A trust deficit still haunts Pakistan's ties with the United States, which is not entirely convinced of this country's commitment to the war on terror, the Pakistani media said on Thursday, seeking sustained efforts to build on bilateral strategic dialogue to achieve goals like getting a civil nuclear deal.Most Pakistani dailies described Wednesday's upgraded US-Pak strategic dialogue as the start of a new phase in bilateral relations.
Leaders of Pakistan-based banned terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen have called on supporters to wage a 'jihad' or holy war for the liberation of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan and the United States are set to hold their first strategic dialogue on Wednesday, but the focus will squarely be on powerful army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who has played a key role in shaping the government's approach to the parleys, which are expected to cover Indo-Pak ties and Afghanistan. General Kayani, who is currently visiting the US at the invitation of Central Command chief General David Petraeus, will participate in the ministerial-level strategic talks.
The United States on Monday dismissed reports that it was mulling negotiations on a civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan. "The US has not entered (into) negotiations on a civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan," said a spokesperson of the US embassy in the capital, a day after media reports said Washington may discuss Islamabad's request for cooperation in setting up nuclear power plants in the country.
"In the field, the activities of the mujahideen have increased and are increasing according to a definite plan. We are fighting a guerrilla war that cannot be at a constant pace. There is sit and stop, according to a plan, and we are continuing our war," said Salahuddin, who heads the Hizbul Mujahideen and United Jihad Council.
Lawyers for Lashkar-e-Tayiba's operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six more accused in the Mumbai attacks case on Saturday demanded at an anti-terror court that Ajmal Kasab be brought from India to Pakistan to face trial with the other suspects.
Iran and Pakistan have signed a deal in Turkey paving the way for constructing the much- delayed natural gas pipeline that was originally envisaged to extend up to India.
In a delicate balancing act, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday described India as a 'close friend', while referring to Pakistan and Afghanistan as 'conjoined twins'.In remarks apparently aimed at assuaging Pakistan's concerns about the Indian presence in Afghanistan, Karzai said his country would never allow its soil to be used for activities directed against any of its neighbours.At the same time, Karzai was in Pakistan on a two-day visit.
A Pakistani anti-terror court on Saturday adjourned for a week the hearing in the Mumbai terror attack case, against Lashkar-e-Tayiba operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects, after recording the testimony of an investigator. Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan recorded the testimony of Federal Investigation Agency Inspector Nisar Ahmed Jadoon during proceedings held at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan on Thursday said it was not responsible for the lack of progress in the recent foreign secretary-level talks and the ball is now in India's court to respond to its proposals like participation of the political leadership in the dialogue process to normalise ties.
Twenty men, who allegedly helped plan and carry out the Mumbai terror attack, including several Lashkar-e-Tayiba members, figure in a list of 119 most wanted terrorists in Pakistan.They figure in the 'Red Book' or list of 119 'most wanted terrorists' that was drawn up by the FIA in October last year. The Red Book was prepared by the FIA and provincial police forces.However, the top leadership of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and banned groups like JeM are not in the list.
Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said during a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Islamabad that Pakistan wanted its ties with India to normalise "by resolving bilateral disputes through a sustained and meaningful dialogue process."However, "engaging in talks for the sake of talks would serve no purpose," he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
One of the two abducted Sikhs rescued during an army operation in Pakistan's Taliban-infested tribal belt was injured in a shootout between security forces and militants, according to the Pakistan military.
Notwithstanding the recent Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level meeting for which India took initiative, Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed has said Pakistan will have to 'fight a war at all costs' if New Delhi is not prepared to hold talks.
A key militant of the banned Lashker-e-Tayiba and his 34 Afghan followers have been arrested by Pakistani authorities in the Nowshera area in the country's northwest. LeT leader Matiullah alias Abu Tallah and his followers were arrested during a pre-dawn raid on his madrassa or seminary at New Dagai village in Nowshera district on Tuesday, police told the media. From the same district, Pakistani intelligence had captured some top Taliban commanders.
The Pakistan government on Tuesday, dropped a representative from the interior ministry from its delegation for the foreign secretary-level talks with India after New Delhi reportedly said the team should comprise only officials of the foreign ministry, diplomatic sources said.
Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin resigned on Tuesday following months of strained relations with other members of the federal Cabinet, saying he was stepping down to focus on his private business interests.
Two Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom were found beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan's restive tribal belt in yet another brutal act by the militants.
The Pakistani Air Force inducted the first squadron of JF-17 Thunder multi-role combat aircraft it jointly developed with China as part of its efforts to maintain a "balance" of conventional forces in the region.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday offered to enhance cooperation with India in the field of intelligence to avert attacks like the Pune blast that could 'further the agenda of terrorists' who were holding the bilateral ties 'hostage.'
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