By Abu Ezaan In the backdrop of impending US-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), the debate on the American interests in the region and the necessity of maintaining military bases in Afghanistan is gaining momentum. With Afghan side aspiring maximum through negotiations on BSA, there is an apparent effort from some renowned American analysts to down play the significance of the agreement vis-à-vis U ...

By Asif Haroon Raja Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was founded by socio-political philosopher Abul Ala Maudoodi on August 26, 1941. He opposed capitalism, socialism and secularism but advocated democracy as an integral part of Islamic political ideals. He had close ties with Muslim Brotherhood leader Qutb. Although Maudoodi rendered great service for the cause of Islam, he was among the staunch opponents of idea of P ...

By Sajjad Shaukat After the killing of the Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone attack on November 1, this year, Taliban Shura decided to appoint the most ferocious and notorious militant Maulana Fazlullah as chief of the TTP. In this regard, a controversy arose for the selection of new leader, as many TTP insurgents had been intensely whispering against Fazllulah by arguin ...

              By Sajjad Shaukat Being a neighbouring and brotherly country, Pakistan always respects Iran’s sovereignty, system of governance and its socio-political developments. But, some external elements misguide Iran through false propaganda by manipulating various terror-incidents which take place inside Iran, especially its province of Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan’s province of Balochistan ...

 By Sajjad Shaukat While, the country by and large witness Ashura peacefully, but on November 15, this year, sectarian violence between Shia mourners and Sunnis in Rawalpindi has left 10 dead and more than 65 injured. Angry protesters targeted the mosque and the seminary, torching its building including an adjacent cloth market where incidents of looting and arson occurred. Very soon, the incident enveloped ...

 By Sajjad Shaukat                                              In the recent months, Pakistan made strenuous efforts to advance peace talks with India in order to resolve all issues, especially Kashmir dispute, while it took several positive steps to improve relations with Afghanistan. Similarly, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ahmad Khan decided to begin negotiatio ...

By Zaheerul Hassan On 10 November ISPR Spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa strongly condemned the irresponsible and misleading statements of Syed Munawar Hassan in a TV programme, declaring the dead terrorists like Hakimullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud as shaheeds, whereas soldiers those who sacrificed their lives  fighting against terrorism are not shaheed. Similarly JUIF leader Fazlur Rehman stated that a ...

Abu Ezaan The prevailing stalemate in Afghan war amply validates the futility of military option in defeating insurgency. Erroneously, the political alternative has also been used to supplement the military option and weaken the insurgency to make it more amenable to reconciliation.  It is now imperative that political negotiations in Afghanistan are pursued with sole objective of peace and stability in the ...