Blow to the government
May 2, 2009 3 min. read

With President Zardari due to arrive in Washington next week, the US has piled on the pressure on the civilian government. On Wednesday, President Obama explicitly spelled out his concern: ‘The civilian government there right now is very fragile and [doesn’t] seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services.’ Perhaps Mr Obama meant less […]

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Female teachers, students warned to wear veil
May 2, 2009 2 min. read

PESHAWAR: Suspected militants have warned female teachers and students in Peshawar to wear a veil and accompany male members of their families while going schools, or face action. A resident of the Achini village (upper), who asked not to be named, told Dawn that suspected militants had sent threatening letters more than once to the […]

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Obama reaches out to Sharif in hopes to stabilise Pakistan
May 2, 2009 2 min. read

WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Barack Obama is reaching out to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the chief rival of President Asif Ali Zardari, in hopes to find a way to strengthen the country’s government, The New York Times reported late Friday. Sharif, who served prime minister twice during the 1990s, represents the Pakistan […]

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Gilani takes exception to Obama’s appraisal
May 2, 2009 2 min. read

KARACHI: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani criticised on Friday US President Barack Obama’s statement that the civilian government in Pakistan was ‘fragile’, asserting that his government was strong and state institutions were functioning ‘effectively’. He was speaking at a news conference at the Chief Minister’s House after chairing a meeting on the law and order […]

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Full confidence in Pakistani govt, Holbrooke insists
May 2, 2009 4 min. read

WASHINGTON: US presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke on Friday voiced the Obama administration’s full confidence in the ability of the democratic Pakistani government to deliver services for its people as he rubbished media reports implying that Washington might be concerned about the performance of the elected government to the point of seeking change. Referring to stories […]

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Widespread violence afflicts Karachi
April 30, 2009 3 min. read

KARACHI: At least 25 people were killed and over 40 others injured in a fresh wave of ethnic violence in different parts of Karachi on Wednesday. About 20 vehicles were torched. Tension and panic gripped parts of the city as unidentified attackers went on a shooting spree, killing most of the victims at point-blank range. […]

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70 militants dead as Dir operation ends
April 29, 2009 4 min. read

RAWALPINDI: Following successful operation against militants in Lower Dir, security forces on Tuesday afternoon launched an offensive against the Taliban militants in the Buner district. “The aim of the offensive, which began at 4 pm, is to eliminate and expel the militants from Buner,” Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told a news […]

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Dir operation
April 29, 2009 3 min. read

The point of no return could be crossed in the near future if the Taliban are not subjected to decisive and telling action. The government dithered and the army stayed its hand even as the militants who want nothing less than the state’s overthrow flexed their muscles and moved from Swat to Buner and then […]

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Pakistani students in UK
April 29, 2009 3 min. read

‘Operation Pathway’ was perhaps destined for failure the moment the UK’s top counter-terrorism officer was photographed with files providing details of planned police raids on Pakistani students. The officer concerned was forced to resign and the police action, which had been in the works for months, was moved forward at short notice. The result: mass […]

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First, we must have the will to fight the Taliban
April 28, 2009 4 min. read

The Interior Advisor, Rehman Malik, says an operation by the Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Army in Lower Dir has killed 30 militants, but maintains that the operation has nothing to with the Swat deal. In the next breath he also says, “If the militants do not lay down arms after the enforcement of Sharia laws in […]

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Brown shows no remorse over arrest of students
April 28, 2009 4 min. read

ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged on Monday £10 million in assistance to help Pakistan fight extremism and militancy, but expressed no regrets over the arrest of Pakistani students against whom no evidence has been found. ‘We will stand up to extremism together. We will reverse this trend and take them (extremists) on. We […]

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China’s 25 Most Influential Business Leaders In 2008
April 27, 2009 3 min. read

For the fifth year running, Fortune China has published its “25 Most Influential Business Leaders in China 2008” list, the feature article in the April issue. As in the past, selection was based on “leading executives influential within their corporation and industry, and capable of changing things on a wide scale,” both in China and […]

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