By Yvonne Ridley The only thing that surprised me when I heard that the Algerian kidnappers had called for the release of  Dr Aafia Siddiqui was that it hadn’t happened sooner. Don’t get me wrong, as a former hostage myself, there is no way I condone the actions of what has unfolded in a remote corner of the Algerian desert. And my heart goes out to the families of those who have lost loved ones in the unfo ...

By Sajjad Shaukat On the one hand, India has been emphasising to strengthen the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) with Pakistan to normalise relations between both the countries, but on the other, it has continuously been giving a greater setback the CBMs in one or the other way, which shows Indian dubious approach. In this regard, Indian soldiers crossed over the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Janua ...

Posted By Faheem Belharvi The start of the year has brought the withdrawal of US-led international troops from Afghanistan one step closer. This year will be pivotal, as it becomes ever more pressing to shore up the security situation in the Central Asian country and arrange the details of the transition that leads up to next year’s withdrawal. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is paying a visit to the United S ...

By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya January 08, 2013 "Information Clearing House" -  Since the kindling of the conflict inside Syria in 2011, it was recognized, by friend and foe alike, that the events in that country were tied to a game plan that ultimately targets Iran, Syria’s number one ally. [1] De-linking Syria from Iran and unhinging the Resistance Bloc that Damascus and Tehran have formed has been one of the ...

Posted by Faheem Belharvi President Karzai of Afghanistan wrapped up his 5-day state visit to India on 13th of December on an insignificant note. He utilized major part of his visit to plead Indian business community to invest more in Afghanistan. India has already pledged US $2 billion for development in Afghanistan with particular focus on extraction of huge mineral deposits. India capitalized on his visi ...

By Sajjad Shaukat When during the Musharraf regime, Pakistan government initiated the construction of Gwadar deep-seaport in the Balochistan province in March 2002 with Chinese assistance, a siren went off in the capitals of the United States, India and Israel. The US took it as a threat to its global plans, and India felt that it threatened its integrity. Israel also took it as a greater threat from an Isl ...

Sherry Rehman In 2008, the people of Pakistan were successful in their struggle for democracy, even though we lost our leader, Benazir Bhutto, in the campaign against terrorism and extremism, as she bravely led the way to representative government. As I fielded the rush of global messages condoling her death, I will never forget that the highest number came from the U.S. Congress extolling her lifelong, cou ...

By Patrick O’Connor Marking the first US drone attacks of 2013, the Obama administration ordered two separate missile bombardments in Pakistan and Yemen on Wednesday and Thursday. The latest attacks demonstrate that the drawdown of US-led occupying forces in Afghanistan will be accompanied by an expansion of illegal drone operations across the Middle East. At least 16 people were reported killed, all allege ...