Hamid Nihal Ansari, a software engineer from Mumbai, returned to India in December 2018 after spending six years in a Pakistani jail for illegally entering the neighbouring country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. He was arrested in 2012 and lodged at Peshawar jail after Pakistan had slapped espionage charges against him. The decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi and Sushma Swaraj, who was the external affairs minister and was personally monitoring the case. Speaking to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Ansari recalls the time he spent with her and says that if it wasn't for her efforts, he would still be rotting away in a Pakistani cell.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi was on Wednesday given a hearing by the newly appointed PCB chief, Zaka Ashraf, at his Gaddafi Stadium office in Lahore but there is no clarity, yet, on the all-rounder's return to the international cricket.
Former Test captain Zaheer Abbas is likely to secure the important position of Chief Operating Officer in the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Akbar said around 30 members belonging to various constituents of the Geelani's faction have been invited by the Pakistan High Commission. They include Geelani, Ashraf Sehrai, Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan.
A total of 45 suspects have been taken into custody by Pakistan police in connection with the deadly suicide blast at Wagah border which killed 63 people.
'Afghanistan cannot be at peace until the Pashtuns regain their pre-eminent role in the country's governance,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
In a blunt message, the United States has asked Pakistan to intensify efforts to counter terrorist sanctuaries inside its borders and take concrete steps against the dreaded Haqqani network responsible for major attacks on American installations in Afghanistan.
West Indies and Bangladesh will play two Twenty20 matches in Florida in August, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Tuesday.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
"If Nawaz Sharif does accept the invitation, let's hope Narendra Modi will serve him chicken biryani!" Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said in an apparent jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime minister-designate.
The Pakistan Cricket Board issued a final warning to its players contracted with the Indian Cricket League, saying those who turn out for the rebel league will not be considered for selection to the national team.
'Whether the people will benefit or not depends on what the central government does in Kashmir successfully.'
Modi spoke to Sharif and conveyed best wishes for the showpiece event.
He also sought setting up of a global fund to contain terrorism.
Pakistan run-machine Mohammad Yousuf signed a central contract with the PCB and will play in the first Test against South Africa.
Pakistan's decision to ban media coverage of Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the Jamaatud Dawa and its front Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation and other outlawed groups was part of a commitment given to United States President Barack Obama by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his recent visit, a media report said on Wednesday.
'This is for the first time that a strong, solid evidence-based investigation has happened.' 'It can meet international standards and put the onus on the Pakistanis.'
Raising questions over the role of Pakistan's powerful military in the Pathankot terror attack, a former ambassador to India has said that the army does not appreciate Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's attempts to decide on the country's policy towards India.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer is a strong contender to take over from Duncan Fletcher as England coach after the World Cup.
Pakistan batsman Younis Khan has avoided disciplinary action for refusing to accept the captaincy of the national side and for opting to play for English country Yorkshire instead of his country.
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Nasim Ashraf pointed out the upcoming tour to India will be a great chance for the fast bowler to silence his critics.
TV footage showed Zardari coming out of his house and embracing his younger daughter Aseefa before getting into a black Landcruiser.
The ICC has allowed Pakistan to include all-rounder Yasir Arafat and left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman as replacements for dope-tainted Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in their Champions Trophy squad.
The Pakistani paceman could miss the semi-final against New Zealand due to a elbow injury.
A heated argument led to the 32-year-old striking his fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif on the thigh with a bat during nets for the Twenty20 World Cup.
'Washington is well aware that the Haqqani group was responsible for terrorist attacks on the Indian diplomatic establishments in Afghanistan.' 'But today US self-interest dictates that Sirajuddin Haqqani's mainstreaming in Afghan political life and a potential elevation eventually to a leadership role at the national level is useful and necessary, since he can deliver peace,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Afghanistan is learnt to have sought enhanced supply of military hardware from India.
'BJP leaders are trying to save their lives in Punjab.'
New Delhi should resist any temptation to act as spoiler and instead should cooperate with its SCO partners in reaching a regional consensus behind the formation of an interim government in Kabul, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Pakistan government has detained a co-owner of an upscale catering company in Islamabad and at least four others in connection with the botched Times Square bombing plot for which Pakistani-American terror suspect Faisal Shahzad has been arrested in the United States, a media report said in Washington on Saturday. The suspects, including Salman Ashraf of 'Hanif Rajput Catering Service', were taken into custody following the May 1 Times Square terror plot.
Posters, stickers and wall-chalking supporting Islamic State terror group have appeared some 15 kilometres from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Lahore farmhouse, prompting authorities to launch a probe into the possible presence of the dreaded militant outfit in the city.
Onkar Singh, a valuable member of the Rediff.com team over the years, breathed his last on January 13. Syed Firdaus Ashraf, who knew him intimately, remembers the ultimate newsman.
'It's waging an offensive with no seeming precedent.' 'The fact that it's now entering cities, as opposed to remaining massed around their perimeters, is a game changer.'
Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday dashed off to Afghanistan to seek extradition of Taliban leader Mullah Fazlluah, whose group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an army school in Peshawar, which left 141 people, mostly children, dead.
'I don't believe that it beholds democracies like us who claim to be the largest democracy in the world, to have such a thin skin about the possibility of foreign commentary.'
Days after former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's statement that Islamabad had diverted United States' aid to strengthen its defence against India was splashed in the media all over, the former general has denied allegations of misuse of army equipment, saying the media has highlighted a 'non-issue.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Ufa and the two leaders are understood to have discussed Afghanistan's security situation and India's assistance in reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.
After watching Uri: The Surgical Strike, Syed Firdaus Ashraf gets the feeling that Modi has added another tool to help him win the 2019 Lok Sabha election: Hindi cinema...
The 66-year-old leader was recovering after the operation at Princess Grace Hospital in London and was expected to be conscious in a few hours.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances