Archive for January 13th, 2022

Pakistan Armed Forces’ Art Of ‘Institutionalising’ Corruption

“… Which country’s army operates housing schemes? The army’s job is to protect the country’s borders; not to participate in commercial activities. — Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, 2019 If one goes by what’s written on the top-left hand side of its entrance, then it’s clear that the imposing building on the banks of Islamabad’s Rawal Lake is […]

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Pakistan: Buying An Improbable Peace In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Analysis

On January 7, 2022, two terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on Amirwanda Road within Lakki Police Station of Bannu District. On January 5, 2022, two soldiers were killed during an IBO in Kot Kili village in the South Waziristan District. The operation was carried out by Security Forces (SFs) following reports of terrorist presence in the area. […]

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India: Collateral Threats In Mizoram – Analysis

On December 31, 2021, Security Forces (SFs) during an operation recovered large quantity of explosives from an area three kilometers south of Mawhre village in Saiha District along the India-Myanmar International Border. The recoveries included 81 kilograms of liquid explosives, 94 kilograms of Belox granules, 395 kilograms of Gelatin rods, 356 rounds of a 12-gauge shotgun, 70 mm cartridges, one […]

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Religious Revival In China: Ups And Downs – Analysis

When the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, visited the Tamil majority Northern Province in mid-December, he did things no envoy of Communist China had done before. Ambassador Qi performed puja at the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in the traditional Tamil way, bare-chested, unshod, wearing a white silk vetti and carrying a basket of ritual offerings. The Ambassador did it […]

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Daesh militants on the run in Pakistan after evading police raid

A band of suspected Daesh militants is on the run in Pakistan after escaping a police raid that killed six other members of the group, officials said Monday. Counterterrorism police said in a statement they had stormed a hideout in the southwestern city of Quetta on Saturday and killed six militants, but “around four to five managed to escape.” A […]

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Mortar shell explosion kills 9 children in eastern Afghanistan

Blast occurred when a food cart struck an old, unexploded mortar shell in Nangarhar province, local officials say. An explosion in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan has killed at least nine children and wounded four others, according to local officials. The blast on Monday took place when a cart selling food items struck an old, unexploded mortar shell […]

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Senior Pakistani Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan: Official

Khalid Balti, former spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has been killed in Nangarhar province. A senior leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban or TTP) has been killed in eastern Afghanistan, Pakistani security officials say, as a peace talks process between the armed group and the government remain stalled. Khalid Balti, also known by the nom de guerre Muhammad Khorasani when […]

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‘You’re Very Vulnerable’: Afghan Diplomats Fear Violent Taliban Reprisals

The Taliban are pressuring exiled diplomats in an attempt to take back Afghanistan’s embassies. The Taliban have begun more aggressively to replace Afghanistan’s exiled diplomats who have resisted the militant group’s rule, current and former Afghan officials told Foreign Policy, using surprise diplomatic appointments and the threat of violence as a first step toward seeking wider political recognition. In the […]

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IEA’s higher education minister confirms public universities to reopen soon

Mawlavi Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Islamic Emirate’s acting minister of higher education, said the reason for the closure of state universities was because of financial problems but stated these issues would be resolved and the education facilities would reopen soon. Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday, Haqqani said that there are 40 public and 150 private universities […]

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IEA demands return of dozens of aircraft parked in neighboring countries

Afghanistan’s ruling Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government has asked Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return Afghan Air Force planes and helicopters that were flown to neighboring countries by fleeing pilots in August last year as the former government in Kabul collapsed. Addressing a Ministry of Defense ceremony in Kabul on Tuesday, IEA Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob said his government would […]

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