The political scene in Pakistan appears to be heating up, with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Tehrik-e-Insaf party indicating that it is open to an alliance with former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The party's new vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said a decision on forming an alliance with Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League will be taken in due course of time after considering circumstances. His comments come in the wake of political ripples.
Taliban's supreme commander Mullah Mohammad Omar, now in hiding, has put pressure on his groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan to form a new grouping which has pledged to stop targetting Pakistani security forces and instead focus attention on US-led troops in Afghanistan.
India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities under a two-decade-old pact prohibiting attacks on atomic assets, days after senior officials of the two sides held talks here on nuclear and conventional CBMs.
Former premier Nawaz Sharif on Saturday vowed to make Pakistan an economic power and usher in a revolution if his Pakistan Muslim League party is voted to power in the next general election. "My team will bring about a revolution in Pakistan," he said while addressing a rally at Gujranwala in Punjab province that was attended by thousands of his supporters. He contended that the PML-N would come to power again to serve the people and to make the country an economic force.
Without naming any intelligence agency, Sethi said during his show on Geo News channel that the organisation's operatives were "in touch with and threatening several other senior journalists". The journalists did not speak about the threats before "because we did not want to destabilise things", he said. "But the time has come when all of them should come forward and speak about it publicly."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday dismissed reports that his government was planning to remove the chiefs of the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency, saying he had personally ensured that both generals were given an extension in service.
At loggerheads with the powerful army, the Pakistan government has issued a show-cause notice to the defence secretary for submitting an affidavit on the memo scandal to the Supreme Court without seeking approval from the defence minister. Lieutenant General (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, considered to be very close to army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was issued the notice last week.
Amidst differences between Pakistan's civilian government and military over a memo alleging an army plot to seize power, President Asif Ali Zardari has called on the people to not allow any change through "force and intimidation". The ballot should be respected as the instrument of change, said Zardari, who has been facing pressure from the military establishment since Pakistan-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz made public the alleged memo that sought United States's help.
Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday dismissed speculation of a military takeover as "misleading", saying they are being used as a "bogey" to divert the focus from "real issues".
The Pakistani Army on Friday rejected a United States-led inquiry report into a cross-border North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, saying it is "short on facts." "The Pakistan Army does not agree with the findings of the US/NATO inquiry as is being reported in the media. The inquiry report is short on facts," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
Pakistan has stopped seeking reimbursements from the United States for its expenses on the war on terror since the May 2 American raid in Abbottabad that killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The decision is likely to put additional burden on the country's resource-strained budget.Pakistan used to claim between $100 million and 1$40 million a month as reimbursements from the US.
The retired American general who delivered an alleged memo that sought United States help to stave off a feared coup in Pakistan has said that he believes the document was "not credible".
Some secretarial staff from the presidency have flown to the United Arab Emirates amid speculation that a presidential camp office was being set up at Pakistan's ailing President Asif Ali Zardari's private residence in Dubai. This is the second batch of officials from the presidency to go to the UAE since Zardari travelled to Dubai on December 6 to seek treatment for a heart condition
Pakistan Prime Minister Yosuf Raza Gilani has accused an unnamed lawmaker of being in touch with 'memogate' scandal blower Mansoor Ijaz, hinting that there was a conspiracy against President Asif Ali Zardari
The government and the president's family convinced Zardari to go to Dubai for treatment because there was a risk he would be attacked if he was admitted to a Pakistani hospital, Gilani said while speaking in the senate or upper house of parliament on Wednesday
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has warned that any move to oust the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government could imperil democracy and the election process in the country
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has blamed Afghan refugees living in Pakistan for the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani and said they are responsible for various other problems.
Following a brainstorming session on foreign policy revamp in the wake of a deadly NATO strike on Pakistani troops, the envoys recommended that the government should make a fresh start in cooperating with the US in the war on terror by setting aside understandings and agreements forged during Musharraf's regime, including those on drone strikes and use of Pakistani facilities like Shamsi airbase
As Pakistan brainstorms to revamp its foreign policy after last month's deadly strike by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said the country will retaliate against all future attacks, but also made it clear that Islamabad is not taking its ties with the United States to a point of no return. Khar made the remarks as she presided over a session of the two-day meeting of envoys convened to frame recommendations for a foreign policy revamp
Asif Ali Zardari, who is undergoing treatment in Dubai for heart complications, would need two weeks of rest before returning home, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said, dismissing rumours about a "quiet coup" and the President's offer to resign.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances