Pakistan

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...

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...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. On Sunday, three workers of the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) and one Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant were killed during an exchange of fire between the two sides in Mamond tehsil, Bajaur Agency. The clash erupted after TTP men arrested the son of TNSM Bajaur chapter chief Dr Ismail Khan, who is a close aide of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, as well as 15 workers on Saturday...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. US Senator John Kerry arrived in Pakistan on Monday to discuss a proposed bill envisaging US$1.5 billion of economic assistance per year to Pakistan over the next five years. During his visit, Senator Kerry, who is also the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will touch on regional and security issues in meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister...

Dawn.com invites readers to debate current affairs in this forum. On Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari called upon the government to take the appropriate steps to implement the Charter of Democracy. The CoD has many points on its agenda, including the removal of undesirable powers to the president that he enjoys under the 17th constitutional amendment as well as the restoration of the constitution as it stood in 1973. President Zardari has described...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. Pakistan rejected on Tuesday a US proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas against terrorism and militancy as differences of opinion between the two countries over various aspects of the war on terror emerged. The proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas had been floated by US presidential envoy for the region Richard Holbrooke and Joint Chief of Staffs Admiral...

Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum. The United States’ new Afghanistan policy focuses on targeting Al Qaeda and ensuring that attacks against the West are stopped. As part of the new strategy, the US is planning to engage Taliban militants who have comparatively moderate views and are willing to lay down their arms. According to US National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones, moderate Taliban include those militants...