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The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has not only claimed the attack, but also made it clear that the spillover from the military operations in Swat and other tribal areas will not end in Lahore. ‘Residents should leave the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan,’ the purported aide of Baitullah Mehsud warned. Is the Pakistani state ready to deal with the emerging threat? What measures should the authorities take to ensure the...

President Asif Ali Zardari was one of the first few leaders to congratulate the Congress party on its election victory. The president said he was looking forward to resuming dialogue with India. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani too congratulated Dr Manmohan Singh after his re-election and stressed the need for peacefully resolving all outstanding issues between the two countries. Analysts believe Singh’s strengthened mandate after India’s general...

Acknowledging mistakes is a prerequisite to building a healthy, honest relationship. Only then can a mutual vision be defined and pursued in the search of a better tomorrow. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again lamented America’s ‘incoherent’ dealings with Pakistan over the last 30 years. She made it clear that Washington had abandoned Islamabad once the Soviets were forced to withdraw from Afghanistan. It was also implied...

Chief of Army Staff Gen Kayani has called for ‘precision strikes to avoid collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks’ in Swat. But will this strategy work? Air raids, especially those conducted by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan almost always cause widespread civilian casualties. Given the chequered history of precision strikes, can it be said that the Pakistan army will do any better? Also, the army chief has said that the...

Dawn.com invites readers to debate current affairs in this forum. The recently released khateeb of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz has said that the situation that has emerged in the troubled areas of Swat, Buner and Dir is a reaction to the military operation conducted against the mosque in 2007. He claimed that most of the students of Lal Masjid who suffered due to the operation hailed from Malakand division of the Frontier province...

On Wednesday, at least 25 people were killed and 40 injured while 20 vehicles were torched in different parts of Karachi. Trouble began in North Karachi when armed men opened fire on Zarina Colony, leading to an alteraction with Rangers personnel. Incidents also occured in Surjani Town, New Karachi Industrial Area, Khawaja Ajmair Nagri, Landhi and Malir. Do you live in any of the affected areas? Did you witness the clashes? What is the situation in...

Journalists reporting on the ongoing violence in the North West Frontier Province have once again been caught in the crossfire. On Tuesday, a Peshawar-based journalist reporting on military operations in Buner was detained by a state intelligence agency. The following day two of his colleagues who visited the agency’s office to inquire about him were also held, according to reports circulated by the Asian Human Rights Commission. On Tuesday, media...

India’s political landscape has long been dominated by coalition politics. This happened because of the rise of regional parties, particularly in the country’s south, and later by the increasing influence of politics based on caste. Now, scores of political parties are contesting the elections and neither of the two national parties — Congress and the BJP — is expected to get more than one-third of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. There...

Long-simmering tension in Balochistan is once again boiling over. On Sunday, another strike was observed across the province as Baloch nationalists continue to protest the murder of three of their leaders in Turbat earlier this month. Meanwhile, a low-intensity insurgency rages on with security forces, gas pipelines and pro-government tribesmen coming under repeated attack by separatist guerrillas. On Saturday, a Frontier Corps vehicle was destroyed...

On Thursday, the government announced that eight platoons of paramilitary troops have been sent to Pakistan’s Buner district, which has been infiltrated by the Taliban. Frontier Constabulary platoons have been dispatched to protect government buildings and bridges in Buner. In recent days, Taliban militants have been patrolling the area, snatching and searching vehicles, and ransacking government offices. After the passage of the Nizam-i-Adl...