Saturday.]]>
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			<title>Analysis: What will Washington do next?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260503/analysis-what-will-washington-do-next</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/260503/analysis-what-will-washington-do-next#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 11 00:59:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ayesha.siddiqa]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=260503</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Both allies showing no indication of having done any calculation about how and when they intend to cap their hostility]]>
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				<![CDATA[Relations between Pakistan and the United States have now plunged to their lowest point – from where many fear it could escalate into a direct military conflict between the two allies. Although this is not the first time that bilateral relations have nosedived, the rise in temperature on both sides is immeasurably higher.

From the American side, it is the first time since the start of the war on terror that Washington has gone beyond accusing Islamabad of not doing more.

(Read: With us or against us? A decade on, Pakistan is wavering)

This time around, the White House, State Department and Pentagon seem to be acting in unison when pointing a finger at Pakistan for supporting the Haqqani network and the country’s Inter Services Intelligence of conspiring with the Taliban to attack the US Embassy in Kabul.

Similarly, it seems to have brought the political and military stakeholders in Pakistan closer and elicited a joint response from them on the American attitude and hostility. Both allies seem to be playing a zero-sum game with no indication of either side having done any serious calculation about how and when they intend to cap their hostility. There is no disclosure about Washington sharing concrete evidence with Islamabad regarding the ISI-Haqqani network collusion in the Kabul attack, despite General Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s recent visits to the US or American generals’ tours of Pakistan. But clearly there seems to be a consensus in Washington about ratcheting up the pressure on Pakistan for the latter to agree to fight Sirajuddin Haqqani and his allies who are seen as a major problem for Nato forces, especially in the wake of the diminishing powers of al Qaeda. However, it is not clear as to what Washington will do next in terms of teaching Pakistan a lesson. Several analysts have talked about several options including a surgical strike in Pakistan a la May 2nd or increasing drone strikes – even extending these beyond agreed upon lines in North Waziristan. The risk with all of this is that the GHQ may feel itself pressured to respond.

Pakistan’s strategy, thus far, seems to be based on two trajectories: convince the US to negotiate with the Taliban and project the anti-US public opinion as the main hindrance against any policy changes that may look like accommodating Washington. This also means that General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and his team may not have left much room to themselves to manoeuvre out of a tight corner but to respond to any possible intensity in conflict by American forces. Will a Pakistani reaction result in a higher-counteroffensive by Washington? Or, will there be economic sanctions against Pakistan that are bound to exacerbate the problems that the country already faces? Though one hears echoes of building up relations with China even further, there doesn’t appear to be any surety whether Beijing will agree to totally replace the US or gradually turn Pakistan into something similar to Burma, Cambodia and other Asian allies?

Extremely unnerving is the showboating between the US and Pakistan through the media which has heated up the atmosphere to a point where withdrawal could become difficult. Perhaps stepping back has already become an issue — given the fact that non-state actors are also party to the conflict. One possibility is for the US to include Pakistan directly in the Afghanistan endgame, giving it responsibility to control all sorts of non-state actors which may not be a simple task in itself.

(Read: After the endgame)

But what is clear is that this heightened tension indicates a risky game for the two countries to maximise their gains in determining not only Afghanistan’s future but also the share in the spoils of either state. Irrespective of what is finally decided, the current tension has a heavy cost in terms of setting the tenor of Pakistan’s society.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>What Pakistan should do</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259459/what-pakistan-should-do</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259459/what-pakistan-should-do#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Sep 11 17:40:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[khaled.ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=259459</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Econom­ists see Pakist­an surviv­ing only as a part of the South Asian econom­y, growin­g along side India and China.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan is fast coming apart, existentially and in terms of thinking. The reason is the dwindling of factors that hold life together. The economy cannot be allowed to start growing through cheap money if law and order are not ensured. As people become unemployed through a shrinking of the economy, their inclination to vandalism and crime becomes not only possible but morally justified.

The state is sliding to a halt. It cannot run the facilities it has inherited. It cannot guarantee the survival of those in the private sector. The first and last signature of the state — security of property rights — is fading. The writ of the state is gone in a large part of its territory and going in what is left. If the rupee slides through dollarisation and there is hyper-inflation, the state may have to be labelled as a ‘failed state’.

What is to be done? So far, Pakistan is challenging the US on the basis of a thinking that weighs Pakistan heavier in the strategic scale, retired diplomats and generals saying America needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs America. Is Pakistan simply creating chaos just because America wants to create order?

The economists in Pakistan have finally disengaged themselves from the Pak Army and textbook thinking that India wants to occupy Pakistan and rule Muslims. They think that, while the world is suffering from economic crisis, two neighbours of Pakistan, China and India, are growing at high rates. They see Pakistan surviving only as a part of the South Asian economy.

This doesn’t mean that Pakistan should kowtow to India. It doesn’t mean Pakistan giving up Kashmir. It simply means Pakistan integrating with India and growing in tandem with it, taking in investment and benefiting from low wages at home, allowing India a land route to Central Asia, providing pipeline-fed gas to energy-starved western India and letting people cross the Indian border under a liberal visa regime. After that, Pak Army can turn around and take on the terrorists before they get to our nukes.

There are welcome signs of policy change in Pakistan that cannot be denied. In July 2011, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani went to Mingora, Swat, together with General Kayani and pledged that his government would seek normalisation of relations with India. Before the Mingora overture, the chief of the ISPR had already signalled in his statement that the army ‘won’t mind if Pakistan pursued cooperation and trade with India’, clearly hinting that the ‘conditionality’ of Kashmir was no longer so important.

India’s Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, not so soft-spoken in the post-Mumbai period of 2008, has now refused to bite the bait thrown by a New York Times story that the Pakistani military establishment was keeping in reserve an army of trained Kashmiri militants numbering 14,000 to be unleashed on India at a future date. His reaction was that it was ‘highly exaggerated’. There is no doubt that in saying this he was being statesman-like and ignoring some of the assessments made by RAW that are even more lurid than the one aired by New York Times.

The Mingora statement has been well-received in India. Mr Gilani had said: “Pakistan views India as the most important neighbour and desires sustained, substantive and result-oriented process of dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. We sincerely hope that the ongoing process of comprehensive engagement will be fruitful. However, India will have to play a more positive and accommodating role and respond to Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2011. ]]>
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			<title>India tests nuclear-capable missile</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259455/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-2</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259455/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-2#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Sep 11 14:00:41 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=259455</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Shourya missile has a range of 700 km and is capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram warhead.]]>
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				<![CDATA[India tested a medium-range nuclear-capable missile along its eastern coast on Saturday, an official said, as part of the nation's efforts to build up its atomic deterrent.

The indigenous surface-to-surface Shourya missile was fired from a range in the eastern state of Orissa as a trial for the Indian army, said SP Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range.

"The launch of the missile was perfect. It followed the path exactly to the predefined target in the Bay of Bengal," Dash told AFP.

India's Defence Research Development Organisation is developing a series of missiles as part of the country's deterrent strategy against neighbouring Pakistan and China, which also have nuclear weapons.

The Shourya, built domestically and developed for the army, is being fine-tuned after its debut in November 2008.

With a striking range of 700 kilometres, the missile uses solid propellant and is capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram warhead.

Due to security concerns, authorities evacuated over 2,000 people, including women and children living close to the testing range, and shifted them to temporary shelters.]]>
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			<title>Cloud computing: Microsoft gives a trailer of the future</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259061/cloud-computing-microsoft-gives-a-trailer-of-the-future</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259061/cloud-computing-microsoft-gives-a-trailer-of-the-future#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 11 20:46:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[omair.zeeshan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=259061</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Applications being launched in China to reach Pakistan in two years.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Microsoft will launch its Azure and Office 365 within the next two years in Pakistan and expects that businesses will be open to the idea of cloud computing, according to Microsoft Pakistan Business Group Lead, Servers and Tools, Stephan Consalvi.

Cloud computing is a service that allows users to use data centres to share resources, software and information over a network, typically the internet.

Microsoft’s service currently being launched in China will reach India and Pakistan within the same timeframe.

Around 15 per cent of the businesses in developed countries use online server-based cloud computing, however, developing countries usually use more cloud computing, said Consalvi.

Microsoft was showing off its business solutions at ITCN Asia and trying to sell them by leveraging their familiarity to their office suite. They are targeting medium-sized businesses like SAP and will be offering them as SAAS (software as a service).

The annual ITCN Asia, the country’s biggest IT event of the year, a three-day event was held at the Karachi Expo Centre recently with more than 120 companies participating.

With the world getting closer through increasing collaboration via mobility and technology, cloud computing is making a name in some countries. Microsoft is introducing its Azure which allows building, hosting and scaling of applications in Microsoft data centres while Office 365 allows people to use its office suite online.

The software needs only needs an Internet connection along with a device to operate, no installation is required.

The company and its partners organised a series of live demos and presentations for experts and early adopters highlighting the company’s cloud strategy. It also explained how to step into the private cloud and manage your information technology across physical and virtual server environments.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>Textile exhibition: Exporters showcase goods in France</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259113/textile-exhibition-exporters-showcase-goods-in-france</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/259113/textile-exhibition-exporters-showcase-goods-in-france#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 11 20:29:17 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=259113</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[This year also there was a national pavilion under the aegis of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan showcased its cotton fabrics and leather goods in Paris at the Tex-world exhibition, according to a message received here from the Pakistan Embassy in France. The 30th edition of the fair was held from September 19-22, 2011 at Parc d’Expositions du Bourget. There was substantial presence of Pakistani manufacturers and exporters of denim/ cotton fabrics in this event. This year also there was a national pavilion under the aegis of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and total thirty-nine Pakistani companies had participated in the show. Some 826 exhibitors participated in the fair from countries all over the world including China, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Turkey and Bangladesh.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th,  2011.]]>
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			<title>White House calls on Pakistan to break ties with Haqqani Network</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/258631/pakistan-warns-us-you-will-lose-an-ally</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/258631/pakistan-warns-us-you-will-lose-an-ally#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 11 14:03:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=258631</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hina Rabbani Khar, Ahmed Mukhtar deny allegations; say US cannot afford to alienate Pakistan or its people.]]>
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				<![CDATA[White House spokesman Jay Carney on Friday called on Pakistan to "break any link they have" with the Haqqani terror network, blamed for attacks in Afghanistan including the recent strike on the US embassy in Kabul.

"We know that the Haqqani network was responsible for the attacks on our embassy in Kabul," Carney said.

"We know that the Haqqani network operates from safe havens in Pakistan, and that the government of Pakistan has not taken action against those safe havens. This has been a longstanding concern of the United States, and one that we discussed with Pakistan, in public and in private," he said.

Carney said that it was "critical" that Pakistan "break any links they have and take strong and immediate action against this network so they are no longer a threat to the United States or to the people of Pakistan."

Pakistan warns US: 'You will lose an ally' if accusations continue

Earlier on Thursday Pakistan's foreign minister said that the United States risks losing an ally if it continues to publicly criticise Islamabad's performance in the war against militancy.

(Read more: ISI targeted in bitter Mullen tirade)

"You will lose an ally," Hina Rabbani Khar told Geo TV in New York.

"You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan, you cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people. If you are choosing to do so and if they are choosing to do so it will be at their (the United States') own cost."

Khar was responding to Senate testimony by the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who said Pakistan's top spy agency was closely tied to the Haqqani Network, the most violent and effective faction in the Afghan Taliban insurgency.

Mullen said on Thursday that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) played a role in the September 13 attack on the US embassy in Kabul, supporting militants known as the Haqqani network. That network, he said, is a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

The embassy attack was the latest in a series of violent episodes that have set back US efforts to bring the Afghan war to a peaceful close.

Mullen's comments and Khar's retort mark an unusual escalation of rhetoric between the allies in the struggle against militants and, at least in public, marks a low point in their relationship.

"At the operational level it will be appropriate to say that there are serious difficulties (between the two countries)," Khar told Geo.

In a separate interview with India's NDTV, Khar added: "Pointing fingers at each other will not help. Finding scapegoats will not help ... We want to be a mature, responsible country that is fighting terrorism with a lot of maturity."

The tensions could have repercussions across Asia, from India, Pakistan's economically booming arch-rival, to China, which has edged closer to Pakistan in recent years. A complete break between the United States and Pakistan - sometimes friends, often adversaries - seems unlikely, if only because the United States depends on Pakistan as a route to supply US troops in Afghanistan, and as a base for unmanned US drones.

Pakistan relies on Washington for military and economic aid and for acting as a backer on the world stage. Washington does not want to see further instability in the nuclear-armed country.

But support in the US Congress for curbing assistance or making conditions on aid more stringent is rising rapidly. And Mullen, CIA Director David Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have all met their Pakistani counterparts in recent days to demand Islamabad rein in militants.

'Tough messages have been delivered to Pakistan on Haqqani Network'

Amidst harsh public statements on the Haqqani Network to Pakistan from the US government, a US government official told The Express Tribune, "There shouldn’t be any doubt that tough messages have been delivered — from all levels of the US government — to Pakistan on the Haqqani network."

However, the official speaking on background to The Express Tribune said, "the US-Pakistan relationship continues to have real strategic value for both countries, and both countries are committed to continuing to discuss those issues where our interests diverge.”

The statement follows Admiral Mike Mullen's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee where he accused the Haqqani Network of being supported by the ISI and being responsible for the attack in Kabul carried out on September 13.

Joint operation against terrorists: Mukhtar

Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar on Thursday advised Washington to formulate a  joint strategy for an operation against the Haqqani network.

The defence minister was responding to a question in Karachi on the  recent warnings of the United States, following the accusation that the ISI was involved in the attacks blamed on the Haqqani network.

Mukhtar stated that if the Haqqani network is the target, then both countries should devise a strategy and take unilateral  action against the group.

He was of the view that the US cannot choose to alienate Pakistan at  this moment.

He also denied allegations that the ISI was supporting the militant  group led by Sirajuddin Haqqani.

He urged Washington to share proof of their accusations before making them public.]]>
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			<title>As flood victims protest, China donates 3,000 tents</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/258772/as-flood-victims-protest-china-donates-3000-tents</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/258772/as-flood-victims-protest-china-donates-3000-tents#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 11 10:50:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Shortage of portable water is forcing affected people to drink flood water.]]>
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				<![CDATA[In ongoing relief efforts, China has donated 3,000 tents for Sindh flood affectees on Friday.

China sent the tents via four air crafts to Pakistan.

The Chinese Counsel General handed over these tents to Provincial Disaster Management Director at the Karachi airport for distribution among flood affectees.

The Chinese Counsel General said his country will always stand with Pakistan in difficult times.

While efforts continue to tackle the catastrophe, flood affectees in lower and central Sindh have protested against the shortage of basic necessities including food, medicines and clean drinking water.

People from several districts protested against the shortage of aid and the government's inability to drain flood waters from several villages in Sindh. Police have reportedly baton charged people protesting the ineffective and insufficient aid.

A shutter down strike is also being observed in the southern town of Kunri.

Standing waters in several areas have started to spread diseases and many people have been infected with gastroenteritis, malaria and skin related diseases.

Snake bites and water borne diseases are also common. Shortage of portable water is forcing people to drink flood water.]]>
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